Archive for March 19, 2014

EvacuationBlitzBanner

Welcome to my stop on the Blitz for Evacuation by K.D. McAdams.

I love discovering a new author and another exciting book.

The author has a really fun guest post and there’s a giveaway for a chance to win your own copy of Book One or Book Two of The Seamus Chronicles.

Pack your bags and let’s go.

~~~

What’s in your planetary go bag?

Food, water and a 3-D printer may be keys to survival

 

What if Earth was going down the tubes and you had to Evacuate the planet? What would you put in your go bag?

Thanks to the Mayan apocalypse and the popular Doomsday Preppers show on National Geographic the concept of a survival “Go-bag” has gained mainstream understanding. Survival experts can debate the best contents for one of these go bags but in general they contain food, water, security and some protection from the elements. The idea is that when civilization goes down the tubes you grab the go bag on your way out the door and use its contents to survive.

Here on Earth a go bag has to help you get by. Get by until order is restored. Get by until you can make a supply trip to a safe place. But if you have to leave Earth you can’t just get by, you have to start over. You could bring plenty of stuff, but what happens when you run out? Even if you brought enough of something to last your lifetime what would your ancestors do?

Our world is littered with finished goods. Even after an electromagnetic pulse or a collapse of the world financial markets if you needed a nail, screw or fastener you could find one with just a few minutes of looking. You may have to recycle or up cycle it from a previous use, but it’s there. Even a straight or flat piece of wood is only a few miles away from the places in America where most people live.

Imagine building something without screws, nails or dimensional lumber.

Many of us are familiar with assembling things from furniture to power tools, but can you manufacture anything? Given a tree, can you make a straight board? The earliest pieces of steel are four thousand years old, but could you smelt ore?

Following directions from Ikea doesn’t mean you can make furniture.

There are a few things I’m on the fence about; seeds (would they grow?), weapons (will they work) and a bicycle (can it carry enough?) for example. Given unlimited space these would certainly make it but space will be tight. For the purposes of this exercise lets assume you are leaving Earth in Nissan Maxima; doors, windows and trunk have to close. What do you bring?

You need to figure out all the firsts. The first mill, the first sewer system, the first farm all things that won’t fit in your bag. So in addition to food and water here are five things that I would bring if I had to bug out from Earth and start over on another planet.

  1. A tent. The new planet will likely have a different weather system and you’ll need to protect against hot or cold.
  2. Basic hand tools. Hammer, shovels, axes etc.
  3. A hand crank or pedal generator for electricity
  4. A 3-D printer. You can make some of the core pieces needed to build almost anything.
  5. A tablet loaded with manufacturing how-to documents; How to build a sawmill, How to build an iron mill, How to make plastic etc.

What would you bring if you had to bug out from Earth and start over on another planet?

~~~

Evacuation cover

1771e-addtogoodreadsblack

Evacuation by K.D. McAdams (The Seamus Chronicles #2)
Publication date: March 7th 2014
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult
Synopsis
.
They have only one chance for survival, leave… the planet.
The virus that wiped out most of the human race is adapting to defeat the vaccine and kill the survivors. There is a government response protocol but it will kill them too, it involves a nuclear winter. The NASA scientists believe they can leave Earth and achieve faster than light travel, but Seamus doesn’t want to slog through space. He knows that to survive they have to go somewhere fast. To save them all he needs to invent a warp drive and evacuate the planet.
Purchase: Amazon ~ B&N
~~~~
AUTHOR BIO
KD
K. D. McAdams writes stories  about young people who make choices with their heart and not their head. ‘Don’t talk to strangers’ is the most common phrase in our house, I  have failed several art classes and I can’t remember what I ate for  breakfast. I have a son that loves to talk to strangers, my daughter is  an incredible artist and I have another son that is a stickler for  details with a near eidetic memory. We nurture our kids everyday with  advice and information but deep down they all have an element of nature  that overrides our nurturing and influences their choices. Kids who have the courage to follow their instinct and make their own choices are the ones who make life memorable.
Author links: Goodreads ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

I have one ebook copy of Annihilation, Book #1 or Evacuation, Book #2, winners choice, to giveaway  (International)

17713788

*

Evacuation cover

To enter:

Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this fun question:

“What’s the most important thing you’d pack in your Planetary Go Bag?”

Giveaway ends April 2nd

~~~~

Thanks so much to Xpresso Book Tours for this exciting event.

Xpresso Book Tours

~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

H.D. finally delivered! I’ve just finished reading Joe #2: White Sheets and can’t wait to tell you about it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this author just keeps getting better!

I’ve also reviewed Joe, Book One. Enjoy.

H.D. Gordon

H.D author pic shooting stars

H. D. Gordon is the bestselling author of THE ALEXA MONTGOMERY SAGA, THE SURAH STORMSONG NOVELS and THE JOE KNOWE SERIES. She is twenty-five years old and a true lover of words. When not hanging out with her two beautiful daughters, she can be found reading, writing, or just taking in the world so that she can translate it’s beauty and wonders into the written word.

.

.

.

You can follow H.D. Gordon at:

comments

JOE

Book One of The Joe Knowe Series

by H.D. Gordon

Joe

1771e-addtogoodreadsblack

AMAZON

My Review

Joe is very different from the other books I’ve read by H.D. Gordon.There is an element of the supernatural, but it’s in no way the main focus. This has more of a suspense/thriller story line and you’ll feel it in your heart beat.

The writing is indescribable, it’s so good. I’ll do my best to tell you how this story made me feel.

It’s told from several different points of view, with Joe being the main character. You’ll really like her. She’s got this ethereal look to her, and the author gave her a flaw, a stutter, which only made her stronger for me. She wasn’t shy about it, she just didn’t talk much because it was hard. Maybe that’s why she has the special ability of seeing things before they happen, since she spends so much time in her own head.

When something really bad is about to happen, her hands begin to itch and she has to sit down and let it take control, drawing an image of what’s to come.

It’s bad. very bad. Someone plans to go on a killing spree in the Quad at the university she attends. Joe’s biggest fear is failure. She doesn’t always succeed when she tries to intervene in her visions, and the worse they are, the higher probability of failure. As Joe says, she’s no hero, but I beg to differ.

Maybe if she didn’t have to go it alone, things could be different.

I mentioned the story being told from multiple POVs and it worked fantastic for this story. You read the gunman’s thoughts, his madness. You get to know some of the people who are unaware of what’s coming, connect with them, become involved in their lives, and fear for them. As they are so prominently featured in the story, does this mean they are victims, helpers, or survivors? I was afraid to know the answers.

I’ll try this once to describe how the writing felt. As I read, I felt this need for one more sentence, one more paragraph. one more chapter. It was conscious, like hearing your heart beat, your harsh breathing, feeling your muscles tense. the hairs stand up on your neck. I was there. I was in Joe’s head and in the story. I hope you get what I mean.

Once again, the author has surpassed my expectations. Each new book I read goes one step further, moves me that much more. What a ride!

5 STARS

~~~~

Synopsis

From the author of The Alexa Montgomery Saga comes a story that will take you into the mind of a genuine psychopath, the lives of six ordinary people, and the world of a very special girl named Joe. Joe is seemingly an ordinary college student. She works, studies and reads. But in between these activities, Joe has a gift that promises to add a dose of color to her life at any given moment. Joe sees things before they happen. Bad things, and the worst thing she has ever faced is just around the corner. Someone is planning a massacre at the college university Joe attends, and the only person with a hope of stopping the psychopath is her. Oh, the beauty of foresight. More like a curse. Joe has four days to figure out the mystery, make plans to take down the psycho, and save the lives of people. People like you and me. Ordinary people.

~~~

JOE 2 : WHITE SHEETS

Book Two of The Joe Knowe Series

by H.D. Gordon

JOE27THCOVER

1771e-addtogoodreadsblack

Available for purchase March 26th

My Review

You jump right back into the story of Joe where it left off in the first book.

I can’t really tell you about it as it will spoil things for ya.

What I will talk about is the writing. Once again, I can’t begin to pull out of my head the words to express how the author mesmerized me. It’s like she cast a spell and I was taken into Joe’s head. I read her thoughts, felt them, and visualized them so clearly. And it was gut wrenching.

This time Joe is up against a diabolical lunatic. A cult leader crazed beyond control with so many innocents under his fanatical influence.

When Joe’s ability shows her what’s going to occur, she once more peers into the abyss, enters the darkness, and hopes to reemerge, mission accomplished.

It sounds easy, but Joe will need to protect herself in more ways than one. The dangers aren’t all plain to see.

This is told from many different points of view, like the first book, and works every bit as good in this one. You’ll begin to understand how the cult followers accept the madman’s teachings and blindly follow. You’ll see inside the fanatic’s mind and be appalled by his deranged thinking and rants.

And you’ll get to know Joe even better. With some of the innocents being young children, Joe’s maternal instincts come forth. This was especially moving, as Joe hasn’t had an easy life. And that’s why I was thrilled to see the two men in her life were back in this book. It’s not a love triangle. Fra from it.

The young man would like to be more than friends, but knows not to push it and the other is an older gentlemen, Joe’s neighbor, and he is a huge support when she feels so alone.

I classify this as a white knuckle read. I don’t think I relaxed from the first page to the end. I wasn’t assured of a happy ending. Joe says she’s no hero, and you never know what can happen.

Thrilling and suspenseful. Drink the kool-aid.  You’ll love it.

5 STARS

***

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdO_uSMtF_Q]

***

Synopsis

Joe Knowe sees things before they happen. Bad things. Just a couple months ago it was a psychopath planning a massacre at the college she attended. Now, she’s facing a whole different kind of madman, and one potentially far more dangerous. To keep the pending disaster from happening, this time Joe will have to get up close and personal, making herself at home in the lion’s den, and attempting not to be swallowed whole. Will she be able to keep herself and those around her from drinking the Kool-Aid? Or will they all end up under white sheets? In this second installment of the thrilling JOE series, H. D. Gordon takes you into the heart of a cult, the mind of its leader, and the lives of his followers.

*****

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!