Rex Cutty refuses to provide any credentials for his “authority” as a supernatural and survivalist writer. “I’m here, aren’t I?” he says. “You guys bury your head in the sand of ‘reality’ all you want to. Meanwhile, guys like me deal with what goes bump in the night. You’ll believe me when you need me bad enough.” A somewhat shadowy figure with vague ties to agencies like the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Cutty is an expert on both zombies and vampires. “The rotters are kinda the trailer park trash of the monster world,” he says. “Them you can deal with. But vampires? They’re social climbing, bloodsucking elitists. All about the politics with them.” Packing his books with useful survival information and a hearty dose of self-deprecating and sarcastic humor, Cutty says living through anything is about attitude and a decent sense of humor. “Man, you stop laughing? You’re gonna start dying. Simple as that.”

He readily admits that his survival tactics would work in a Hurricane Katrina situation as well as a full-on monster apocalypse, adding sagely, “And I don’t know about you, but I’d a hell of a lot rather deal with zombies than those FEMA guys.” Cutty claims no affiliation to any political party or philosophy beyond just staying alive. “Tell yourself what you want to when you’re out there trying to keep on breathing,” he says. “Personally, I think the biggest horror we got going is the U.S. Congress, but I can’t stake a Senator, no matter how much I might want to, so politics is no interest to me. If you can’t fight the monsters, then I say move on.” Although vague about what he does for his “day job,” Cutty likes to write in his personal bomb shelter. “I’m really not all that worried about the Commies pulling the trigger any more,” he says, “but I inherited the place from my Granddad and it’s a great place to get away and put my books together — at least it is now after I added wifi and a sports package.” When asked about his next book, Cutty said, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”