If Alice thought Wonderland was bad, then Zombieland would have had her begging to be hassled by a disgruntled patch of daisies again. Author Gena Showalter’s new series, The White Rabbit Chronicles, begins with Alice in Zombieland, a novel based on Lewis Carroll’s adventurous heroine.

Showalter, an Oklahoma City native, is the best-selling author of the paranormal romance novels Wicked Nights and The Darkest Seduction, and the recent story anthology (with P.C. Cast), After Moonrise.

These achievements remind her that she made the right choice when she decided to start writing.

“I hope to do it forever,” Showalter said. “There’s always a new milestone to reach and another story to tell. It’s very rewarding.”

Being the mother of two teens helped Showalter decide how to write for a young adult audience in The White Rabbit Chronicles. The series takes place in a world newly overrun with monsters. After Alice Bell loses her family, she must band together with other survivors — like bad boy Cole Holland — to avenge her loved ones and defeat the undead.

Horrifying zombies aren’t the only things on Alice’s mind, however. She begins to have weird visions she doesn’t understand and develops feelings for the mysterious and secretive Cole.

Inspired by Carroll’s original Alice novels, Showalter sought to create the same sense of whimsicality and darkness in Alice in Zombieland.

“I had so much fun with this one. I loved taking the essence of Lewis Carroll scenes and planting them into the book, like Alice falling into a pit of despair,” said Showalter. “There are similarities like Alice’s curious nature, and I’ve got a Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter in there, too.”

Showalter has been busy. The double-novella anthology After Moonrise hits shelves Tuesday. Her co-author, Cast, is a Tulsan who has written more than 30 books, including the bestselling House of Night vampire series.

The two authors are longtime friends who met in 1999 through the Oklahoma City chapter of Romance Writers of America. Together, they came up with an idea for a paranormal-romance anthology, and After Moonrise was born.

Set in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, it follows two semi-spooky, yet romantic storylines: Possessed’s psychic detective Kent Raef and Haunted’s artist Aurora Harper.

“I’ve been reading and writing since I can remember,” said Cast. “Every time I write a book, I try to write the book I most want to read.”

Hey! Read This:
Gena Showalter's Dating the Undead interview  

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