Human Bait by spelunkadunk

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Author bio: Hi all, I'm Dunk! I live with my partner, one scream-y baby, and one meow-y baby. I write dark fantasy stories with diverse characters, off-brand humor, and enemies-to-lovers romance.

Story title: Human Bait

Logline: Eight years into the Infection, a spunky idealist convinces a hardened recluse to help him save humanity.

Premise/Blurb:

For eight years, Zafaru has fought to survive the freezing cold, constant hunger, and vicious Infected. Armed with a dull blade and sharp sass, he clings to a dream of saving the world.

For eight years, Recluse has watched the world burn from the safety of his fortress. The Infected don't bother him. He saves his bullets for humans.

When Recluse catches Zafaru stealing from him, he is enchanted by his captive's wit, humor, and passion. So when Zafaru sets out to uncover the sinister truth about the growing Infection, Recluse has no choice but to join him. He'll do whatever it takes to keep this fluffy-haired do-gooder alive.

Even if he has to save the world.

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What sparked your interest in writing, and how did you end up writing on Wattpad?

I started writing stories before I could read. I've always loved daydreaming characters and scenarios, and there's something so satisfying about communicating those daydreams and feelings with others through words. Before joining Wattpad, I had already completed a couple of novels, but I hadn't shared them with anyone, didn't do anything to improve, and didn't even know whether my writing would make sense to anyone besides me. Once I posted on Wattpad and got some feedback, my writing improved drastically. Connecting with other writers and seeing reader reactions helped me to hone my skills, to understand what works and what doesn't, and—most importantly—to stay motivated to keep writing and improving.

What inspired you to write this story?

The Open Novella Contest 2021 takes credit for inspiring this story. I had never even considered writing a zombie story or a horror-genre novel (I've never even read one!) until I saw that prompt and thought, "What if it's a horror-romance with a lot of humor? What if my zombies act like this, and are created like that? What if I have these two opposite characters who have to work together to save the world? What if..."

Then the "what ifs" turned into writing, the writing turned into a novella, and the novella turned into a 100k-word novel.

Was it difficult to balance the romance with the horror elements of the story?

If "Human Bait" were a cake, I'd say romance is the flavor and horror is the shape and decoration. It was fun to play with horror elements and an all-new genre, but the story is ultimately about two very different men who fall in love, grow as people, and find their place in this crazy post-apocalyptic world.

Do you have a favorite scene in your story? If so, what makes it special to you?

I had a blast writing the motorcycle/landmine scene. It was fun to paint a wild picture of riding a motorcycle through the snow while shooting zombies, and then when the zombies are all getting destroyed by the landmines I played around with all kinds of imagery and comparisons. For example, "The bodies splintered apart a split-second before each boom, detached hands flapping overhead and torsos squirming in a final dance. A split-second after the mines detonated, the heads exploded, a crackling afterthought like the sizzle following the crash of a cymbal."

As usual, that visual horror is sprinkled with heart, hope, and humor. Our hero Zafaru is terrified, but he's still got this plucky hope as he sees signs that the love-interest "Recluse" (who is still his enemy at this point) perhaps does not intend to let him die and doesn't hate him so much after all. At the end of the scene, Recluse makes a decision that ends up being the first step toward a very different relationship between these two.

What were some of the most challenging elements you came across while writing the story? How did you overcome them?

The first 36k-word draft formed a complete novella, and the pace clipped along at break-neck speed. When I extended the story, I was able to slow down and do a lot more character-development and relationship exploration. After I finished that first draft, I needed to even out some of those pacing issues and better foreshadow the conflict of the second half during the first half to form one cohesive novel. @OwlieCat mentored me through that revision and was tremendously helpful!

What's the best piece of writing advice you've ever received?

Write what you want to read! It's old advice and cliche, but I believe it really helps you enjoy what you're writing and also to be able to evaluate which parts are working or not working.

Thank you so much for your time! :)

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