Book Review: The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life

The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life by Jen Naumann

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Emma Ferdig has spent her entire life stuck in an itty-bitty town that is basically smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. She’s not bored because there are always the same mundane things to do with her best friend Finn every single weekend, but bored as in there is literally nothing for a teenage girl to do that doesn't involve farm animals and the threat of law enforcement.

But now she would do pretty much anything to go back to that boring life.

Emma's life is turned upside down after a night of senior pranks by the discovery of a real, live (better make that dead) zombie in her own backyard. In a breakneck journey across the rural Midwest, Emma will recruit a minivan full of teenage misfits while trying to survive, and uncover the secrets behind this zombie invasion. She’ll discover the true identity of Finn’s mother, the dark conspiracy that has infiltrated the U.S. Army, and maybe even realize the person she has been waiting to save her was right by her side the whole time.

As it turns out, life in a boring little town hadn’t been such a bad thing, after all.

Page Count: 
Paperback, 338 pages

Published: 

June 2012 by At or With Me Publishing 

Rating:  

3.5 / 5 Paw Prints

1/2

 

Review:

Jen Naumann's The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life is an apocalyptic zombie novel about seventeen-year-old Emma and her band of oddballs and misfits. Together, they strive to uncover the truth behind a virus outbreak that claims the lives of loved ones and changes the landscape of the United States forever. The action propels the novel forward at light speed, but the characters slow down the reading for all the wrong reasons.

It took me a third of the novel to accept that the characters were all pretty cheeky, and that if enough jokes were made, one or two might actually make me laugh. I wasn't really a fan of the protagonist, Emma, mainly due to her strange bout of self-hatred for all things "womanly." There's nothing I can't stand more than a female protagonist who's all, "I don't really like other women. I'm a tomboy! I get along with guys sooooo much better!" However, Emma does eventually somewhat redeem herself when she finds an ally in Marley.

Anyway, so her character was a huge annoyance in the beginning, but after accepting that that was just her voice, etc., she became less distracting, and I was able to enjoy her point of view and all the comedic bits it had to offer. I found myself rooting for her, and felt sympathetic for her inability to emotionally process the horrors that she had experienced.

But it was the pacing of the novel that really stole the show--the plot that races along with the characters in souped-up cars, the seamless transitions from one fight to the next, and the mounting horrors looming around every corner.

The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life certainly has its share of surprises. At times, I really did feel like I was kicking back and enjoying an X-Files episode. The plot keeps getting new layers added to it, and I was eager to watch the band of misfits survive or at least experience some degree of closure. I was disappointed with the ending, which seemed abrupt, but it was the kind of disappointment that accompanies a strong desire to keep reading. I'll definitely be checking out Jen Naumann's other books and recommend this gem for YA fiction lovers, especially those with a hankerin' for action/adventure, humor, and zombie/apocalyptic genres.

Novel Writing Tip: Change the Scenery to Enliven the Story

The beginning of a novel is probably the most difficult part of the novel to write. I stand by the advice to just push through it and worry about revising it only after you've finished the first draft. Even then, you might be doing multiple rewrites. The beginning is crucial, everyone knows this. But what do you do if you're attached to the beginning? You've cut out all the dead end plot threads, generated some action without compromising character development, but the beginning of your novel still reads slow. Here's a secret that I've stumbled upon: change the scenery.

Here's some examples of scenes that could use a change in scenery:

Are your characters having a discussion around a dinner table? Is important information being revealed at a business meeting--while clients sit around a rectangular table? Are lovers meeting up for breakfast--in a booth... with a table?

My point is that if your characters are ever sitting around a table having a discussion, change the scenery! Table scenes are boring, period. In my first book, Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls, I had my characters participate in a tense dialogue where crucial information was divulged while eating breakfast and sitting around a table. Everything that was being said, the character development, the main action, etc. was fine, but the scene was still dragging. Then it occurred to me to have the same characters have the same conversation at an equestrian race track. Magic. Suddenly, instead of using the syrup and pancakes to reflect the tension, I could have the interpersonal drama mirrored by horses racing around the track. I could give the horses clever names, so that when the horse race announcer interrupted the dialogue between the main characters, the background would count for something--in essence, the background wasn't just a background, but an interesting character.

Another setting that can get old fast is a bedroom, a kitchen, any ordinary, mundane setting. If your protagonist is simply hanging out with someone (which includes action that propels the story forward, of course), than you're better off with a fresh, exciting backdrop. In my second book, Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island, I had a number of early conversations occur in the castle where my protagonist lives. While a castle is anything but ordinary, reading about two people sneaking off into a corridor, talking on a couch, or sitting in some chairs in the corner of a bedroom is boring, castle or no. With Leviathan Island, I simply plucked up my characters, and set them aboard a royal vessel--the Willow--where they fished and reflected on the existence of deep sea monsters, while discussing and strategizing their master plan. Problem solved.

So if you ever find yourself stuck with a slow read (an author's nightmare), try changing the scenery. You'll be amazed at how quickly and efficiently you've resolved the problem.

Hazy Souls Revision

I'm in the process of revising the first seven chapters of "Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls." Most of the feedback I've received indicates that the second half of the book reads pretty fast and most people enjoy the book from the moment Jeremy leaves his parent's castle. This is good, but I'm pretty sure that the first couple of chapters are the most important, in terms of capturing a potential reader's interest. Hopefully once I release the second edition, I can hook more readers. My goal is to make it read faster and also to include an action sequence or two.

Leviathan Island Final Cover Design!

Front Cover:

front cover book design

So there's my Jeremy model, looking rather Jeremy-like in his shades and patterned silk button-down. I would have loved some blondish highlights in his hair, and some waves (he has wavy hair).

Back Cover:

back cover book design

I tried to stick to my first book's design with a silhouette of the female protagonist, Maren, on the back cover.

Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island Cover Art

Okay, so I *promise that my book will be released soon. I feel like I've been saying that for a while, but no, really this time. Babies happen, deadlines come and go. Here is a draft cover design for the book as proof that it's in its final stages. It still needs a little work, and we're debating whether the galaxy is necessary. See, our Jeremy model just has too much chest. Coupled with the leather jacket, we're afraid we might scare off potential male readers. The Hazy Souls series is meant to be read and enjoyed by women and men alike. So like I said, this is a rough draft cover design. I'll publish the final version in a bit.

I'm really excited about this book. Did I mention that?

rough draft book cover

First Draft of "Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island" finished

I finished the first draft of my second novel, "Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island" (Book II of The Hazy Souls). I'm hoping to have the second draft finished before Christmas. January is an important month for my novel because Spring semester doesn't start until January 22nd (I teach writing at Gloucester County College). January = writing/editing/rewriting every day! Not to mention I have to design my cover... and do internal formatting... and the back cover. Ahh! There's so much to do before the second baby arrives in March.

At the moment I'm doing a quick read-through and marking the scenes that drag. The beginning of the novel needs a complete rewrite, but I've seemed to hit the "zone" by the middle of the novel.  I'll have to elaborate on my descriptions to better create a sense of place and time. The action scenes need some build-up too.

I'll write again about my novel's progress in a couple of weeks. I'm trying to keep to a pretty strict schedule.

Starting a job as an Adjunct

I'll be teaching literature and composition this fall. I'm very excited, only I wish I had a little more time to prepare. It's difficult to find the time to thoroughly read through the material since I'm running after my daughter non-stop. Luckily, I've read most of the fiction and poetry already.

My novel, aahh! I'm almost finished the first draft of Book II, am about 80% done, but class preparation and teaching and grading is sure to curb my progress. And then there's my plans for baby number 2...

To date, I've sold about 200 copies of my book and I've received my first royalty check. My marketing efforts have been put on hold because I just have too much on my plate. I participated in a Christmas in July sales thing, and that was pretty successful. I'll vamp up the marketing after the release of the second book, for sure.

But for now, the baby is napping and so must I!