Zompoc Survivor: Exodus tells the story of Dave Stewart’s escape from the middle of Springfield, Missouri in the first desperate hours of a zombie apocalypse. As Dave tries to reunite with his family and friends, he discovers that there may be more to what is going on than anyone knows.

Dave’s primary advantage is that he was prepared for something to happen, be it a natural or man-made disaster. But nothing could prepare him for a zombie Armageddon.

But he’s prepared – how?
Caught at work, all he has to help him survive is his normal “everyday carry” gear, the contents of his get-home bag and, most importantly, his wits to keep himself alive as chaos and death reign around him.

Zombie apocalypse stories range all the way from horror to Shaun of the Dead. Who is this aimed at?
It will appeal to readers of any age who like action, sci-fi and, of course, zombies. It also has an appeal to readers who are interested in prepping. If you’re prepared for a zombie apocalypse, you’re ready for anything!

Which brings us back to Dave. Tell us about him.
Dave Stewart is a smart man trying to make his way in the modern world. Unlike many zombie apocalypse lead characters, Dave isn’t a former special forces member, he’s not a police officer or a member of a SWAT team. He’s been in the Air Force, even spent a tour in Iraq, but he’s never seen combat. He’s a bit of an everyman in that he works in a corporate job, but he is also a writer. He’s drifted through several jobs, trying to find something that he loves, but when the story starts, he hasn’t found it yet.

A writer? Is he your imagined self?
There is a lot of the person I wish I was in Dave. While I use a lot of my own background, Dave is a lot cooler under pressure than I think I might be under the same circumstances. He’s definitely a better shot than I would be.

Like my main character, I’ve spent my life looking for that one thing I just love to get up in the morning and do outside of writing. I haven’t found anything I love as much as being an author, though. I’ve served in the Air Force, been an occasional member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms, worked a number of interesting jobs and been on a few real life adventures.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
I’ve written two YA paranormal books, The Demon’s Apprentice and Page of Swords.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
www.chancefortunato.com.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
@theonetrueben
https://www.facebook.com/theonetrueben

How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words 
– Man, Woman, Mexico, Future – can you give us a brief storyline?
New story lines are easy.. GOOD stories, stories worth telling need to make us think. Given the four words given, the storyline I would create would go something like this:
A PI finds a girl who can see the future. She reveals to him that she must go to the Temple of the Sun in Mexico City by the summer solstice to save the world. As he tries to get her to her destination and her destiny, he discovers that there are factions who want her. As they get closer to their goal, he discovers that there is a prophecy about the Messenger and the Guardian, that whoever delivers the Messenger will be able to define the nature of God for millennia to come. Along the way, he is forced to do things that he would otherwise not do, sacrificing his own innocence and sanity to protect the girl. Upon finally reaching the Temple of the Sun, he discovers that the truth is very different. The girl is the Guardian, and HE is the Messenger who will either save the world or destroy it. The story ends with him being granted the girl’s powers and walking the Earth as a living myth.

You should write that story.
What’s next for you?
Right now, I’m working on the next book in the Zompoc Survivor series, Odyssey. I may have to go back and work on that Mexico story, though. I also have other projects that aren’t ready to see the light of day yet, including a fantasy novel and a post-apocalyptic paranormal story that has nothing to do with zombies.