Rex Morton, a seventeen year-old zombie, has arrived in the small farming town of Plain View, Nebraska; just another stop in a long string of small towns left behind in their rear view mirror. Unlike the zombie stereotype, Rex is bright and friendly - as long as he doesn't get hungry. He hopes this time he can manage to stick around long enough to get his diploma.Rex’s fiercely protective mother has strong armed yet another school district into accepting her son by threatening a discrimination lawsuit. At Plain View High, a dismal pattern of fear, prejudice, and bullying steers Rex down a familiar path toward expulsion. The difference this time is that Rex has fallen for fiery Goth girl, Ariella Klopenstein, the daughter of the Police Chief, and decided he will make his stand in Plain View.
As the Z-virus spreads west and the country panics, Rex and Ariella must find a way to overcome Rex’s mother who wants to break them apart and flee town, a school principal who wants Rex expelled, Ariella’s father, the Police Chief, who thinks Rex is dangerous, and a government zombie round-up aimed at solving the zombie problem once and for all.
Zombie-saurus Rex is a story about perseverance, overcoming prejudice, stereotypes and adversity. What it isn’t is a story about dinosaurs. The title is inspired by a nickname a school bully hangs on Rex due to his size, posture, and slow plodding gate.
Guest Post - What’s In A Title
Hi Suzy. I’m glad you like the title of my novel, Zombie-saurus Rex. Book titles can be a very tricky thing. If they don’t express the essence of a book, they should at least give the reader a flavor for what’s inside.
I didn’t have the title when I started writing. Sometimes the title comes first, expresses the theme and the writing follows. Not this time. I had my idea, a story about overcoming prejudice and stereotype set in that bastion of bullying, high school. I knew I wanted my protagonist, Rex, to be a zombie, someone who was clearly different based on his appearance alone, and based his appearance would carry a stigma, a stereotype he had to overcome. But Rex does not fit his stereotype. He’s bright, kind, and well mannered – as long as he’s not hungry. So I started writing.
Sometimes a writer will finish their book and have to search through what they’ve written for a title. In the case of Zombie-saurus Rex it came organically from a scene early in the book. During lunch on the first day at his new school, Rex is looking for someone to sit with. He spots an opening at a table of jocks. They are clearly the cool kids, the “in crowd.” They close ranks as he approaches and rebuff him. As Rex walks away, one of the boys makes an explosion sound at every step Rex’s takes, making fun of his size and slow plodding gait. The other kids laugh. The boy taunting Rex shouts out, “There he goes, there goes Zombie-saurus Rex,” and I knew I had my title.
Was this the end of the process? No, if only it was this easy. With most books, once a writer has an idea for a title, typing it into Amazon should be the next step. No matter how witty and appropriate, it doesn’t do any good to be one of twelve books titled The Zombie Survival Guide. As a writer, you don’t want your book lost in the crowd, readers thinking they’ve found your book and buying someone else’s by mistake. Zombie-saurus Rex was unique enough that I was sure I’d have the only book with that title. And it was.
So that should have been the end of it, right? I wish. After my novel was released, it dawned on me that the title could be misconstrued. What if readers are expecting a story about zombie dinosaurs? They’d be pretty disappointed, wouldn’t they? Fortunately, that hasn’t happened yet. The book description on Amazon doesn’t mention dinosaurs. That and the Look Inside function should make it clear what the book is about. But if it should become an issue at some point, am I willing to go back to the drawing board despite loving my current title? Sure, though it would kill me. Long live Zombie-saurus Rex. Here’s hoping.
I didn’t have the title when I started writing. Sometimes the title comes first, expresses the theme and the writing follows. Not this time. I had my idea, a story about overcoming prejudice and stereotype set in that bastion of bullying, high school. I knew I wanted my protagonist, Rex, to be a zombie, someone who was clearly different based on his appearance alone, and based his appearance would carry a stigma, a stereotype he had to overcome. But Rex does not fit his stereotype. He’s bright, kind, and well mannered – as long as he’s not hungry. So I started writing.
Sometimes a writer will finish their book and have to search through what they’ve written for a title. In the case of Zombie-saurus Rex it came organically from a scene early in the book. During lunch on the first day at his new school, Rex is looking for someone to sit with. He spots an opening at a table of jocks. They are clearly the cool kids, the “in crowd.” They close ranks as he approaches and rebuff him. As Rex walks away, one of the boys makes an explosion sound at every step Rex’s takes, making fun of his size and slow plodding gait. The other kids laugh. The boy taunting Rex shouts out, “There he goes, there goes Zombie-saurus Rex,” and I knew I had my title.
Was this the end of the process? No, if only it was this easy. With most books, once a writer has an idea for a title, typing it into Amazon should be the next step. No matter how witty and appropriate, it doesn’t do any good to be one of twelve books titled The Zombie Survival Guide. As a writer, you don’t want your book lost in the crowd, readers thinking they’ve found your book and buying someone else’s by mistake. Zombie-saurus Rex was unique enough that I was sure I’d have the only book with that title. And it was.
So that should have been the end of it, right? I wish. After my novel was released, it dawned on me that the title could be misconstrued. What if readers are expecting a story about zombie dinosaurs? They’d be pretty disappointed, wouldn’t they? Fortunately, that hasn’t happened yet. The book description on Amazon doesn’t mention dinosaurs. That and the Look Inside function should make it clear what the book is about. But if it should become an issue at some point, am I willing to go back to the drawing board despite loving my current title? Sure, though it would kill me. Long live Zombie-saurus Rex. Here’s hoping.
Author Mark Souza has always been a storyteller, whether explaining who filched the ice cream, or what happened to the cat’s tail. He learned most of life’s lessons from the business end of a wooden spoon, and the rest from public schools spanning the breadth of North America, all of which were overjoyed to be rid of him. He became an author of short stories and novels in the horror, mystery, thriller, and young adult genres later in life, after time and a desk job had softened his edges, transforming him into the round, doughy shape Big-&-Not-So-Tall shops crave.
Mark was the proud recipient of the 2013 Indie Reader Award for Best Science Fiction for his debut novel Robyn’s Egg.
He now resides in Western Washington with his wife (also an author), two daughters, and their dog of questionable heritage, Tater. Visit his website; http://www.marksouza,com. There you’ll find a multitude of ways to make contact. Mark enjoys cordial correspondence and will write back. He’s always on the lookout for that next victim reader.
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
That's good to hear that people haven't been confused yet by the title. I think that like you said, if they read anything about the book they'll know there are no dinosaurs. Excellent guest post! I always wonder about titles and how authors came up with them. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! The book sounds amazing and the title is perfect! Thank you for the terrific contest! woodrumbetty@gmail.com
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