Excellent review of this book on Amazon.com

"What Lies Beneath is by far the best novel yet in this impressive series and fully makes up for anything that might have been lacking in the last book! There are some truly great, disgusting and original moments in this latest story (the Zombie virus as STD anyone?) and anyone who thought this series might have been in danger of becoming formulaic and stale should think again with this sixth installment as it fully sets the scene for what is left to come and will leave you literally gasping for more!

Great work Miss Dahman - may the last three novels be as clever and as nasty as this book!"




I think being called twisted and nasty is the nicest thing i have heard in a long time. Horror writers can get no better compliments. to know I disturbed and nauseated a reader? priceless. It means i struck a nerve and isn't that what writing is all about? Horror SHOULD disturb and scare people because that's what they buy horror for. This book was the most fun to write. I just let go and let the characters lead me and tell their stories and ...wow....they had fantastic stories. If you follow the series then this book will get you motivated for a conclusion that will be...different. It takes 3 full novels to tell the end of this epic tale and I feel the final words are a let down, a shock, a feeling of "You gotta be kidding me...no way"....because that is what is real. The world doesn't end with a bang but a whimper...and I hope this particular whimper is LOUD and upsetting. A reader may be ready to throttle me when they read the end, but after all..it wasn't me....those were THE TERMS>>>>>

I am not, normally a "zombie writer" as I am more about characters and crazed humans. Little did I know that these elements are what work best for a zombie thriller. There are so many zombies books out there and I see the same mistakes over and over where a young man gets a hot girlfriend and hides in Wally World and gets to run things and go around shooting and screaming bad words. It's like the writer is trying to write his dream fiction every time. BORING. The other thing I see is "everyday Joe" doing all these great things. I don't see any of the above surviving and they are so bland.  I know I use zombies as a vehicle that is carrying politics, human ethics, morality, and glances into insanity. And why not? Do we think the usual would just vanish and we'd all go hide in Wal-Mart and have cute partners and never think again about what matters?  I don't know. I do know I have developed some interesting characters who can be weak, strong, funny, cruel and good all in a day's time...like most people. Those following can see a character, Hannah, as she develops and she is probably the most like my usual interests. She is an odd one, but there are no excuses for who she is. Hannah is modern culture at it's most honest, like it or hate it. Take Hannah as you wish but be aware it is all about those who interact with her....that's the fun part.

Number six of the series is out and yes, there is a number 7 for sure. Bet on a number 8 as well...and a 9, because there is more to the story and I have still only scratched a few surfaces.

Why read my writing? Yes, the story is there and it is strong. The descriptions are there. But read my writing for the characters who will make the reader think and rethink a few things. I seldom pull a punch. For fans, my one pull was that issue of Kimball and Juan. Sadly, one had to be let go and it was a tough choice. We know that no one is safe...ever....and at anytime, someone may die. Such is my world.

http://zisforzombie.wikia.com/wiki/Z_is_for_Zombie_Wiki is the super Wiki out for fans...yes, there are spoilers so be careful! There is also trivia and a time line of who has done what. 

I know some writers write for fans, some write for themselves; I write for the story that wants to be told. It isn't always easy as I have a full, regular life with a husband, child, and pets, home, and family....they keep me going and encourage me to tell my stories. In the next year, the series will be done and I will writing the stories that have waited impatiently to be told...about some wicked people, some strange events...all horror, all the time.  Why? Because that chill of dread, the shiver when we see a clown (Pennywise), the unknown is just fun!

I like all areas of horror. Now, some of my books are very, very violent and gory. They are splatterpunk. "Jump scares". And yes, violence has sold extremely well for me. However, that said, the violence is another vehicle I use to juxtapose it with beauty and loyalty in situations. I show that even in violent situations, we can find amazing people and that nothing in the physical realm is as horrible as what may lie in our own minds via bad experiences, chemical issues, etc.

 Horror can be subtle or in-your-face and I can relate to deciding which to use with supernatural fiction...Violence can be a very real controversy when we must decide how to use it, if to do so, when, in what way...

I can imagine having written a story about a nut dressing like the Joker and attacking a movie crowd. That would be a great story and it could go into the reason he does it and the people there who are heroic and who are cowardly....it would be a good vehicle to tell a story. HOWEVER...my God, it happened! The writer, if he had written such, would feel terrible and be raked over the coals and probably threatened, It is very possible and very controversial as we can all understand.

I think we, as horror writers, don't design or invent the violence, but we simply delve into the human mind and see the possibilities of some terrible things. 

A man tells his friend he wants to be on an airplane that is hijacked but that lands safely in the end and the bad guys are caught and no one is harmed. 
"How horrible! You would be terrified." The friends says.
"Yes, but it ends ok and then I won't be afraid of that anymore because what are the chances of me ever being on 2 hijacked planes?"

Horror sells because once you have seen or read it, what are the chances you will ever be in that spot again? You have seen the demons and escaped. In some ways, when we read about violence, we are carrying a rabbit's foot after that...a talisman of protection because....what are the odds?

The fourth book is being edited now and I thought this would be the end, but there are so many more stories to tell, that I feel as if I have only scratched the surface. The characters have done some things I never expected and I learned a deadly secret about the infection...(Yes, they have their own agendas and I just type it...like many writers. The characters do as they please and shock me quite often.) Now, I have no idea how many books this series may run, but have said ten is my absolute limit. 
My sweet husband got me a kitten because we certainly didn't have enough pets (sigh). However, this kitten is the replica of my cat, Limmerfer, who died a few years ago after being with me 16 years. Limmerfer was a Norweigan Forest Cat and Weggies are a fluffy, big boned breed similar to Maine Coons. In lands far away and time distant, these giant cats pulled the sleds on the snow for gods and godesses in Norway. They have furry, big feet!  Limmerfer 2 or Limmy as we call him, is like a normal kitty who is full of energy and he is in the biting and running stage which explains why we call him Morning Star and Sonic Boom at times. (sigh again). He has his own little picture book which is more for cat people than zombie people, but  what can I say? He looks cute in GI Joe clothing.
I was thinking about public figures today. When are writers considered to be one? I know I never want to be well-known or famous since I am a terribly private person. I would never want to be a role model or to be quoted or anything. As it is, I avoid interviews like the zombie plague and have done very few; the newspaper and a radio spot almost stressed me to my limit.  I feel my husband and child do much better than I do with publicity; they don't mind the limelight. It reminds me when I coached threatre. I didn't mind directing and producing...but acting almost killed me. I am perfectly willing to do public speaking, but acting and interviews are cruel things to me. I admire many fellow writers as they are so very gracious and I want to be, but I am just not good with explaining my craft. I don't know why I write what I do since I had a slightly normal (kind of , sort of) childhood and didn't chase zombies or vampires, but I know the draw was there when I was young because I loved watching Quincy and wanted at one time to be a a pathologist. I feel everyone has a story...all people...dead people....monster people...everyone....and I really love getting those stories. I think I write what I do because it's a medium for just telling stories that I collect in my head.
I suppose people ask me where my ideas come from and why I write what I do because they feel there is a good story there. There probably is a good one...but I'm not telling. ;)  Sometimes, it's best to imagine the why and what of a haunted house, because if you go inside, you may sorely regret it when the demons get you! That's me...the haunted house it's best not to go into. Let me find the stories and trust that if you knew mine, you'd never sleep again.
Cheers until next time we meet in the ark.