On Wednesdays, I'll cross-post my blog from Routines for Writers here…

A couple weeks ago, a friend told me about a new book – Pay Me In Flesh. We were actually talking about something else but I was totally sidetracked and had to go look this book up. I laughed out loud reading the description! I immediately purchased the Kindle edition and started reading it. (It's also available in paperback.) I rarely purchase a book immediately upon reading the description or back cover! I always weigh how many other unread books I have, what other purchases (not just books) that I might want to spend my money on, and I practically always take a little time to think about if I'm really going to have time to read it now or if I should wait and buy it when I have time to read it.

Once I started reading Pay Me In Flesh, I had to beg the author for an interview! I'm so excited, he agreed! Yay! So ladies and gentlemen, please welcome K. Bennett!

So K – can I call you K? How did you first learn that there really are zombies among us? Are they only in LA?
Many people feel LA is virtually all zombies. Especially the lawyers. I happen to think zombies have been given a bum rap. If they can practice law, let's judge them by other criteria besides the fact they want to eat your brain.

Are you afraid of being alone with a lawyer? Apparently, Mallory (the main character) prefers eating the brains of the super smart. Better nutrition, she says. Any worries for you there?
Oh sure, you have to be on your guard. But she is averse to eating the brains of crazy people, and since writers are crazy, maybe I don't have to worry all that much.

What about a personal zombie escape plan? Have one?
Look, I'm a lawyer, right? I figure if flesh eating zombies come this way, they'll leave me alone out of professional courtesy.

With Halloween around the corner, do you have any advice for keeping our heads? Should we be worried that zombies will be looking for treats as well? I'm wondering if I got out of Knott's Scary Farm alive out of sheer luck, or if I'm dumber than I look.
I'm going to have to defer that last bit to your husband.

Oh, gee, he's so busy, I don't want to interrupt him. Uh, moving on! So movie zombies have varying life spans depending on the movie. Do I understand that real ones can live a long and “normal” life? Or does Mallory just hope it will be long and normal?
Mallory has a thin hope that somehow she can recover her soul and maybe, just maybe, not end up in hell. She realizes it's a long shot, and that she can never have a normal life. Especially a love life. When you keep thinking about eating the one you're kissing, it tends to lead to conflict.

And what does Lucifer have to do with this? Should we be doubly afraid?
Oh yeah. Here's the deal. Mallory gets wind of a plan by Lucifer to set up war headquarters in Los Angeles. To bring in all the territorial demons and start planning a new assault on earth and heaven. He really thinks he can win. Mallory doesn't want to get into the middle of a supernatural squabble, but she may not have that choice. This is going to be going on throughout the series, so my suggestion is that people get Book #1 right away. Just trying to be helpful.

Thanks for joining us, K! And I have to agree with you – I think everyone should pick up Pay Me In Flesh, the first book in the Mallory Caine, Zombie at Law series. It pays to be informed – and entertained!

If you'd like to read more about K Bennett and his new series, visit his web site or read this interview by Hallie Ephron. But before you click away, can you guess who K. Bennett really is? I'll give you a hint: he's someone you already know and love! Leave your guess below, then click here to find out! I'm off to lunch now to read and eat – hmm, but not in that order. It's not Mallory's fault, but I can't eat when she's eating.

K. Bennett boxed Golden Gloves and worked as a bouncer in Hell's Kitchen before turning to fiction, and often imagines the past in terms that are not entirely truthful. Look for book two in the series, The Year of Eating Dangerously, in February 2012.

Side Note: I wrote a post this past Sunday about how Little Miss Lovesick went from a book proposal at Tyndale to a self-published romantic comedy. Check it out if you're interested in my journey!