Charis welcomes Lindsay King-Miller in conversation with Billie Sainwood for a celebration of The Z Word. Packed with action, humor, sex, and big gay feelings, The Z Word is the queer zombie romp you didn’t know you needed.

Chaotic bisexual Wendy is trying to find her place in the queer community of San Lazaro, Arizona, after a bad breakup—which is particularly difficult because her ex is hooking up with some of her friends. And when the people around them start turning into violent, terrifying mindless husks, well, that makes things harder. Especially since the infection seems to be spreading.

Now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies—drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy’s ex-girlfriend Leah—have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to its shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.

The Z Word is a propulsive, funny, emotional horror debut about a found family coming together to fight corporate greed, political corruption, gay drama, and zombies.

Lindsay King-Miller is the author of Ask a Queer Chick: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life for Girls who Dig Girls (Plume, 2016) and The Z Word (Quirk, 2024). Her fiction has appeared in Fireside Fiction, Baffling Magazine,and numerous other publications. Her second novel This Is My Body is forthcoming from Quirk Books in 2025. She lives in Denver, CO with her partner and their two children.

Billie Sainwood is a queer, trans poet and writer from Atlanta. Her work has been featured in the The Passionfruit Review, Don't Submit Magazine, and en*gendered magazine. Her first poetry collection, WHAT WAS EATEN WAS GIVEN, is forthcoming in July from Kith Books. She keeps a diary of her inspirations and neuroses online at https://billiewritespoems.com/.

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The Z Word: Lindsay King-Miller in conversation with Billie Sainwood