Q&A with NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD Co-Editor Jonathan Maberry, Read an Excerpt from His Short Story “Lone Gunman”

For years, he's brought the dead to life in books like Patient Zero and Rot & Ruin, so it's rather fitting that prolific author Jonathan Maberry has now teamed up with the legendary George A. Romero to co-edit an anthology set within the early stages of the zombie uprising in Night of the Living Dead. Titled Nights of the Living Dead, the new anthology is now available from St. Martin's Press (check out our giveaway here), and to celebrate, we caught up with Maberry for our latest Q&A feature to discuss his work on the living dead dream project, and we also have a claustrophobic excerpt from his short story "Lone Gunman."

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jonathan. How did the opportunity come about to collaborate on a Night of the Living Dead anthology with the legend himself, George A. Romero?

Jonathan Maberry: This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I’m kind of O.G. when it comes to the zombie genre. I was in the theater as a terrified ten-year-old for the world premiere of the original Night of the Living Dead flick, so I’ve been a fan from the jump. Over the last decade I’ve written a fair number of successful zombie novels, including Patient Zero, Code Zero, the Dead of Night series, the Rot & Ruin series, and more. And I know virtually everyone of note who writes zombie fiction. I’ve actually had this project loaded in the chamber since I became an anthology editor. So… I pitched it to my agent and she took it to my editor at St. Martin’s Griffin, Michael Homler, who has edited more than a dozen of my books, including some of my more high-profile zombie thrillers. He was in. The next step was to arrange a phone call with George Romero. That was handled pretty easily and suddenly I’m on the phone talking with the godfather of the living dead.

I’d met George at a few genre events over the years and already knew that he was a genuinely cool cat. When I explained what I had in mind, he not only gave me his blessing, but asked if he could co-edit the book with me, and to contribute a story. That was pretty much a career high for me. And we agreed that the stories would take place in the 48 hours surrounding the events of his first movie, and that the stories would be official canon.

You wrote an awesome introduction for this collection about your initial exposure to Night of the Living Dead as well as the influence it (along with the Book of the Dead anthologies) has had on your own writing. How surreal is it to now contribute to this universe?

Jonathan Maberry: It’s not inaccurate to say that, despite being a grown man, a successful writer, a high-ranking martial arts master, and a generally dignified gentleman that I did the Snoopy dance around my apartment. We can all thank God there are no videos of it.

In addition to co-editing the anthology with George A. Romero, you also wrote the short story “Lone Gunman,” which ties into your Dead of Night series. Had you always intended to merge those two worlds, or did that idea come later in the process of putting together this anthology?

Jonathan Maberry: George was familiar with my novel, Dead of Night, which was written as an homage to George and to NOTLD. It’s also dedicated to him. I wrote that book to provide a sound scientific explanation for a zombie apocalypse. The one from the movie—radiation from a crashed space probe—doesn’t hold up to scientific scrutiny. While we were having that first phone call, George said that he liked my outbreak model and asked me to write a story that connected Dead of Night to Night of the Living Dead. “Lone Gunman” is that story, and picks up after the events in Fall of Night, the sequel to my novel. I’m honored and beyond delighted to have my stories connected to the wonderful living dead universe created by George.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) co-writers George A. Romero and John A. Russo also contributed a story apiece to this anthology. How important was it for you to have both of the Night of the Living Dead creators involved with this book?

Jonathan Maberry: I know John (Jack) Russo, and he’s a good guy. When George and I were brainstorming about who we’d want as a contributor he suggested Jack and I immediately agreed. What a perfect choice! For me, though, that only amped up the ‘I’m having dealings with the actual gods of the zombie pantheon’ vibe.

Nights of the Living Dead features a wide range of top-notch writers who have plenty of experience when it comes to zombies. How did you decide who to involve in this anthology and what guidelines did you give the assembled authors?

Jonathan Maberry: George and I talked about this at length. We wanted people who not only had strong credentials in the zombie world, but who would turn in outstanding stories. I mean… this is a KILLER lineup. We have Brian Keene, whose 2003 novel The Rising is often credited with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Carrie Ryan, international best-selling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which is now in production for a feature film starring Maisie Williams (Arya Stark from Game of Thrones). Chuck Wendig, New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars: Aftermath. Craig Engler, co-creator and writer of the hit TV series Z Nation. David J. Schow, author, screenwriter and editor, and winner of the International Horror Guild Award. David Wellington, best-selling author of the landmark Monster Island and its sequels as well as the critically acclaimed new zombie novel, Positive.

Isaac Marion, author of the #5 New York Times best-selling zombie novel, Warm Bodies, which was made into a successful movie. Jay Bonansinga, New York Times best-selling author of The Walking Dead novels. Joe Lansdale, best-selling and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 45 novels as well as comics and short stories. His mystery series, Hap & Leonard is in production for TV. His Bram Stoker Award-winning short story, On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks, was included in the first-ever zombie anthology, Book of the Dead (edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector). Joe McKinney, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of zombie fiction Dead City, The Savage Dead, and others. John Russo, co-screenwriter of Night of the Living Dead, and author of the first-ever zombie novels Night of the Living Dead and Return of the Living Dead. John Skipp: best-selling author (The Light at the End), filmmaker (Tales of Halloween), editor-in-chief of Fungasm Press, and co-editor of the original post-Romero zombie anthology, Book of the Dead.

Keith R.A. DeCandido, best-selling author of the Resident Evil novels, as well as popular novels in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Sleepy Hollow, V-Wars. Max Brallier, author of more than twenty books and games, including the middle-grade series The Last Kids on Earth, the pick-your-own-path adventure Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? Mike Carey: Award-winning author of the novel on which the critically-acclaimed The Girl with All the Gifts is adapted. Mira Grant, NY Times best-selling author (pen name of Seanan McGuire) whose Newsflesh series hits every zombie best-of list and was ranked #74 in an National Public Radio listener poll of the top 100 thriller novels of all time. Mira/Seanan has won the John W. Campbell Award, Darrell Awards Hall of Fame, six Pegasus Awards, and a Hugo Award. Neal Shusterman & Brandon Shusterman: Neal Shusterman is a winner of the National Book Award and a best-selling author. His son, filmmaker Brandon, is a frequent collaborator for Neal’s short fiction. And Ryan Brown, author of the zombie sports novel Play Dead. Plus stories by George and me.

Nearly 50 years after its initial release, Night of the Living Dead is still just as timely and relevant as it was when it first hit the big screen. Why do you think the film has enjoyed such a long legacy?

Jonathan Maberry: NOTLD is still relevant because it’s not a movie about flesh-eating ghouls, but rather about people struggling to survive a major catastrophe about which they know next to nothing. Depending on which character is your proxy, there’s a doorway into that film because we know that we are all one superstorm, earthquake, viral outbreak, or terrorist attack away from being as terrified and helpless as them. Sadly, that kind of paranoia is evergreen. George tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of racial, social, and political paranoia with his Living Dead films, and the essential threats to our peace of mind and way of life are still with us.

As you point out in your introduction, there is some flexibility with the timelines of the stories in this anthology, based on the constantly evolving nature of Romero’s Dead films. What types of settings and time periods can readers expect to be transported to in this anthology?

Jonathan Maberry: George never put a hard date on when NOTLD took place. The cars and clothing styles are from the ’60s, but Dawn of the Dead, released a decade later, takes place at the same time [of the initial outbreak]. As does 2007’s Diary of the Dead. For him, this is all happening ‘tomorrow.’ As for settings, the stories are moderately spread out, suggestive of a series of events that are sweeping the whole world.

John Skipp and Craig Spector’s seminal zombie anthology Book of the Dead was followed by a sequel, Still Dead: Book of the Dead 2. Is there a possibility that Nights of the Living Dead could be followed by another zombie anthology set in Romero’s world?

Jonathan Maberry: First, I want to give a shout out to Skipp and Spector. Their Book of the Dead was the very first zombie anthology and it is superb. Absolutely first rate. I read my copies of each to rags and have since replaced (and wore out) multiple copies. They pretty much invented zombie literature.

As for a series… that’s up to the readers. If the book is a hit (and a lot of people seem pretty damned enthused about it) then George and I are game for more.

You’ve edited several anthologies over the years, including a few set in the world of The X-Files and the recent Aliens: Bug Hunt. What do you enjoy the most about expanding the worlds of these pre-existing properties, and are there any franchises that you would love to do anthologies for in the future?

Jonathan Maberry: I may be a successful full-time novelist and comic book writer, but let’s face it… under all of that I’m a fanboy. No apologies. I was a Marvel Comics kid growing up. I went to the premieres of every movie in the Aliens and Predator franchises. I watched X-Files starting with episode two. And although I’ve never written fanfic, I’ve read a ton of it. It was my great, good fortune to be invited into the world of ‘media tie-in’ writing when the vice president of Universal Pictures licensing called me to ask if I wanted to write the novelization of The Wolfman. I did, and that was my first New York Times bestseller. Then, a few years later, Max Brooks (World War Z) asked if I wanted to contribute a novella for an anthology of GI Joe stories he was editing for IDW. I agreed. And I’ve been involved in a number of media tie-in projects as a contributor, and have written stories set in the worlds of John Carter of Mars, Planet of the Apes, Predator, Sherlock Holmes, Wizard of Oz, Cthulhu, and others.

The X-Files project was something cooked up over lunch with Ted Adams, CEO of IDW Publishing. We got series creator Chris Carter to sign off on my editing a trio of anthologies of all original stories that were official canon. The series was a hit. I also did a young adult novel, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, which tells the story of Dana Scully as a teenager. As for Aliens, I love that film and have wanted for years to write something in that world. I approached Titan Books about it, and they greenlit the anthology, Aliens: Bug Hunt, on the condition that I also write a story for it. I did, and had some fun. And I also wrote a story for Predator: If it Bleeds, edited by my friend Bryan Thomas Schmidt.

I’ll be the emcee for the Scribe Awards, the annual awards for excellence in media tie-in writing that will be held at the San Diego Comic Con (where I’m also a guest of honor this year). Basically… I love my job!

With Nights of the Living Dead due out now from St. Martin’s Griffin, what projects do you have on deck that you can tease? Can listeners look forward to more episodes of your podcast Three Guys with Beards this summer? Also, where can readers follow you online?

Jonathan Maberry: The Three Guys with Beards is rocking on, with my fellow hairy writers Christopher Golden and James A. Moore. I’m in the middle of a crazy-busy year. I had two teen novels out this year—the X-Files Origins book and Mars One, a standalone science fiction tale. I had two anthologies out so far (Aliens: Bug Hunt and Baker Street Irregulars, co-edited with Michael Ventrella) and three more coming, Nights of the Living Dead, Joe Ledger Unstoppable (all stories set in the world of my ongoing weird science thriller series), and Hardboiled Horror. And in March of 2018, St. Martin’s Griffin will release Glimpse, a standalone horror-suspense novel. A bunch of my projects are in development for film (Extinction Machine, Mars One) and TV (V-Wars, Monk Addison). So… no, I don’t sleep.

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"JONATHAN MABERRY is a NY Times bestselling suspense novelist, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, and comic book writer. His books include the Joe Ledger thrillers, The Nightsiders, Dead of Night, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, as well as standalone novels in multiple genres. His YA space travel novel, Mars One, is in development for film; and his Monk Addison short stories and V-Wars shared world vampire apocalypse series are being developed for TV. He is the editor of many anthologies including the X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Nights of the Living Dead (co-edited with zombie genre creator George A. Romero). His comics include Captain America, the Bram Stoker Award-winning Bad Blood, Black Panther, Punisher, Marvel Zombies Return, and more. His Rot & Ruin novels were included in the Ten Best Horror Novels for Young Adults. His first novel, Ghost Road Blues was named one of the 25 Best Horror Novels of the New Millennium. A board game version of V-Wars: A Game of Blood and Betrayal was based on his noels and comics. He was a featured expert on the History Channel’s Zombies: A Living History and True Monsters. He is one third of the very popular and mildly weird Three Guys With Beards podcast. Jonathan lives in Del Mar, California with his wife, Sara Jo. www.jonathanmaberry.com"

To learn more about Nights of the Living Dead, visit Amazon and St. Martin's Press online, and to read an excerpt from Jonathan Maberry's short story, "Lone Gunman", click on the cover art below: