We’re rolling out a “Human‑Creators‑First” policy and explaining why our podcast will now prioritize authors who write their own stories and use human‑made cover art. In this bonus episode we unpack the hidden costs of AI‑generated covers—from unpaid training data to the erosion of artists’ livelihoods—and share concrete alternatives: finding independent cover illustrators, responsibly using stock assets, and leveraging skill‑sharing networks.

If you’re an indie author feeling pressured by AI tools, DM us and we’ll connect you with resources and real‑world help.

Contact information & relevant links

• Instagram – cover artist Karl Dahmer: https://instagram.com/dahmerart
• Instagram – author Ross Killey: https://instagram.com/rosskilley_author
• Shutterstock AI Contributor Fund article: https://petapixel.com/2023/07/12/shutterstock-may-have-paid-out-over-4-million-from-its-ai-contributor-fund/
• XPiks blog on Shutterstock payouts: https://xpiksapp.com/blog/how-much-shutterstock-pays-contributors/
• Toolify AI news on AI‑powered book covers: https://www.toolify.ai/ai-news/aipowered-book-covers-the-ethical-dilemma-for-indie-authors-3626920#bar5
• RNZ story on NZ Book Awards AI‑cover ban: https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/books/top-writers-ruled-out-of-nz-book-awards-due-to-ai-covers
• NPR coverage of 70+ authors’ open letter (2025): https://www.npr.org/2025/07/03/nx-s1-5454736/more-than-70-writers-send-open-letter-about-ai-to-literary-publishers

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com

In this episode we break down the anatomy of a zombie bite and translate forensic‑style bite‑risk data into a practical “survival wardrobe.” By mapping where bites most often land—forearms, hands and lower legs—we prioritize protecting the extremities first, then layer outward for weather and mobility. Plus, we discuss low‑tech hacks like duct‑taped DIY bracers.

We also pull in real‑world analogues: forensic pathology shows defensive wounds concentrate on the forearms , police self‑defence manuals echo the same patterns , and CDC dog‑bite statistics illustrate how bite incidence clusters on exposed limbs. Those indirect sources justify our bite‑risk percentages and guide the material matrix that ranks denim, leather, Kevlar, silk, nylon and others for durability, weight, breathability and bite resistance. Whether you’re scavenging, fighting, or just staying mobile, this episode equips you with a data‑backed checklist to stay alive in the apocalypse.

Related Links

• Forensic Pathology, by Vincent J.M. DiMaio
• A paper published on the NIH website about Animal and Human Bite Wounds

Zombie Stories that include forearm armor

• Among The Dead : Part One : Shadow of Death by Ryan Colley
• Return by Alice B. Sullivan
• Last Man Standing: The Complete Trilogy by Keith Taylor
  
  

Click here to back Ollies 'MAZE 1: Staken; Not Stirred' on kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com

Using Deepa Iyer’s Social‑Change Ecosystem framework, we match each of its ten roles—Weaver, Experimenter, Frontline Responder, Visionary, Builder, Caregiver, Healer, Disruptor, Storyteller, and Guide—to iconic characters from The Walking Dead. From Glenn’s bridge‑building hustle to Michonne’s charter writing chronicles, we show how those archetypes keep hope, logistics, and morale alive when the dead rise.

Check out Deepa Iyer's framework to name your own apocalypse strength, spot gaps in your crew, and pair complementary roles. Let us know your archetype, and let’s turn the zombie apocalypse into organized community action.

• Framework & resource links mentioned in the episode
  • Social Change Map (home of the ecosystem): https://www.socialchangemap.com/home/step-1
  • Deepa Iyer’s Instagram post referenced in the show notes: https://www.instagram.com/deepaviyer/?hl=en

Click here to back Ollies 'MAZE 1: Staken; Not Stirred' on kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com

We dive into BBC’s In The Flesh, the gritty British drama that uses “Partially Deceased Syndrome” as a razor‑sharp metaphor for identity, conformity and the politics of “passing”. From Kieren Walker’s quiet grief to the radical undead sect that rejects the cure, we unpack how the series blends horror, queer allegory and social critique, weighing the strengths of season 1 against the uneven twists of season 2.

Our longtime friend OllieEatsBrains joins the chair to share life updates—moving across the country, new job, recent adoption, and the launch of the MAZE comic Kickstarter. Ollie explains why the story shifted from prose to graphic form, highlights artist Fede’s striking style, and teases the next chapter of the MAZE universe, tying the comic’s themes of label‑rebellion back to the zombie‑politics of In The Flesh.

Contact & relevant links

• OllieEatsBrains
  • OllieEatsBrains website: https://ollieeatsbrains.com/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ollieeatsbrains/
  • Epizode with Ollie talking about M.A.Z.E.: Epizode 58
  • Carrd bio (central hub for all socials): https://ollieeatsbrains.carrd.co
  • MAZE Kickstarter (official campaign page): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred
• In The Flesh
  • In The Flesh Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Flesh_(TV_series)
  • BBC programme page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b042ckss
  • IMDb entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2480514/

Click here to back Ollies 'MAZE 1: Staken; Not Stirred' on kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com

We’re buzzing with anticipation for Tina Romero’s upcoming queer‑zombie film Queens of the Dead! From the moment we caught the first trailer; a glitter‑soaked Neon lit warehouse rave gone horribly right, we’ve been dissecting the film’s bold premise, the promise of sequined power tools and six‑inch heeled zombies, and the way Tina Romero’s DJ‑nightlife roots could translate into kinetic, club‑ready choreography. We can’t wait to see how the all‑star drag lineup; Margaret Cho, Nina West, Dominique Jackson, Katie O’Brien and more, turns a typical zombie apocalypse into a celebration of chosen family, joy, and creative survival.

We're also challenging listeners to join our “Boycott the Machine” holiday push—support indie, BIPOC and local business and starve the giants who are supporting blatant fascism.

• The film is now streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, and Plex; rottentomatoes.com
• Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie a 92 % critic score, praising its “glam‑gore” aesthetic and heartfelt humor fandango.com

Click here to back Ollies 'MAZE 1: Staken; Not Stirred' on kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com

In this episode we sit down with Sarah Lyons Fleming, the brilliant mind behind the Until the End of the World series (as well as her other series; City and Cascadia), which feels more like a well‑stocked pantry than a barren wasteland. She enthralls us with the gritty logistics of life after the collapse, cozy survival, acorn flour, and how community‑first storytelling can outshine lone‑wolf power fantasies.

Beyond the gore, Sarah shares how she weaves LGBTQIA+, women‑centered, and neurodivergent characters into the fabric of a post‑apocalypse, and reveals just how many cans of beans are hidden under her bed.

Relevant Links

• Sarah's Official website: https://www.sarahlyonsfleming.com/
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SarahLyonsFleming/
• Amazon author storefront (for all titles): https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-Lyons-Fleming

Click here to back Ollies 'MAZE 1: Staken; Not Stirred' on kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com

The undead gather for the inaugural ZombieWeen 2025 showdown, where the court of the apocalypse crowns a new monarch of the undead. Leah and Dan usher listeners into a night of witty banter, improvised challenges, and razor‑sharp satire—all framed by a Jeopardy‑style board that pits “Zombie Survival 101,” “Horror Tropes,” “Apocalypse Etiquette,” “Zombie Blockbusters,” and “Dating While Undead” against one another. Contestants—including returning royalty Laurie, the reigning king Sylvester, and challengers Alice B. Sullivan and Jack Callaghan—battle for the coveted Throne of the Undead while the audience votes for the fan‑favorite “Zombesties Choice Award.”

Vote here!

Special Guests

Laurie Calcaterra – Path of the Pale Rider

• https://www.pathofthepalerider.com
• https://instagram.com/path_of_the_pale_rider

Sylvester Barzey – Planet Dead

• https://sylvesterbarzey.com/
• https://instagram.com/sylvesterbarzey_author

Jack Callaghan – Zombie Nerd and the Half‑Term Harrowing

• https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Nerd-Half-Term-Harrowing-Callaghan/
• https://instagram.com/jackcallaghanauthor

Alice B. Sullivan – Elementary Undead

• https://alicebsullivan.com
• https://instagram.com/zombieauthor_alicebsullivan/

Click here to back Ollies 'MAZE 1: Staken; Not Stirred' on kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com

We crack open Resident Evil (2002) to expose Umbrella Corp’s playbook: a secret underground lab, an AI “Red Queen” that chooses lethal containment over humanity, and a virus that turns a research facility into an underground tomb. By mapping the film’s thrills onto today’s corporate landscape, we explore how shareholder‑driven incentives, corporate personhood, and profit‑first logic can become a real‑world horror story—​a corporate psychopath that “kills” for efficiency.

From the legal roots of corporate personhood (the 14th Amendment) to the documentary The Corporation that diagnoses corporations as psychopaths, we discuss how the Red Queen’s logic is a cautionary AI‑governance tale and a mirror of unchecked corporate power. We finish with concrete steps: building mutual‑aid networks, supporting cooperatives, and demanding transparency to “shoot the corporate head” before the next outbreak.

Relevant Links

• Wikipedia – Resident Evil (2002 film) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_(film)
• NPR – “When Did Companies Become People?” – https://www.npr.org/2014/07/28/335288388/when-did-companies-become-people-excavating-the-legal-evolution
• The Corporation documentary official site – https://thecorporation.com/
• Beagle Freedom Project – https://bfp.org/
• Leah’s Etsy shop (Sunset Cloud Parade) – https://www.etsy.com/shop/SunsetCloudParade

Click here to back Ollies 'MAZE 1: Staken; Not Stirred' on kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ollieeatsbrains/maze-1-staken-not-stirred

Help Keep Zombie Book Club alive!!! - https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-zombie-book-club-alive

Zombie Book Club Links

• Sign up for our Newsletter!!!! --- https://zombiebookclub.io/newsletter/
• Join the Brain Muncher’s Zombie Collective: https://discord.gg/rn3nPDa4CB
• ZBC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiebookclubpodcast/
• ZBC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/710957975263518/
• Zombie Book Club Voicemail: (614) 699-0006‬
• Zombie Book Club Email: ZombieBookClubPodcast@gmail.com
• Our Merchandise Store (Where you can find our Evil Magic Chicken Zombie Shirts): https://zombie-book-club.myspreadshop.com