Author Interview: Scott A. Lerner & COCAINE ZOMBIES

Author and attorney Scott A. Lerner resides in Champaign, Illinois. He obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He is currently a sole practitioner in Champaign, Illinois. The majority of his law practice focuses on the fields of Criminal law and Family Law. Mr. Lerner lives with his wife, their two children, and their cat Fern. Lerner collects unusual antiques and enjoys gardening, traveling, reading fiction and going to the movies. Cocaine Zombies is his first published novel. Coming soon, the sequel: Ruler of Demons.

You can find Scott online at scottlerner.camelpress.com.

What was the experience like writing Cocaine Zombies?

Writing is an excellent way to keep your mind off your troubles. It is a bit like taking a vacation to a more interesting place.

How did you come up with the title?

I wanted it to sound like a pulp fiction title from the forties or fifties. Retro and cutting-edge all at once.

Can you tell us more about your main character, Samuel Roberts?

Sam is a small town lawyer in Urbana, Illinois. He just started a solo practice after years of working for other people. He is single and lives alone. If anything it is his ordinariness that best defines him. He is the type of guy who doesn’t even consider the existence of a supernatural world until forced to confront it.

What are his strengths and what are his weaknesses?

Sam’s main strength is his ability to put aside his fears and doubts in order to do what has to be done. He is not so much brave as willing to stand up for what is right, despite his fears. He also takes it in stride when everything he believes in starts crumbling around him. I suspect I would not be nearly as cool if I found human body parts in my fridge.

Sam is a reluctant hero, and that reluctance initially keeps him from acting. It takes him a long time to fully comprehend what is happening—in his love life and his fight against the forces of evil. Sam is also a red-blooded guy who must grapple with his sexual attraction as well as his revulsion for Chloe. In many ways Sam is your everyman having to play the role of a hero. He has more than his fair share of doubts and fears.

Are there any supporting characters we need to know about?

Sam’s buddy Bob is part hippie, part computer geek, and all loyal friend. He risks his life as much for Sam as to save the world. Susan—Sam’s on again off again girlfriend—is also solidly in Sam’s corner. The main antagonist is Chloe, a beautiful femme fatale. She teams up with a German pharmaceutical company to try and change the world … and not for the better.

Can you one to page 25 and tell us what’s happening?

On my page 25 of the ARC (advance reading copy), Sam is talking to a laboratory technician in Springfield, Illinois. He has just learned there is something wrong with the cocaine seized from his client. The sample contains cocaine but only a very small amount. The person testing the drug could not identify the other ingredients.

What about page 65?

Sam is talking to a deputy at the Sheriff’s Office. A man Sam recently visited at the jail has been found dead. Sam has the insight to realize that it is never a good thing when the people you come into contact with continue to die in a gruesome manner.

Now that Cocaine Zombies has been published, what’s your next project?

The sequel Ruler of Demons is coming soon and will be a lot of fun. I am also in the process of writing a twisted coming of age tale.

Do you have anything you’d like to tell our readers?

I just would like to suggest they give Cocaine Zombies a read. It is available on Amazon or they can ask for it at their local library or bookstore. In addition you can check out my blog at http://scottlerner.camelpress.com and like my Facebook author page

http://www.facebook.com/ScottALernerAuthorand  twitter: scottlernerauthor.