Crossroads Tour: Ty Drago

Could you tell us a bit about – first as a writer, then as a reader – what the pull is for you when it comes to Paranormal/Supernatural characters & stories?

Had to really think about this one.  I've never liked the word "supernatural".  This is a big universe, and there's a lot more going on that we can fit into our nice, neat Box of Reason.  I recently had a death in my family, a woman I loved like a sister, and for days after the tragedy, I am convinced that she was hanging around, if only to say goodbye.  What could be more "natural" than that?

But that's not really an answer, is it?

I write about the paranormal because the paranormal fascinates me.  I've never been satisfied with just my five senses, and I've longed to explore the questions of ghosts, UFO's, the Loch Ness Monster, and all the other "fringe" beliefs that most grown-ups scoff at.

And I think that's the reason why I've been drawn to it as a reader as well.  There's a wonderful mystery to it, a sense of wonder, of being at the very edge of something much bigger than yourself.

Besides, there's nothing like a good ghost story, is there?

Rise of the Corpses, the first in your Undertakers series main characters is Will, a 12 year old who ends up fighting with a group of teen resistance fighters. Will is what you call a Seer. Can you talk to us a bit about what a Seer is?

A Seer is a boy or girl who suddenly, and for thus-far unexplained reasons, develops the ability to penetrate the illusion of normalcy that the Corpses somehow project around themselves.   The ability generally manifests around age 11 for girls, and age 12 for boys.  Suddenly, their bus driver, or their teacher, or someone else familiar in their life has become a maggot-riddled cadaver!

It's not a good thing to be a Seer because, if the Corpses figure out that you can See them, they'll hunt you down.

Unless, of course, the Undertakers rescue you first!

Your story sounds like it’s about Zombies; however in the book they are called “Corpses”. Can you tell us the difference between what we all know as a “Zombie” and the “Corpses” in your series?

Zombie's are stupid.  There, I said it.  If any of you reading this are zombies and I've offended you, I'm sorry.  But, like it or not, zombies are moaning, shuffling morons.

Corpses, on the other hand, are fast, smart and organized.  They aren't actually the dead people they appear to be, but are instead beings from "elsewhere".  They invade our world without bodies of our own and so must animate cadavers, wearing them like suits of clothing.  Then, in order to blend in, they project an illusion that they're just normal people.

It's an illusion that only the Undertakers can penetrate.

And lastly, how about a fun question? Being that it’s the scariest time of the year – Halloween – what’s your favorite?

Scary Book:  THE SHINING by Stephen King
Scary Movie:  THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by Thomas Harris
Halloween Candy: Tootsie Rolls!
Costume from Halloween’s Past:  Every Halloween, I used to stand outside my house, scaring the crap out of any kids (above a certain age) brave enough to risk knocking on my front door.  I’m a big guy, and I would dress up all in black with gloves and a whole head horror mask.  It was a blast!

I kept up that neighborhood tradition for years, until my own kids got too old for Trick-or-Treating, and the tradition went from “big Halloween fun” to “just a little bit weird.”  :)

Title: Rise of the Corpses (The Undertakers #1)
Author: Ty Drago
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 480 Pages (April 1st, 2011)
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: "On a sunny Wednesday morning in October, a day that would mark the end of one life and the beginning of another, I found out my grouchy next door neighbor was the walking dead. When you turn around expecting to see something familiar, and instead see something else altogether, it takes a little while for your brain to catch up with your eyes. I call it the 'Holy Crap Factor.'"

Forced to flee his home and family, twelve-year-old Will Ritter falls in with the Undertakers-a rag-tag army of teenage resistance fighters who've banded together to battle the Corpses.

Find Ty Online:

Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Order Ty's Books Online:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

GIVEAWAY!

How the Crossroads Tour Giveaway works

All the authors got together and decided, instead of each blog getting one or two titles to giveaway - they'd have a single grand prize - a real doozie. With that in mind each blogger is asked to encourage readers to answer the daily trivia/research question on the tour main page. (http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/crossroads-2011/) At the end of the tour all answers have to be emailed to judithgraves@ymail.com by midnight on the 29th. 

So, it's your job, to head over to the mail tour page I've linked above, read the question and go find the answer in the posts for that day. Make sure you get your answers in by the deadline - October 29th at Midnight!

Entries will be put in a drawing and a winner chosen randomly.

And I bet you're wondering what the heck this amazing prize is? How about a FREE KINDLE PRELOADED with an eBOOK from each of the Crossroads authors???

The more questions you answer, the better, so be sure to check back each day!

Any questions? Please send them my way!