HD Timmons Interview, Author of the Tom Zombie Series

August 07, 2017 | Back

It′s time for another author interview! Today I bring you North Carolina author H.D. Timmons of the Tom Zombie series. Below is my interview with her.

JORDON: H.D., I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me. As always the first and most important question is why do you write? What is it that inspires or motivates you to put pen to paper?

H.D.: Quite simply, I write because I am compelled to. When ideas pop into my head I can′t help but jot them down on whatever scraps of paper are handy. They may be random scenes from a story I am working on, a prescient glimpse of a future story, a title or character idea, or even one word.

JORDON: Are you a full-time author or do you have another job by day and write by night or some other arrangement?

H.D.: By day I′m a creative director for a trade association magazine. I have always been in the creative arts field, primarily as a graphic designer working in various marketing departments, and as a freelancer. Being a graphic designer also allows me the ability to create my own book cover art and promo graphics, which is a plus!

JORDON: Yeah, that really is a plus, and you′re covers really are great! Now can you tell us about your most recently published books?

H.D.: The most recent work I′ve published is a short story ebook series called The Tale of Tom Zombie. I′ve always been drawn to the short story format because I feel it allows for cutting through the extraneous stuff and gets to the meat of the story.

With more and more being added to the zombie genre every year, it′s difficult to strike upon something that hasn′t been done before. However, I think what makes my zombie short story series different is that it′s designed to be a fun read, like watching an episode of your favorite TV show. The main character, Tom, is trying for one last shot at redemption and becomes an unlikely hero in the process. The series has everything from zombie carnage, crooked cops, intrigue, kidnapping, government conspiracies... even Nazis!

Something that I′m quite proud of is that not long ago I produced my first audio book. It was of my short suspense story Savage, about a writer who seeks inspiration in a mountain cabin, but discovers there′s something stalking him. It was quite a rewarding experience to bring one of my stories to life in that way, and I sure learned a lot about the audio process.

I′ve listened to a lot of audio books and I think what sets mine apart is that it′s not simply straight narration. I added sound effects and ambient location sounds so the listener can be immersed in the story even further. I really like how it turned out.

JORDON: While you were writing your book were there any specific scenes or type of scenes that you just really enjoyed writing, or maybe was fulfilling once it was done? Don′t give away anything important though.

H.D.: Scenes that are fast paced, high tension are definitely my favorite!

JORDON: I can′t argue with that, that′s where it becomes the most fun for me too. Now, do you write exclusively in one genre, or do you explore multiple genres or maybe even bend genres? Maybe I should say do you plan to bend genres?

H.D.: I don′t have a particular genre that I favor writing. I prefer to let the story idea lead me to the appropriate genre. For example, I had no intention of ever writing a zombie story, but it sort of came to me as I was cutting the grass one day. An opening sentence popped into my head and I played around with what I would do with it. Ultimately, the zombie/horror genre seemed a natural fit.

I′ve written other short stories that were in the genres of fantasy, suspense, and country noir. So, where ever the story ideas lead is what determines the genre for me.

JORDON: Flexible, that′s good. What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of being an author?

H.D.: I′d have to say the biggest reward of being an "indie" author is the feedback I get from readers. When someone tells me that they can′t wait to read more of my work it gives me that extra motivation I need. I also enjoy the camaraderie of other indie authors, and found that it′s a very caring and sharing community.

JORDON: Yes, it really is a caring and sharing community. On the flip side, what would you say is the most challenging part of writing?

H.D.: Every bit of writing is a challenge for me. The ideas are the easy part. It′s the sitting my butt down to hammer out the details that′s the tricky bit. I often over think and second-guess how I will approach a new scene or story transition, or wonder if my readers will like it, to the point that it creates writers block... or I simply procrastinate.

Having a day job, plus doing freelance design at night doesn′t help either. At the end of a work day it′s hard to conjure the motivation (and brain power) to do anything but relax. However, I do appreciate the days when a story idea is stuck in my head all day and I can′t wait to get home to work on it.

JORDON: It′s definitely easy to over think and cause yourself to second guess your decisions. Now, I know It′s hard to pick favorites, but who would your top three favorite authors be, and why?

H.D.: An author′s style is what captivates me. Authors like Dan Brown, Sallie Bissell, Flannery O′Connor, Tony Strong, Michael Marshall, Stephen King, and so many more, keep them ever-present in my mind. My favorite authors seem to cycle through the top spots in my mental list depending on what I may be into at any given time. Right now I′d say my top three are:

Donald Ray Pollock—I only discovered Pollock′s work this year and I really love his writing style and gritty country noir edge.

Scott Nicholson—This very successful indie author has a writing style that gripped me from the start. It rivals that of Stephen King, and ever since I read Nicholson′s novel The Red Church I was hooked.

William Gay—Gay paints a simple rural settings by masterfully selecting colorful words and arranges them on the page to create masterpieces.

JORDON: Sounds good. I might need to check them out. Well, for a similar question, what are your top three favorite books or series, and why?

H.D.: Favorite books, to me, are one′s that come to life in my mind stay with me long after I′ve read them. There is a long list of those that includes such works as The Grapes of Wrath, Snow in August, and The Bridges of Madison County, to name a few. Like my favorite authors, this list gets shuffled from time to time, but my top three right now would have to be:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter—Seth Grahame-Smith wove together vampire fiction with historical events so marvelously that it would whet the appetite of any conspiracy theorist.

Angela′s Ashes—Frank McCourt′s almost lyrical style and vivid imagery has kept this book in my thoughts for over twenty years.

Silo (series)—Hugh Howey′s concept of post-apocalyptic generations living in silos is a stroke of genius!

JORDON: Now let′s get back to your writing. Some authors write spontaneously, some plan. Can you tell us a little about what your writing process is like?

H.D.: In the beginning, I try to plan out where the story is going to go, but I do it very loosely knowing that once I get writing the direction changes as the story takes on a life of its own. I would love to be one of those people that sets aside time each day to write, but I write when the mood or inspiration hits me, generally writing scenes out of sequence as they come to me, and then arranging them (and rearranging them) to tell the story. When I do sit down to log some serious writing hours, I use Scrivener writing software. The way it lets me organize and compile things really suits my thought process.

JORDON: That′s the key to it, finding the process that fits your thought process. Now, so many stories out there have happy endings. In your opinion, should every story have a happy ending?

H.D.: Real life situations don′t always have a happy ending, so I appreciate authors who bring a good balance of happy and non-happy endings.

JORDON: Now that we′ve looked a little at your writing method, can you tell us a little about your current project?

H.D.: I planned for six installments of my Tom Zombie series. One through four are currently available, so I′m in the middle of finishing up five and six. I am also working on several novel-length fiction projects (ranging from time travel, urban exploration, and supernatural horror), and it′s a toss up to see which one gets finished first. I plan to have at least one of them in paperback next year! Wish me luck.

JORDON: All of those potential novels sounds great! How about we learn about you personally now. What type of hobbies do you have outside of writing?

H.D.: I′ve recently started trying my hand at sculpting. It′s something I′ve always wanted to try. Much like writing, it′s another way for me to bring ideas to life.

JORDON: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

H.D.: Sounds cliché, but I′ve always wanted to be a writer. I really did. Ever since I wrote my first story for a school composition project in second grade I was hooked on storytelling. I always drew pictures throughout my early years too, and that creative side of me got fed more, so it was a natural that I went to art school to make a living at that instead. I′m thankful that, even this late in life, I am able to pursue my desire to be a writer. I′ve always done creative writing for personal enjoyment (just to get the story ideas out of my head and onto paper), but with the advent of indie publishing I saw an opportunity to get my writing out into the world.

JORDON: That′s great! Most stories require at least some type of research on part of the author. What have you enjoyed researching the most to make your stories believable to the reader?

H.D.: Tom Clancy said, "The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense." So true! Research has led me down so many avenues that have created layers to my stories that I never would have even thought of. In doing research for my short story The Dirt Eaters, for example, I was able to ground my characters in real world events of American history. Even though the events were a backdrop, they helped bring the characters to life.

JORDON: What do you about writer′s block?

H.D.: I find that the best way to get over writers block is to sit down and simply start writing... something... anything. It doesn′t even have to make sense. Also, doing research can grease the mental gears to get things moving.

JORDON: How much of yourself do you put in your books, in characters and events?.

H.D.: I wouldn′t say I make a habit out of it, but in my short story Savage, the main character recalls as a child having a white German shepherd named Savage. That was a tiny piece I took from my life. I do have plans for a few future stories that will find me drawing on more personal aspects to add some flavor, so stay tuned.

JORDON: That′s neat! I think often times we authors may inadvertently put more of us in our stories that we realize, which is scary depending on what we write. Something I find difficult is titling my stories. How do you come up with your titles?

H.D.: Sometimes, the title comes to mind first, then I try to build a story around it. Other times I have a story idea and the title comes organically once I find out where the story is really going.

JORDON: Okay, now for a dangerous question. Do you ever get revenge on real life people in your fictional stories?

H.D.: I haven′t found the need to do it yet, but I′m not ruling it out.

JORDON: Good, safe, answer. Haha! Alright, before we close it out, do you have anything else you′d like to say?

H.D.: Thank you, Jordon, for taking the time to interview me. I′ve enjoyed reading your work, and wish you continued success!

JORDON: Thank you H.D., I appreciate that! Thank you for talking with me today as well and good luck in your future writing ventures. I think that wraps it up here.

If you would like to know more about H.D. Timmons you can find his website at www.hdtimmons.com or on his social network including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Smashwords, Amazon and Goodreads.

Get H.D. Timmons′s Books on Amazon:
Savage
Tom Zombie Series

Author Bio:

H.D. Timmons is the author of The Tale of Tom Zombie ebook series, the short suspense ebook and audio book Savage, as well as other ebook fiction short stories. He has also had articles published in Adoption Today Magazine, RetailerNOW Magazine, and New Focus Daily Magazine.

Mr. Timmons was born in Brooklyn, NY and is currently a creative director living in Kernersville, NC.