Friday 28 September 2007

voodoo to you too


Got a new F12. I was thinking about zombies ... For the next few weeks that's what I'll be doing. It'll be my default template. The new book is at the contemplate stage -- stare at the wall, jot down an idea, stare some more. And it's all zombies. Until further notice, when the kids ask what I did all day, I'll reply, Thought about zombies. I picture Sam shaking his head at the irony of it all. Years he spent thinking about zombies, and I kept telling him to do his homework instead.
So, F12 when it occurred to me, I should ask him about zombies. I mean, he knows about them.
Which brings me to the subject of kids and parents. They talk about PKs -- preachers' kids, and how pious -- and/or screwed up -- they can be. An extreme reaction to an extreme upbringing. I have come across the TK phenomenon as well -- teachers' kids, and how academically driven -- or how slack -- they can be. I wonder what my casual bookish goofy parenting style has done to my kids? Is there a writers' kids phenomenon? On the one hand you have Martin Amis. On the other, you have my son Sam, who took one (1) book with him when he left home to go to school this year. Was that book The Bible? No. Catcher In The Rye? To Kill A Mockingbird? The Bluest Eye? Bleak House? No. That book was The Zombie Survival Guide.

3 comments:

Carol said...

Zombies, eh? Interesting. How about a creature driven to good or evil a la clockwork orange? Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Marilyn said...

That zombie family picture is really lovely. I wish they were my
neighbours. They're colourful
and expressive. They could use
some antibiotics though.

Richard Scrimger said...

Problem is I want to like the zombies -- but my readers don't. Zombie movies and video games -- even the funny ones -- are about unlovely bad-guy zombies ... Let's face it, the average teen (boy) wants to blow the zombies away and save his (ahem) sympathy for Milla Jovovich. Part of me can sympathize. RS