abby « Robin Writes

I’ve mentioned, once or twice, that the fourth book in the REDUCED series will be coming out in March. And it will. Consider this the official announcement!

RECYCLED ended with:

The dark clouds came from the west, boiling and black. The wind whipped across the land, shoving aside everything in its path, everything that wasn’t secure. The man behind that wind, responsible for the coming storm, figuratively if not literally, was safely ensconced behind his walls as he watched the clouds move east.

Unbreachable walls, impenetrable, and this time he would succeed. He laughed wryly at his own wit, comparing himself to every supervillain ever conceived, fictional or otherwise, because he knew without a doubt that he was the best. Indeed, he was the only one of the original plotters still alive, thanks to his planning and foresight and, of course, his intelligence. And VADER. Credit where credit is due, he supposed.

He shrugged. Too bad, really, that so many had died. Yes. Terrible. But it had made his plans so much easier to execute. And now, when they all least expected it, there was one more move to make.

Just one.

Repeat.

So, I thought I’d mention that, while in the tradition of the rest of the series, REPEAT is going to be a bit . . . different. Oh, you’ll like it—I think!

Want a hint?

Are you sure?

Okay:

It starts 40 years after RECYCLED ended. Forty years.

Oh, and the ending? You’ll love that. Especially camp peeps . . .

And that’s all you get, for now—stay tuned for more in the next month or so!

We heard late yesterday that our esteemed governor, Jay Nixon, has activated the Missouri National Guard. No, there’s been no announcement from the grand jury, but it’s of course just a matter of time. Days, hours, no one knows.

This is a perfect example of sheltering in place.

First, I’m not willing to leave my home and have no idea as to what’s happening here. Not yet, anyway. This is not a huge disaster, or a police state. Yet. Could it come to that? Perhaps. Right now we’re taking a wait-and-see attitude.

When I got the news, along with a list of places that the protestors are targeting for, well, protesting, I started to plan the details of our bugging-in. Two of those places are less than two miles from my home.

We have water for all of us for a week, in case the water lines are disrupted. If there’s time, we have plenty of jugs to fill. Enough food for a month, or more. Plenty of fuel, so we’re not dependent on gas or electric. Access to wireless devices, to keep abreast of news, and solar chargers.

And weapons. Yes, we do. Some of my anti-gun friends might be appalled, but they should know me better. My mother, however, is having conniptions!

The point of bugging-in, in case you didn’t know, is that we aren’t going to go out looking for trouble—but if it comes, we’re ready. If things get too dicey, here at home, we also how to block and where to hunker down. We have a plan.

If you’re local, you should have one too. And if you aren’t, you still might want to take a few minutes to run through your supply list and any kind of emergency plan.

It could happen anywhere.