When Rhiannon Frater decided to post a small fraction of her zombie story on the internet back in August 2005, she didn't expect the response she would get. Within three years, Rhiannon had built up a rabid fanbase that may be even more dangerous than the zombies that inhabit the world of As the World Dies.

While working and traveling, Rhiannon made it a point to post almost-daily updates of her story. As the World Dies, a zombie trilogy, was posted on MoviesOnline.com, then later, FanFiction.net, a place where wannabe writers post fan-fiction, a genre that involves using other people's characters, worlds and ideas to fuel their stories. Meanwhile, Rhiannon was taking her writing into her own hands, creating a world of horror, bloodshed and violence.

The fans loved it.

The original remnants of what used to be on FanFiction.net have well over five-hundred comments, all of those from fans who have either read the trilogy while it was online, or are still dying for the book to be released. Among her fans comes the usual: praise, joy, wonder. But Rhiannon's fans are so diverse and widespread that she's actually had fans argue and blasphemy her for her decisions in her world.

'A certain character would die and all hell would break loose. Fans would argue with me about my decision, but, in the long run, it was my world; I couldn't let my fans persuade me to 'revive' their loving characters,' said Rhiannon in a short chat with Kody Boye, a writer who called As the World Dies: The First Days a, rollercoaster of a ride that goes up and does not come down. 'That just makes me love my fans even more though,' finishes the horror authoress.

On her blog, Rhiannon chronicles her journey through the world of independent publishing. After repeated struggles with traditional publishing, and the constant outcry from her fans for a printed, physical book, Frater chose to self-publish.

'[I chose to self-publish because] I like the idea of artistic control and being responsible for my own creative endeavor. In traditional publishing the author has to give up a lot of rights and submit to the will of the publisher when it comes to content, artwork, layout, and even the title. Beyond that, a majority of writers (except a select few) make very little on their endeavors and continue to work a full time job while producing several novels a year. Also, I discovered most do their own promotions and marketing. With the new media becoming a part of mainstream life, I liked the idea of producing my books the way I want and using the profits to fund the next book down the line,' said Frater when asked why she chose to self-publish.

No matter what Rhiannon chooses to do, it appears as though she's well on her way. With over five-hundred fans just originating from the FanFiction.net website and with a large horror community, As the World Dies is a horror novel that die-hard fans that both zombie and horror fans will be wanting to pick up and try.

As the World Dies: The First Days will be released on August 15th, the third anniversary of the original posting of Rhiannon's trilogy. It will be available on Amazon.com for $14.95, plus shipping.

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