Awake at Midnight welcomes author Zac Brewer! Zac is the best-selling author of the Vladimir Tod series (Eighth Grade Bites) and the Slayer Chronicles, The Legacy of Tril series, and his latest novel Cemetery Boys.
Awake at Midnight:
What inspired Cemetery Boys? Why did you choose to introduce us to a romantic new monster like the Winged Ones after creating such a rich world of vampires in the Vladimir Tod series & The Slayer Chronicles?
Zac Brewer:
I wanted to write horror in the vein of King and Hitchcock. And if I was going to write horror, I was determined to return to one of the scariest places I could imagine– the small town I grew up in. The Winged Ones are such a strong symbol of belief in the book. I wanted to chase the question, “How far would someone go for their beliefs?”
Pretty far, I can say.
How did you feel about the representation of your characters in the graphic novel adaptations of Eighth Grade Bites and its sequel?
Penguin was so wonderful to give me creative control of the Vlad Tod graphic novels. I was able to be very involved in the entire process, so the characters appear as I see them in my head. That being said, it’s totally cool if Minions disagree with the way that they perceive the characters’ portrayal. I created the characters… but they belong to the Minions now.
How old were you when you first made the decision to start writing seriously, and how did you get your start as an author?
I’ve always written, and realized at the age of 12 that I wanted to be an author, but everyone around me convinced me that writing books was something only rich people did. It wasn’t until I was 28 that I learned that it was a viable career option (by Googling “how to be an author” …seriously). I wouldn’t be here, doing this, without the support of my husband, Paul. He’s the one person who’s always encouraged me to follow my dreams.
What was the scariest experience you remember growing up?
I grew up terribly bullied at school and in an abusive household, so “scary” to me might not line up with what most people would list as “scary” to them. I could point to countless things, including five house fires, but I think the scariest thing I ever encountered was learning that I had no one but myself to rely on.
That being said, I don’t view supernatural experiences (of which I’ve had many) as “scary”. Just interesting.
Do you have a favorite Twilight Zone episode?
I have several faves, but one of my top choices is “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”. In the episode, strange things begin happening on a street in a normal, suburban town, and soon, the residents turn on one another, placing blame. A man is shot, and chaos reigns. In the end (spoilers!) it turns out that aliens were affecting things like the lights and cars, just to get the people to turn on one another. They say that it happens at every street in every town they visit, without fail.
The entire episode really sums up my concerns about society as a whole. We should be standing together, looking for the actual cause of our shared problems, rather than pointing fingers at one another.
What is the scariest YA book you’ve read, and what made it memorable?
Scowler by Daniel Kraus. It was so scary, I couldn’t finish it. Just horrific. But so well written.
Who do you think are the most exciting new young adult authors?
That’s like picking your favorite flower! There are so many amazing YA authors out there, and several who are just starting out that have caught my interest. But I’d really rather not name names, because readers should read ALL OF THEM.
Should we expect to see your next few books turn towards realism like your upcoming The Blood Between Us (slated to be a 2016 summer release from HarperTeen)?
I’m trying something new right now. The Blood Between Us is contemporary realism, as will be the book the follows it. But I’m still writing about monsters. It’s just that, at the moment, the monsters that I’m writing about are human.
Do you plan to continue writing stories with supernatural elements?
I adore supernatural elements, so I can’t imagine stepping away from that completely. I’m sure I’ll return to that someday. I just don’t know when.
You speak a lot about bullying. In fact, I remember the best advice I have heard on the topic was from a talk you gave at the Rochester, NY Teen Book Festival: that in order to make a difference to the victim you don’t have to confront the aggressor, just witness what is going on.
“I saw what s/he did. You didn’t deserve that”
You’ve also spoken about how your experience of bullying has informed your writing and your characters. Would you have been as motivated to become an author had you not encountered that kind of cruelty? What other direction might your writing have gone in?
While my experiences with bullying definitely nudged me to books, the library, reading, it’s hard to say whether or not I would or wouldn’t have become an author without it. I like to think that I would have written books, no matter what childhood experiences I had. But the truth is, I don’t know. And I don’t like the idea of giving bullies any kind of credit for shaping my career.
I know that, no matter what, I would always have been drawn to the macabre, the spooky. I’ve been fascinated with horror from a very young age. It’s just who I am.
You made an important announcement recently: My name will now be Zachary Oliver Brewer.
Have you experienced bullying that resulted specifically from others’ expectations of feminine/masculine behavior and appearance? Did that particular flavor of bullying affect you differently than the standard tack on a chair/ shoved into a locker type of persecution?
My bullying largely came from this indefinable “there is something different about this person– we must punish them for it” mindset. I can’t recall anyone bullying me for not being feminine or being too masculine. It was more like they were bullying me, simply for being me. But then, I didn’t realize that I was trans until my 30s. I knew I was different. But I didn’t know what it was that made me different.
How has your journey with gender issues shaped your writing?
It’s definitely kept me away from writing much in a female perspective. I find such a thing enormously challenging, and certainly don’t want to offend those who identify as female by misrepresenting them. I’m trying hard to be as bold as all of the genderfluid people I know, and to see past gender to the person within. It’s leading me to interesting places in my work, for sure. The book that will follow The Blood Between Us features a female protagonist.
Cemetery Boys has a pretty steamy make-out scene. When you write teenage romance, do you find it easier to write from a specific gender perspective?
Definitely. I’ve always found it easier to write from a male perspective. The answer is obvious and easier to discuss now (before I came out, I would simply share how much I could relate to the male perspective). I’m male, so writing males is just easier for me.
And the gender of the person my male protagonists are attracted to doesn’t seem to matter. My next book features a queer boy, who kisses a boy and a girl, and has a history of doing so. My former books have featured heterosexual relationships. I guess it doesn’t seem to matter who they’re kissing… as long as they’re kissing someone that they want to kiss.
Some details of my next book: A boy named Adrien, a car named Maggie, suspicion, chemistry, explosions, betrayal, pain… and wisdom.
Within your announcement you throw light on a very important distinction between gender identity and sexuality that would welcome further exploration. Will we see a book for teens from you specifically dealing with gender issues, maybe following along the lines of James Howe?
I definitely want to write about gender identity and sexuality in a more direct way. It’s something, in fact, that I’ve wanted to write about for a long time. But when you’re closeted, you tiptoe in circles in that closet, worried that anything that you do or say might out you. It felt good to throw open those doors. Now nothing is hands-off to me.
“Auntie Heather” has always been very nurturing and supportive of her fans, her minions, encouraging them to be comfortable being themselves. As “Uncle Zac”, how can we expect that relationship to change? Will you become an old-school author with leather patches on your elbows, or will you continue to role-model as a fuchsia-haired punk rocker?” Can we still look to you for emotional advice?
The only way that that relationship will change is that now I am being 100% authentic with my Minions. I’m free to tackle certain subjects in a more direct way, which is a huge relief.
The Minions have my permission to pummel me with Tribbles the moment I start resembling an old school professor who has no idea who Gerard Way is. I will always be there for my Minions, and I will always give the best emotional advice that I can.
In other words, I’m still me. You still be you.
What kind of new dialogue will being an “out” transgender author invite with your minions?
I’ve always been openly supportive of the LGBT+ community, but being out as gay and trans is making my connection with all of my Minions even more deep. Whether they are LGBT+ or not, they all know someone who is, and they all are so open-minded about making the world a more inclusive place. My being out simply makes it easier to have certain conversations, I think.
Zac, thank you for your time, and best of luck! Try to stay out of the daylight!
Related Posts:
Cemetery Boys
Eighth Grade Bites
For those thirsting for more supernatural fare, Brewer has recently released a short story under the Impulse imprint entitled The Ghost of Ben Hargrove
–and–
Look for the next book in The Legacy of Trill series, SoulBroken!