Sean O’Connor Author Interview
Blood Ever After follows a teenager who, after grappling with the suicide of his brother, navigates a zombie-infested, dystopian world to reunite with his parents and his newfound love amidst a backdrop of anarchy. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I read a book called Tomorrow When the War Began and decided I wanted to write something similar to it. Since I was reading and watching a lot about zombies at the time, I decided to infuse the idea of a zombie apocalypse and a bunch of teenagers alone in a post-apocalyptic world together. It took a few rewrites to get it where I wanted it, but I like the end result, particularly the second half …
Tyler’s transformation from dealing with personal tragedy to becoming an inspiring hero is remarkable. How did you approach the development of his character?
I needed Tyler to change from being a lost young boy to almost a horrible, but courageous monster by the end of the story. For that to happen, something needed to trigger his confidence, his desperation, in a sense. I decided that the worst thing to happen to someone can also be the thing that makes them someone anew, and gives them hope.
The horror elements, particularly the presence of zombies, adds an intriguing layer to the plot. Can you talk about your decision to include these elements and how they served the overall story?
I was watching lots of zombie films at the time, so, for me it was a natural inclusion. I knew a lot about them. What I like about these zombies is that they don’t enter the story until over the half-way mark, which I don’t think has been done before that much. The zombies serve the story by adding an element of horror. It’s probably not some inclusion of deep symbolism, I just like dead things that move.
