It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans, life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.
The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.
It begun as a soft patter, but soon the sound was unmistakable, it was rain. It may not have been the warm summer sun, green grass or an abundance of food, but it was hope. Hope that the planet was slowly adjusting to the apocalyptic world we now live in, as a result of the asteroid colliding with the moon almost twelve months ago.
Miranda and her family have been surviving, which is far greater than most. The sky is still smoldering with volcanic ash, electricity is virtually non existent, having more than a small portion of a meal per day is a luxury, but with rain, at least that's more than they've had in months. The weather is slightly warmer, and with warmer weather, comes fishing, and fishing means surviving with one less worry where the next meal is coming from. But in addition to the feast both Matt and Jon caught, Matt surprises the family with another mouth to feed.
When rations are stretched even further, what they didn't expect was to hear the doorbell, and for Miranda's father, his wife and newborn baby to be on their doorstep... And they haven't come alone. With a friend and orphans Alex and Julie, the Evans house is overcrowded, how can they possibly have enough supplies for ten survivors, including Miranda's new step sibling and nursing mother Lisa.
Alex, affectionately referred to as the last boy on earth by Miranda, had made it his mission to keep sister Julie safe, even if it means sacrificing himself. After leaving the death and destruction of New York with three tickets to the illustrious 'safe town', Alex has no idea where the designated towns are located. Heading back in the opposite direction to leave Julie in the safety of the church convent, the two orphans begin traveling with Miranda's father in the same direction, headed home to his children.
Everyone has a task, but for Alex and Miranda, ransacking homes of the dead and gone has never been so appealing. Miranda is thankful for the solace of being able to escape the overcrowded house, Alex wants to earn his keep, being too proud and stubborn to accept a helping hand. But when the two teens start to depend on one another, will Alex still leave her, tearing her life apart even further?
Neither may get the chance, once a fierce and deadly tornado drops from the sky and rips apart what little life they are still holding onto. Death, debris and destruction will make survival a passing thought and they may not have anything worth surviving for.
This World We Live In combines both families from books one and two in the series, Alex and Miranda's. The world is still in ruin, but as long as they're alive, hope is alive. I was disappointed at the inclusion of new character Syl, as the book wore on, I begun to despise her character and prayed for her demise. I love Miranda's character and her journal entries, she's far more engaging than Alex, who thankfully didn't share his point of view in The World We Live In.
There is certainly instant love involved, in at least two cases, but it's virtually the end of the world and it seems more as though it's an act of compassion and companionship. Regardless, I just couldn't relate to Syl, or even Alex for that matter. Miranda is the hero of the series, she's emotional, honest and realistic. It does have an open ending to blend into The Shade of the Moon, the next and what I believe to be final book in the series, as told from Jon, Miranda's younger brother. Set two years into the not too distant future.
The World We Live In
(Last Survivors: Book Three)Written By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Published 01 / 04 / 2010
261 Pages
He shares his name with a Homeland character. He's a writer with
He pledged when he started writing to always respond to readers, and love getting comments and questions, so please contact him using one of his favorite social networking sites below. As always, happy reading!
Where you can find David Estes hanging out:
You can find David's books in paperback and eBook, ready for purchase now from Amazon and Smashwords
As you're a bit of travel junkie, which destination has given you the most inspiration when writing and why?
Ha! Travel junkie! That’s putting it lightly. My wife, Adele, and I have been travelling for 13 months now, while I write and she writes and takes photographs. We love seeing the world and all the different places we see and people we meet undoubtedly provide me with crazy-huge amounts of inspiration! Hmm, I’d say Mexico or Morocco were the most inspirational. We spent four months in Mexico and five weeks in Morocco, and saw many unique and remarkable people and places. I think they were so inspirational because they were so different than the places I’ve lived in. At every turn there was something I’d never seen before, camels and underground rivers and sandstorms and on and on, and I could see them coming to life on the pages of my books. A few new book / series ideas were spawned and the ones I was working on benefitted from the uniqueness of my surroundings. This trip has truly been an awesome experience and I hate to see it end in 2014.
You love to dance and sing (not surprising since you remind me a little of Chris Martin from Coldplay), so what would be your ultimate karaoke song, and would we need ear plugs to witness that event?
Double ha! Adele and I watch lots of dancing and singing shows and we love hosting our own dance parties (just the two of us), that typically include lots of singing. I love love love music and sing quite often, but I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to pick just one song! Maybe something by Weezer, like 'Say it Ain’t So' or 'Surf Wax America', or perhaps Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Under the Bridge'. Something from the 90s alternative rock era, when being a teenager was the ultimate freedom.
As for the earplugs, it would generally depend on the note haha! I’m not the best singer, but not the worst either, so if I’m singing a part of the song that’s in my very-narrow range, it might sound alright. But if I’m trying to hit an impossibly high falsetto note, you might want to stick your fingers in your ears!
Your lovely wife Adele shares the same name as your female heroine in your awesome Dwellers series. Are there any similarities between the two?
Funny you ask, as Adele and I were just talking about this with some friends the other day. They asked the same question! In short, no. I chose the name partly out of respect for my wife, partly because she inspires me to write, and partly because I just love the name and it felt right for the character. The Adele in the Dwellers is quite tomboy-ish, whereas my Adele is very feminine (which suits me just fine!). However, in some ways, like her spirit, loyalty to family and friends, and spunk, they are fairly similar.
If your life was being made into a movie, what would it be called and who would you want to play David Estes?
As if! Okay, I’ll bite. If, and that’s a really BIG if, by some miracle anyone ever had an interest in turning my life into a movie, it would be called The Dreamer and would star James Marsden as he does comedy really well without being over the top. And yes, my life would definitely be a comedy / drama.
And the weekly question, I love to support independent authors, do you have any words of wisdom for potential authors wanting to make the leap into writing?
My biggest advice is to do it for the right reasons; namely, because you love writing. Although it is my career and livelihood, I write because it’s my favorite thing in the world to do. Don’t expect to become the next bestseller (although you might be), don’t expect millions of readers to flock to your books (although it’s possible), and don’t do it to make a quick buck (because you probably won't!) DO IT FOR THE LOVE OF WORDS!
For those who are looking for more substantial advice for Indie authors, check out my popular blog post on Everything I Wish I Knew When I Started Writing: HERE
A special thanks to Kelly for having me on her AWESOME blog!
Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event, an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.
With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.
It was a night like any other for seventeen year old Alex, his mother has been called to the hospital for an emergency and his father is away attending his mother's funeral, so when his uncle frantically wakes the household in the middle of the night, there seems to be more to the electrical power outage than Alex first thought.
New York, the city that never sleeps, is now on the verge of mayhem. The initial reports alerting citizens of meteor that collided with the moon, had knocked the moon from it's orbit. With very little money, both parents absent and his brother being deployed on Marine duty, it is Alex's responsibility to care for younger sister's Julie and Briana. Luckily the siblings have enough canned goods to last for the next few weeks and surely New York will be bustling by then. But the devastation has only begun. With the bodies of the dead lining the desolate streets, looting, rioting and rising tides, Alex begins to question God and his devout family's religious beliefs. He needs to fight for the survival of his family.
Manhattan has been decimated, with tides twenty feet tall sweeping away citizens and buildings, an enforced curfew, mandatory evacuations, plane crashes and countless dead throughout the subway due to flooding. Alex is beginning to believe that his mother may not be coming home, and his father swept away in the tiny coastal town in Puerto Rico. In order to survive, Alex sends sister Bri to a convent in the countryside, believing that she'll be well taken care of and will survive long after he is suffering from malnutrition and starvation, unless the riotous streets take his life first. But he has Julie to care for, at only twelve, she doesn't have the luxury of a convent. Because anywhere with enough food is a luxury nowadays.
At least the two siblings have school, forced to work for their measly lunch and eating supper every other night. But it isn't enough. When the air is thick with choking volcanic ash, the small amounts of food being rationed are dwindling and the crops have long since died, Alex has no other choice and begins to steal and loot from the dead. May God forgive him, but he needs to survive and money is of no use to the world now. The barter system is in place, and shoes, winter coasts and luxury items are big business and can be exchanged for food. It's far from honest, but God will forgive him at adapting to survive.
Sister Briana arrives home, as the convent can no longer feed the intake of girls, and with chronic asthma, she is forced to stay indoors. But when the blizzard conditions arrive, no more food drives, nothing left to barter and the world is now deserted, Alex will do just about anything to free his siblings of the apocalyptic and deadly New York. But when illness starts to spread, will any of them survive?
The Dead And The Gone tells the story of the the moon meteorite, from Alex's point of view, living in New York. It doesn't retrace the natural disasters from the first in the series, Life As We Knew It, but rather how survival is measured through the eyes of Alex, the intelligent Puerto Rican New Yorker. Alex and his siblings turn to religion in the face of loss and devastation, and attend Catholic school's within the area. Alex struggles with now being the caregiver and provider to two younger siblings, and his ideals can be awry in some instances, if not delusional.
Not as terrifying or strangely captivating as Life As We Knew It, but it's somewhat entertaining. The characters just weren't engaging and their scenario was more over dramatised than dire at times. I'm hoping the third book offers redemption.
The Dead And The Gone
(Last Survivors: Book Two)
Written By Susan Beth Pfeffer
(Last Survivors: Book Two)
Written By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Published 01 / 06 / 2008
336 Pages
Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all, hope, in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world
It could be the event of her lifetime, but Miranda can't see what all the fuss is about. The largest asteroid the world has seen is on course to make impact with the moon, visible to the naked eye. The event is watched by billions around the world, but the historical event is met with screaming, prayer and hysteria. Astronomers have miscalculated.
The moon phases control the tides, and the catastrophic event has caused widespread tsunamis, flooding, twenty feet tidal waves that have pummeled New York, resulting in the Statue of Liberty being washed out to sea. Cape Cod, Staten Island, Nantucket and Rhode Island are completely submerged. The Barrier Islands have vanished and the death toll mounts in Miami. Communication satellites and telephone lines are down. Incomprehensible damage to cities along the eastern seaboard. Holland has been decimated, coastal Australian cities damaged beyond repair. It seems the asteroid was denser than astronomers had anticipated, resulting in the moon being knocked from it's orbit... And pushed closer to earth.
Mass panic ensues, and Miranda's mother begins to stockpile supplies, canned goods, non perishable items, in case of an emergency... But with no electricity, bare supermarkets and fuel at astronomical prices, every passing day begins to feel more dire. As summer approaches, the world is in ruins. The tides are reaching further inland and earthquakes are common place. Miranda now spends her days contemplating if this is now how the world will survive, with food shortages, the threat of mosquito borne viruses, volcanic eruptions, continuing floods and earthquakes, no power, no schooling, and no way of life.
As the days pass and bleed into one another, everyday is a fight for survival for Miranda and her family. Volcanic ash covers the landscape and the sun has been hidden for months, causing temperatures to plummet below freezing. Blizzards with grey sooty snow and the flu epidemic are slowly killing the earth and it's inhabitants. The family only have a few measly days of rationed food remaining, Miranda comes to the peaceful realization that her time has come to an end, but when the power starts to flicker, emergency broadcasts are filling the void of silence on the airways, perhaps she's not only seen the apocalypse to virtually end the world, but she may have just survived it.
The concept is terrifying. A natural and reoccurring phenomenon such as an asteroid hitting the moon is enough to bring the world to it's knees. The story of death, courage and survival is told from the pages of Miranda's journal, from the few days prior, to the asteroid knocking the moon off orbit, to the horrifying and deadly hell that unleashed over our dying planet. You'll feel every high and low that'll make you appreciate what you have now.
And don't be surprised if next shopping trip, you include a few more non perishable cans to stockpile.
It's simplistic, frightening and unbelievably good.
Life As We Knew It
(Last Survivors: Book One)
(Last Survivors: Book One)
Written By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Published 01 / 10 / 2006
353 Pages
Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world, even the most predatory of men that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a 'sex-teen' is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past, one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer
The year is 2150 and in a futuristic America, the governing council now instill the laws and all citizens are expected to abide by. Other planets have been colonized, and advertisements are catered to your every whim. Teens are reliant on technology and as soon as you turn sixteen, you're expected to become sexually active, a branding tattoo allows others to see that your of age. It's not a question of being a willing participant in the barbaric and promiscuous environment, you're simply not expected to say no. It's legal rape.
Nina lives in the suburbs, her family considered lower class within the tiered socioeconomic society. She has five months before she's to receive her brand, but unlike most teens, her best friend Sandy included, she doesn't want to have sex. Sandy is everything that Nina never wants to become, flaunting her body, batting eyelashes and willing to do almost anything for male attention.
Nina luckily has the influence of her surly grandfather and battered mother to see how the system is failing it's citizens, with the revolution wanting to silence the nation and allow communities to think for themselves. Nina doesn't want a boyfriend, but when Nina stumbles across Sal, being beaten and abused, she comes to his aid believing he's no more than an unfortunate homeless boy. Her feelings of never wanting a boyfriend suddenly seem hazy, Sal isn't interested in sex, he's smart, an intelligent free thinker, and he knows exactly who Nina is.
But when tragedy strikes Nina and sister Dee, Nina discovers there is more to her mother than a quiet and abused woman. Left a memory book that doubles as a series of cryptic names and locations, and with her mother's revelation, Nina begins revolting against the only life she's ever known. Turning 'sex teen', the GPS implants teens have imbedded, the government controlled media, that then controls the citizens and impressionable teens, and the FELS program for sixteen year old females. Believing the program is an education for celebrant virgins, the sinister council feeding the population lies.
The NonComs may be rallying again, avoiding step father Ed who is threatening that she will be chosen for the FELS program, Nina may just be the link to free all girls from the deviate laws of the new Americas.
XVI was slow to begin. Really, really slow, and there weren't many explanations for the futuristic era in which it was set, until around half way through. The advanced technology wasn't explained at all, and you can only gauge what some items were by the usage throughout the book.
The premise was interesting, but I felt a little lost with the 'sex teen' concept. At sixteen, girls receive a forced XVI tattoo in their wrist to show men that they can be used sexually, the government and media portraying promiscuous girls as popular, wealthy and beautiful. Nina is adamant that she won't have sex, she doesn't want a boyfriend either... Until she meets Sal.
Women in general are portrayed as merely objects, but the so called Resistance only makes a brief appearance to protest the media advertisements bombarding citizens, not the equality of women. They weren't prominent at all throughout the storyline, and didn't seem to have much of a role apart from random broadcasts.
It was well written, but the characters aren't memorable, apart from Sandy. It seems she was created to be Nina's opposite, no respect for her body, loves male attention and seemingly wants to latch onto anything with a penis and a heartbeat, but she's irritating beyond belief. It was not bad, but left me feeling bored and flat, if not a little peeved that the storyline died before it was given a chance to take flight.
XVI
(XVI: Book One)
Written By Julia Karr
Published 06 / 01 / 2011
339 Pages
Wings is the third and final book in Elizabeth Richards Black City series.
To celebrate the cover reveal, Elizabeth is hosting an international giveaway.
Wings won't be released until 2014, but both Black City and Phoenix are available now.
You can contact Elizabeth by visiting her Website Facebook Twitter and her Goodreads author page.
Elizabeth Richards is an award-winning journalist, who spent her early career reviewing videogames before making the bold (or crazy) move into travel writing, despite suffering from terrible travel sickness. In her spare time, she ran a successful lifestyle website aimed at teenage girls, where she got to interview many of her favourite bands, go to gigs and basically blag loads of free swag all in the name of ‘research’. Elizabeth lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with her husband. Black City is her debut novel.
Ash and Natalie are
just starting to build a life together when things in the United Sentry
States go from bad to worse. Ash and Natalie find themselves at the
center of turmoil when dictator Purian Rose threatens Natalie’s life
unless Ash votes in favor of Rose’s Law, a law that will send Darklings
and other dissenters to a deadly concentration camp known as the Tenth.
When
Ash can’t bring himself to trade Natalie’s life for those of millions
of Darklings, her fate is sealed. Enter Elijah Theroux, the handsome
Bastet boy Natalie once saved from her mother’s labs, where he’d been
experimented on and tortured. It was his venom the Sentry used to create
the lethal Golden Haze, the heart of the government conspiracy that led
to Black City’s uprising and Ash’s rebirth as the Phoenix, the face of
the rebellion. Elijah is back and Ash doesn’t like him; it’s clear he’s
taken with Natalie, and Ash fears she may have feelings for him as well.
But
Elijah also may have the answer to taking down Purian Rose for good, a
powerful weapon called the Ora. Ash, Natalie and Elijah just have to
escape Black City undetected to find it. But fleeing the city and
finding this weapon (if it even exists) are easier said than done, and
the quest could tear Ash and Natalie apart, even pushing them into the
arms of others.
This enthralling sequel to Black City is just as
absorbing, delicious and steamy as the first book, leaving readers
hungry for the series conclusion
Ash is now the the uniting tie between humans and Darklings, the icon representing the Humans for Unity revolution, and the war has just begun. Known as The Black Phoenix, Ash was sentenced to death for allegedly killing a tracker. Purian Rose wants nothing more than to spill Darkling blood but he didn't plan on Ash rising from the ashes and given a second chance. He will fight for his life for Natalie, the Darklings and the city against Rose's Law.
The Voting has commenced and Ash will be seen as a leader in the deciding ballot, but Purian Rose has made it clear, vote publicity in favor or Natalie will face the consequences. Does Ash risk thousands of Darklings to be sent to the Tenth concentration camp to be enslaved and exterminated, or save Natalie's life? The Humans for Unity rebellion are entrusting him to vote against the bill. But it isn't Natalie he's after, he wants an easier target.
But when the law is passed, the cities who voted against Purian Rose will be punished, amending the segregation laws to include those who didn't vote in favor will now be considered a race traitor and will meet the same fate as the Darklings. Citizens are turned against one another, offering rewards to bring race traitors to justice, offering refuge and sanction. They need to escape the city before the Sentry demolish everything they've worked for, but they never expected a traitor among their rebellion.
When Elijah arrives with a proposition for the rebellion, it's an offer too good for Humans for Unity to resist. If the weapon Elijah is offering really does exist, it may be the only opportunity they'll have to take out Purian Rose.
Natalie fears she's fallen ill to the Wrath virus, slowly deteriorating each day. She can't risk infecting Ash, and starts to distance herself from their relationship. Will she make it to see the revolt against Purian Rose succeed?
Phoenix was difficult to read, as there was little to no back story provided to refresh your memory about Black City, the first novel in the series. And as any avid reader will tell you, it's important to remind us where the story left off. Sadly, Phoenix only launched into the continuation. It wasn't until I was over half way through when I begun to remember, and by then my interest wasn't there.
I really enjoyed Black City, but didn't want to reread it just to continue the series, but still had to skim through to understand what was going on in Phoenix.
Phoenix
(Black City: Book Two)
Written By Elizabeth Richards
Published 04 / 06 / 2013
368 Pages
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