Katy Walker's Blog

It’s been almost a week since Ozarks Indie Book Fest and I wanted to share my experiences overall with everyone who has been following me on this little journey as an official blogger for the convention.

While things did not go as planned and (without going into the details) a lot of the activities were cut from the schedule, overall I had a great time!

This was my first signing and I was set up next to my author pal/REALLY great author, Aria Michaels. We both have zombie-ish literature so I brought a zombie game where people could shoot my zombie with Nerf guns to win swag! Both keynote speakers were great and I thoroughly enjoyed the inspiration their stories provided me and the rest of those gathered for Ozarks Indie Book Fest. Thank you, Christina Benjamin and BJ Sheldon! Aria had another table with the teens of the Twisted Fairy Tales Anthology. I had so much fun hanging out with them! So did Quill.

Check out Aria’s Facebook and the Twisted Fairy Tales Anthology!

Find Christina Benjamin here:Christina’s Facebook page

Find BJ Sheldon here:BJ’s Facebook page!

When we learned that the second day signing was to be cancelled, someone AWESOME came through and contacted the Springfield Library Center to see if we would be able to set up there on Saturday. It was so amazing to see the Indie book community come together when things didn’t work out as planned.

The awards were earlier than planned, but they were fun! Aria and I won “Best Table Display” which we weren’t expecting at all.

Saturday was amazing at the Library Center and I actually feel like we gained more exposure there than at the hotel. I had a chance to walk around and talk to some of the authors (I’m hoping to have some new interviews lined up soon) and have some new books to read. I didn’t have a lot of extra money this convention so I only bought three books.

My mom came with me to help out and I couldn’t ask for a better assistant/official baby rocker for Quill who also came along! Quill was pretty popular with some of the teen authors and established authors alike.

As you can see by the title of this post, we only have less than two weeks until we are hanging out in Springfield, MO! I cannot wait to see everyone, talk about books, and see my favorite authors! What are you most excited about?

If you haven’t decided whether or not to attend Ozarks Indie Book Fest, NOW is the time to purchase your tickets! For this week only, you can get $15 off of your ticket price with the code: oibf2017. Click here to snag yours and I’ll see you there!

Now, for those planning on going already have you been to a book convention before? Even if you have, I thought I’d throw together a quick list of things that have helped me as a reader attending a book con.

[image error] A heavy duty tote bag. Or some people bring backpacks or even little carts! If you purchased the 2 day ticket, it includes a swag bag, but if you haven’t definitely bring a bag! There are books to be purchased and signed by authors, free swag, and honestly it’s just nice to have somewhere to put everything!
A notebook and pen. Attending panels or not, a notebook is a great idea.
Sharpies. Most authors will have these at their tables to sign your books, but if you bring your own you won’t risk their pen not working!
Wear comfortable shoes. A lot of walking happens at a convention!
Cash. Most authors accept cards or Paypal, but JUST in case. It literally pays to be prepared.

Hey all! How’s life? I’m sure it’s as crazy as mine so I’ll make this update quick.

I had a baby (his name is Quill like Starlord and also those things writers used to use back in the day). If you follow me on Instagram, there is a TON of baby photo spam happening!
I’m still attending the Ozarks Indie Book Fest next month! YAY! If you don’t now what I’m talking about, check out the website and get your tickets ASAP. I was actually nominated for an award for debut author! You can get your votes in until September 18th at midnight so check it out to support your favorite authors.
I have a story in another anthology. This one was a little outside of my comfort zone genre-wise because my story needed to be either clean contemporary romance or urban fantasy. All proceeds benefit breast cancer research.

When life seems perfect, a storm moves in and rocks our world, turning it upside down. Some are harder to weather than others, but what happens when the worst occurs? Do you give up or do you face it without wavering?

Ink For Pink is an HEA collection of short, breast cancer stories that show the worst possible storm these fabulous characters can face while not giving up hope.

They didn’t have to go through it alone, and neither do you. Ink For Pink, an army united in pink!

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Summer is drawing to a close (YAY FOR BACK TO SCHOOL! My kids really really need to go back for their sanity and mine). That means that the Ozarks Indie Book Fest is approaching at lightning speed! I am super excited for this inagural year and so should you be! There are a lot of amazing activities, authors, and other book-tastic things happening in Springfield, MO this year and you need to be there. I’ll post a few of the deals below so be sure to get your tickets!

Purchase a 2 day pass ($35) to Ozarks Indie Book Fest and you’ll automatically be entered in a drawing for a chance to join the VIP signing authors and keynote speakers! The authors include Raye Wagner, Bella Roccaforte, Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke, Jodi Vaughn, Author, and our Key Note Speakers: Christina Benjamin, BJ Sheldon, Author and Jo Michaels.

Click the link to purchase your tickets to be entered!

https://ozarksindiebookfest2017.eventbrite.com

(Technically I, too, am an author who will be at this dinner…want to have dinner with me? Enter the contest! Haha!)

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If you are unable to attend both days, you can instead purchase a one-day reader ticket for $10. That’s an amazing deal to get to see some great authors.

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No matter which ticket you choose, time is running out! Spread the word and let’s make this the best convention EVER!

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A representative from a digital literacy agency called Publishizer, reached out to me to help promote an awesome sounding contest they have going on. Basically, authors are able to submit YA book proposals and the winning author wins $1000. And even better than that, Publishizer queries your winning proposal to over 200 publishers in hopes of landing the author a book deal. You only have until July 31st to enter the contest so HURRY! More about the contest and Publishizer are below!

Enter the contest here

Imagine a YA publishing process without gatekeepers.  One where editors and agents read the manuscripts that readers love, not vice versa.  One where anyone with a knack for writing, a passion to succeed, and a little flair for self-promotion, has a fair shot at being published.

All too frequently, this isn’t the case.  Books often get rejected for reasons beyond authors’ control.  One editor turned down an ultimately successful book by saying, “The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.”  The book in question?  The Diary of Anne Frank.  Furthermore, according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only about 10% of all YA books accepted for publication feature “multi-cultural content.”  Clearly, there are some blind spots that need addressing in the publishing industry.

It’s with this vision in mind that Publishizer is launching its YA book proposal contest called Plot Without a Cause.  Publishizer is a startup seeking to fill a hole in the publishing industry through crowdfunding.  It works like this:

You write the book proposal.  You know the book proposal I’m talking about.  The one you’ve been daydreaming about for years.  The one that just popped into your head last week and you haven’t stopped thinking about since.  The one for the manuscript that’s been dearly loved by you but maybe not so much yet by the publishing industry.  That one.  Then you register (for free!) on Publishizer’s website and post your proposal in the Plot Without a Cause section (again—for free!).

Now this is when you’ll have to start hustling.  Crowdfunding runs on pre-orders, so you had better start promoting that proposal.  Reach out over social media, post on your blog, email your old roommates—whatever it takes to start building buzz.  If you get the most preorders by the time the contest ends, you’ll win $1000 dollars.  And if you don’t have the highest number of preorders, don’t worry—you’ll still be queried to major publishers who fit your proposal.

Previous Publishizer contest participants have gotten interest and landed deals with a variety of traditional publishing companies, including Harvard Square Books, She Writes Press, and Weiser.  Publishizer takes a small commission on pre-orders when you choose a publisher at the end.

Every year, thousands of books are rejected by the publishing world for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the book—they’re too mainstream or not mainstream enough, too similar to books already being published or too different from books already being published.  Or the literary agent just doesn’t stand to make much money on the deal so they pass on a perfectly good book!  Imagine how many brilliant YA manuscripts go unpublished every year thanks to frustrating rejections.  Imagine how many hugely talented authors quietly give up on their dreams, just because the gate to a traditional publishing path isn’t open to them.

With their new YA book proposal contest, Plot Without a Cause, Publishizer is seeking to level the playing field.  Publishing decisions shouldn’t be based solely on a literary agent’s judgment or how many friends you have in the industry. They should be based on the quality of writing and how many readers the book attracts.

Great books get overlooked all the time, and this is an opportunity to show acquiring editors that yours is worth paying attention to.  Not to mention the readership and funds you could gain in the process.  Crowdfunding (or crowd-publishing, in this case) is growing in popularity and brings a personal touch back to book sales—for readers and publishers.  Are you in?

As many of you may have seen, I am one of the official bloggers for this year’s Ozarks Indie Book Fest! And as such, I am honored to introduce you to all the authors of the special anthology being released at the convention! Woo!

All proceeds of this anthology will go to two amazing charities for one year. The charities are Loving Paws Rescue and Companions For Heroes.

We are very excited about this anthology and know it’ll help both of these charities reach their goals. Be sure to get your tickets or tables so that you can get your own copy at Ozarks! https://ozarksindiebookfest2017.eventbrite.com

Find out more about Ozarks Indie Book Fest at http://ozarksindiebookfest.com/

Here is the glorious cover! The anthology is titled “Underdogs” and features some amazing authors! The cover was designed by Jo Michaels. Find out more about the authors below!

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Julie Wetzel:

Originally from Ohio, Julie always dreamed of a job in science. Either shooting for the stars or delving into the mysteries of volcanoes. But, life never leads where you expect. In 2007, she moved to Mississippi to be with her significant other.

Now a mother of a hyperactive red headed boy, what time she’s not chasing down dirty socks and unsticking toys from the ceiling is spent crafting worlds readers can get lost it. Julie is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and lover of big words. She likes hiking, frogs, interesting earrings, and a plethora of other fun things.

And with the Kindling Flames series, she is now an Internationally Best-Selling Author.

Susan Burdorf:

Susan Burdorf is an avid reader, photographer and lover of all things sparkly. Writing is a passion that is only quenched when THE END is written on the last page of a manuscript. Nothing says home to her, though, like the presence of her family. Susan encourages you to correspond with her and is available for public appearances at schools and conferences.

Elise Faber:

Aside from writing romance, Elise’s passions are chocolate, Star Wars, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team — the Sharks! — are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise is the mom to two exuberant boys and is thoroughly addicted to Dancing With the Stars. Connect with her on facebook (facebook.com/elisefaberauthor), twitter (@faberelise), instagram (@elisefaber) or www.elisefaber.com.

S.F. Benson:

Hi! I’m SF Benson!

I love answering the question “what if” by writing young adult and new adult Dystopian/Science fiction and paranormal stories. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I took a few varied paths to get to this point—blogger/reviewer, customer service representative, receptionist, marketing assistant, cashier, veterinary assistant, editorial assistant… I like to think that those positions provided ‘food’ for my creative brain.

When I’m not devouring countless books, I’m taking care of my family, which includes a few furry members. At one point in my adult life, I had a household which included three Samoyeds, saltwater fish, a hamster, and three guinea pigs.

Currently, I reside in Georgia, but have lived in Michigan and California. My ideal location would be Michigan with southern California weather for Spring, Summer, and Winter. Nothing beats Fall in Michigan.

J.G. Sumner:

J.G. is a Registered Nurse who went rogue. As good as she was at starting IV’s, she enjoys writing the down the stories in her head even more. Most of the time the characters won’t stop pestering her until she has them down on paper.

J.G. can often be found with a glass of red wine or prosecco in front of her computer. She has a very dry sense of humor, and should never be taken too seriously. She loves to hear from her fans, and even those who aren’t especially fond of her work.

J.G. writes romantic suspense/thrillers including: A Shot in the Dark, Into the Light, The Surrender Trilogy including Surrender, Shattered, and Saved available this summer.

Sandy Goldsworthy:

Sandy Goldsworthy was raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, blocks from the rocky shores of Lake Michigan. As a child, she fantasized about becoming an author. She jotted story lines in spiral notebooks and drew images of characters that never came to life. Her passion for putting pen to paper began when her high school English teacher inspired her to be more descriptive in her work. Ever since, Sandy dabbled in creative writing, searching for that perfect shade of red and that character you want to get to know.

Admittedly, Sandy is addicted to coffee and dark chocolate, and is obsessed with all things paranormal. She records more movies and television shows than is humanly possible to watch in a lifetime, and swears there’s a ghost in her house. When not writing, Sandy can be found curled up on the couch nose-deep into a book, or trying to catch up on that recorded season of some paranormal series.

Sandy graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she majored in marketing. She spends her days managing corporate client programs, and her nights and weekends drafting new plot lines in spiral notebooks. She resides in southeastern Wisconsin with her husband, two children, and an energetic puppy.

Her first novel, Aftermath, was released by Clean Teen Publishing in December 2014.

Susan Boles:

Susan calls McNairy County, TN her home ground even though she has moved away. It was here, at Bethel Springs Junior High School that she began her writing career with two friends. They formed their own little writers group that was so secret they were the only ones who knew it existed. She still has some of the stories they wrote carefully preserved in a loose leaf binder and tucked away for safety.

She has worked in retail management, briefly for the Census Bureau and for many years in the investment/insurance industry in the regulatory compliance arena. All of which are left brain activities. So she exercises her right brain activity with reading and writing…just to keep both sides even.

Reading has been a passion since she was very young. As a toddler, her mother read to her from her ‘baby books’ and her Mother tells a story about her holding one of them upsidedown and ‘reading’ by repeating the story verbatim from memory.

Susan writes mysteries set in the big city of Memphis, TN and the fictional small town of Mercy, Mississippi.

Stay in touch for upcoming releases!

Jeanine Binder:

Jeanine Binder grew up in a small town in California on the outskirts of Palm Springs, where the Hollywood celebrities liked to vacation. After thirty years, she packed up, moved to Arkansas where she still lives today. Her hobbies include her writing, reading good books, and seeing exotic places (loves to go on cruises).

Writing has always been a passion and hoping the next twenty years will bring many enjoyable books for others to read.

You can connect with Jeanine via the following:

Website – www.JeanineBinder.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/AuthorJeanineBinder

Kelly Risser:

Kelly Risser knew at a young age what she wanted to be when she grew up. Unfortunately, Fairytale Princess was not a lucrative career. Leaving the castle and wand behind, she entered the world of creative business writing where she worked in advertising, marketing, and training at various companies.

She’s often found lamenting, “It’s hard to write when there are so many good books to read!” So, when she’s not immersed in the middle of someone else’s fantasy world, she’s busy creating one of her own. This world is introduced in her first novel, Never Forgotten.

Kelly lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two children. They share their home with Clyde the Whoodle and a school of fish.

A.J. Culey:

A.J. Culey is a teacher, world traveler and writer. She is a fan of books, bunnies and cats (and also rainbow-colored hair, but that’s another story).

She can be found online at www.ajculey.com, www.facebook.com/ajculey.author and on Twitter @tyrabbisaurus.

Each moment we get closer to UTOPiA Con (next week ALL) means that the Ozarks Indie Book Fest is getting closer too! While we’re waiting, I thought I’d share some FREE books from a few of the authors attending OIBF this Fall.

Definitely, check out the Ozarks Indie Book Fest website for a list of all attending authors and to get your tickets!

Here’s a link to the entire list!

The Reaper Report by Angela Roquet

The Curious Tale of Gabrielle by Zachary Paul Chopchinski

Shattered Time Anthology

The Scent of Lilac by Casey Hays

War and Pieces: Season 1, Episode 1

Never Forgotten by Kelly Risser

Twisted Fate by Sharon Rose Mayes

The Sexiest Man Alive by Mary Ting/M. Clarke

 

Click to view slideshow.

 

TOMORROW is the day! From Now On: The Last Words anthology will be unleashed on the world this Saturday, June 10th! Woo!
Confused? This anthology is a set of awesome dystopian stories all taking place in different worlds and characters. You can preorder the anthology here and it will arrive on your Kindle June 10th! All proceeds go to help JDRF and kids with diabetes. Check out the interviews from last week too!

[image error]Today, I interview myself and talk a little bit about our release party on Facebook. We hope you can make it! The party will be Saturday, June 10th from 5-6PM (PST) on the Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans Facebook group. Not a member? Join here and enjoy some other dystopian discussions and awesomeness.

Now, on to the interview! If you have any other questions for me, put them in the comments. 

How did you become a writer? Any people, books, or movies inspire you to fulfill your dream?

I’ve been writing since about 1st or 2nd grade. I submitted a few stories to Reading Rainbow (illustrated by me too) but was never accepted. I didn’t let these rejections get me down and kept at it. In high school, I wrote a lot of emo poetry but didn’t write short stories until later on. After many many years, I joined a local writing group with some friends where I began delving a little deeper into writing and short stories. It’s fun and a way to express myself!

How did you become involved in The Last Words anthology?

The founder of The Last Words anthology, Katy Webb, asked if I would be interested in joining up with her new project. It sounded awesome, so here I am!

What is your story about? How did you come up with this idea?

My story follows a guy in his mid-twenties who feels like a loser. He’s given up on life and feels like there’s no point in trying to become anything better. His world is changed when he learns that his reality isn’t real but instead lies somewhere through the mirror. I guess “Mirrors” could be described as Alice in Wonderland meets The Matrix. The idea came from looking in the mirror one day and wondering about what could be on the other side if my reflection wasn’t truly my own. I hope you enjoy!

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What do you feel draws people to reading dystopian stories?

Personally, dystopian stories show us the hope behind the horror. No matter how awful things become, the main characters (usually) hold some glimmer of hope for what could be. I love that and feel it’s relatable to many topics in today’s world.

If you could choose any book world to live in for one week, which would you choose and why?

I want to say, Harry Potter, because it would be amazing to be a witch and be able to do magic. But I’ll mix it up a little and choose The Vagabond Circus series by Sarah Noffke. I would be a dream traveler and a performer while making people happy. Sounds amazing to me!

What else are you working on? Any hints?

Currently, I am working on my first novel called “Gray’s Shadow.” I first wrote the story as a 500-word flash fiction in the writing group I mentioned above. The story follows a boy who’s shadow comes to life in a dystopian/post-apoc setting. Since then, it’s been undergoing a bit of a process as I try to make it into the story I KNOW it can be (AKA, it’s a huge MESS).

When I take breaks from “Gray’s Shadow,” I have a few other ideas I’m attempting to plot that are in various genres. We’ll see what happens!

Are you a plotter or a panster? Or a hybrid of the two?

I am a panster attempting to become a plotter. For short stories, flying by the seat of my pants has worked fine, but for novels, I need some sort of outline to guide me!

What do you do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I am a stay-at-home mom during the day to my two amazing boys. Both of them have Autism, so we are lucky enough to qualify for some in-home therapists to come by and help them out. While they are in therapy, I can get a little more writing done! Besides that, I’m also a blogger, assistant to the admins on the Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans Facebook group, official blogger for the Ozarks Indie Book Fest, and a part-time Barista. My husband and I hang out too when we can!

Do you have any advice for new writers?

I would suggest figuring out some sort of organization system or something like Scrivener when you’re starting a large writing project. The thing holding me back from finishing my first novel is that I was just “winging it” in the beginning and now I can’t untangle it!

As for short stories, it works best for me to get the entire story on the paper and then go back and edit. Get it all out and don’t stop!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

[image error]Katy Walker is a self-proclaimed geek turned blogger turned author. She writes mainly Dystopian, often with a Paranormal or Science Fiction twist. While she is finishing up her first novel, she participates in anthologies like this one. When she isn’t writing, Katy is helping her two active boys grow up into amazing kids, playing board games with her husband, Luke, or reading something new! You can find Katy online either on her blog’s page facebook.com/thekatyblog or hanging out on Band of Dystopian Authors and Fan’s Facebook group where she’s an enthusiastic assistant.  

Facebook blog page

Facebook author page

Amazon page

Goodreads

Preorder here!

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It’s release week! From Now On: The Last Words anthology will be unleashed on the world this Saturday, June 10th! Woo! Still more interviews to enjoy.
Confused? This anthology is a set of awesome dystopian stories all taking place in different worlds and characters. You can preorder the anthology here and it will arrive on your Kindle June 10th! All proceeds go to help JDRF and kids with diabetes. Check out the interviews from last week too!
Please welcome Nealy Gihan to the blog today!
How did you become a writer? Any people, books, or movies inspire you to fulfill your dream?

I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. I am the daughter of a communications exec and reading specialist. Reading and writing have always been part of life. But I knew I was going to be a writer after meeting Anne Shirley in “Anne of Green Gables” and Jo March in “Little Women.”

How did you become involved in The Last Words anthology?

The amazing Katy Webb was my roommate at Utopia Con last summer, when she first mentioned the project. I was game from Day 1.

What is your story about? How did you come up with this idea?

My story is about Hope, a seventeen-year-old who is about to get married and move away from her village to live in the big city. On the day of her bridal shower, and a stranger shows up and has her questioning her future. This story is inspired by John Lennon’s “Imagine.” The world of “Something Old” is one without religion and race.

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What do you feel draws people to reading dystopian stories?

I think it’s that there’s always hope even in the darkest, bleakest worlds.

If you could choose any book world to live in for one week, which would you choose and why?

This is tricky. The worlds of my favorite books are pretty bad until the hero or heroine has made it better. But has a kid, I always wanted to be friends with the brother and sister in “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.” I’d still do anything to be locked up in a museum for a week.

What else are you working on? Any hints?

So, I’d never written dystopian before. As I started plotting and creating this world, I fell in love and had trouble condensing to just this short story. I will be writing more of Hope’s story. In the meantime, however, I am working on nonfiction: On the Verge of Spinsterhood. It’s the good, bad, and funny stories of my single life.

Are you a plotter or a panster? Or a hybrid of the two?

I am a reformed pantser. All of my life I’ve been a pantser or hybrid, and it’s taken me forever to write. This past summer, I started plotting, and I’ve really seen a difference in my writing.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Is there life outside of writing? Haha. I stay busy. I read, work as a marketing and communications specialist for a nonprofit, run my own copyediting/copywriting business, am active in my church, dream of getting back into aerial arts, and spend time with friends.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Write, write, and write! Write all of the words—the good, the bad, the horrible. And eventually, you will have gems.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

[image error]Nealy Gihan’s writing career began with The Man Who Fell in Love With Kimberly, a three-page story loosely based on a comic book she’d read and her best friend’s crush. She may have only been in third grade when she wrote it, but Nealy gained a following even at the middle school with her story and has continued to write ever since. She holds a degree in journalism from Hampton University and a master’s in literary writing from DePaul University. Professionally, she has published several articles in the Lincoln Journal Star and The Virginian-Pilot newspapers. She’s received awards for journalism, screenwriting, and short fiction. Nealy is the author of “Drive” in the anthology Perception, a short story collection titled Shorts of Fiction, and “Something Old” in the From Now On anthology. When she’s not writing, Nealy can be found at home in Virginia Beach, Virginia, running her business Purple Inked or training to one day join the circus.

Facebook and www.purpleinked.com

Preorder here!

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It’s release week! From Now On: The Last Words anthology will be unleashed on the world this Saturday, June 10th! Woo! Still more interviews to enjoy.
Confused? This anthology is a set of awesome dystopian stories all taking place in different worlds and characters. You can preorder the anthology here and it will arrive on your Kindle June 10th! All proceeds go to help JDRF and kids with diabetes. Check out the interviews from last week too!
Please welcome Christina Walker to the blog today!
How did you become a writer? Any people, books, or movies inspire you to fulfill your dream?

I’ve always loved reading and writing, but the first time I seriously thought about wanting to be an author was in junior high after reading a fantasy series called The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The world-building of those books is INSANE. Every book had at least one appendix with tons of background information, like how the rune magic worked, or the complicated dwarven technology, or cultural things like music and language. Those books completely captivated me. More current inspiration comes from Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files series, which also has amazing world-building, as well as fantastic character arcs.



But I didn’t really become an author until I went to my first writing conference. Spending money to hang out with other writers made it real for me, and I made a ton of friends who inspired me to keep writing and learning how to improve.

How did you become involved in The Last Words anthology?

I met the organizer at a conference. She’d quickly become a friend, and a bunch of us were going out to lunch when she said she had an idea for an anthology. Everything blossomed from there.

What is your story about? How did you come up with this idea?

My story is about a teen girl who discovers her idyllic community is not as perfect as it seems, and her best friend is next in line for a terrible fate.

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When we decided to write dystopian, I knew I wanted to explore freedom versus security as my main theme instead of the traditional apocalyptic, end-of-the-world dystopian story. Don’t get me wrong–I love post-apoc as much as any dystopian fan, but I was really intrigued by the idea of a welfare system taken to the extreme. I also wanted to include diversity. So in “The Weeding,” the government provides everything for its citizens: homes, jobs, education, food, etc. Money is a thing of the past because everyone contributes to keep the system running smoothly, so everyone is taken care of. The problem happens when some people take more resources than others because of old age or disability–such as the main character’s best friend, who has debilitating juvenile arthritis. The leaders of the community come up with the Weeding to balance the scales, and it’s not pretty.



I’m also a bit of a prepper–someone who stocks up skills and supplies in case of emergency or disaster. One of the biggest components of prepping is food storage. Since prepping and dystopian go hand-in-hand, food storage also makes an appearance in my story.