J. Thorn & Zach Bohannon - Epic Post-Apocalyptic Thrillers

J. Thorn is a Top 100 Most Popular Author in Horror, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure and Fantasy (Amazon Author Rank). He has published two million words and has sold more than 185,000 books worldwide. In March of 2014 Thorn held the #5 position in Horror alongside his childhood idols Dean Koontz and Stephen King (at #4 and #2 respectively). 

Zach Bohannon writes post-apocalyptic science fiction, horror, and fantasy. He is the author of the bestselling zombie series, Empty Bodies, as well as the bestselling post-apocalyptic horror series, Final Awakening. He's the co-owner of Molten Universe Media.  As our Authors of the Day, they tell us about their book - Dawn: Final Awakening.

Please give us a short introduction to what Dawn: Final Awakening is about.

Dawn is a post-apocalyptic thriller. When the Blackout arrives, Dax Harper finds himself alone and fighting for survival on the chaotic streets of New Orleans. He is on the run, desperately searching for his estranged sister as the riots intensify. An unexpected encounter with his ex-girlfriend thrusts Dax into a leadership position—one he’s not sure he can accept. As the hours pass, the city floods, pitting Dax in an epic battle against time and a mysterious new enemy threatening the future of humankind.

What inspired you to write about someone who is fighting for survival on the streets of New Orleans?

Zach and I have each spent significant time in New Orleans. We've even hosted several author events in the French Quarter. We love the city's vibrancy, diversity, and creative energy.

Tell us more about Dax Harper. What makes him tick?

Dax is an "everyday" hero, someone people can relate to. Without spoiling anything, life has handed him a raw situation but that all changes when the power goes out in New Orleans.

Why did you decide to write a post-apocalyptic thriller? What drew you to the genre?

Zach and I love reading post-apocalyptic books and watching the movies, T.V. shows, etc. Writing what we love to read seemed to work out well.

This is book one in a series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

Dawn is a complete and satisfying story, but the full story is three books which is completely finished and available as a trilogy so a reader doesn't have to worry about the series not getting finished.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I'm a musician, Story Grid editor, and podcaster. But my secret skill is that I'm an FM radio DJ.

Does writing about a post-apocalyptic world present any particular problems?

Unfortunately, many of the problems in a post-apocalyptic world are some of the same ones we face today.

Readers say that your book was hard to put down, keeping them at the edge of their seats throughout. How did you pull this off?

If we knew exactly how we'd write every book that way.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

The act of writing is not that interesting. You have to put your butt in the chair and type the words. I try to do that every day no matter what else I have to do.

What are you working on right now?

I'm in the early stages of developing a new urban fantasy series set in a post-apocalyptic New York City.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

My personal author site is http://jthorn.net and you can find all of our post-apocalyptic titles at http://moltenuniversemedia.com.