Huggins Will Rip Out Your Guts [Interview]

Beyond Isaiah by Paul S Huggins follows several survivors throughout a zombie outbreak in the United Kingdom. The POV switches are a great way to pull readers into the chaos and emphasize how an entire country is caught off guard by such a swift and devastating event. However, as the timeline progresses, this novel feel less like one continuous story and more like a collection of stories set in the same undead apocalypse. The characters do cross paths, so their individual experiences eventually merge, but the deeper connection between the survivors is lacking.

Don't misunderstand me, I enjoyed reading Beyond Isaiah...just don't expect to find any comfort in this story. Huggins takes his readers to the ground and rips their guts out...the way a horror author should.

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I managed to grab Huggins for a few minutes in the Lair...

Q. How big is the zombie genre in the UK? Do zombiephiles over the pond think they will fare better or worse than the United States?

The UK zombie genre seems to go in fits and starts, there was a major recurrence around 2004 to 2005 that coincided with Worldwide fascination. There was a bit of a dead patch (excuse the pun) but more recently there does seem to be a resurgence, in the last year or so.

Our saving grace in the UK is that we are an island, our downfall would be that we are quite overpopulated. On the plus side we have been fighting off attacks for many centuries, as such the mechanics for defense are already in place, a great many castles. I don’t think the central areas would fare very well, the midlands, London etc. But more remote places like Scotland and parts of Wales are quite remote with rocky terrain, these places would have pockets of survival zones I am sure. If it happened, I don’t think anywhere would fare any better or worse, every part of the globe would be decimated.

Q. Where did the idea for Beyond Isaiah come from?

I was a fan of both David Moody and Iain Mckinnon. Many years ago, I built up a great online relationship with and have subsequently met them on numerous occasions. They gave me the drive to be more proactive with my writing. I had always been a fan of the zombie genre since I first saw that wonderful film ‘Dawn of the Dead’ in the early eighties. It was merely imagining what it would be like here in the UK, as most of my inspiration came from US movies and books.

Q. Why did you choose the format with multiple POVs?

I put a little of myself in every character, I imagine how I would react and what I would say. It wasn’t something that I did on purpose, but it did seem to work out well and fitted over the long timescale. I think it injects a lot more empathy for each character, whether they are good or bad.

Q. What are some of the other horror genres you write about?

The supernatural always peaks my interest and I have written quite a few ‘Ghost’ stories over the years, I also like witchcraft, not surprising as I grew up in a village renowned for a famous case of it.

Q. What can readers expect from you in 2018?

I intend to be very busy. My entire back catalogue is currently being or has been produced for Audible. I’m writing quite a few short stories, I have a half-finished novel which adds witchcraft, ghosts and revenge as the main subjects, tentatively called ‘Past Life Aggression’. I have also been asked to write a zombie related novelette, thankfully I have the time, energy and ideas to keep me very active.

Big thanks to Paul S Huggins!

As always,

AstraDaemon