They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. But is that still true if you change your name and the way you look? Writer Gavin G. Smith is about to find out, thanks to the release of zombie-centric, post-apocalyptic survival novel Spec Ops Z (paperback, audiobook), which is actually a retitled rerelease of his 2017 novel Special Purposes: First Strike Weapon. In the following email interview, Smith discusses not only what inspired and influenced the original story, but also what led to this new edition.