If you are a fan of books and/or movies, I bet you have heard of Warm Bodies. It began as a book from the mind of Isaac Marion and was turned into a popular and rather entertaining film. What you might not know is that it was the first book in a series. The final book in that series, The Living, was recently released. I had a chance to read it and chat with Isaac about it.
First of all, I have had the chance to speak with a fair number of authors and was pleasantly surprised at how genuine, open, and friendly Isaac is. We had a great conversation about the book, the series, the past, and the future. If we didn’t live a literal country apart, I’d like to think maybe we could be friends and share writing war stories.
Our journeys also began in a similar way. Isaac began writing as a teenager and sent out queries to no avail. He gained a little success writing short stories and made connections in the industry that eventually led to the publication of Warm Bodies. Before it was published, however, Isaac was about to give up.
Some of the characters in the Warm Bodies series were based on real people at first but as he wrote, Isaac found that they took on personalities of their own. He described writing as his favorite part of the process (I most definitely second that!) and finds the “eureka moment is pretty exhilarating.”
There was a pretty long time between books one and two and during that time, a lot of readers lost interest, moved on to something else. But they should definitely give the rest of the series a chance.
The Living was a delight to read. The fast pace kept me interested, the characters kept me invested, and the alternating perspectives kept me wondering how things would turn out. For me, those are the main things I need from a book, and it is often difficult to find them. There are plenty of sources of entertainment these days and for a book to capture and maintain attention is the ultimate for me as a reader.
Without spoiling things, for me the series came to a satisfying conclusion. But Isaac pointed out R, Julie, and the rest of the characters he spent so many years thinking and writing about will never really be out of his life.
Yes, he is looking forward to writing other things, but as readers continue to discover the series, talk about it, post about it, those characters stick around and find new life. For Isaac this is a very fulfilling part of the process and makes the whole process real for him.
Isaac shook up his life recently, moving to the country from the city in order to get back to the basics of writing. Because the industry is fickle and ever changing and attention spans are short, Isaac isn’t sure what his future holds. He hopes it involves more books but knows there are definitely no guarantees.
For me, hearing these things from Isaac is both encouraging and disheartening. It’s nice to know my frustrating, rejection filled, sometimes ready to give up journey is not a unique one. Like things turned on a dime for Isaac they can turn for me or all you other writers, actors, singers out there working toward your chance.
However, I think I had it in my mind that being a New York Times Bestseller meant the path to continued success and publication was a smooth ride. Isaac proves it’s not. But if anyone can make a comeback, I bet, and hope, it is him.
Go check out the entire Warm Bodies series!
Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of the book but all opinions, as always, are mine.
Fun post — really enjoyed reading it. Sounds like a terrific book, too — and one I wasn’t familiar with. Thanks!