Those Who Survived Part One
Lainey is one of the few that survived
the virus that ravaged the human population. In order to remain safe, she stays
away from people, preferring to live on her own. Not trusting anyone. Until one
night she’s attacked and rescued by a stranger who insists that there’s still
good in the world.
Nolan has a fantastical story of a new
civilization in Canada, and urges her to go with him. Lainey doesn’t know if
she believes him or not, but the unknown is enough to scare her away. Yet day
after day he slowly breaks down her walls, opening her up to the possibility
that she might be strong enough to take a chance not only on him, but herself
as well.
Read a story excerpt
“You’ve
amassed quite a bit of provisions.”
“I
scavenged the homes of people who left. I never went into the ones where the
dead were.”
“Because
the houses had become tombs?”
She
sat down on the couch. “For a while, when the wind would blow a certain way, I
would catch a whiff of the dead. It made me want to throw-up. I think the
remaining people made an exodus out of here because of the smell.”
He
sat down next to her. “Why didn’t you go with them?”
“Didn’t
really have anywhere to go,” she replied with a shrug. “I’ve thought about
leaving for a long time but always wondered where would I go? What would I face
out there? Without a solid plan, it just seemed too risky.”
“And
you don’t take risks,” he concluded.
“No,
I don’t.”
“I
was a risk.” He tapped his chest. “Bringing a stranger into your sanctuary was
a huge risk.”
“You
had a dozen times you could’ve hurt me,” she said, taking a deep breath.
“Something tells me I can trust you and my instincts are rarely wrong. You can
help me put the fence up so I’ll be protected, and then you can continue on
your journey.”
“There’s
another option you know.”
She
cocked her head. “What’s that?”
“You
can come with me.”
This
was the second time he’d mentioned that, and like the last time, she shook her
head. “I’m not cut out for that type of unknown. Besides, I don’t know you.”
“You
know me more than you think you do. Come on, name three things you know about
me.”
“I
don’t-”
“I
bet you could quote just about every
English lit novel ever written,” he said, interrupting her. “You don’t trust
that easily, but when you do, your devotion is complete.” He folded his arms
across his chest. “And your least favorite color is red because it reminds you
of blood.”
She
blinked, completely taken aback. “How could you possibly know all that?”
He
shrugged. “Observation. Come on, say three things about me now.”
“You…used
to be in the navy. And you’re from Arizona.”
He
nodded. “And?”
“I,
uh, don’t know your least favorite color. Or your favorite.”
“I
like green and hate purple,” he said. “But you got two out of three. That’s a
start.”
She
admired his confidence but didn’t hold out much hope he’d be around long enough
for her to learn anything else about him. All the while, ignoring a little
voice that had been gaining volume in her head, pushing her to do that very
thing. To run. Escape. Yet fear held her back.
“You’re wrong,
you know,” he murmured. “The person who would bike ride all the way
from Malibu to Sherman Oaks is completely
up for an unknown adventure.”
Let's hear from Beth now as she visits the blog
1.What was your inspiration behind this book?
I love writing about dystopian worlds because you can basically
create your own version of the future. And since I happen to like writing about
women who don’t know their own strength, this genre lets my imagination soar.
2. Do you ever find yourself
slipping away and becoming so immersed in your
story it affects how you relate to others?
Yes. I’m an introvert to
begin with, but when my brain is filled with how to write the next scene I can
go for days and forget to call my mom or put off grocery shopping until the
next day, and then the next day after that.
Before I know it, a week has gone by without shaving my legs. Gross.
3. Are you in any of your
books?
There’s a little bit of me in every book, I
think. Maybe it’s just a random thought
or a gesture, but something of me is in all my characters.
4. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Total pantser, although in my mind I do have an idea of where the
story is headed. My characters always
surprise me when they make a one eighty from where I thought the story was
going. But as a writer you should always
listen to your characters, because they’re basically your muse talking to you.
5. What
is your favorite line, or scene, that you wrote in Come With Me?
I had a
difficult time coming up with a title for this story. I wanted something clever
but one line kept jumping from the page: Come with me. Nolan says it several
times to Lainey. I eventually reached a point where I realized that one phrase
meant everything.
6. If you could choose, which
published author would you like to brainstorm with and why?
Lisa Kleypas
because I love how she paces her novels and I’d love to pick her brain on how
she plots them out. Or Julia Quinn because she’s hilarious and I have a feeling
she likes wine like I do.
7. When you were little, did you ever think you'd be a
published author? What was your "dream" job as a child?
My dream job as a
child was being Indiana Jones. When that
didn’t pan out, I became responsible by going into the medical field. Being an
author was always in the world of fantasy. I grew up in the early Eighties in
the backwoods of Missouri, so no, I never thought in a million years I’d be a
published author. Thank holy heck for
modern technology! Ebook publishing
opened up doors to me, and to many talented authors, to make our dreams
possible.
8. What was the worst job you ever had while working towards
being a published author?
I worked one day as an assistant to a
urologist. I thought seeing penises all day long would be cool but come to find
out, there’s a big different between thirty year old penises and seventy year
old ones.
9. And last, do you have anything you would like to say to
your current readers or to those that haven't yet read your work(s)?
First, I’m a really
funny person but my humor is dry, bordering on sarcastic. I put a lot of that
in my stories, usually in the form of a sidekick or secondary character.
Second, I write stories because I want people to read them. I write for the love of writing. And I love feedback. Yes, I’m trying to make a living but nothing
makes me happier than to get an email from someone saying they liked something
I wrote (or if you didn’t like it, please nicely
tell me why it sucked). So drop me a
line anytime to say hi…you can find me on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram:
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