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Harlow’s Story

PFD Story Title: Where You Hang Your Hat
PFD Chapter: Sixteen
Main Character: Luke, a teen on his own protecting his family’s farm despite the fact that his family never made it home from the hospital.

Teaser

“Things are different now, Luke. The world is different. You’ve heard the reports. Most of the population is gone and that means those who are left just want to survive at any cost. It means the rules have changed. Priorities have changed. It means you have to change.”

Mini-Interview

How does Prep For Doom compare to other things you’ve written? 

It’s quite different. I’ve mostly written sci-fi and fantasy stories. My two novels are fantasy. I love post-apocalyptic fiction so this idea struck all the right notes for me.

What is your favorite thing about this project? 

The whole idea of writing individual stories with the same theme—a terrible pandemic that wipes out most of the world’s population—just blew me away. When I had the opportunity to read all the stories and give feedback. Reading how each author’s characters dealt with such a catastrophe, overwhelmed me a little. I admit I was brought to tears more than once. All the stories wove together so well, almost as if it was a novel written by one person.

What was it like working with the other authors to create such an integrated anthology? 

I have never met a more caring, supportive group of people. I don’t know any of them in real life, but they’ve still become dear friends. I loved having an opportunity like this, to brainstorm, encourage, push, support, and most of all laugh with such a wonderful group. We laugh a lot.

What do you think would be the scariest kind of apocalypse? 

Definitely it would be something like the scenario put forth in Prep For Doom. The whole idea of a disease ravaging a population is pretty scary to me. A close second would be nuclear destruction. Radioactive fallout is hard to survive through.

Has being a part of Prep For Doom changed your outlook on disaster preparation and/or apocalyptic scenarios? 

It has. My family has always embraced a preparedness outlook. Y2K really opened our eyes and we did a lot of prep for that, which turned out to be all for nothing. But the good that came from that was the realization that disaster can come at any time, in many forms, and it’s always good to have a preparedness plan because you never know when you’re going to need it.

Caroline’s Story

PFD Story Title: The Gift
PFD Chapter: Prologue
Main Character: Dede Afi John, an African girl in the earliest known outbreak of AVHF

Teaser

Dede wanted to refuse and spit in his face. She wished she had been one of the girls who had jumped out the window and ran. A classmate behind her started crying. Two men moved through the crowd. Within seconds they reached the howling girl, throwing her onto the floor, forcing her mouth shut. Harsh hands wound thick tape around the girl’s bleeding lips. Then the two men hauled the bound girl upright like prey ready to be gutted. Dede had a choice to make.

Mini-Interview

How did you prepare for writing your PFD story? Any particular research or personal experience?

I spent three days researching the Akan people of Ghana, Africa and the people of Nigeria. Really looking at the culture, the exports, the western and eastern influences. Learning about name meanings, rites of passage, significant sayings, and the meanings of color within a totally different world than my own. It was an incredible glimpse into an entirely different world view. I hope I did the complex world there justice.

What was it like working with the other authors to create such an integrated anthology? 

Meeting so many wonderful, giving, and kind authors and fans. Seriously, Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans offers such support and enthusiasm for writers to explore the earth turned upside down in a million possible ways. There is goodness in the world, even in the darkest of times, there is always hope and friendship.

Have you ever experienced a major disaster that made you think about end of the world scenarios? 

The alarm blared at 3 a.m., waking the whole town of Crescent City, CA. I stumbled out of bed, my husband snatched up the baby and I woke the other children. We grabbed our important papers, some water, snacks, and the diaper bag. There wasn’t much time before the tsunami hit our coast. We had to get to high ground which was a half a mile behind us. There was already a line of cars, snaking up into the redwood forest. We made it up the ridge to safety. That was incredibly hard, watching the wave of ocean coming from Japan’s earthquake, not sure if our home would be standing when everything was over. I spent a lot of time in the dark, parked in my van with everything precious in the world right there with me. I realized I could let the house, the money, all of it go as long as our family was safe. I think of the end of the world scenarios in much the same way – what would we do to save our families? What price is too high?

Tell us one thing people don’t know about you or might be surprised to find out?

I was born with a congenital cataract in my right eye. My parents raised me to do anything, to trust my body, and to accomplish what I put my mind to. As I have grown older, I have realized that I am flawed and broken, just by being human. We all are in some way. It is my belief that we are only unbroken when we stand together, when our weaknesses are cancelled out by the strength of our friends and family. Together, we have the power to change the world. Humans are fragile, weak, and wild creatures but we persevere. It’s what we do. That simple truth affects everything I write.

DelSheree’s Story

PFD Story Title: As The Pieces Fell
PFD Chapter: Fourteen
Main Character: Sidney and Vivi, young sisters trapped in a relentless cycle of lab tests

Teaser

Sidney and Vivi had cleared as non-infected and been shoved into a containment room for further testing. Neither of them had a clue what was going on. When the doctor who had examined them gave them the news that they were naturally immune to the virus, it had sounded like a good thing. It wasn’t. 

Mini-Interview

How does Prep For Doom compare to other things you’ve written?

While I’ve written dystopian in several projects, published and unpublished, I’d never incorporated viruses or medical aspects into any of my books before. It was interesting to work with elements that I wasn’t in control of. The details of the virus and what damage it did were decided upon before the project began, and then we all used that information in our stories. I really enjoyed trying something new. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but at the end I was actually really pleased with not only my chapter, but the whole project!

What was it like working with the other authors to create such an integrated anthology?

Collaborating with others authors was a fairly new thing for me. I’ve been working on a co-writing project with a friend recently, but even that was very different from working with 20 different authors! It was interesting to read someone else’s chapters and then try to incorporate their characters into my chapter, even in a small way. It’s trickier than it seems! Also, just trying to keep the details consistent with what everyone else was writing was only possible thanks to the lovely ladies in charge of keeping track of everything and straightening out the inconsistencies! I would have been lost early on without our talented editors.

What do you think would be the scariest kind of apocalypse?

While zombies comes to mind first, because I love zombie movies, I think something cataclysmic would be scarier. It wouldn’t just be the event itself, but the quick degrading of society that would likely happen. People do crazy and terrible things when they’re scared, and I think the possibility of seeing the people around you act out in fear and see the damage that would cause would be scarier than zombies.

Casey’s Story

PFD Story Title: Unsafe Haven
PFD Chapter: Three
Main Character: Lexia, a teenage girl on her own in NYC at the time of the outbreak

Teaser

When she did peel herself off the couch for yet another bathroom excursion, she saw that those eyes were bloodshot. It was disturbing as hell.

Lexia touched the tender, swollen skin around her face, her mouth gaped open at herself in the mirror, a strand of drying saliva stretching from lip to lip like an errant spider web.

That was when she collapsed.

Mini-Interview

What was it like working with the other authors to create such an integrated anthology?

Hands down, my favorite part of the entire process was the comradery of the individual authors who came together to write an amazing story. We all had the same goal: make this book one that would stick with the reader long after the final page. It has action, drama, and emotion, and we all worked together toward that goal. It was fabulous.

What do you think would be the scariest kind of apocalypse?

I think that a viral pandemic would be terrifying. With natural disasters, some people have time to prepare and they’re awful, so please don’t think I’m brushing them off. But with something viral, it’s the danger of something so small and something that you can’t see or do anything to prevent.

There is spread of the disease. Loved ones will be affected. You might be affected. The side effects might be extreme and unpleasant. If it happened on a global scale, governments and economies might fall. The repercussions are apocalyptic to say the least.

Tell us a little about your Prep For Doom character(s) and story.

Lexia is a teenage girl, posing as an eighteen year old. Her mother is dead and her father is mentally ill and housed in a facility where he could get help. Lexia has learned to depend on herself, so when everything falls apart, she has to learn to depend on other people in order to survive.

Cameo’s Story

PFD Story Title: Existing
PFD Chapter: Five
Main Character: Kiana, a teenage girl on her way to a bunker with her dad.

Teaser

No one had suspected a fatal pandemic to hit, silently and swiftly spreading. The fear of waking up with a fever, knowing it could be the virus taking hundreds, if not thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of lives, was a reality. A horror. An invisible and violent death with no preference and no cure.

Mini-Interview

How does Prep For Doom compare to other things you’ve written?

Well, first off… this is the very first anthology I’ve been a part of. Yay!!! When the BOD group announced they were thinking of putting an anthology together, I was super excited and knew I wanted to be a part of it. This anthology is different because my characters had to be in the same world with twenty other authors. The details of this world had to be correct and flow from story to story. But that’s what makes this adventure so unique and a wonderful experience.

What is your favorite thing about this project?

I think my favorite thing was connecting with other writers in this genre. Each one is so gifted, and as a collaboration brought one amazing story to the readers.

How did you prepare for writing your PFD story? Any particular research or personal experience?

I was glad a few of the other authors posted their stories so we could read them and get a feel for the world we were about to be thrown into. BOD was extremely organized and had files for us to go to which kept our information straight. That was a tremendous help! They also offered some awesome advice during the editing portions which made my story even stronger. For my main characters, I did little research. Overall, this was a wonderful experience and I am so lucky to be a part of it.

What was it like working with the other authors to create such an integrated anthology?

It was amazing. Everyone in the group is so much fun and so supportive of each other. For a group of post-apocalyptic, dystopian writers… they really are a happy and great bunch of people to work with.

Tell us one thing people don’t know about you or might be surprised to find out?

I see dead people. / No… I’m just kidding. haha I love seclusion and being alone. I think writing has caused me to become a hermit. Lol – I get nervous when I’m around a crowd, and it takes a lot to pull my inner people-person out. That’s why I love the internet. Virtual hugs are the best. 🙂