ASMSG Horror Thriller Ezine June 2014 | Page 21

eradicate his mutation and deliver their family to safety. Only those who contribute a healthy offspring to the population will be granted entrance into the dome. “The way to salvation is through the self-sustained bio-dome, free of the ills that have nipped at the heels of mankind throughout history. The artificial environment under the dome will offer all that we consider good – fresh water, fertile land, minerals for mining– without the disease and rot that has plagued us until now. The new society will exist not in sickness but in health …” In the distant future, planets in the explored galaxies have been plundered and left uninhabitable. The search for alternatives is now exhausted, leaving the only option for colonization on a planet whose twin suns are moving rapidly towards extinction. To ensure the long-term survival of mankind, a massive bio-dome is being constructed to house the population after permanent midnight – but not everybody is welcome. All known genetic diseases have been banned to protect the delicate ecosystem inside the artificial environment. All Stanford needs to do to book his family’s ticket to the dome is bear a healthy offspring with Sarah. But fertility is never guaranteed, not even for a perfect couplet, and with civil strife trumped only by the impending threat of perpetual darkness, Stanford must defy his own moral compass as he searches for truth along Idyllic Avenue. Now let’s shine the spotlight on Chad! Page 21 MAER: Chad, thanks for joining us to tell us about your new book. CHAD: Hi, Maer, thanks for having me. MAER: So, what is the funniest or oddest thing that has happened to you as an author? CHAD: To answer your question, the entire experience of being an author has been a bit odd. It’s odd to look at my bookshelf and see Idyllic Avenue squished in amongst all the authors I’ve admired over the years. I purposely put Idyllic next to the works of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, hoping they will rub off on me. I’m feeling a little inferior, but it’s a neat experience. Seeing Idyllic in bookstores is surreal. I guess it’s probably like that for most authors. Maybe the luster will wear off