Interview with Tom Imura, character from Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry and International Giveaway

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve! Because I'm not sure when I'll get to post on Christmas Day, I'm going to go ahead and post this so that my loyal readers can enter ahead of time. Just so you know, tomorrow I'll be posting Jonathan Maberry's Interview and the official Best of 2012 giveaway hop post. 

I'm so excited to promote my favorite book of the year, Rot and Ruin (part of a series of 4 books), and its author, Jonathan Maberry.

Goodreads Book Description: In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

My Rating: 5 out of 5

My Review:  Several people that I really trust told me that I would love this book, and they were completely right. I've had this book on my to read list for a while. I was a little apprehensive because I have not been very impressed with any of the zombie YA books I've read. This includes the extremely hyped up "This Is Not a Test." Rot and Ruin, on the other hand, was intelligent, thoughtful, moving, and fast paced.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry focuses on Benny Imura, who was orphaned after First Night, when the first zombie outbreak took place 14 years ago. He was rescued by his brother, Tom, who is a skilled Bounty Hunter. Benny doesn't think much of his brother and thinks him a coward. In the beginning of the book, Benny tries to find a job that fits him. In the end, he realizes that he is destined to follow in his brother's footsteps, and that his brother is more than he seems to be.

It is hard to compress this wonderful book into a synopsis without giving away its wonderful secrets. Let's just say that this book develops layer after layer, each one more intricate and thoughtful than the last. Maberry does a masterful job of world building. Zombies are more than just zombies-- the remaining humans have created a culture around them. All of their jobs, etc, have to do with living their lives free of zombies. Then there is the Rot and Ruin where the zombies roam free where Bounty Hunters are paid to put zombies down. Even that is treated with a reverence and thoughtfulness that I thought remarkable. The characters are many layered as well, as three dimensional as you get. Benny starts off as an annoying, bratty adolescent who then is confronted with darkness much scarier than the zombies and has to grow up too fast. Then there is Nix, who is a wonderful female counterpart. Tom, Benny's brother, may have been my favorite character and I may just have a little bit of a crush on him. And then another character is introduced that is incredibly intriguing, whom I think we will learn more about in future books.

I could go on and on about how wonderful this book is. Because it was so good, I'm worried that the next two books may not live up to the first. But you can be sure I'm picking them up. Overall, the best book I've read all year.  

 Author Blurb:

Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. His novels include ASSASSIN’S CODE, FLESH & BONE, GHOST ROAD BLUES, Dust & Decay, Patient Zero, The Wolfman, and many others. Nonfiction books include ULTIMATE JUJUTSU, THE CRYPTOPEDIA, Zombie CSU, Wanted Undead or Alive, and others.  Jonathan’s award-winning teen novel, ROT & RUIN, is now in development for film.  He’s the editor/co-author of V-WARS, a vampire-themed anthology; and was a featured expert on The History Channel special ZOMBIES: A LIVING HISTORY. Since 1978 he’s sold more than 1200 magazine feature articles, 3000 columns, two plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, and poetry. His comics include CAPTAIN AMERICA: HAIL HYDRA, DOOMWAR, MARVEL ZOMBIES RETURN and MARVEL UNIVERSE VS THE AVENGERS. He teaches the Experimental Writing for Teens class, is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and co-founder of The Liars Club. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sara and their dog, Rosie. www.jonathanmaberry.com.

Tom Imura Interview

QUESTION:  Thank you so much for joining us today, Tom! Can you please tell our readers about your job as a Bounty Hunter? What is the best and worst part of your job?

TOM IMURA: I’m technically not a ‘bounty hunter’ per se. I prefer the term ‘closure specialist’. I’m hired by survivors to find their loved ones who have become zoms. I read the last letter or message from the family and then quiet the dead as humanely as possible. The best part of it is that it really does give closure to people. The downside is that it hurts like hell.

QUESTION:  What is the most unusual thing that you've found out in the Rot and Ruin?

TOM IMURA: I once found a house that had been decorated for Christmas, with presents wrapped and placed under a tree, and a full-course dinner placed on the table. Two weird things about that…first, all of this had been done recently and it was the middle of July. And the other weird thing is that there was absolutely no one there. The door was open and there was no one there.  I waited around for a whole day, but no one ever showed up. And there were no zoms in the area, either. Very strange.

QUESTION:  I know that you must have some competition from other Bounty Hunters. Can you tell us a little about your competition and how you stay on top of your game?

TOM IMURA: Most of the mainstream bounty hunters do other kinds of work, like cleaning out towns, keeping trade routes clear of the dead, and brutal stuff like that. Most of them don’t really care about the dead. They don’t much care that the dead were once people. We…um…don’t hang out much. Nothing much to talk about.

QUESTION:  Tell us a little about your brother, Benny. Is he going to follow in your footsteps?

TOM IMURA: That’s a tough call. Benny and I have a pretty awkward relationship. He has some assumptions about who I am and about what happened on First Night. He doesn’t like me at all and I have to admit that there are time I find it hard to keep the fires of brotherly love burning for him. But…I have to believe that one of these days he’s going to stand up and take a really good look at the world and see it for what it us. If he does…well, then maybe he and I can find a way to make a fresh start.

QUESTION:  My readers want to know-- is there a special woman in your life?

TOM IMURA: Well, yeah, I guess.  Jessie Riley is this amazing woman who lives on the other side of town. She got into some trouble with a couple of the rougher bounty hunters a few years ago.  Getting her out was rough but it was a bonding experience.  Wow…that sounds really awkward.  I…well, I guess I’m not really comfortable talking about how I feel about Jessie.  She’s great, let’s leave it at that.

QUESTION:  What is the greatest lesson you've learned in your life?

TOM IMURA: Life is precious, treasure it. Yeah, I know that’s corny as hell, and I’m pretty sure I actually read it on a fortune cookie, but y’know…it’s profoundly true.  We lost seven billion people when the dead rose. Life is a rare and precious thing.

Tom is definitely swoon worthy! Don't forget to enter this great giveaway!

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