Chad Schimke is a member of my local Horror Writers Association chapter. His story “Vivified” will appear in Tales for the Camp Fire, a charity anthology put together by the HWA group to raise money for victims of the deadliest wildfire in California history.

Chad’s newest short story “Behind the Walls,” was released via TANSTAAFL Press in their Enter the Rebirth anthology. Other stories include “Picker,” “Weirder,” “Hallowseve,” and “Midwinter”: a quirky gaggle of grotesque, bizarre, and unsettling tales for your reading pleasure.

Check out his blog, Facebook, and Twitter. His blog has gathered 3 million page views, his Facebook likes have soared above 6,500, and he has entertained 50,000 Twitter followers. All of this by the end of 2018.

Previously, Chad read at San Francisco’s Lit Crawl, interviewed on a number of radio shows, published short stories via Artifice Comics, self-published stories, and founded the Alabama Street Writers Group. He is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Horror Writers Association.

In addition to the Camp Fire anthology, Chad’s story Vivified is available as a free download at the following link: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/g6sj4wj7ve

When a young father doesn’t have access to his car, he decides to take a train ride. No biggie, he’s a successful businessman, used to making hard decisions. But a deadly incident will force him to reexamine what’s truly important. Living his best life, and then…dead. Find out what happens next in this weird short story.

Did something in the real world inspire Vivified?

My stories are inspired by a “what if?” scenario. In this instance, I wondered what it would be like to die and come back to life. In other words, a near-death experience.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

My favorite scene is the opening, which portrays the protagonist as overconfident/selfish. The NDE experience completely transforms his outlook. I imagine he lives a more balanced existence going forward.

What was your writing process like as you wrote the book?

I spent time thinking prior to drafting, working out the initial concept. I always develop handwritten notes before typing any text. For novels, I use Schmidt’s Book In a Month outline, which relies heavily on three-act structure, and Vogler’s Hero’s Journey. I tend to be more experimental in shorter works and take risks playing with form. My themes are always dark, regardless whether it’s dark fantasy, horror, scifi/dystopian, or weird.

What was the best thing that happened during your promotion of the book?

I am working on a mailing list. The book is getting lots of downloads, which is encouraging.

What do you have planned next?

I plan on releasing a novel series with a rapid-release strategy.  Book 1 is essentially already written. It’s about an alien race that crash lands on Earth. They must hide until a rescue ship (hopefully) arrives. It’s very dark with some gore, but that’s essential to the plot.

Check out Chad’s website: http://www.chadschimke.com/

Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2Gm30Ua

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/authorchadschimke/