Biography

Rob DeBorde is the author of Portlandtown: A Tale of the Oregon Wyldes, a supernatural horror adventure published in 2012 by St. Martin’s Griffin (Go Fightin’ Griffins! ). If you’re into scary stories about nineteenth century booksellers, undead outlaws, and zombies in the rain, Portlandtown is definitely the book for you.


Rob first book, Fish on a First-Name Basis (2006, Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press), reads suspiciously like an indispensible guide to all things wet and edible with nary a zombie in sight. Rob’s inexplicable foray into food writing also includes scripting 55 episodes of Alton Brown’s Good Eats extravaganza and being the creative force behind the award-winning online animated cooking show Deep Fried, Live! with Tako the Octopus. In his spare time he designs sports logos, collects beer labels, and cooks mussels . . . alive!

Rob lives downriver from Portland, Oregon. He likes pugs, local brew, and the color orange. And zombies.

Answers to Questions Nobody Asked (yet)

Have a question? Send 'em along. From time I'll update this section with new insights into the mind of the local writer dude. 

Where do you get your ideas?
Aunt Ida's Idea Exchange of Boring, Oregon. And before you ask, yes, there is such a place and it’s not. Boring, that is.Thanks to Ida.

Good to know. Why a horror novel?
It’s not strictly a horror novel. That's just marketing. I'd say it’s supernatural western suspense. With zombies. Hmmm . . . maybe “adventure horror.” Is that a thing? Should be. Is now.

Don’t you think zombies are played out?
Hardly. Are aliens played out? Mobsters? Housewives? Zombies are here to stay. I would suggest finding new stories to tell with the undead is a must, however.

What are your favorite zombie tales?
Favorite flicks would be Romero's original and Shaun of the Dead. I do think fondly of Return of the Living Dead, although I suspect that has more to do with the “tarman” zombie than the movie. World War Z would be my favorite zed book. The first Resident Evil game was (and still is) a show stopper. And Plants Vs. Zombies. Zombies . . . are coming.

Is it true you were born on Halloween?
Yes. Can you think of a better day?

Would you say you've always been ”haunted?”
Funny, but no. A little off, perhaps. Creatively creepy. And definitely a fan of things that go bump in the night.

And try to eat your brains.
That too.