shtf « Robin Writes

You know how I write about all that survival stuff and everything? Well, in case you didn’t know, I kinda do all of that too . . .

Okay, okay, more than “kinda.” I’m trying to get us to eat better, which means I grow and can and bake everything I can; I have weapons training—and weapons. I can tie knots, find my way around, find water, build a shelter, etc. etc.

Only now, it’s for real! Or, well, it will be, in just a little over a year.

As some of you know already, we’ve been looking for property out in BFE, Podunk, whatever you want to call it, for six months. Six long months. We’ve made offers on two different parcels already, and this past Monday we went for a third—and got it!

We, um, haven’t actually seen it yet. There’s this winter phenomenon called snow; a lot of you are familiar with that, right?

So, as soon as things melt—and not return—we’ll be heading out there to see just what we’ve agreed to buy!

Thirty-five acres; pond; mostly woods; a barn; and two houses.

Now, the original idea was to find empty land, with water, like a pond or creek, and then build everything in the compound: cabin, storage, pump house, etc.

So, anyway, our plans changed a bit. Like the cabin, for instance—we were planning on 640 square feet and no dishwasher, but we got 900 with a dishwasher. [shrug] I can deal with that. I’m a little disappointed that I won’t be designing it from the ground up, but this place has plenty of things that can still be done, and will be, eventually.

Of course, the first thing will be to plan out and construct the campsite out in the woods. Ahem, that’s so all my friends can come camping . . . we won’t mention the work days we have planned!

Wait, scratch that—the first thing is moving the light over the kitchen sink. I can tell, even from pictures, that it’s off-center and that’s going to drive me nuts. And my husband says the second thing is calling the conservation department and getting fish in that pond!

I don’t often blog about my book series, REDUCED, because, well, you know how that goes. Besides, they’re all listed down the sidebar here—————->

But just in case you missed all that, and you want more info, I’ll lay it out all nice and neat. And of course, if you’ve read them, feel free to tell everyone how great they are!

[Should I insert a j/k or a wink here or something? Nah, you get that this is all a making-fun-of-promotions thing, right?]

A devastating biological agent is about to be released, to be tested in remote areas. Rumor has it, though, that there is more to this than meets the eye. One group makes plans to hide out, and survive, in case that rumor proves to be truth. Meeting at an abandoned summer camp near St. Louis, Missouri, a dozen old friends gather after the alarm is raised.

Life becomes more precious, more tenuous, as time passes. Government controls tighten, people are herded into the city…or killed. Towns are obliterated. And soon, the enemy agenda becomes obvious.

Abby, like the rest, has special skills – each member of the group was chosen not only because of past ties, but also for their unique training and abilities. She will come face-to-face with death, bear the responsibility for a young girl, and endure the severing of childhood relationships in the most terrible way imaginable.

From mere concealment to reconnaissance to aiding a rebellion, where will it end? Will the entire region be decimated, and who will be left alive to know?

Colonel Barton has been replaced, and the new commander is sending his henchman, Major Blake, to scour the outlying areas and remove any insurgents. Abby and the girls have remained in the cave at the camp, relatively safe for now, but plans are underway to eliminate all of them… for personal reasons, known only to the commander himself.

Soon, however, worlds will collide as Captain Alison Hinson is transferred in from Chicago. In spite of her background, Alison is horrified by the tactics of her superiors in the field and begins to question her own stance on the new government. As she puts together the pieces of the past, she realizes that she and Abby are kindred spirits, faced with a mission not of their own choosing but of circumstance.

Across the country, while officials and mercenaries live the high life, the citizenry are faced with more sanctions, more regulation, and fewer necessities.

Pockets of rebellion are quickly quelled, but incidents continue to increase as more people make the decision to go underground. Literally.

From abandoned caves below St. Louis itself to a subterranean river winding north into Illinois, REUSED will tell you more, perhaps, than you truly wish to know about the potential for the utter collapse of our civilization.

Survival had become a way of life since Co-opComm first launched VADER. Thirteen years had passed, and yet, Abby remained . . . she and the others prevailed where many had surrendered. And died.

Abby is tired. Tired of running and hiding. Tired of struggling, tired of fighting. Ultratron has a new secret weapon—a better, improved version. And the government-sponsored company has a new target, a more heinous plan.

Traveling to Chicago, the heart of the current regime, they come face-to-face with a new threat—or is it? Who is this mysterious Riley, and what does she know about the St. Louis compound? And how? Shadowy inhabitants arise from the depths of the city, but are they friend . . . or foe?

But Abby has only one objective: to defeat the government. Regardless of the cost.