Zombie Apocalypse Now

Most of humanity has turned into raging killers overnight. At a small university in east Texas, a few professors, students, and maintenance workers are fighting to stay alive. Mark, one of the professors, has had recurring nightmares about his estranged brother, a high-powered attorney in Dallas. Convinced his brother’s family is in danger, and worried his brother may actually be part of that danger, Mark decides he must travel to Dallas and try to help them, if he can. The other group members must also make a decision: will they go with Mark or stay and hole up? After gathering supplies, Mark and a small group set off for Dallas. Finding the highways jammed, they must travel by boat up the Trinity River, not knowing how many zombies they’ll meet on the river, or what they’ll find when they reach Dallas. Zombie Apocalypse Now is a character-driven novel. Among the more memorable personalities are: • Lauren, a student working her way through college as a bartender, who battles zombies with a softball bat; • Kitchen, a hip young grad student who has seen every zombie movie ever made and wields a crowbar like the hero in Night of the Living Dead; • Blodwyn, a literature professor who quotes bits of Shakespeare as she brains zombies with an industrial mop handle; • Taylor, a senior maintenance worker who tries to keep the group together as things begin to fall apart; and • Woody, a maintenance worker who sees the apocalypse as a chance to get some of the things he’s never had.

Cliff Murray was four years old when his mother loaded her four children in the Plymouth Belvedere and took them all to the drive-in to see the original Night of the Living Dead. In college, Cliff and his friends rarely missed a chance to see Dawn of the Dead at the midnight movies, always laughing at the cheesy special effects, especially the exploding head and fluorescent blood. Still, he never expected to end up writing a zombie novel himself, until Zombie Apocalypse Now infected his brain.

Cliff was born in Orange, Texas, in the southeast part of the state, and lived in the Dallas area for over 14 years. After graduating from law school, he went on to practice corporate law, working for two of the large firms with offices in downtown Dallas. At various other points in his life, he has worked as an industrial engineer, a boilermaker, a pipefitter, and a construction foreman.

A bit late, Cliff discovered his writing interests tended more toward literary pursuits than merger agreements, so he has taken a sabbatical from his legal career to pursue writing. In addition to reading and writing, Cliff's interests include backpacking, photography, organic gardening, and anything to do with Yellowstone National Park. He lives in Bozeman, Montana with his girlfriend, Mari, and their little bitty dog.