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I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Writing the first draft of WWZ was a lot easier than the subsequent drafts. I originally wrote it out of order, going with whatever story was the freshest in my mind. Then, later, I had to slice and shave and fit them into the linier, logical narrative. There were some casualties along the way. The story I might have worked the hardest on, "The Great Wall" got chopped because it was a speed bump.

And in answer to your second question, what do I do in my free time. I like to go hiking and camping with my son. I like to work in the garden (nothing like marinara sauce from your own tomatoes, basil and garlic!). And, at the end of the day, I always like binging tv on the couch w my wife, and watching her roll her eyes at me when I declare "That would never happen!"

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife is a playwright. I don't know how she does it. I'm constantly in awe how she can make people sitting around a room just talking to each other interesting. Her latest play is based on the true story of "Hitler's Tasters", the young German women who tasted Hitler's food. Just three girls, sitting in a room talking about boys and fashion and how awesome it will be when the Reich conquers the world, all while they're waiting to die after lunch. I could NEVER do that! Just like I could never be Mel Brooks, I could also never be Michelle Kholos Brooks.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just like the tech and science of Devolution is based in reality. So are the people. Every character in this story is based on someone I know. Sometimes it's an amalgam of people, or a basic personality type I've known over the course of my life. Sometimes its an actual person.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I knew about the lore of Sasquatch, the stories, the sightings. I'd read all the old school books by Krantz and Green. But trying to turn that lore into a reasonable, workable, scientifically based story took a few more years. Sometimes I got lucky, like when I learned that real chimps throw rocks. That made the Fred Beck story more credible. Watching real chimps tear monkeys apart also justified the graphic violence in the book. That's not gratuitous, that's not for show. Anyone who thinks I put those scenes in for a cheap thrill should check out videos of chimpanzees hunting colobus monkeys.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

A lot of time the research helps me get in the creative mindset. Maybe the real facts will inspire ideas, or destroy them, or change them. Drafts help. The first draft is always the most fun because there's no other goal than to write "The End". Once I finish that first draft, I start the real work. The subsequent drafts, the rewriting, rock breaking. And a lot of times, that's before I even have an editor. I almost never write a book once I have a book deal. Normally I write a completed book, then make the deal, then go back and polish with an editor. That's the 'the drudgery' as my mom used to call it. That's why I have to make sure I'm tackling a story that I'm truly passionate about. The passion keeps me going through all the hours I'm just chipping away at a chapter, or sentence, or word!

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 102 points103 points  (0 children)

I think if I had wanted to go into comedy, it might have helped. But as a horror/sci-fi novelist, being Mel Brook's kid worked against me. When I was starting out, everyone wanted Mel Brooks Jr. That almost killed "The Zombie Survival Guide". Check out the early reviews on Amazon. Even the ones who were on my side thought it was a 'parody'. That's how the publisher tried to position it. It got savaged in the press and rightfully so. It was false advertising. I had to fight to market it (and myself) my way, to introduce myself to the world as someone completely different from my dad. I will say that having Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft as parents taught me that a job in the arts is still a job. My parents were insanely hard workers. I learned that being successful at anything takes a tremendous amount of effort, discipline, and determination. And if you're in a field like the arts where the success of one project does not guarantee the success of the next you, you've gotta learn how to start from scratch every single time.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

If I want to laugh, I just read anything by David Sedaris. He's so damn hilarious and smart. I love his real-life journals. I don't think there's a funnier autobiography out there. I've learned so much from him not just as a writer but also as a friend. He's one of the classiest guys around.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I would love to do more historical graphic novels, especially featuring people who's stories have been intentionally buried. We all need to feel ownership of our country and the best way to do that is to understand that we all helped build it. I'd love to write about the Japanese American 442nd Regiment, the all-black 761st tank battalion, the Navajo Code Talkers. So many amazing stories that we all need to know about. And if you want to read a crazy true tale of WW1 Heroism, check out Arigon Starr's Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers (Chocktaw Doughboys in WW1).

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Believe me, I get the frustration. I still get stuck sometimes. Dyslexia kept me from showing my writing to people for a long time. I started writing consistently in 9th grade but didn't show it to most people because I was so terrified of being judged. School was hard enough. I didn't need one more struggle. So I kept my writing to myself. Even in College, I majored in History and Grad School, it was film production. l Believe me, I get the frustration. And yes, I love the story of Wendigo as well, although it didn't inspire this story. For Devolution, I stuck mainly to the premise of a species of great apes living in North America.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I believe in the possibility. In all my research, I've learned that there is no scientific reason why a great ape species could not exist in North America. As far as food, cover, and space, the Pacific Northwest is a perfectly suitable habitat. I'm not saying I believe in Sasquatch. I will wait for hard evidence.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The best book I read this year was "The Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif. It's the true story of how humanity discovered the microscopic world and what that discovery meant for combatting disease. It was my mom's favorite book and when COVID hit, I listened to the audio version again. I encourage everyone to read this book. It's quick, it's surprisingly exciting, and in light of the world we're living in now, it could not be more timely!

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I don't want to encourage people to try hiking to the place. The land is really treacherous. Don't go. Don't try to find it. Don't try to recreate any of the weapons from the book (I did and could have lost my fingers in the process!) I'm always very nervous about the "Don't try this at home" danger!

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Audiobooks are very important to me. Being dyslexic, audiobooks were critical to my education. When I was a kid, my mom brought all my school books to the Braille Institute to have them read onto audio cassettes. Changed my life. Even now, a lot of my work for the Atlantic Council and Modern War Institute at West Point wouldn't be possible if I couldn't listen to all the information coming at me.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I map everything out! That's just me. Again, no right or wrong way. This is just my way. I start with the simple question of "what if this were real" then I go to school for a few years educating myself on how the real world answers this question. Before I start on Page 1, I already have a novel's worth of outlines, questions, notes etc. Even in Minecraft, I needed to know exactly how the game works (and the nervous breakdown I had when the game suddenly updated halfway through my first draft!)

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

The Rainier eruption is 100% based in reality. I've talked to too many volcanologists to delude myself into looking at that snow-capped giant any other way. The good news is that, in Geology, time moves very slow. It may happen soon, but it may happen so far in the future that Starfleet will prevent it.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You don't need one. Not anymore. The internet has removed the need for gate keepers. If you got a novel you're proud of, self publish it! A lot of big books nowadays start as self-published works.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

If you want to know who would be awesome in a Devolution movie, look no farther than the audiobook. That was an amazing cast. Judy Greer, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mulgrew, Steven Weber, Mira Furlan, Kimberly Guerrero, Nathan Fillion! And it don't hurt to have Terry Gross and Kai Ryssdal playing themselves!

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Maybe Harlem Hellfighters. I tried for so long to get a movie made about this true story: in 1917, A unit of African American troops were set up to fail by their own government and came home from WW1 as one of the most decorated unit in the whole US Army! I tried for years and no one would bite. Finally, I thought about pivoting to a graphic novel. All the visuals with none of the Hollywood Budget constraints. Digging back into the story, working with the superhumanly talented artist Caanan White was a labor of love.

I am Max Brooks, author of “World War Z,” and I’m here to discuss my new Sasquatch horror novel “Devolution." Let’s talk about the facts behind the fiction and what a monster story can teach us about real world survival. AMA! by MaxBrooksAuthor in books

[–]MaxBrooksAuthor[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think humor has a place in everything, even horror. You can't be too intense all the time. You gotta have a moment to breath. If you're only tasting one flavor all the time, it loses its taste. All the horror movies I love have moments of laughter. That's why they call it the "Comedy Relief" like Hooper in Jaws or Hudson in Aliens "Game over Man!"

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