After studying not only The Walking Dead and other zombie works I wanted to put my own characters through an apocalypse and explore aspects other undead stories tend to avoid.
William Schlichter – 25 December 2017
The Back Flap
When the dead walk the earth, everyone has an agenda…
St. Louis Detective Marcus Danziger seeks clues to his daughter’s pre-apocalyptic murder by a serial killer. Excused from the case, Danziger returns to his precinct after the zombie outbreak with only one goal on his mind: to retrieve the evidence to destroy the killer before the entire city falls to the undead and the murderer escapes to the safety of Fort Leonard Wood.
In a world where the rules no longer apply, Danziger won’t allow the living or the dead to stop him.
About the book
When did you start writing the book?’
In 2013 I was teaching a creative writing class and would write with my students.
How long did it take you to write it?
Three months for the first draft.
Where did you get the idea from?
I took 3rd Place in the 2013 Broadcast Education Association National Festival of Media Arts for writing a TV Spec Script episode of THE WALKING DEAD: What Money Can’t Buy.
My THE WALKING DEAD: What Money Can’t Buy script made it into the quarterfinals in the 2013 Scriptapalooza TV script competition.
After studying not only The Walking Dead and other zombie works I wanted to put my own characters through an apocalypse and explore aspects other undead stories tend to avoid.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I have written stories and a Scifi series for years so the writing portion not so much. My problem lies in the final edits. I don’t see my own grammar mistakes
What came easily?
Story ideas just flow into me. Sometimes faster than I can write down. This novel just wanted to be written.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I think every writer uses bits of people they know.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I read classic authors and current. I love Stephen King. For No Room in Hell George Romero influenced me. When I work on a book I read in that genre. I am also working off Time Magazine’s top 100 books. I pick up a book that interests me. I try and read something every day or when I travel I listen to audiobooks.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone who enjoys horror or a different zombie story.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you, please describe it?
When I have an idea I write it down and even a chapter or enough so I will be able to develop the idea further. Many time once I decide this is the story I am writing next I write the ending. I like to know where the characters are going to end up. I work on character backstory and sometimes write short pieces that will never end up in the novel but info I need to know about the character. I will do this for most of the main players in the book. Sometimes future ideas come to me and I make sure and write them. I then make an outline on a giant three-foot by three-foot board using colored index cards to lay out character notes. My final draft never appears as my notes because the story never follows the path I lay out, but having sign posts helps. I will then write and not always in order. I will jump around covering events I want to occur in the book and then I will go back and connect them.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
See above but a hard core 50% outline of a book and the rest changes as the story develops.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Finished. Then I wait six weeks minimum before I touch it and go through it again. I will send it to an editor and then go through it again. Making notes for what would go in a wiki if I ever made one. And I make another editing pass. Then it goes to a proofreader before the publisher.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Depends on what I am writing but #1 choice is film scores. Lot of John Williams.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Some 20 years ago I send my first manuscript out to publishers and collected rejection letters. I have done so over the years and to even some agents. After earning my Master’s Degree and placing in script contests I encountered an author who introduced me to her small-press publisher and went from there. I like the control I have over my book and stories as well as the fact I am a person and part of a team with them
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
See above
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The publisher did it for me.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I attend many comicons and book shows to promote myself. I have plan and as my publisher grows so do marketing opportunities
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
You have to talk to people. I teach public speaking at the college level. And when I go to book shows and witness so many authors never speak to anyone.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Farmington, MO
Where do you live now?
Springfield MO
What would you like readers to know about you?
William Schlichter has a Bachelor of Science in Education emphasizing English from Southeast Missouri State and a Masters of Arts in Theater from Missouri State University. With seventeen years of teaching English/Speech/Theater, he has returned to making writing his priority. Recent successes with scriptwriting earned him third place in the 2013 Broadcast Education Association National Festival of Media Arts for writing a TV Spec Script episode of The Walking Dead.
His full-length feature script, Incinta, was an officially selected finalist in the 2014 New Orleans Horror Film Festival. Incinta received recognition again by being selected as a finalist at the 2015 Beverly Hills Film Festival for a full-length feature. Incinta has advanced in several other script contests, including most recently being an Official Selected finalist in the 2016 Irvine Film Festival. His next life goal would be to see his film transferred from the pages to the screen.
Writing has always been his passion even through traveling, raising twin children and educating teenagers. While he specializes in the phantasmagorical world of the undead and science fiction fantasy stories, William continues to teach acting, composition and creative writing.
What are you working on now?
I just completed the third installment of my Silver Dragon Chronicles Scifi series and am writing the third No Room in Hell book.
End of Interview:
Get your copy of No Room in Hell from Amazon US and Amazon UK.
