264 – Courtney Summers & Dead Is Not Better

Imagine you’re back in high school – but worse! The shuffling idiots actually want to EAT you!

 

That’s the premise of Courtney Summers’ This is Not a Test, her 2012 zombie novel of teen despair amongst the undead, now reissued in a fresh ‘definitive’ version for 2026. When better than a time in which the mindless, greedy and brutal are running amok in the real world.

 

Courtney and I talk about zombies in 2012 and now, we discuss optimism versus despair, we track the challenges of writing a survival thriller with a suicidal protagonist, and she offers advice on rapid character building and writing teen dialogue.

 

It’s a good one.

 

Enjoy!

 

Other books mentioned:

• The Project (2021), by Courtney Summers
• Room To Dream (2018), by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna
• The Stand (1990), by Stephen King

 

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