I'm Alan Alder and this is Clear In Vivid, conversations about connecting and communicating.

The irony is, Zombies made me and almost broke me because I wrote my first book The Zombie

Survival Guide never to be published.

I wrote it as an exercise for me in dealing with fear, dealing with demons.

And what almost broke me was they tried to publish it as a comedy book and tried to market

me as Mel Brooks Jr.

And that was a disaster in the making and I tried to warn them.

I said, this is not a comedy book, I'm not Mel Brooks Jr.

I'm Max Brooks.

I've known Max Brooks for most of his life and I've watched his life take unexpected

turns.

And someone is the son of Oscar winning actress Anne Bancroft and the comedy Titan Mel Brooks.

You wonder what will emerge from that rich genetic soup as it turns out, nothing but surprises.

Max, this is going to be so great talking with you.

I've known you since you were three years old and I never thought we'd be having this

conversation.

You're still a young person and you've had such an extraordinary career from writing about

zombies to being asked to participate with think tanks like the Modern War Institute

at West Point.

Did you ever imagine that would happen to you?

I never would have imagined that being 14 years old sitting in Julein Griffin's poolhouse

with you going over my short stories and giving me writing notes that somehow it would lead

...