Character Bucket List: Sean Beaudoin and Nick from THE INFECTS

by Martina Boone

We all have bucket lists, right? Right? Okay, maybe not honest-to-deathwish formal ones. But surprise! Our characters are more likely to have bucket lists than we are as writers. (They often skate closer to death than we do.)

Here’s the first in our new series of Thursday posts that will bring you up close and sometimes too personal with the characters from recent YA book releases. Strap yourself in. These aren’t your usual book reviews or book blurbs.

Wave hello to Nick from Sean Beaudoin’s new novel THE INFECTS. There’s an unconscious pun in the title, because the read is infectious, too. I predict it will catch-on in a big way.

Enjoy!

Martina

Nick Sole’s Bucket List:

1.Visit Antarctica—It’s a little known fact that zombies freeze. Has to be the safest place in the world since nothing ever thaws there.

2. Stop off at Col. Saunder’s Flame Thrower and Bazooka Outlet Store—they’re having a sale all this week on Kevlar body suits.

3. Join “Learning Not to Fall in Love with Girls Named After Flowers” 10-week therapy session and support group-He’d really just like to meet someone named “Julie.”

4. Spend a few months not under arrest—it might be nice to go see a movie or something. Maybe grab a milkshake.

5. Jump out of an airplane—and land in another airplane heading to Tahiti, which is small, flat, warm, and can easily be made zombie-free.

The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

A feast for the brain, this gory and genuinely
hilarious take on zombie culture simultaneously skewers, pays tribute to, and
elevates the horror genre.

Seventeen-year-old Nero is stuck in the
wilderness with a bunch of other juvenile delinquents on an “Inward Trek.” As if
that weren’t bad enough, his counselors have turned into flesh-eating maniacs
overnight and are now chowing down on his fellow miscreants. As in any classic
monster flick worth its salted popcorn, plentiful carnage sends survivors
rabbiting into the woods while the mindless horde of “infects” shambles, moans,
and drools behind. Of course, these kids have seen zombie movies. They generate
“Zombie Rules” almost as quickly as cheeky remarks, but attitude alone can’t
keep the biters back. Serving up a cast of irreverent, slightly twisted
characters, an unexpected villain, and an ending you won’t see coming, here is a
savvy tale that that’s a delight to read — whether you’re a rabid zombie fan or
freshly bitten — and an incisive commentary on the evil that lurks within each
of us.

Sean Beaudoin Answers: What is your favorite thing about The
Infects?

The first thing that leaps to mind is the fact that it’s
done. I spent a lot of time with a group of sweaty delinquents, face-eating
zombies, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, so I’m pleased to now be working on
something entirely different. Which isn’t to say that I don’t love them all. I
do. I’m just one of those people that needs a lot of variety in life. From books
to food to music, I like to keep it unexpected. But really my favorite thing
about The Infects is the ending. I conceived of the ending even before I started
writing the book, because I wanted to do something that I thought no other
zombie novel ever had before. To me, the ending is more than just a twist, it’s
the basis for an entire philosophy. A twisted philosophy, but one nonetheless.
And of all the feedback I’ve gotten, not a single person has said “I saw that
coming.” Which rocks. I guess I just think it’s important, especially when
working in genre, to add something new to the lineage. If you’re writing a book
about space aliens it’s perfectly fine to use (and abuse) all the usual tropes,
but it seems essential that you add at least one new jewel to the teetering
stack.

Order The Infects on Amazon
View The Infects on Goodreads

About Sean Beaudoin

Bio: Sean Beaudoin’s latest novel is the rude zombie opus The Infects. His stories and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including: The Onion, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Spirit, the inflight magazine of Southwest Airlines. His next book, Wise Young Fool, will be out August 2013. He frequently ends his bio with an ironic or self-deprecating personal comment.

Catch him on his website: SeanBeaudoin.com
His Blog: SeanBeaudoin.com/blog
Or on Twitter: @SeanBeaudoin

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Oct 18, 2012

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Character Bucket List

Welcome to Transmedia Mutts

Yellow origami dog on a teal background

Unleash your creative bark!

Shout out to AYAP!

Logo for Adventures in YA Publishing

Thank you to the women who started Adventures in YA Publishing and ran it for years. AYAP and TMM have merged to form Adventures in PUPlishing, and the legacy AYAP posts are now part of TMM. Click here to learn more about the earlier AYAP team.

Click to Join our Facebook Group

Share advice, practice pitching, celebrate successes, and support each other through writing and publishing adventures.

← Previous: WOW Wednesday: Jay Kristoff with 13 Steps to Getting an Agent Next: New YA Books in Stores 10/20 - 10/26 Plus 2-Book Giveaway →

The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

Dog holding a sign that says Pupdates!

Sign up for our newsletter for pupdates and publishing advice