This year I am fortunate enough to be guest interviewing many of the 2009 Debutantes (www.feastofawesome.com). Today I am featuring Stacey Jay and her new novel: You are So Undead to Me.

About You Are So Undead to Me
Megan Berry's social life is so dead. Literally. Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people. All Megan wants is to be normal—and go to homecoming. But someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party--the bloody kind.

About Stacey Jay
Stacey Jay is a workaholic with three pen names, four kids, and a decidedly macabre sense of humor. She loves zombies, creepies, crawlies, blood, guts, gore, and of course, romance. "You are So Undead to Me," Stacey's debut paranormal Young Adult Romance featuring Zombie Settler Megan Berry, was released on January 22nd from Razorbill books.

On to the Interview!

Me: Where did the initial idea for YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME come from?

Stacey: I've always been a zombie freak. I find them weirdly hilarious as well as scary as all heck. So when I started my first paranormal YA, I knew I wanted to incorporate zombies in some way. I didn't want them to be the bad guys, but I didn't want a zombie hero either because decomposition just isn't sexy, you know? After letting the idea sit I came up with the zombie Settlers, people who have to de-angst the Undead and get them back into their graves with magic and plain old good listening skills. The rest of the book grew from there.

Me: Um, no. Decomposition isn’t sexy at all. Without giving away too many spoilers, what is your favorite part of the novel/what was the part you had the most fun writing?

Stacey: The black magically raised zombie scenes. Zombie attacks are awesome! (Also the first kiss scene was great. Sigh . . . first kisses.)

Me: I *love* first character kisses. They’re great! So . . . we know all authors have them: how do you handle those particularly "bad" writing days?

Stacey: Ugh. I just push on through. When it's your job and you have deadlines to meet, you don't have any other choice. I mean, I have bad mothering days but the diapers must still be changed. Maybe I don't wipe bottom with quite the cheery grin I usually do, but I still wipe bottom. Same with writing. I just get in there and wipe bottom. Um...make words. I meant make words.

Me: I hate diapers. I’m so glad mine is potty-trained. How do you plan to spend your release day??

Stacey: Stalking bookstores with my two youngest kids to see if I can find books to take pictures of for my blog and then taking my four year old to test for his orange belt at karate. He's very nervous so he should keep my mind off worrying about people actually buying my book.

Me: I think as far as worrying goes, this is only the beginning! What kind of writing projects are you currently working on? Or, if you aren't working on anything new, is there a different demographic/genre you wouldn't mind tackling in the future?

Stacey: Right now I'm in edits for the second Megan Berry Zombie Settler book, currently titled “Undead Much." I'm so happy with the way it's turning out. Even scarier and romancier than the first, which pleases me. I hope readers of the first book will enjoy it. I'm also in edits for an untitled book for Flux featuring a zombie heroine. She goes to zombie school and eats brains in the cafeteria and so on. It's also been great fun.As far as the future is concerned, I'd love to tackle something without paranormal elements. There are times when a good old fashioned love story is all I want to read and I'd love to write one for the YA audience. Hopefully, I'll get the chance!

Me: That is awesome! For all you zombie lovers out there:

You can visit Stacey at her home on the web: http://staceyjay.com

And . . . You Are So Undead to Me is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-So-Undead-Me/dp/1595142258/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225898596&sr=1-1

She will be chatting with Deva Fagan tomorrow at: http://www.devafagan.com

Thank you so much for stopping by, Stacey! You Rock!