Chad Pettit Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. Sure. I’m a pretty simple guy. I spent ten years in the Army, went to Iraq a couple of times. I met my wife in the military, and we’ve been together since 2004. We have four boys, the oldest of which is in college. I write suspense, which is surprising because I only started reading suspense novels a few years ago. You can usually find me writing, reading, or binging live action comic shows.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. The first time I read a chapter book, which I think was a Roald Dahl book, but memory is difficult to trust because I was around seven or eight. I got hooked on fantasy after reading the Dark Elf series by R.A. Salvatore when I was in high school.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. Wow, that’s tough. I took a long time to “find myself” as a writer. Life happens, you know? So I mostly wrote poetry with a few short stories here and there. I tried to write novels a few times, but I never managed to finish. I got some poetry published in 2016, which is around the same time I got serious about writing Christian fiction. I tried self publishing and learned a lot of lessons…the hard way. Then, my uncle told me about Faith Pitch, a pitch party on Twitter using the hashtag, #FaithPitch. I went for it after getting some encouragement from my wife, and that was it. That’s how I was discovered by my publisher.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Fate of the Watchman?
A: This is a novella that introduces Lester Sharp, a workaholic with no compassion for those around him. That all changes when a stranger walks into his shop, and then time freezes and he’s forced to witness the reality of a single moment of time. It’s a bit of a cross between A Christmas Carol and A Pilgrim’s Progress but modern and with a darker feel. It’s the first book in a series. The next book releases in October.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Fate of the Watchman?
A: I became aware of my own apathy. I began to feel burdened for how unconcerned I was for the struggles others were going through. I was consumed with self, and I knew that was a problem. So, I took a story idea I had back in high school about a man being the only one still moving when time freezes, and I adapted it to the concept of overcoming apathy.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: That people around you are in need. Everyone will take something different from this. It may be that they decide to get involved in missions through prayer, giving, or by going. They may decide to start finding ways to help in their communities. For me, it was praying for and raising awareness for the persecuted church in areas hostile to Christians.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. The Lord, obviously, but it’s just a part of who I am. I was made this way. I live with stories and characters running around in my head. I don’t write because I want to, even though I do; I write because I need to.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. Absolutely. I’m working with my editor on the sequel to Fate of the Watchman, which is a full length novel called Fate of the Redeemed. I’m also writing a Biblical fiction story that will, of course, be filled with suspense and a touch of the supernatural. It’s kind of my thing.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. I’m a homebody. You’ll find me reading a book or watching action movies, ignoring a stack of papers I’m supposed to be grading. I also try to hit the gym. My wife’s a personal trainer, and her drive and passion for that inspires me, so I’m going to be putting more focus on my fitness.