Hope For The Walking Dead?

As anyone who visits here periodically knows, I am a huge Walking Dead fan. Wake the Dead was inspired by it, and that book poured out of me in 3 months, I have honestly never been more inspired by any source material in the past before except for the R.A. Salvatore Drizz't series. Long story short, I do love the series despite the latest happenings that has left many fans less than satisfied...

***SPOILERS AHEAD, DUH!***

I don't mind when the TV show strays from the comic book source material that much, and kind of applaud Scott Gimple for at least having the fortitude to attempt doing so, no doubt wanting to leave his own mark on the TV series. Clearly the show has lost viewers, and it can be narrowed down to season 7 and beyond. But, is the ratings dive solely resting on Gimple's shoulders...or are we simply just numb to the show in and of itself? I feel strongly that it is the latter.

I am of the belief that the Negan War is partially the reason that the ratings for The Walking Dead are so abysmal. I know for a fact that after fan favorites died in episode 7.1 was not received well, or the fact that Negan, a sociopath in the eyes of 'Joe Public', was 'winning'. I tried seeing this personally, putting myself in the perspective of 'what if i had been watching Negan from day 1' camp, and kind of equated a lot of the same things that Rick's group did (perhaps not so joyfully). It is more than interesting to me to flip that switch, and as someone who writes, put myself in that perspective--quite an exercise in unbiased viewpoint. Is Negan a narcissist? Clearly. A Sadist? Indeed. A charismatic figure? hell, yes. But, i digress as I feel the Negan story-line has absolutely nothing to do with the decline in quality story-telling and feel that the show can come back from where it is now

I cant help but liken it to the Game of Thrones series in that it is very dark in nature, heroes die, evil seems to gain the upper hand more often that not, but the biggest contrast is perhaps that the horrors in Game of Thrones have a clear resolution coming, whereas the Walking Dead does not have an end point defined.

The looming death of Carl Grimes has had a tremendously negative effect on the audience, some going so far as to create online petitions  to get Gimple to resign. Other seemingly needless deaths and happening s have been unpopular with the TV fan base, such as the Negan kill scene between season 6 and 7, as well as the 'Glenn under the dumpster thing', etc., and i feel that the fact that the show makes the misery linger over season or mid-season finales mistaking this cliffhanger for 'buzz', but what it really does instead, is it prolongs the suffering perhaps too much. The 'Red Wedding', Ned's death and Bran being pushed out a window in of Game of Thrones, all set so early on in the series seemed to have a shock factor so great that fans didn't have much time to stew about them, followed source material almost explicit, AND there is a conclusion that is coming that seems will satisfy its fan base. Conversely, the Walking Dead deaths seem trivial and less impactful, (Glenn, Tyreese, Sasha, to name a few) as they only exist so as to spur changes in another character's decision making process in order to drive the story in an alternate direction, or more realistically, resolve contract negotiations with AMC.

All that said, The Walking Dead is still one of the best shows to ever hit the airwaves, will remain so, and I am hopeful that it will right the ship sooner rather than later.

What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments below.

Visit me on my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE to borrow any of my books for FREE!

Best-selling author of Wake the Dead! On Amazon Kindle here!

All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney & Carlos Cara

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2014 unless otherwise noted.

Misha Gerrick Interview

First off, tell us a little bit about you....

Thanks for having me over! 

I’m a South African born and raised, and I live on a farm in the beautiful Western Cape with my family and a small menagerie of pets. I love writing most of all, but when I’m not doing that, I’m usually doing some craft or the other while watching TV, or reading.

Tell us about your books/What genre do you consider your books?

I’m an eclectic writer, so my works in progress run the gamut from romance to time travel to epic fantasy… My currently published works are all fantasy of some sort. The War of Six Crowns is a YA Epic Fantasy/Portal Fantasy series, of which the first two book is published. 

Then I have the first book in an Urban Fantasy trilogy out as well, called Endless.

When did you start writing?

Depends on how you define “writing.” 

I was reciting stories and poetry to my grandmother before I went to school and dabbling with writing off and on throughout primary school.
But overall, I see myself as a writer starting the year 2001, because that’s the year I decided to be serious about writing and finishing my first novel. (It’s a romance novel. And I’m still working on it because it’s cursed, I tell you.) Sadly, I can’t be more specific than that, because I never marked the day I started, and sadly the first drafts of the book are all lost. Cursed.

Why do you write?

Writing and the arts are in my blood, so my life just feels incomplete if I don’t do it.

What would be your choice for a superpower?

I think I would like that time travel gift like in the movie About Time. I would probably use it to create more time for myself to read and write.

Who is your favorite author?

I don’t have one. I’ve honestly read so many good books in my life that it’s hard for me to pick out even a top 100.

What are you reading now?

Jane Eyre. It’s one of my bucket list books, and so far, I’m liking it a lot.

Who is your favorite character to write?

All of them. In a lot of ways, they’re alive to me, and often, even the ones I don’t like at all (looking at you, James) are still amazing to write because those are the ones that seem to come alive most, with my most vivid writing.

Do you have a writing process?

Yes. I rough draft by hand without planning anything. Then I take what I like from the draft and build a plan around it. After that, I rewrite to my computer, correcting the flaws and weaknesses I’d discovered during the rewrite. After that, I go through a slew of edits and revisions.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Try all the writing techniques at least once, but figure out what works for you. And don’t let anyone tell you that you’re doing it wrong. (The right way to write is the way you use to actually finish what you started.)
Bonus tip: Back. Up. Your. Work. Right now. NOW. Why are you still reading this? Go. Shoo.

What inspired you to pursue writing?

Nothing. It’s always been something I did because I enjoyed it. Although I suppose I wanted to try it back when I was five because my gran is a writer/poet and I was still in that “me too” phase. You know the one. “I want to do that too, Gran.” And she, in her infinite wisdom/cruelty, enabled me in this folly.

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing?

I like basically anything and everything except for horror and erotica-type stuff, so I’m usually going through my Netflix, looking for something that strikes my fancy and suits my mood.

What are your current projects?

Depends on how you look at it. Current as in works in progress would be about ten open drafts.
Things I’m actively prioritizing at the moment: Book 3 in The War of Six Crowns, which I’m currently revising, and that cursed romance novel I mentioned, which I’m rewriting. A-freaking-gain.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to readers?

If you do pick up my books, I just hope you enjoy them. And if you do, that you’ll get in touch to let me know.

Quick Fire:

Cats or dogs? Both. Also…horses.
Coffee or tea? Depends on the coffee…or tea.
Favorite food? Fillet steak with a cream-based mushroom sauce.
Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream? Vanilla
What are 3 things you never leave home without? Notebook, cell phone, something to read/do (e.g. crocheting/needlepoint projects.)
Laptop or desktop? Laptop
Who are 3 famous people you would to hang out with? Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens (and if one of them couldn’t make it, Mark Twain.)
TV or Movies? Both.

You can find me and my books : Blog: http://sylmion.blogspot.com
Tumblr: http://mishagerrick.tumblr.com
Twitter: @MGerrick1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFRZK0eX_vgzbF7jM91N8DA
Facebook: http://facebook.com/MishaGerrick
Intragram: http://instagram.com/MishaGerrick
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/98437.Stories_by_Misha_Gerrick

Visit me on my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE to borrow any of my books for FREE!

Best-selling author of Wake the Dead! On Amazon Kindle here!

All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney & Carlos Cara

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2014 unless otherwise noted.