Most of you know that I released my novel, State of Emergency, in January. It's the first installment in the Collapse Series, and I'm planning an early summer 2013 release for the sequel. Here are some FAQs about State of Emergency. I mean, at least some of them are FAQs. Others are just random questions people have wondered about. Very random.
Q: Is State of Emergency based on a true story?
A: Um. That would be a no. Unless society collapsed into complete and utter chaos last year and I didn't know about it. In that case, email me. We may have a problem.Q: Does Chris Young (one of the MCs from State of Emergency) have an actor in real life that could play him onscreen?
A: That would be a yes. Chris Hemsworth. (The bearded version, my friends. The bearded version.)Q: Why did you write State of Emergency?
A: Because Cassidy Hart is a stubborn character, and she wouldn't have it any other way. And the fact that I'm a writer probably had something to do with it. Oh. And I also loved the story. (That helped, too.)Q: Is there such a thing as an EMP? Would it really shut down EVERYTHING in the country?
A: Yes and yes. EMPs are a very real threat, and it really would shut down everything. Your bank account, your electricity, your running water, your plumbing, your cell phone, your landline, your iPod, your digital clock, your video game system. Even your EasyBake Oven. (sorry you had to hear that, children) No cars, no airplanes, no motorboats, no electric scooters, no nothing.In other words, it would be very inconvenient.
Q: What IS an EMP, anyway?
A: Electromagnetic Pulse, also known as an 'E-bomb.' It's basically caused by a nuclear explosion in the atmosphere, and it fries everything electronically based. Computers, telephone wires - you name it, it's gone. Permanently. Not even your USB stick is safe. Writers, you're going to need paper copies of your manuscripts.Q: If Chris was a Navy Seal for about nine years, and he only recently left the military, how is his hair long enough to put in a ponytail in just over a year?
A: A valid question! Navy Seals are sometimes deployed into countries where it is essential for them to blend in with the locals. In other words, if they're deployed on a mission to a Middle Eastern country where all the men have long beards and long hair, a SEAL will grow his hair long and have a beard, too, so he won't stand out in the crowd with a military buzz cut and a clean-shaven face. That would be detrimental. This is the type of work Chris could have done as a SEAL, hence the longer hair that you wouldn't see on an ex-Marine.Conversely, Chris's hair is just long enough to pull into a ponytail when Cassidy first meets him. If you go for a year without cutting your hair, and you're in your twenties, you'll get shaggy fast. Stock up on rubber bands, boys.
Q: Is the route that Cassidy takes out of LA authentic?
A: Let me put it this way: I've been to LA many times, and I've had the unfortunate luck of getting completely lost in downtown Culver City, Hollywood, and a ghetto that seriously made me question whether or not I was going to escape without getting kidnapped. (The Taco Bell employees worked behind a wall of bullet proof glass. I KID YOU NOT.) There are tons of roads that twist all over Hollywood Hills (gorgeous, but confusing) and old highways that even Huell Howser himself explored on TV. So yes, the roads that Cassidy uses to escape LA are very real. You just have to know how to get to them.Q: Omega is pretty evil - as any villainous force in a book should be. Where did they come from? Why are they here?
A: If I explained this, then there would be no need for a sequel. Don't put me out of a job, people. Everything will tie together...in time. **wink**Any more questions you'd like to ask? Let me know! Email me, tweet me, Facebook me @ Writing Belle or comment in the section below. I love to talk to my readers!
