S.G. Browne

“Up until about three weeks after death, the internal organs of a corpse can still be identified.  After that, the internal organs turn to chicken soup.”

The previous culinary analogy was something I gleaned from a wonderful book titled STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.  From STIFF, I also learned about cadaver impact testing, that unembalmed dead people basically dissolve, and that when maggots feast on the subcutaneous fat of a corpse, it sounds like Rice Krispies.

Snap, crackle, pop.

Throw in the fact that marshmallow is made from gelatin, which is derived from the collagen inside the skin and bones of pigs and cows, and suddenly those Rice Krispie treats don’t sound so appetizing.

In addition to the helpful tidbits of information I found in STIFF, I read an enlightening on-line article by Dr. Trisha Macnair about human decomposition that explained how, in the tropics, a corpse can become a moving mass of maggots within twenty-four hours.

Both of these sources helped me to add a visceral reality to Andy’s world that I couldn’t have made up.

I think it’s impossible to write a work of fiction without doing some research.  I don’t know about other writers, but I’m not a bottomless source of information, so I need some help when my imagination fails me. And adding some facts to the fiction makes the story more believable.

When I write, the story typically unfolds as I’m writing it, so I don’t always know what research I’ll need to do until it becomes apparent that the scene or chapter I’m writing needs some help.  Like the scene where Andy discusses the different types of wine he’s consuming (I’m a Boddington’s man).  Or the chapter where Andy’s mother helps him apply make-up.

In addition to researching what happens to human bodies post mortem, I read the TV Guide to make sure I knew what programs were on and when, visited an on-line wine store to improve Andy’s beverage selection in his parents wine cellar, hung out in the Soquel Cemetery for a couple of hours with a notepad, and studied up on the different shades and brands of Rita’s lipstick.  I also read up on how to preserve game meat, who’s involved in a television production crew, what people have as their first memory, and how to apply concealer, foundation, and contouring powder.

I’m sure I’ve made some errors in my research.  Although I am a man, occasionally I do make mistakes.  But I had a lot of fun blending fact and fiction to create the world in which Breathers exists and try to make it believable.

(Next entry:  J is for Jerry)

So last week my marketing manager at Random House presented my with the opportunity to contribute a blog to a web site called Largehearted Boy, which is, per the web site:”a music blog featuring daily free and legal music downloads as well as news from the worlds of music, literature, and pop culture.”

One of the ways the site blends literature and music is in their Book Notes series, where authors create and discuss a music playlist that in some way relates to their recently published novel.

I’d never really thought about creating a playlist for Breathers, but once I got going, it seemed like a natural fit. Plus I had a lot of fun.

Check out the Breathers Playlist and let me know what you think.

In other fun news, USA Today did an online and print article on the front page of the Life section titled, “Zombies lurch into popular culture.”

Read the article.

Personally, I like the print version better because the cover of Breathers is included, whereas it’s left out in the online version.  But it’s not like I’m complaining.  Okay, maybe a little.

What’s also great about the article is that it plugs several other zombie novels, including three by some YA authors I’ve become friends with through the magic of the Internet:  Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth), Amanda Ashby (Zombie Queen of Newbury High), and Stacey Jay (You Are So Undead To Me).

Check ’em out!  And look for the zombie round-up of fiction in the April 20 issue of TIME.

I had a number of fun responses to what G should be for: Gore, Gases, Guts, Gross, Ghoulish, Ghastly, Gangrene. But the one that resonated more than the others was Graveyard.

Who doesn’t like graveyards?

In Breathers, Andy and the other members of Undead Anonymous spend a lot of time in graveyards – visiting loved ones, paying respects to the recently buried, and digging on the vibe.  After all, they have more in common with the dead than with the living.  And graveyards are the only place where zombies can gather without having to worry about being carted off by Animal Control.

The graveyards, or cemeteries, in Breathers do exist and I hung out in several of them in order to add some realistic details to the scenes.  Particularly the Soquel Cemetery, where Andy’s wife is buried.  (She died in the car accident and didn’t reanimate).  Even the cypress tree that resembles Tom with his missing arm is there.

A number of the tombstones mentioned in the book also exist, including the one for Santa Claus.  However, the marker with the marble cat curled up beneath the solitary name Lilith is an homage to one of my cats – a black Alpha female named after the character on Cheers who was killed and eaten by another animal in July of 1995.

My cat, not Bebe Neuwirth.

(Next entry:  H is for Helen)

So I’m on my way back from San Diego after 10 days of signings and readings and pimping Breathers out to about 50 different book stores and signing stock copies.  Ready for home but had an awesome time.  Here are some highlights:

March 15 – Caesar may have been told to beware the Ides of March, but my first official signing and reading at Borderlands Books in San Francisco was fortuitous.  Great crowd.  Lots of friends.  Several dozen books sold.  And Jude and Alan are the consummate hosts.

March 18 – Drove around Los Angeles signing stock copies of Breathers at local book stores.

March 19 – Met at the Coffee Bean on Sunset in L.A. with Mason Novick and Geoff LaTulippe, the co-producer and screenwriter for the film version of Breathers.  Great fun.  One of those “pinch me” moments.

March 20 – Met with my film agent, Sarah Self of the Gersh Agency, who wants me to write an original screenplay.  I now officially have homework.

March 21 – My second official signing at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA, with Amber Benson (previously of Buffy the Vampire) who was also signing her first solo effort,  Death’s Daughter. Admittedly, Amber’s line was just a little longer than mine, but I had a great time sharing the event and meeting her. Del and Sue were wonderful hosts and the store is fabulous.

March 22 – My third signing at Mysterious Galaxy Books in San Diego.  Shared the reading and signing with Michael Boatman (Spin City and Arli$$), who read from his new horror comedy novel The Revenant Road.  Mysterious Galaxy is a fabulous store and it was lots of fun to meet Michael.  Also received my first hug from a fan from L.A. who missed me in Burbank and drove down to San Diego to see me. Thanks Elizabeth!  You made my day.

March 24 – Hit up another dozen stores in the San Diego area to sign stock copies.  Met a lot of enthusiastic people and fans and had an all around great time.  I think I need to come back here…

I didn’t have any expectations as to what it would be like to work with an editor.  Not to mention a real life New York publishing house editor.  As a writer, you hear horror stories about books being hijacked and turned into something other than what the author intended.  Or even how tedious and tiresome it is to go over copy edits and line edits and re-read your novel half a dozen times during the editing process.
My experience was nothing like that.

My editor at Broadway, Laura Swerdloff, helped to make Breathers a better book.  Period.

She offered up suggestions and recommendations, told me where she thought the story could be improved or fleshed out, and listened to me when I fought for something I believed was inherent or relevant to the story.  I even enjoyed having to read Breathers over and over and over.  Counting the reads I gave the manuscript before I sent it off to my agent and after making edits based on her feedback, I read my novel ten times before the final version went to press.
And no, I never got sick of reading it.  It still made me laugh.  But the thing about a novel is that as the author, you can always find something that needs to be fixed and there comes a point where you just have to stop and let it go.

I can’t imagine having a better experience with an editor as a first-time novelist.  Thanks Laura.

Next entry:  F is for Formaldehyde.