Zombie Author A.S.

A.S. Thompson is a native of southern California. He has a Bachelor's degree in Communications. In his free time, A.S. Thompson plays several different musical instruments. He also studies karate and is seeking his pilot's license.
Thompson has always loved entertainment. He has spent a good deal of time working in music studios as well as behind the scenes for television and film companies. This experience led him to spend some time writing and filming his own movies.
He discovered his love for writing while taking a screenwriting class in college. His zombie novels detail the adventures of a group of cousins who struggle to survive in the post-outbreak United States wasteland.  The story first began as an assignment for a screenwriting class.

"After the first sentence, I was bitten by my own work, because, despite the parameters of the project, I just kept on writing. I couldn’t stop. Our project guidelines only called for the treatment to be ten pages long, but I ended up writing almost five times that (I probably would have written more had it not been for the end of the semester). Despite having holes in the plot and still needing work, the story was finished. I think I ended up getting an A on that final treatment, so that was nice."

He later stored the project in a file on his computer and forgot about it. Months later, he ran across the file by accident.

"Curious, I opened up the file and read it over, and by the end I said to myself 'You should adapt this into a book.' Then the more rational side of my brain countered with 'Why would you waste your time writing a book? You’ve never really like writing, and besides what would you do with it? Publish it? Come on dude, you’re no Stephen King.' In the end, the irrational won; go figure. "

This time he wrote it in the form of a novel. Even though  he had doubts, he still finished the story and, in time, sold it to Severed Press.

What Makes A.S. Thompson Unique?

When A.S. Thompson describes his favorite authors it's apparent that he pays close attention to their craft.   Some of Thompson's favorite zombie authors are Johnathan Maberry, Z.A. Recht, and Brian Keene. He's very articulate about the strengths of each author. It's intriguing to hear his views.

Recht's Morningstar trilogy was a very fun read that crossed continents and had this interconnecting plot that kept me very entertained. Recht put a new spin on the zombie genre, allowing zombies to be both shamblers and sprinters, and I loved it. Thank you for your contribution to the zombie genre and may you rest in peace, Z.A. Recht.

Maberry's Patient Zero was another really exciting read. It was told from the POV of a hardened, ex-veteran. The science, mixed with the action made that Joe Ledger book very hard to put down. Reading it was like watching a kick ass, action movie. Great job, Maberry.

Last was Brian Keene's The Rising. When I first read his books The Rising and sequel City of the Dead I had my mind blown. By the end, I was emotionally exhausted and shocked (in a good way) to see the risky lengths an author can go to when writing his/her story. Keene’s books were scary, depressing (again, in a good way) and down-right gritty; and I loved every page of them.

While he admires each author for different reasons, all three have inspired him to be more daring as a writer.

"Through these and other writers I have learned to push my limits, to create unique characters and settings, and most of all, to veer from the norm and put out a fresh storyline that keeps readers enthralled, holding their breath, guessing, and in the end, craving more."tanks ferimach