Tag Archives: vampires

Enough about vamps, let’s hear about zombies! You’ve heard that zombies are the It immortals, right? Well, authors everywhere will soon begin to trade in their character’s fangs for some fresh brains…mark our words.

So, for your holiday evening joy, consider boning up on zombies by clicking here to read a delightful little eBook called The Saddest Little Zombie by Douglas Clegg. It’s a Christmas tale. It is! (Plus, it’s well recommended by Peroozal author M.J. Rose.)

Speaking of zombies. It would be nice, though troubling to some degree (but worth it?), if our favorite authors would come back from the dead just long enough to write another book or two. Here’s a list of 12 Amazing Authors Who Died Far Too Young (from the degree blog):

Everyone eventually falls into the chilling embrace of the Grim Reaper, but some manage to leave behind legacies fondly remembered by more than just friends and family. Writers, among other creative types, achieve a sort of immortality when their works fall onto syllabi, win prestigious awards and attain critical success — even if they never received a penny for any of it during their lifespan. Some, unfortunately, shuffle off the mortal coil before they have a chance to truly explore their full potential. But dwelling on what could have been burns off time and energy that could be used to appreciate and understand what’s already there.

What one considers “young” or “old,” of course, varies from individual to individual and culture to culture. This article does not intend to come off as ageist by any means, but for consistency’s sake chose writers under 50 — when Americans attain eligibility to join AARP. Please take no offense to this decision!

1. John Kennedy Toole: The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the absolutely essential A Confederacy of Dunces unfortunately never lived to receive his accolades…or even see it published. After a lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression — much of which becomes apparent in Toole’s seminal novel — and anger from persistent manuscript rejection, the promising author and academic committed suicide at the age of 31. Readers only know of his brilliant body of work, comprised of the aforementioned book as well as The Neon Bible, because of his mother Thelma’s insistence on pushing them onto Loyola professor Walker Percy.
2. David Foster Wallace: Both Wallace and beloved comic writer and jazz critic Harvey Pekar tragically died as a direct result of antidepressants. After switching prescriptions, the 49-year-old author of Infinite Jest…

For the rest of the list, click here.