Author Interview: Mira Grant, author of Newsflesh Trilogy
August 1, 2010 
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Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallenged.
Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
Mira sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests that you do the same.
Author Website / The Wall / Twitter
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Cid: Which Clone Body does interviews?
Mira: Thirteen. She lost the coin toss this week.
Cid: You’re a self proclaimed horror movie junkie. What horror movie influenced you the most?
Mira: Oh, that’s a hard one. Probably Creepshow, based on the stories of Stephen King, or The Midnight Hour, a made-for-TV movie that had some fascinating ideas embedded in all the low-budget crazy.
Cid: In your bio you say you have yet to be beaten at the, ‘who has been bitten by the weirdest thing?’ game. What’s the weirdest thing to bite you?
Mira: I refuse to answer this question, on the basis of I use the actual story of what bit me to get people to buy me a lot of drinks. But the second weirdest thing to bite me was a pissed-off emu.
Cid: Resident Evil 4 – is that horse dead and decapitated, or more please, more?
Mira: I’m…holding out hope. The original writer/director is back, and they’re not in a desert this time, so there’s the chance that it might take the bad taste of the third movie out of my mouth.
Cid: Your real name is Seanan McGuire, but you wrote Feed under the open pen name of Mira Grant. What made you make this decision? And how did you choose Mira Grant?
Mira: I tell people it’s a lot like when Disney created Touchstone: it allowed them to differentiate between “a Disney movie” and “a Touchstone movie,” while still making a much wider range of films. Mira Grant is my Touchstone. The name itself is a complicated horror movie in-joke, and I will buy a beer for the first person to figure out exactly what it is.
Cid: Can you give the readers the premise for the Newsflesh trilogy and Feed in particular?
Mira: Twenty years ago, the world ended. And we…well, didn’t quite die out the way everybody said we would. Instead, we adapted, changed, and rebuilt. The new generation has never known a zombie-free world, and has grown up afraid of infection and exposure.
Feed follows a Presidential campaign, and is seen through the eyes of the young bloggers recording the action. It’s a story about truth, lies, media, life, death, and how many bullets you need to keep in reserve.
Cid: When you set out to write Feed, did you intend for the book to focus on the politics of post-rising America?
Mira: No. That just sort of happened.
Cid: Just from reading Feed, it’s clear you did your research. What was the most fun “researching” you did?
Mira: I got to call the CDC. Several times. That was awesome, and crazy good fun.
Cid: How did you come to the decision that primary news would be via blogs? And how did you decide on the three-pronged attack of newsies, Irwins and fic?
Mira: It was pretty clear to me, starting out, that in the event of a real zombie apocalypse, the mainstream media wouldn’t be the most immediately useful way to get your information. More, the geeks are the only ones who are actually prepared for the zombies to rise. Sure, most of us would still die, but we’d die gathering valuable data, which we would then put online. As long as vital infrastructure — like the power — stays intact, the bloggers will carry the day.
I went for the three-way split because that’s how most blogs are already divided. News blogs, personal blogs, and fiction blogs. They just got a little more…extreme.
Cid: When did you decide to brand the thriller journalists as Irwins?
Mira: I loved Steve Irwin. I miss him very much. It was my way of saying so in print.
Cid: The inclusion of blogs, quotes and other media written by the characters is often a powerful clue into what else is going on in their world. How did you separate yourself from the story to write those? Were they written along with the novel or separate?
Mira: They were written along with the novel, although some of them moved around in the final editorial round. They helped me to set up what was coming, and to focus more on characters who otherwise might not have had as much time on-screen — Mahir, especially, was a joy to blog for.
Cid: There is a very emotional moment at the end of the book where we say goodbye to one of the characters – what lead you to making this 
decision?
Mira: When asked why he killed the little boy in Cujo, Stephen King said “I didn’t. He just died.” That’s what happened to me. I didn’t kill that character. They just died. I cried for days.
Cid: Do you plan to write more in the Newsflesh world beyond the trilogy? Is there a clone working on that now?
Mira: The possibility exists. I have a short story set during the Rising coming in September, as part of The Living Dead 2 (Night Shade Press). So we’ll see.
Cid: Lastly, why Urban Survival Barbie?
Mira: Because Barbie gets everything.
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Because after reading the bit about Urban Survival Barbie, I’m giving you a challenge. I have a copy of feed – AND – a nifty little book cozy I knitted I’m going to give away. The challenge – if you dare accept it – is to come up with your own Post-Rising Toys, a la Urban Survival Barbie complete with her own machete and blood test kit! And I’m completely fer serials when I say that is my Halloween costume this year.
The contest will end at high noon CST, August 3rd. Give me your best zombified toys in the comments. You are not limited to one entry, in fact I encourage multiple entries, but only one entry per comment. I believe my review of the book goes up tomorrow, and I say nothing but amazing things about it because I loved it. And so will you.
Contest is closed as of noon! I’ll toss up a post once the Addicts vote on a winner.
Life-Size Toy Chainsaw – It’s little defense against zombies, but it helps children learn the size and heft of an actual chainsaw for when they’re older
Solid Steel Yo-Yos – I somehow think the yo-yo would make a comeback. It’s like a weapon on a string. You can use it for blunt or strangling damage!
Healthy People Dolls – Barbie and the like would see a complete make-over, returning to the over idealized “perfection” they once personified. Similarly, all zombie and monster dolls would cease to exist. People don’t want to face the real dangers in the world and parents would want to give their children healthy, pretty people to play with.
Not to mention, once you’re over 40 pounds, you’re in danger of amplification, and if you’re healthy, you have less chance of spontaneously dying (and amplifying).
Let’s face it: NOT spontaneously dying is always a good thing
Bump in the Night – A video game where you have to defend your property and home against intruders and robbers
Toy Guns like NERF guns that shoot actual darts instead of foam ones. YAY HEADSHOT!
Roller-Blaze! They’re like rollerblades but FILLED WITH NITRO. (sorry, think monster truck commercial voice) For a quick escape and a badass ride! Not responsible for any Rollerblaze related accidents!
Barbie toy eh? This just popped into my head and hopefully I can think of a better one before tomorrow.
Retractable wrist mounted buzz saw – It’s a small add-on for Miss Barbie that is basically what it sounds like. It would be a standard buzz saw blade that fires out from the wrist mounting to decapitate, remove limbs or plainly disembowel one or the zombies. The upside to said Miss Barbie add-on is that it retracts for safe keeping and reduces the need for any ammunition. Also, it’s great for the blood and gore, Oh yeaaaaaaaah!
Emergency Infection Treatment Playsets – Like the kitchen playsets, but with replicas of all the equipment you need to identify infection and euthanize the infected.
Though, I have to say that Roller-Blaze would be pretty amazing for the post-apocalyptic roller-derby scene.
Cambot! Your very own remote-controlled robotic camera! Perfect for the budding young Irwins out there, who aren’t yet allowed to leave the safety of their house. Some assembly required, batteries not included.
Samurai sword, because it’s longer and sharper than a machete and you can keep your distance for the zombies. I like the camearbot, good thinking. Human skulls to collect rain water, wait The Onion had that one. Endless supply of gas and a really big car. A witty and adorable male sidekick with lots of sexual tension and then as soon as I admitted I had feelings for him he’d be eaten, but I knew where his weapon stash was so he gave me a extra few months to live and he reminded me the importance of love. AWWWWWW.
Did also give you twinkies? I hope so <3
Water Purification Foosball Table – As you play with your best friend/soon-to-be lover, the movement of the little sticks back and forth builds pressure forcing water through filters and providing clean, healthy drinking-stuff out of the bottom of the table
My Little Infected/Survivor Pony. Infected Pony comes with a handy symptom guide to teach youngsters to spot the warning signs. Variety of Survivor Ponies include different toy weapons so kids can explore their strengths and find a combat style that works for them.
Detachable cell phone charms that emit a high frequency sound pulse. You throw them into the horde – you get away. Now available in six fashionable colors!
I LOVE your creativity. It’s scary what your mind comes up with, Dru!! <3
lol
Thanks. I may or may not have spent several months plagued with zombie nightmares after a weekend of playing Left 4 Dead. When one of my DMs said he was making a d20 zombie game I was like “Uhh…but but but…”
I sort of like planning out ways to protect my children from getting nommed on.