Whenever I am asked where I got the idea for Monday After the Apocalypse, I quickly reply—minnows. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering, what do minnows have to do with vampires in a post-apocalyptic world devoid of humans. Especially one where they’re accosted by a chain saw murderer, harassed by a crazy robot, and encounter a host of magical creatures. They seem totally unrelated.

But they are. And to explain, I need to tell a story.

When I was young, my uncle, and later my dad, used to raise minnows in large ponds on their land. I always marveled at how calm these ponds were. There might be the occasional ripple of a frog or larger fish, but otherwise, there was no hint of any life in the water. But sometimes, it was necessary to drain the ponds. And when the water was removed, you found not only minnows, but snakes, turtles, tadpoles, and goodness knows what else. All of them safely hidden underneath the water.

So I got to thinking one day. What if all the world’s people were like that water in the pond, and they were to suddenly vanish. Like say, in the final apocalypse. What would be left behind?

Then it hit me. If you take out all the humans, the only things left would be non-humans. And vampires certainly qualified.

So that is how minnows are related to vampires trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

Try beating that fish story.