Zombies and Plot Bunnies

Please help me welcome fellow mystery writer Alice Loweecy today as she discusses hobbies that can help you survive the zombie apocalypse.  Now this I have to hear!

My writer friends and I discuss many subjects: Plot bunnies, cooking, shopping, books, chocolate vs. wine. One topic that comes up more often that any of us would expect is the Zombie Apocalypse. Not as a storyline, but as a survivalist exercise.

We make lists of essential skills required to survive longer than 24 hours. Of the core group of people who might not get their brains munched. Of who we’d let into our fortified bunker and why.

The first time we did this, we were surprised at the way some of our hobbies turned out to be useful skills when the ravenous horde is at our heels and a double-barreled shotgun stands between us and getting allowed back into our shelter. You know, in case one of us got nibbled and is hiding it. Or in case I’m the slow one that could be tripped so the rest can escape. I don’t want to be the expendable one.

Speaking of shotguns, more than a few of us are skilled with gun, rifle, knife, sword, and crossbow. Everyone knows you have to nail a zombie in the brain to stop it from munching on yours. I’m good with a Glock (with a little refresher practice) and with bow and arrow. One more reason not to trip me during the mad dash to safety!

One of my friends is an excellent seamstress. When zombies overrun the mall, we have to make our jeans last. Another is a forager. He can make a nutritious, tasty meal out of plants in the woods I couldn’t identify on a bet. My ZA bunker would definitely include the guy who can tell which mushrooms are poisonous and which can go in the sauté pan. A few of us knit. Sweaters don’t repair themselves, especially when your skin has dodged a mouthful of rotting teeth because your favorite cardigan took one for the team.

I’m a gardener. My backyard boasts a 200-square-foot vegetable garden and my deck is covered with potted herbs. When the ZA hits, it’s going to be difficult to head to the grocery store. And those apples and peppers and tomatoes are all going to rot in a matter of weeks. I carry over seeds from one year to the next, so when I run from the horde, the first thing I grab as I leave my house behind is my seed cache.

Not only do I grow veggies, I cook with them. It’s going to get pretty tense in the bunker as we wait out the ZA. What better way to pass the time than trying my homemade sauce or salsa or tabbouleh? And for those who like Bloody Marys, fresh tomatoes for tomato juice. After adding up all my skills, I’m pretty impressed with my chances of making the bunker-worthy cut.

I write private-investigator mysteries, and I don’t see a Zombie Apocalypse in my MC’s future. But she can fire a Glock and she grows veggies. Hobbies may not save her life—unless all that stands between her and a psychotic killer is a row of Ghost Pepper plants. I might feel a moment of sympathy for a psycho killer who’s just had a handful of Ghost Peppers smashed into his eyes.

Hmm… plot bunny!

Baker of brownies and tormenter of characters, Alice Loweecey recently celebrated her thirtieth year outside the convent. She grew up watching Hammer horror films and Scooby-Doo mysteries, which explains a whole lot. When she’s not creating trouble for Giulia Falcone-Driscoll, she can be found growing her own vegetables (in summer) and cooking with them (the rest of the year).

Be sure to check out Alice's new mystery, Nun Too Soon, A Giulia Driscoll Mystery available now from Henery press! 

Purchase it here!