Name: Stacey Jay

Nickname: Stace

Best Known For: You Are So Undead To Me & Undead Much?

Hometown: Jonesboro, AR

Website: staceyjay.com

Interests: Writing, reading, zombies, chocolate, photography and dressing up in costumes on days other than Halloween.

AC: You’re the brains behind the zombie-riffic Undead book series! Growing up, did you ever think this is where you’d end up? Stacey Jay: No way! Acting was my major in college. I thought I was going to be an actress, but acting’s not a dependable career when it comes to putting food on the table. I wrote plays and screenplays in college, but didn’t start writing novels until my first son was born. Becoming a mom made me get serious about earning a living. And since I’m not qualified to do anything but play pretend—I got my B.F.A. in acting—I decided I’d write books and make money to support my precious baby. Once again, not a very well thought out plan on my part—writing is another undependable career—but thankfully it worked out!

AC: Have you always wanted to write for teens? Stacey: I started out writing romance novels for adults, but I love writing for teens more than any other age group. The teenage years are such an exciting, drama-filled time, and some of the most enthusiastic readers I’ve met have been young adults.

AC: You’re back with your second book in this series, called Undead Much? Can you tell us a little about it? Stacey: More zombies, more romance, more action and some very big secrets. I can’t wait to see what fans of the first book will think of Megan’s continuing adventures. She’s getting tougher and smarter, and I had such fun writing this story.

AC: How does it feel to see your labor of love out on bookshelves and in the hands of teens? Stacey: It’s unbelievable. I’m so grateful to my readers. As cheesy as it sounds, continuing to write for a living is a dream come true for me. No matter how hard I push myself, it’s a dream that would have ended after my first book if it weren’t for all the awesome people picking it up off the shelves and taking it home.

AC: Why zombies? Were you always a fan of the lore? Stacey: Because they’re so scary! Just thinking about them freaks me out. And I love being scared almost as much as I love reading about people falling in love—both are a big part of the Undead series. I write romantic stories, and I’m not afraid to put that out there. Romance rocks!

AC: Where do you get your zombie intel from? Stacey: I did a lot of research on voodoo and the history of zombies—both on the Internet and at museums across the south. Also, the voices in my head are very helpful, too. (Kidding!)

AC: Do you remember having your first “I have arrived” moment? Stacey: I’m not sure that I have arrived, but it was pretty strange to come across a yahoo question page where a slew of people were discussing how old I was. (I’m 32.) I couldn’t imagine that anyone would even know my name, let alone care how many years I’d been wandering around the earth making stuff up.

AC: Now, your main character is a member of the dance team, and there’s a little rivalry going on between her team and the cheer squad. Was the drama between the two teams created out of your own experiences? Why was it important for you to build such a big part of the storylines around these spirited teams? Stacey: Can I answer this honestly? I mean…don’t we all secretly believe that cheer and dance squads across the nation are only days away from an outbreak of all-out warfare? With exploding poms and Spirit Sticks and the whole bit?

Ha! Just kidding. No, my story wasn’t pulled from my own experience, but I’d say there are elements of truth in every work of fiction. No matter how many great friends I had who were cheerleaders, once I crossed over into the dance world, I wanted to make sure my team’s halftime routine was tighter than the cheerleaders’ routine. It’s just the competitive nature of the two sports. (And yes, I think cheerleading and dance are sports filled with amazing athletes! Most high school basketball and football players can’t touch the athleticism displayed by the girls and boys cheering them on from the sidelines. Go, cheer and dance!)

And why do I make these squads such a big part of my stories? Because cheer and dance were a big part of my life in junior high and high school. When I was captain of the dance squad my senior year, I put everything I had into helping my team stand out and excel. I’m still proud of that, and it’s fun to remember those feelings as I write about Megan and Monica’s adventures.

Stacey's SO NOT DEAD husband and kids at one of her book signings

AC: What inspires you? Stacey: My two little boys, my amazing husband, my mom and dad and everyone who enjoys reading my books. Also cheese. I really love cheese. I find a good feta or a well-aged gouda quite inspirational.

AC: What are you hoping readers will take away from the book? Stacey: This book is a little more serious for me—in spite of the jokes and bloody zombie fight scenes. I really hope readers will empathize with Megan as she works through her relationship issues with her college boyfriend. I think the decision to have a physical relationship is huge and should be made on a girl’s own terms and for her own reasons—not because of outside pressures.

AC: For Megan, high school has been a pretty dangerous place. What was it like for you in high school? Stacey: I loved high school. Junior high was terrifying and stressful, but high school was so much fun. I loved getting to take classes that I actually enjoyed instead of the same old stuff all the time. I loved the friends I made—friends from all different social groups that all got along and had great times together. Sure, there was drama, but life is full of drama. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop once you get out of high school. But I choose to remember the positive things about my teen years as well as my twenties. Hopefully I’ll feel the same way about my thirties!

AC: Are you a fan of other books that go bump in the night? Stacey: Of course. I’ve always loved paranormal books. I only wish I had more time to read. With two little boys and work, it can be a challenge. Though my 5-year-old and I are really getting into Halloween picture books. We read them all year round.

AC: What’s your writing process like? Stacey: Very methodical and goal-driven. I set word goals for each day of the week and work my hardest to meet them. I always tell my kids that a dream isn’t something that comes true because you sat on your rump wishing for it. I try to be a good example of that—though I do have to sit on my rump to type…

AC: Can you describe your journey to being published? Stacey: I started writing fiction in 2005. After 16 rejection letters from various agencies, I signed with my agent in the summer of 2007. We got the offer for You Are So Undead To Me from Razorbill in October 2007 and it was published in January 2009. (It takes an astoundingly long time for a book to go from submitted manuscript to pub-ready book!)

AC: Can fans look forward to another Undead book? Any other projects coming up? Stacey: Oh, I hope so. I really want to write at least one or two more books in the series. Whether that happens, however, will be up to the fans.

In the meantime, My So Called Death—the story of a genetically undead cheerleader (a.k.a. zombie) who is sent away to zombie boarding school—will be out in March 2010 from Flux books. I hope cheerleaders and former cheerleaders alike will get a laugh from the way my main character draws from her cheer-training to fight the bad guys.

I’m also in edits for my third book with Razorbill, presently titled The Locket. It’s a darker story about a girl torn between two boys and a very scary piece of jewelry that messes with the fabric of time. It was such a blast to write, and I’m very excited to share it with my readers in January 2011.

AC: What advice would you give teens who’d like to go into book writing? Stacey: Read and write. Read everything you can get your hands on—each book will teach you something about storytelling. Write every day—because you can’t get better if you don’t practice. (Something every cheerleader knows, of course.)

AC: In your journey to being published, was there ever a time you wanted to give up? How did you push yourself to go on? Stacey: There are still times when I want to give up—like when I get a bad review, or a mean email from someone who thinks that writing about zombies is “evil” and “weird.” Or when I read over my latest work in progress and think it stinks and have to delete everything and start over.

But in the end, I really feel that writing is what I’m best at. It’s a career that suits me and I’m committed to continuing to push myself to improve at my craft and write even more entertaining books for my readers. Also, this is how I earn money. My kids are big eaters, and the little one uses a lot of diapers. Diapers, I’ve come to find out, are very expensive!

AC: When the zombie apocalypse finally happens (and we all know it will eventually), can you give our readers any tips to being one of the survivors? Stacey: Totally! Move to a zombie-free island. It’s a known fact that zombies are very bad swimmers!

Stacey's zombie kids...don't worry, they don't bite...much.

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