Zombies In Winter (read online)
Author: Naomi Kritzer
Publisher: Persistent Visions
Publication Date: November 25, 2016
I bought “Zombies in Winter” by Naomi Kritzer because it’s centered on a beautiful example of compassion, and of a close, platonic, male friendship. After I accepted it, Naomi told me that this story was based on a friend of hers, Kent, who had been diagnosed with early-onset frontotemporal dementia in his mid-40s:
“He needed a guardian, and his best friend, Dave, agreed to do it. At some point a few years later I was talking with Dave about this and he said, ‘the way I look at it is, I promised my best friend that I would care for his zombie. The person I knew and loved has been dead for years.’
“Kent died in December of 2015, just a few weeks short of his 50th birthday. The character of Tom — his opinions, his tastes, his love for sharing good food with friends — is explicitly based on Kent.”
— Fiction Editor Heather Shaw