Let’s face it: zombies are hot, and baby, they’re getting hotter. Although not the most traditional of sex symbols (at least not for most people), zombies are coming into their own. You see them everywhere: landing on the silver screen in romantic roles, ambling and shambling across television screens and the pages of novels, maybe even shopping for brains at your local supermarket. Frankly, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we soon start seeing them posing provocatively in magazine centerfolds. (I wonder if this is what Hugh Hefner had in mind all those years ago when he started his magazine?) Next thing you know, we’ll have X-rated zombie channels featuring zombie skin flicks (providing there’s any skin left on them). Perhaps not the ultimate in high culture, but at least you’ll know all those grunts and groans and moans are real rather than fake.
Still not convinced? Then you need to start thinking outside the box. Zombies have evolved—they’re not from the wrong side of the tracks anymore. Gone are those one-dimensional gut-munching charmers from George A. Romero’s grim and gruesome 1960s flick Night of the Living Dead. Those were old-school zombies. Even the flesh-hungry characters from the hit TV series “The Walking Dead” are showing a bit more savvy and chutzpah than their predecessors. Zombies have a lot more to offer these days, and thank goodness we non-zombies are finally beginning to realize it!
But can zombies be sexy? Why the hell not? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. After all, when is the last time you took a really long hard look at the person you wake up next to every morning?
Zombies are infiltrating and enriching our daily lives, so isn’t it about time they had their more…er…romantic and sexy sides showcased? It’s my goal as editor of Love, Lust and Zombies to help make this happen. This anthology features a talented international cast of writers who work across the genres, from horror, sci-fi/fantasy and paranormal to mainstream and erotic fiction. Their stories run the gamut—from apocalyptic, horror and romance, to tongue-in-cheek comedy—and all with a helping of sex. And yes, these writers love zombies.
And you’re going to love them too! In fact, you’re—
Hey! What’s that shuffling sound I hear outside my front door? It’s a bit late for a delivery van and no one else ever comes to these woods, especially after dark. I guess I’d better go see who it is. Might even be some pesky critter roaming around foraging for food. You get a lot of that up here.
I don’t believe it—now whoever it is has started banging on the door. “Okay, I’ll be right there!” Boy, some people are sure impatient.
I’ll be back in a min—
Mitzi Szereto
(Writing from a log cabin in the mountains of Appalachia)