As I was writing Outage, I became painfully aware of how unprepared I would be for a local or national disaster. What’s surprising is the more people I talk to about it, the more I’m finding out I’m not alone.
Imagine if your power went out right now. How would you entertain yourself for the rest of the day? What would you eat and drink? What would you do when it got dark? What if the power was off for a week? A month?
I hope if you’ve been procrastinating your preparedness, you’ll try and think of at least one small thing you can do this week to be better. Buy a flashlight or some candles if you don’t have any, talk to your family about a basic emergency plan, check to see if anything in your first aid kit needs replacing. You never know when you might need it.
I also hope you’ll check out my new book, Outage. Dee, the main character, is even less prepared than I am. She’s a city girl visiting her grandpa on his farm in rural Washington when the power goes out for good and her grandpa has a medical crisis. She meets a cute guy and discovers some helpful neighbors, gets chased by cows and bad guys, saves a little boy and his big brother, and even gets saved a little bit herself.
I had fun including some survival tips because I love to read those, but the story is primarily a fast-paced adventure. Dee and her friends have to confront wild animals, sickness, personal loss, and ultimately, the corrupt man who has taken over the nearby town.
Thanks again, Summer, for letting me share a few thoughts here. I love EMP stories (which is why I wrote one!) and was so excited to discover the State of Emergency series. I wish you the best of luck on your upcoming release of State of Pursuit.