Interview with Len Bernhardt Author Reign of the Dead

Jim Workman returns from a three-week wilderness retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains to find that the world is a vastly different place. In the few short weeks since he dropped out of civilization a bizarre plague has swept the planet.

The recently dead are rising as feeding machines that feast on the warm flesh of the living. A bite from one of the creatures is ultimately fatal as one ghoul becomes two, becomes eight, becomes sixteen, until the human species is nearly extinct. Jim joins a group of about a hundred survivors who are temporarily barricaded in a local rescue center as they search for a way to make it through this waking nightmare.

In an isolated country house just miles from the rescue center the sanctimonious Reverend R.T. Peterson is leading a group of troubled teenagers. Guided by his visions and voices, the Reverend forges a twisted plan to carry out God's will now that the apocalypse is upon them.

In a nearby government installation, tucked deep beneath the mountain, scientists search for answers as the scientific, military and political forces involved battle for dominance and survival. The story follows the lives of six main characters as they attempt to navigate through a nightmarish world of death and destruction.

It is a tale of good and evil, of love and of the indomitable human spirit, leading to the climactic encounter as the three factions finally come together.

On with the Interview. First off Len thanks for taking time for your fans. I want to start with tell us about yourself, what makes Len Tick? On top of that tell us something cool or a quirk about yourself that perhaps nobody knew before now.

Now that I’m a bit older, family makes me tick. In my younger years I was balls-to-the-wall with my music. All of my free time was spent there and believe me I had a lot of free time, but it was an unbelievably good time with so much freedom.

I loved meeting new people and performing on stage. There was no better feeling than when the lights went up to reveal a full house there solely to hear us play. Well, to hear us play and for the booze. As time passed I grew away from that scene and into a more settled lifestyle.

These days I spend a lot of time with my beautiful wife (I am so lucky she stuck with me) and a few hobbies that have me hooked. Football… I love football. I live for football. I eat it, drink it and well, you get the point.

I’m also a pretty good chess player and have won a tournament or two. There’s nothing more stimulating mentally than a great chess game with a worthy opponent. Getting back to music, I’m actually playing again. We’re still doing the heavy stuff (new and old) I may take this outfit on the road to a few horror conventions where I do signings. Maybe play in the hotel bar or one of the conference rooms. Should be fun… and loud!

Give us the low down on Reign of the Dead, the synopsis so to speak without giving away too much or spoiling it for the fans still waiting to pick up a copy.

The star of Reign of the Dead is without a doubt Jim Workman. Jim owns his own construction company. For three weeks each year he goes into the mountains to get away from it all. When his vacation is over this time he finds the world is a vastly different place. The dead have risen and mankind is an endangered species. Unlike other dead stories Reign of the Dead has many survivors. There are over one-hundred holed up in a rescue center. As time passes the situation deteriorates and a safer place must be found. Of course heroes emerge and there’s lots of zombie action ..and feasting.

In the book you sort of get the impression of a plague source for the zombie infection similar to many zombie flicks, it’s never really openly answered, your comments?

Well, certainly that is true to a point in the first book. The second book, "Apocalypse End: Reign of the Dead" explains the reason behind the cannibalistic corpses and even explains why they crave warm human flesh. If you want, you can find an explanation tightly sewed up for you, it’s there. However, I also allowed openings for those that prefer to not be sure. Maybe in was God’s doing etc…

The characters in the book have and in the comic series have a lot of depth can you tell me are they based on anyone in particular? Did you draw from films, or other works of fiction? Or did they just come to you one night at the desk?

They are, for the most part, from my own head. I’ve had many people from my home town think that I was writing about this guy or that guy, but really there’s no one in the book that I can point to and say yeah, this is that guy that I used to know. Actually, I let the characters build themselves, gradually evolving through the writing process into the end-result. Pretty soon they were dictating their own actions.

What direction are you going to go in your next book, and will it answer most of the underlying questions we have introduced to us now?

Well, most of the questions are answered in the second book. Except for one major question about a certain character. That character is not a part of the next Reign of the Dead novel, "Outbreak" However; I am adding a long chapter at the end of the book to deal with a few things from the original story including his fate. "Outbreak" is a prequel to the other two novels. "Reign of the Dead" begins three weeks after the Dead first walk. "Outbreak will begin with the first known case of reanimation. It takes place in New York City. I am about 1/3 of the way through the initial draft and it is without a doubt the most exciting of the three.

What made you decide to do a Comic Book and a Novel? Are they the same story, variations on it, give us the scoop.

I had several requests to do a comic version and I thought it would be fun. The Comic version is different from the book. It is taken from one of the movie script versions. It is faster paced but does not have some of the elements in the original story. There are also a few new twists to the storyline.

Is their a date for the Reign of the Dead vol2

If you mean Issue 2 of the Comic, yes, it will be available late July 2004. If you mean a second novel, "Apocalypse End: Reign of the Dead:" is the sequel to "Reign of the Dead." And… coming in 2005 will be a prequel "Outbreak"

Will the comic have diamond distribution?

We are still working on a better method of distribution. Diamond would be great! They are the best in the country.

What was your first novel/comic project?

Reign of the Dead was my first attempt at a novel. I wanted to write something that I would enjoy writing and was also familiar with to avoid the hassle of research. Too many things can get in the way of a first novel. I wanted to keep it simple. Reign of the Dead is in the end a fun to read paperback that was designed to allow the reader an easy time of it. The chapters are short and the style is to the point. This was done intentionally. It’s a zombie novel. Not "War and Peace." I didn’t stray too far from a proven formula either. I think Mr. Romero did a fine job defining present-day zombies. When I began writing "Reign" (1994) there was no such thing as a running zombie. I doubt I would’ve allowed mine to run even had there been. I wanted to write something that was not only familiar to me, but also familiar to my targeted readers.

Do you have an official fan site where everyone can immortalize you and enjoy your work?

Ahhh, immortality… I guess writing a book is one way to gain it. Books are forever, right? Yes. http://www.reignofthedead.com/ I keep it updated when something new happens.

What is your favorite zombie film, and most importantly WHY?

EASY! "Dawn of the Dead 1978. It is a masterpiece. A work of cinema art! No other zombie movie comes close or has the heart. GAR has a lot of apples in that basket. "Night" comes in a close second, but "Dawn" is the cat’s ass!

What is your favorite breakfast Cereal?(this one is from Lorkanox one of our staff, we dont let him out much, only for water and the occasional cold cereal)

LOL …Cheerios w/ bananas. I love ‘em. They’re great at 7AM or 7PM.

What other projects are you working on?

After "Outbreak" the third and final zombie book, I plan to do a book of short stories. It seems my writing style fits that format pretty well and I have quite a few stories rolling around inside my head (my wife insists it’s because there nothing in there to stop them from rolling). There will be one about an astronaut that finds himself on a strange planet …a ghost that has his brain reboot every time the sun rises, a story about warring aliens that has a surprise ending, and more.

If Zombies attacked today what would you do first?

Head fer the hills!

What are your final thoughts on Reign of the Dead overall, has it evolved how you wanted?

Yes, indeed. More so. I figured I’d write the first one… maybe sell a few copies and that’d be it. Reign of the Dead and its sequel has sold thousands. Most of the readers love the books and I love hearing from them. It has turned my life in a new direction. It has added color and new experiences.

It has allowed me to meet and get to know the stars of "Dawn," "Night," and even "Day." I’ve met George Romero, and a lot of other great people. These were all people I looked up to and enjoyed watching in some really great movies.

I’ve become a good friend of Lenny Lies (machete zombie in Dawn) and he is in partnership with me to see Reign of the Dead gets to film. It has been great and I look forward to what is to come next!

Is there anything you would like to add for your fans?

Indeed, I hope to see and meet some of you at upcoming shows. Give me a yell on email at: staff@reignofthedead.com and let me know what you thought of the book(s) or just to give me a yell