Fight Club (novel) what would later become his novel "Invisible Monsters" (1999), but it was rejected by all publishers he submitted it to. Palahniuk then decided to write an even darker novel, by expanding upon his short story, "Fight Club". Initially "Fight Club" was published as a seven-page short story in the compilation "Pursuit of Happiness" (1995), but Palahniuk expanded it to novel length (in which the original short story became chapter six); "Fight Club: A Novel" was published in 1996. "Fight Club: A Novel" was re-issued in 1999 and 2004; the latter edition includes the author's introduction about the conception and popularity
Chuck Palahniuk his father, Fred Palahniuk, had started dating a woman named Donna Fontaine, whom he had met through a personal ad under the title "Kismet". Her former boyfriend, Dale Shackelford, had previously been imprisoned for sexual abuse, and had vowed to kill Fontaine as soon as he was released from prison. Palahniuk believes that, using a personal ad, Fontaine was looking for "the biggest man she could find" to protect her from Shackelford, and Palahniuk's father qualified. After his release, Shackelford followed Fontaine and the senior Palahniuk to Fontaine's home in Kendrick, Idaho after they had gone out for a date.