I'm Down with ZPP...

I'm Down with ZPP (Zombie Pirates Publishing) Somehow, without me realizing it, I've turned into what most would call “a writer's writer.” Meaning if I have an idea, it turns into a poem, or an essay, or a short story, or a blog, or a novel. An old man waving from his porch at a passing car became ‘Mr. Jasper's Porch.’ A satin bag in a display window became ‘The Goodie Bag,’ a woman in the car next to mine inspired ‘The Grind,’ and me trying to stop smoking inspired ‘Nobody Likes a Quitter.’ Four different kinds of stories, none of which are really genre specific, and my vault is full of stories ranging from fantasy to horror. I questioned where I would send them, but I felt one day every one of my stories would have a home, no matter how strange or different the stories were. Last year, I received an invite on Facebook to join a writing group with one of the weirdest and most unique names ever, ‘The Zombie Pirates.’ I giggled at the audacity and originality of the name, then I joined the group, and my safe writing world shifted a bit. These ‘Zombie Pirates' weren't just another writing group, but an actual publishing group, fledgling but still, they were doing some new and exciting things. I liked the “no holds barred, no rules" attitude of these ‘Pirates.’ They sent out a call for flash fiction stories for an anthology ‘Flash Fiction Addiction' and on a whim, I submitted one of my homeless stories ‘The Grind.’ It was accepted into the anthology and I became an official ‘Zombie Pirate.’ A month or so later, another call went out for stories revolving around ‘World War Four,’ and I had no thoughts or ideas at first… then I remembered a peculiar conversation with friends at a barbecue and I wrote a story called ‘The Aftermath of the Pig Roast.’ Due to other deadlines I was facing, I sent off the first draft of the story and I waited. I read about rejections and kept my fingers crossed my story would make the cut. A few weeks later I received an acceptance email, one of twenty authors from around the world whose stories are included in the anthology. Two for two, on stories which may not have found a home somewhere else. Of course, when the call for submissions for ‘Full Metal Horror 2" went out, I dug into my vault for a bloody story of mine called ‘Popping My Cherry' and submitted it. Fingers crossed. Two Australian writers and friends, Adam Bennett and Sam Phillips are the co-captains of ‘Zombie Pirates Publishing.’ Both of them had successes with stories being published in magazines and anthologies, and Adam suggested throwing in together and starting their own publishing company, where they could publish the kind of stuff they liked to read. Sam let the idea marinate for awhile, and a few weeks later came to Adam and said “Okay. Let's call it Zombie Pirates Publishing.’ The rest is history in the making. I sent Adam a brief questionnaire about this fledgling publishing company which I'm nuts about. By the way, in all of our correspondence, Adam always calls me ‘mate.’ Kind of cool having pals in other countries. Anyway, I'd envisioned them creating the company while drinking Foster's (because it's Australian for beer, duh!), so I asked Adam his favorite beer. 

“I'm probably going to cop a little flack for this but I'm a fan of VB. It's about the dirtiest Australian beer you can get but it really hits the spot after a long hot day of editing. As for food, I'm always down for a hamburger with the lot. Which I'm lead to believe means something different here in Australia. A regular hamburger comes with lettuce onion and tomato. A burger with the lot comes with 'THE LOT'! Beetroot slices, a pineapple ring, cucumber, and a fried egg. And maybe some bacon. If you're feeling adventurous...” I also asked Adam the future plans for ZPP (because I need to know! Lol), to which he offered a multi-layered answer;

“Our first ever Flash Fiction anthology is due out in the middle of next month, and we're just about to close submissions for our first ever sequel anthology FULL METAL HORROR 2. We don't have any plans for novels just yet, but we do have quite a few exciting things coming up over the course of this year.” I wondered to myself if Adam realized the ‘Zombie Pirates' are worldwide, so I asked if he had acknowledged the fact;

“That's a really good question. Given that most of our authors aren't Australian, the worldwide thing has always been an obvious factor, but I've never really tallied the individual countries we've had people published from. No doubt I'll forget some, but off the top of my head: The US, the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, Hong Kong, and Japan, so we've published people living in at least eight different countries. Our FaceBook authors group has more than 1500 members and last time I asked that question, we had more than thirty different countries represented, so no doubt I'm missing a few. It's really crazy to me that in such a short time we've managed to build such a thriving vibrant community of like minded individuals.” There was quite a bit more to our interview, the responses all leading me to know I've done the best thing for me by being “down with the Zombie Pirates.” They are building something unique, and if you'd like to find out more about them, check them out at Zombiepiratepublishing.com. If you are intrigued by the notion of getting in on the ground floor, or simply supporting a small company trying to make its way in the world, become a supporter by donating at Patreon.com/zombiepiratepublishing. Those who support via Patreon are privy to insider information, sneak previews, and are the first to know of the new and exciting things happening at ZPP. On social media, check them out (or can I say US?) on Facebook at Facebook.com/zombiepiratepublishing. For those interested in creating new worlds, reading about new horizons, and being different, Zombie Pirates Publishing may be just the place you're looking for. A ‘Pretty Pete' t-shirt and a ZPP coffee mug are two cool things I possess, both of which start conversations…

“Zombie Pirates? Man, what the hell is that?” friends and strangers ask.

“Dig, these two Aussies named Adam and Sam had an epiphany…” Zombie Pirates Publishing, join the movement... . Marlon S. Hayes is a writer, author, blogger, essayist, poet, and novelist from Chicago, Illinois, who recently greeted a stranger with ‘G'day mate.” Lol. He can be found on Amazon, at Marlon's Writings on Facebook and marlonhayes.wixsite.com/author  

He is now affiliated and/or contracted to three different publishers...