Horror novelist and comic book writer Brian Keene (The Rising, The Last Zombie) was badly burned in an accidental fire earlier this week while he was burning brush at his home in York, PA when winds shifted. He is currently in a burn unit with first degree burns on his face and second and third degree burns on his arms.

Like most freelance writers and those working in comics, he does not have health insurance, so friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for medical bills. Via Twitter, Keene stated that sales of books and audiobooks will translate directly to royalties to help pay for medical bills. The GoFundMe goal is $40,000.

In addition to his writing projects, Keene is also the co-host of the Horror Show podcast with Dave Thomas and Mary SanGiovanni. He has an annual telethon for the Scares that Care, which raised $20,000 this year, which goes to those suffering with childhood illness, burns, and breast cancer.

Keene and SanGiovanni have tweeted updates over the past few days. As of June 6, 2018, Keene was being assessed for muscle damage to the burned areas and his doctors are concern about the possibility of infection.

Retaining his sense of humor, Keene tweeted a photo of his left arm in a bandage beside copies of Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World and Stephen King’s The Stand, and wrote, “No way I’m getting any writing done, between the bandages and the morphine and the oxy – but I did finish @paulGtremblay’s latest ad started an old favorite by @StephenKing. (That burn scene with Trashcan Man should be fun to reread.)”

To donate to Keene’s medical bills and recovery, visit the GoFundMe page.