Zombie Time with Debut Author Manda Collins Back to Blog
Update: The winner of the copy of ANGEL OF DARKNESS & and the cover flat of HOW TO DANCE WITH A DUKE is…JessS! And the $10 gift card winner is…Stephenia! Congrats!
My next guest is historical debut author Manda Collins. In February, Manda’s book, HOW TO DANCE WITH A DUKE will be on store shelves. But, for now, she’s here to talk zombie. (Gift card giveaway alert! Read on to find out more…)
Zombies, Triangles and Creeps, Oh My!
Confession time! I am not a zombie kind of girl. Or a post apocalyptic aficionado. Or fan of sci-fi in general. So I pretty much steered clear of The Walking Dead, the latest television craze from AMC, from the moment I heard about it.
It’s not that I don’t like seeing bad guys vanquished. I think that my love of romantic suspense and paranormal romance shows that. But I am no a big fan of blood and guts. And to me, zombies are just…sad. And gross. Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Sad and gross.
However, I live with my sister. And from time to time, as most siblings do, we try to watch television together. And as sometimes happens, I get to watch what I want, and she gets to watch what she wants. Guess who is a big old fan of The Walking Dead? Yeah, my sister. Who loves zombies, and blood and guts, and gore and every kind of story that involves the end of the world. I get to watch Downton Abbey, and she gets to watch The Walking Dead. It’s just how things work out sometimes.
So, much to my surprise, I found myself watching this season’s episodes that followed the saga of Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), Shane (Jon Bernthal), and the rest of the zombie-killing crew, and actually getting hooked as they searched for the missing little girl, Amy and set up uneasy camp on a farm with Hershel (Scott Wilson). Sure there were the obligatory gross-out zombie killing shots, such as the one where they sent poor Glenn (Stephen Yeun) into the well to get a walker (a walker is what they call mobile zombies, as far as I can tell). And there were some deaths of characters I’d grown to love. But there was also something that I am always drawn to, no matter how much gore they throw my way, and that’s storytelling.
Despite the horror movie elements, watching these people struggle to understand what their world has become is fascinating. The continuing tension and drama in the Rick, Lori, Shane love triangle is the stuff great soap operas are made of. Seeing Shane’s perfidy slowly revealed, as he shows again and again just how far he’s willing to go to get what he wants is terrifying in the best sense of the world. I find myself shouting at the television screen, warning Rick to stop trusting him. And I haven’t done that for a good long while.
And of course I am totally shipping for Glenn and Maggie, though I know how these zombie shows often end. Or I’ve been told.
I never thought I’d be saying this, but I might even like these zombie, post apocalyptic tropes now. Would I choose zombies over costume drama? Uh, probably not. A girl has to have her priorities;) But I am dying for the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead in February. And that’s a far cry from my arrogant dismissal of all zombie shows as gross a few months ago.
Just don’t tell my sister, okay? I’ve still got my pride!
Are there any shows or books or genres that you were reluctant to try that you now love? I’d love to hear them!
Share your favorite shows with Manda, and you could win a $10 Amazon.com gift card! One commenter will be selected randomly to win. And in addition to the gift card, Manda is giving away a signed HOW TO DANCE WITH A DUKE cover flat & an ANGEL OF DARKNESS copy. Good luck!
My favorite shows right now are True Blood and Sons of Anarchy.
khelseyrjackson@gmail.com
Hi Khelsey, I watched the first couple of seasons of True Blood but then we dropped HBO so I missed it and I’ve never caught back up again. Haven’t tried Sons of Anarchy but I’ve heard good things!
Hey, Manda!! I’ve been watching The Walking Dead, too. Shane is my favorite character–he’s just so–dark. I love that. 🙂
Thanks for coming by today!
Thanks for inviting me, Cynthia! Ooh, Shane is just so bad. But he’s fun to watch. I just can’t wait until Rick figures out just how terrible he’s been. That fight is gonna be so good!
I think the thriller’s and sifi
Thrillers are great fun, aren’t they, Rhonda?
My favourite show now would be The Vampire Diaries.:D
Another I haven’t seen. Must check it out!
I have been watching Grimm and Once upon a Time. I am really enjoying them. I also watch Dexter & True Blood. If you don’t like blood & guts those are not movies for you. And of course due to the holiday any christmas movie is a good one for me. —Rachel
I’ve been watching Grimm and Once Upon a Time too, Rachel. Though I like OUAT better. Which is odd because I usually totally dig on police procedurals, and that’s what Grimm is really. I think I just like the twists on the stories that OUAT does. And I can’t figure out what’s going to happen next.
My favs are book based shows. I LOVE Vampire Diaries, Secret Circle and True Blood. Even tho they really don’t follow the books that closely, they are still wicked fun!
Haven’t tried Vampire Diaries, Sarah. Though I know lots of people adore it. I’ll have to check it out.
I love to read/watch anything mystical, magical or paranormal. My favorite new show this year was Games of Thrones. What an awesome show. I can’t wait for the new season to start.
Ah, I got hooked back up to HBO too late for Game of Thrones, Chris. I’m waiting for a marathon before the new season starts so I can catch up.
Hi Manda,
I, too, wasn’t so sure about The Walking Dead and got on board late. I had to catch up last year at the 3rd episode and was hooked. My friends do make fun of me because one huge complaint of mine is that Rick was in the hospital in a coma and awakens without a catheter. For some reason that’s always bothered me. The mid season finale blew me away Sunday night and I seriously hope Shane gets what’s coming to him and soon!
LOL, Laurie, that catheter detail is so true! I always notice that kind of stuff on shows too. Like on House where the actual physicians are doing CT Scans and drawing blood and stuff that no doctor would ever do unless he was in an emergency situation without nurses or techs.
I love too many! 😀 But let’s see at the moment I do like Dexter the most. It’s always so thrilling late in the season.
But I do got many more 😉
I need to watch, Dexter. I just haven’t ever had Showtime and when it came on CBS I was watching other stuff. One of these days…
I am totally against chick flicks but I totally love romance novels so I am a walking conundrum. I have tried repeatedly to watch stuff most “chick flick” lovers go apoplectic over and I just don’t get the hype. There are a rare few that I will watch and enjoy but for the most part I prefer a good horror or suspense movie 😉 but give me a romance novel and I am totally enraptured 😀 My husband loves the fact that he can watch an action movie and I am right there with him and I don’t try to drag him to see sappy/gooey love movies (Twilight on the other hand is a paranormal and does NOT fall into the aforementioned category 😉 and I am waiting patiently to see it).
Hi Manda.
My favorite shows are Haven(syfy) and Grim. I am loving the paranormal shows. I am not of fan of zombies, so I don’t watch anything with them in it. Zombies just creep me out….LOL
Haven’t tried Haven, Michelle. I need to check it out. I was the same way about zombies. Mostly I just don’t pay attention when they come on screen in TWD.
I tend to be very finicky about what I watch. There are times when shows catch me late. It was that way with Carinvale when it aired on HBO. Oh how I miss that show.
I never watched The Walking Dead last season, but this season I started to get into it. I confess I like Daryl – his attitude and stuff. I have a secret hope that he and Celeste – Sophia’s momma – get together. He’s showing a soft side. Imagine my surprise when I learned he played in Boondocks Saints as one fo the nummy brothers.
I also got into Criminal Minds. Oh Dr. Reid makes geeky hot. NCIS, Bones, Ghost Adventures and now Grim
I was saying the same thing about Daryl and Celeste just the other night, Raonaid. I am sensing some kind of vibe with them. But my sister says she’s too old for him. I disagree;)
And LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Criminal Minds. Like seriously love. I have a thing for tortured hero, Hotch.
Been watching Once Upon A Time, have really enjoyed that one. Like watching True Blood and Haven. Haven’t watched The Walking Dead yet, not sure how I have missed it.
Another Once Upon a Time fan! Yay! You should give TWD a try. It’s drama all the time!
I have to say that my favorite show would be True Blood. Honestly I don’t know why either, it is really gory and the stuff that happens kind of makes you say WTH but it is just addicting.
I get you on the WTH aspects of True Blood, Leagh. But you’re right. It’s definitely addictive!
LOL, Lora, I was saying something about this the other day. Not that I don’t like chick flicks but I’ll groan about something mushy on tv that I would love in a book. Go figure.
My favorite shows right now are NCIS, NCIS Las Angeles, Criminal Minds and Bones.
Ooh, love NCIS and Bones too, Crystal. I haven’t ever gotten into NCIS LA. I tried but it just isn’t for me. And see above about my love for Criminal Minds. You have excellent taste;)
I’ll start by telling you that my husband and 17 year old watch American Horror Story– I TRY not to watch it because it grosses me out WAY more than the Walking Dead. It’s just so WRONG. LOL I do enjoy Walking Dead because of the story telling and the personalities– I will admit I have to look away at times, like when anything oozes. *shudder*
I really like Once Upon a Time– so far no grossness:)
Brenda, I’ve been peripherally interested in American Horror Story but I’m kind of afraid to try it. Have no idea what it’s about but Dylan MacDermott is yummy. But I have no idea when it comes on so I’ve never even tried it.
I’m with you on looking away from the grossness on The Walking Dead. So icky at times.
Yes, so far Once Upon a Time has had no grossness. Except for the affair between the mayor/Evil Queen and the sheriff. He’s a cutie and could do so much better than her!
Dylan is pretty icky in American Horror story– he’s a cheater and is basically a douche–to steal a word from my teenagers. LOL It has a lot of sexual creepiness mixed in with the mayhem and murder which makes the ick factor pretty big.
The sheriff is yummy isn’t he? I DID NOT like that he was with the evil queen. For shame, Mr. Hunky sheriff!
My Favorite shows at the moment are Once Upon a Time, True Blood and The Walking Dead. I want to try American Horror Story but I’m kind of a wuss sometimes…
Congrats on your upcoming debut release, Manda. I’m loving Law and Order UK, Whitechapel, Community and The Mentalist. I’m really liking Person of Interest, too.
I’m usually always reluctant to try new tv shows/movies, some of my faves now that I did eventually try include Buffy, Grey’s Anatomy (though I haven’t been watching the recent stuff) and Dexter. Thanks!
jessicamariesutton(at)msn(dot)com
I love Supernatural, Grimm, and the Big Bang Theory.
Some of my favorite TV shows are New Girl, Castle, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, and Once Upon A Time.
I was reluctant to watch the Vampire Diaries, Once Upon A Time and Grimm. But I really enjoy all three.
I have heard much ado about The Walking Dead that I should tune in except I think it comes on when two of my favorite shows comes on. That is, Once Upon a Time and especially The Amazing Race. Love watching them.
*rappin* Here’s a lil story that I’d like to tell about The Walking Deadathon I found on Twittah one day *laughs, I’m a dork I know*
I’d never heard of this show and everyone was going crazy that day, and I’ve still not watched any of them.
I have my lil clicks of shows: True Blood, Secret Circle, Grimm, Once Upon a Time(daughter loves this one) then Revenge, NCIS, Unforgettable, Mentalist, Bones and then just about anything to do with ghosts. I record everything and anything and watch when I can: sometimes I’m wks behind, but I always get to them, usually on my ‘kid free’ days (lol).
I was reluctant to watch Prime Suspect because the commercials made it look like it was about some female cop with a huge ego but I started watching one episode and saw that it was so different from what I thought it was and now I really like it.
My favorite show at the moment is the new show Grimm! I even got my mom hooked on it! I also LOVE TrueBlood, Haven, and Once Upon A Time (lol notice a pattern here? I like the paranormal stuff lol)
I pretty much watch anything LOL. Me and Ashley seem to have similar tastes though!
I am loving the American Horror Story just as much as the Walking Dead..I usually don’t do “scary” but man both of those shows are the ones I HATE have to do a midseason finale… I also just ADORE the Vampire Diaries.. ( I go to have sexy vamps like Damon aka Ian SOmerhalder..LOL) ANyway, would love to win and please make January and February hurry up! LOL
I am totally addicted to the Walking Dead…I’m ashamed to say I am two weeks behind because I was a good girl and didn’t watch it without my daughter and hubby (they were at the deer lease). I feel so behind!!!
My whole office is also addicted to True Blood it is basically a job requirment to watch True Blood. If they aren’t when they start here we get them hooked…afterall how can we talk about it if they haven’t seen it?
Other than those two it is currently FOOTBALL season in my house and when I am not watching the above shows you can catch football or football highlights! Too bad my Boys look pretty bad!
Congrats on the upcoming release! I have always been wary of some of the sitcoms on now. But in syndication I have become addicted to How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. Anything horror or paranormal like Ive always watched. I love True Blood and Ghost Hunters and loved Twin Peaks. I also really like Haven but I always seem to miss it so have to catch it on marathon days.
Congrats on your release! I love True Blood and Gossip Girl…
I can’t get away without watching, How I Met Your Mother, True Blood and Grey’s Anatomy.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Congratulations on the upcoming release! I can’t wait to read it.
I have so many favorite shows: Justified (Timothy Olyphant is one of the hottest men alive, if not the hottest), Criminal Minds, NCIS: LA, Once Upon a Time, Person of Interest, and so many more. I watch The Walking Dead too, but I wouldn’t label it a favorite; the whole find Sophia thing was dragged out way too long.
I can never make up my mind about which show I watch (or have watched) is my favorite show. But some shows that are no longer on that I adored and list in my favorites are: Blood Ties (based on Tanya Huff’s Blood series), ALIAS, Third Watch, and Providence.
I have been watching less and less TV… do not really have any favs this season, kinda liking Secret Circle though…
not into Zombie shows either although i kep hearing how gret they are. Never read a zombie romance but lately i’ve been hearing a lot about those too so there is one i haven’t tried. One that i did and liked was the Post Apocolyptic romance genre. Of course i only read one so far and i won it so i wasn’t sure about it and about 2 chapters in i was hooked. That’s the new Ellen Connor series. It’s first book Nightfall. Need to read the next two yet. Some gross stuff but i was still hooked.
Lisa B
I watch The Walking Dead and Grimm.
Oh gosh… The Vampire Diaries is my newest addiction! Of course, I love Sons of Anarchy too…. lol
i just got started on NCIS actually.. my bf has the first couple seasons so we have been watching those.. otherwise.. he controls the remote and i watch swamp people and all the storage ones (storage wars, auction hunters, etc)
I am loving Castle right now! I also can’t miss Bones, Criminal Minds and Supernatural!
Somehow I got sucked into watching American Chopper at some point and I am addicted to that show. I have no interest in motorcycles, but the show is fascinating.
The tv series Dexter, was a what were they thinking moment, lol. I mean a series about a serial killer shouldn’t even be on my radar as something to watch, but I am now addicted to it. Love the writing, it always keeps me guessing.
These are my top 4 favorites…
1. The Simpsons
2. Charmed
3. The Nanny
4. Law & Order SVU
I’m not a huge fan of shows that are airing now. For eg. I prefer the books in The Southern Vampire Series, compared to the show True Blood. I purposely don’t watch the show, so I don’t ruin my love for the books. 🙂
Since my obsession with reading has grown exponentially I don’t watch a lot of TV anymore however, there are a few shows that I try not to miss and those would be Glee, America’s Next Top Model and So You Think You Can Dance. 🙂
hio manda and cynthia
love to join this giveaway
my favorite is supernatural
well, Up until about 2 months ago I was not big into paranormal romance novels. i was more of a historical or contemporary girl. but then I was given a set of books from my aunt and in there was a copy of changeling Moon by Dani Harper and Never Cry Wolf by Cynthia and I couldn’t help myself. I was hooked. now I am trying to play catch up with all the new authors I have found and can’t seem to get enough. I average a book a day and I just can’t seem to put them down once I start…
My favourite show is probably Firefly but recently I’ve been enjoying Castle, Sons of Anarchy & Criminal Minds.
Hi Manda! Even though I am not up to date on the current episodes, much to my surprise, I really love Dexter. I held out for a long time and was finally coaxed into watching the series. I have never been one for the “dark side” so it shocked me that I became hooked, scared myself actually!! haha Thank you for the offers!!
I haven’t tried The Walking Dead– I need to, though, becuase I only hear great things. Downton Abbey, on the other hand, LOVE! I’m also really diggin’ Once Upon A Time and Castle! 🙂
vampire diaries and the secret circle, top model and ncis los angeles