Tag Archives: camp

Fiction or Prediction?


So, I have a plan: Thursdays are book days, as in my own books, REDUCED and REUSED.

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That’s as far as I’ve gotten.

Okay, okay, I’ll give it my best shot – we writers aren’t always adept at promoting our own stuff. But here are some reasons you should read REDUCED (and REUSED and, in July, RECYCLED):

Because you’re a woman.

Women in my books – although there are a few men, and male readers do seem to enjoy the books – do not take crap from anyone. They shoot, they track, they even blow up things. But all violence is directed towards the bad guys, so that’s okay, right?

Because you’re, um, older.

There are plenty of YA, end-of-the-world, shoot-em-up books on the market already which means simply that a lot of teenagers are running amok. In REDUCED, my characters are nearly or over thirty at the very beginning, close to forty at the end, and yet, they STILL don’t take crap from anyone. Why should teenagers get to have all the fun?

Because you like being outdoors.

You know, camping, hiking, maybe some extreme sports, although I don’t really go into much of the latter. But, especially since the bad guys are bent on destroying almost everyone and everything, these gals in REDUCED don’t have a lot of housing options. Tents, caves, abandoned and falling down buildings; you use what you can find, right?

Because you want to be self-sufficient.

This can cover a lot of territory: finding food and shelter and any amenities that are still lying around; able to find your way around without getting lost; doctoring injuries and illnesses. Stuff you maybe wonder if you’re capable of doing, and here, in REDUCED, you can learn some basics while escaping into an alternate reality of your own.

Does that make sense? A reader will know what I mean: you read to imagine, to feel, to put yourself in a character’s shoes and live the story with her. Even if you don’t really want to take off and live in the woods, you can imagine it all right here in REDUCED.

Because you’re a prepper.

What does this mean, exactly? Well, it means you’re ready for… whatever. Some prep for Armageddon, some for rioting and a police state, some for economic collapse – these last can certainly go hand in hand – and some for weather-related events. The point is that, in REDUCED, these folks knew something was going to happen and they were ready for it. If you had to jump in your truck and head out, where would you go? How would you live? With a group, family, friends, or by yourself?

You know how they say that you should have six months’ salary socked away somewhere? Good plan, but IF something happens, even a tornado or an earthquake, money will probably be your last concern. Not that having cash on hand, hidden away – and I’m not talking a small fortune, just some cash for immediate needs – could make things a little dicey in a weather situation. Ditto for food and water.

There’s a whole movement out there for prepping. Some are diehard preppers, most do a little here, a little there. A lot more people than you might think are getting ready… for something.

And that’s what REDUCED is about: getting ready, being prepared, and taking action. If you like action, if you like reality-based fiction, you’ll love REDUCED!

Conveniently, look over to the sidebar on the right of this page – you buy both books by clicking RIGHT THERE!

 

 

 

The Camp


The primary setting in REDUCED and REUSED is an “old, abandoned camp.” However, it’s actually an active camp, consisting of 700 acres, that has been in operation since 1927. Of course, we aren’t entirely sure “when” REDUCED takes place, so perhaps by then it could indeed be considered both of those things.

The lake is a real lake, eight acres in size as it says in REDUCED; the “old” infirmary and shower/laundry room are real locations, as are the numbered sites. Many readers of the novels know exactly what I’m talking about, as many have been there as either campers or counselors or both. And the hills in the books are named after the actual hills. Many of you remember those famed “7up” hikes!

There are indeed shelters up on top of Pioneer Hill, and at one time there were tanks on the crest of Tank Hill. The current camp ranger has verified the existence of the underground cave on Sunnytop, and of course the spring, down past Site 3 and behind another camp unit, is well known. The cave opening on the cover of REUSED is up behind the office building; the photo was taken on a recent trip down there.

The stone posts of the camp gate are a familiar site to a campers and staff, past and present, as are the roads leading to them – all accurately named. The towns and landmarks in both books are real, and exist today in the St. Louis area.

As for my own history there, I began as a camper in the early 70s and ended as a staff member in the mid-80s. I’ve been down there, camping, in all seasons and all weathers. I’ve hiked over a good portion of the camp, and it’s as familiar to me as my own backyard.

I’ve had my share of adventures at camp, starting with getting bug spray in my mouth the first year, nearly stepping on a copperhead the second year, and almost drowning in the monsoon that erupted right after a tent camp out in the meadow. I’ve wiped out on my bike, gotten the worst case of poison ivy I’d ever had in my life, and been stepped on, kicked by, and dumped off of more horses than I can count, all the while having the BEST TIME EVER at camp. Surprisingly, to me and to others, horses never made an appearance in either novel.

I met some of my closest friends at camp – I won’t name them, because I might miss someone and would never hear the end of it! But I will say that I’ve stayed in contact with some since the late 70s and recently reconnected with others that I first met in 1972… and the really cool thing about this place? I often run into others who I never did meet during summers down there, but we still have a connection. Some of these “new” friends came to camp for years before I  first became a camper, and others were there a decade or more later.

But we’ll always have camp. Probably sounds silly or strange to those who were never there, but to those of who were – we know better.

The cedar trees are calling

And whispering a tune,

For it’s nature’s peaceful love song

To the winds they gently croon.

The emerald hills are fading

And the sunset’s glowing gold;

And the whippoorwills are calling

While the moon is growing bold.

Farewell, we take memories

That years cannot fade.

Our Cedarledge friendships,

Our promise, remade.

“Cedar Trees”