Horror for a Cause: The Undead That Saved Christmas

Are you an aspiring horror writer looking for some exposure? Do you want to support an amazing cause? Well, Lyle Perez of awesome horror blog Undead in the Head has just the opportunity for you! He is working on putting together an anthology of short horror stories and comics surrounding Christmas and Zombies! Lyle was nice enough to sit down with me and answer a few questions about this amazing project.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the book?

A: It just came to one morning while I was at work. I wanted to do something meaningful for the first book that will have my name on the cover. I love Christmas, not so much the gift getting but the feel the holiday gives. When Christmas music was playing all month long in my office, I was the only one who loved it. I am also a huge fan of zombies. I thought about doing a Christmas themed anthology a while back but never had the drive for it. It was when I remembered the foster kids I donated to last year. That is when I got the idea to do a Christmas themed anthology and all the proceeds will go to buy the foster children gifts this holiday season. I was trying to think of a name when the Grinch came to mind. I said to myself “The Grinch That Stole Christmas” then I said “The Undead That Stole Christmas” when finally I thought in my head ‘No it’s for foster kids’ then The Undead That Saved Christmas popped in my head. After that I just went with that titled. I mean it fits the charity and theme of the anthology perfectly, no?

Q: Why did you choose the charity you chose?

A: Last year I was sitting at work when I got a mass e-mail from a co-worker. The email said that Hugs Foster Family Agency was in need of help for the holiday season. Attached was a huge list of children names and their top three Christmas gift wishes. I scrolled up and down the list reading the children’s wishes and it touched my heart. It never accrued to me that there were so many kids in need, kids that didn’t have parents who would give them a great Christmas. I donated to the Hugs and I thought about the kids faces when they open their gifts on Christmas. Later I overheard my co-worker say that even though a lot of us helped, some kids didn’t get anything. That broke my heart and I kept thinking that maybe if I would have donated more, then everyone could have gotten something. This year though, with the help of everyone contributing, we can use our skills to help give these kids a wonderful Christmas.

Q: What are you looking for in submissions?

A: Well, I am looking for short stories ranging 3,000 – 10,000 words. The stories must have a mix of Christmas and zombie themes. I tell everyone who asks to think; sleigh bells, red and green M&M’s, Santa, Paul McCartney’s song “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time” and then add zombies. I have recently been having a lot of interest from comic artists. They asked is I would consider comics, I said, why not? Comics should range 15-35 pages in length and please keep the illustrations in black and white. Color prints will cost more and I don’t want to take away any proceeds from the foster children. If I can keep the cost at a minimal that would be best. I have to work fast in order to get this anthology out on or before October 1, 2010 so submissions will close on August 20, 2010. Royalties are paid monthly so in order to get as much money as possible I’d like to get the anthology out as soon as possible. I would also like to thank S. G. Browne the author of Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament for offering his time and writing an introduction for the anthology.

Q: Why Zombies?

A: Zombies have been a big part of my life since the late 1990’s. It all started with Resident Evil 2 and since then I have been hooked. I love the idea of a zombie; a monster that’s sole purpose is to find you and eat you. To make matters worse, it can be your mom, your dad, your uncle, Sally Jo from down the street, basically anyone. The thought about something being so familiar but yet so foreign terrifies me. Someone once told me to write what you know. I know zombies so that is why I spend a lot of my time writing about them.

Q: Where can we learn more?

A: You can learn more information about this project by going to http://www.undeadinthehead.com/p/call-for-submissions.html If you are a Facebook user please Like the anthology page. It can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Undead-That-Saved-Christmas/109038099145573?ref=mf. I do daily updates on the progress of the anthology on the Facebook page. Very soon I will be starting an indiegogo.com fund raising account for anyone who would like to donate. There will also be a chance for you to get your name on a thank you page in the anthology. More information can be found on the FB page. If you would like to contact me directly my e-mail is UndeadChristmas@yahoo.com. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and thanks to everyone for their support.

***This project is amazing and really touches my heart. I know from personal experience what it's like to need help around Christmas time. Charities like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross has had to help my family in the past with food, shelter, and Christmas presents. So please support this cause. I know that I will be writing a story for this cause and if you want to write a story, write your heart out. If not, please buy the book and sticker when they come out (visit the links above for more info). The kids at the Hugs Foster Family Agency deserve a Merry Christmas this year.***