WWIV - The Last Great War

The first novel I ever published was WWIV - In The Beginning. That was more than three years and 120 reviews ago. Since then I've added three more novels to the series:

WWIV - Hope in the Darkness

WWIV - Basiin of Secrets

WWIV - The Last Finders

Here are the covers for all of them (just in case you've never read the series).

Each book is a standalone novel. New characters and new surroundings are found throughout. In the Beginning starts in St. Paul, MN and works its way into western Wisconsin. Hope in the Darkness takes place just outside of Portage (WI). Basin of Secrets is set in Salt Lake City. And The Last Finders is near Eau Claire (WI).

Book one features Bill and Brit. Book two focuses on Hunter and Sister Thersa. Book three zeros in on Cara, Betsy and a man named Willem Tarlisch (my favorite antagonist to date). Book four deals with four friends (Wilson, Tiny, Judy, and Sharon). It also has a great antagonist that goes by the name of Captain Wayne.

So, WWIV is a series but not a serial. I know that some readers prefer it that way. If you haven't dipped your toe into the WWIV water, maybe now is a good time to start. They are all available on Amazon and Book One is always free.


Until next time - Read Like There's No Tomorrow (because if WWIV does come, there won't be one).

e a lake

Things you won't miss in the Apocalypse: #4

Unwanted Phone Calls

We all hate them. And I don't think the discussion about the pesky interruptions in our day needs to go on any further. So when the Darkness wipes out phones -- all phones -- no one is going to miss any form of telemarketing.

No one is going to miss...

Unwanted telemarketers telling us they have a crew in our area today and they'd be happy to remove that low hanging tree branch. Newsflash -- I don't have any large trees in my yard. And even if I did, I'm sure I could handle it myself.

Or how about the lovely folks that call us on our cells, begging for donations. Yes, I love puppies, and old people, and clean air. No, I don't want to give money to Bernie, or Hillary or Ted. I don't care to share my pending vote on the citywide dog catcher referendum either. Just leave me alone.

I hate talking on the phone, anyway

Just ask my children. They'll tell you how a conversation with dear old Dad goes.

Them: Hi, what you doing?

Me: Super busy (sometimes true). What do you need?

So if I don't care to talk on the phone with my loved ones, why in the devil do I want to talk to you?

Sorry all teens, the Darkness will suck for you

Remember, all forms of electronic communications are going to die. That means no:

• Lengthy calls with that person you can't live without
• Chatting
• Instagram
• FaceBook Updates
• Texting

I know, dagger through the heart. But there will be an upside. You're going to get to know your immediate family members better. Okay, this might not be such an upside for either party now that I think it through.

But you'll be too busy surviving (hunter/gatherer mode) to care anyway...after several months of iPhone withdrawal.

Want to talk to your friends? No problem, sort of. You'll need to figure out where Chrissy and Tommy and Trigger have gone to. You like dead people? (Not so much?) Then maybe you should just stay put with your family. It'll save the emotional trauma.

Yeah, it's going to suck

But look on the bright side. According to most "preppers" and "prepping experts", chances are you're not going to live more than a year or two. So that phone that's glued to your hand right now? Not a big deal when you're starving, or sick.

In the next ten days I'll be beginning a new series...five people you'll meet in the apocalypse.

Until then -- enjoy your phone....

e a lake

Things you won't miss in the Apocalypse: #3

The Internal Revenue Service

Oh, my friends, this is a timely one!

There are two types of people in The United States: those that love tax day, and those of us who hate it. And these groups are easy to tell apart. Lovers of tax day get refunds. Non-lovers (like me) owe money at the end of the tax year.

The Darkness will save us all from Tax Day

And the dreaded IRS.

First off, if you get a large refund you're just plain silly...goofy in the brain. Why do you insist on lending people money at a zero percent interest rate? No one, and I mean absolutely no one, would do that for you. So that "forced savings plan" of yours that the government generously sends back to you was yours all along.

And if you owe, like me, why haven't you made your estimated payments? That would save you a whole bunch of grief come April 15th, you know.

But what if that all went away?

That's one of the benefits of the Darkness (or what you might call the apocalypse or TEOTWAWKI). No more taxes, or tax day. No more government. No more IRS!

Yeah, the Darkness will have its ugly side (or I should say sides) but taxes won't be one of them.

Most money and income will be gone

Transactions will become barter based. I trade you four cans of pork and beans for a live chicken. You trade two of those cans to another soul for five 12-guage shells. They trade one of those cans for a clean bottle of water. 

Much simpler, right? And no taxes to be paid.

You won't be going to work anymore. No more 9 to 5, no more bosses with unreasonable demands. No more rushing home to catch little Suzie's soccer practice.

What a nice simple life you'll have.

There will be a down side, of course

Finding food and water will be your new "Job". That and keeping yourself, and your loved ones, safe. But if you don't have to rush off to work, or worry about paying or filing your taxes, you're going to have all sorts of extra free time.

Is that a fair trade? Well, maybe.

Until next time when we talk about not missing the unwanted phone calls,

e a lake

Things you won't miss in the Apocalypse: #2

The Recycling Police

Don't get me wrong, we sort at my house. Trash is separated from recyclables, and almost weekly we have 30 to 40 gallons to be reused somewhere in the world.

But some folks take it too far

And you know exactly who I mean. That relative that brags about only having five gallons of trash a month because he or she recycle the rest. The neighbor who only buys recycled materials. The kids in your neighborhood that wander around on trash day in their neon-green shirts, urging you to dig through your crap and fish that one aluminum can out of the bottom. The one covered in potatoes peels or dog crap.

I have nothing against recycling; I'm just not fond of the Recycling Police.

I won't miss sorting my trash in the Darkness

Not me. I also won't miss trash day -- both literally and figuratively. My recycling comes at about 5:00 a.m. That's a little before my comfort zone of rising (since I wrote fiction well into the dark hours). So if I don't get my recycling out the night before, it ain't getting out that particular week.

And I hate each spring when the groups of youngsters spread out in the neighborhood. "Please remember to recycle," they say, pleading with tears in their eyes. Or even better, "Save the planet for me, Mister."

Wow, now I hate spring...and kids in neon-green shirts!

No one is going to bother you in the Darkness

Not about recycling, at least. They may beg for food, or shelter, or protection. My former recycling materials will be of no one's concern any longer.

Plus, people will recycle in new ways. Those plastic bottles shown here? Forget about the BPAs. They will be used many times over to store fresh water, regardless of dangerous they were once thought. They're easier to carry in a backpack than a five-gallon pail, right?

We will be more creative with our recyclables at the EOTWAWKI. We will have to be because once they're gone...they'll be gone forever.

Goodbye people worried about the trash we spread

I can't say I'm going to miss you.

Until next time when we talk about not missing the Internal Revenue Service,

e a lake

Things you won't miss in the Apocalypse: #1

Presidential Campaigns

Every four years a new group of candidates come out of the woods and announce they are "running for the office of President of the United States of America." Sometimes they are substantive: Barrack Obama, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy. Real candidates that stand for something besides the status quo.

Then there are the quirky: Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders. All legitimate candidates but a bubble or two off of plumb. They talk a good talk; sometimes things they say make a lot of sense. But in the end...they flame out. (The jury is still out on Mr. Trump).

And then the true status quo: Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, John McCain. These folks offer nothing new. Just four (or sometimes eight) more years of what we already have. Bland, beige, boring.

What if that all went away?

Enter the Apocalypse (I call it The Darkness). Gone is all electricity and power; gone are all forms of mass communication (cell phones, Twitter, FaceBook, landlines, faxes). Travel is pretty much limited to foot, or a horse if you can find one.

Do you know what that means people? Think about it: No more debates, No more commercials, No more town hall meetings, No more sound bites. The end of the rhetoric...finally!

In the Darkness, we may not even have a President

Communities would be self-ruled. No need for someone (or many someones) a thousand or more miles away telling us what to do. Think they could help with the limited food supply after two months of Darkness? Doubt it. 

Our former leaders will be too busy hiding, all bunkered up in some fortified hole in the ground. Surrounded by decades of fresh food and water. They might even be chuckling as what's left of the citizenry scrounges to survive.

But we have the last laugh

No longer will we have to listen to these government types (they call themselves Civil Servants) beg for our votes. If the trains still ran (their computers were destroyed with the Darkness, so they don't) this new breed of candidate could do whistle-stop campaigns, ala Teddy Roosevelt.

But why? There'll be nothing left to rule. A formerly great country, in a formerly well-connected world, will be a shell of its former self. (And just so we're clear, the rest of the world will have the same Darkness to deal with).

We will all suffer

But at least we won't have to listen to these clowns anymore!


Until next time when we talk about not missing the recycling police,


e a lake

Yes, it will be that BAD!

Tell me what you see here? Come on, tell me.

They're grocery store shelves, nearly empty. I believe this photo comes to us from the UK, but it's not a sight that we are immune to here in the US either.

The Great East Coast Blizzard of two weeks past

The above scene was shown in many, many papers. My youngest son and his family live in Norfolk (VA) proper. He told me people were going "nuts", stocking up on food and supplies there. And they were only going to get an inch, or two, of snow in that part of the state.

Any Hurricane about to hit mainland "Anywhere"

Last fall that same son of mine watched nervously for several days as a hurricane approached. Fortunately, for many people, it stayed out in the Atlantic (though they did receive tremendous amounts of rain). Nonetheless, people went crazy buying up food, water, building (perhaps re-building) materials and everything else they could get their hands on.

So yes, when the Darkness arrives, things will be messy

A common belief of many people is that if we experience some cataclysmic event, society will be all right for a while. Maybe a month, maybe two. But, in their minds, things will hold together longer than most preppers believe.

HOGWASH!!!!!

Imagine a world where your electricity is gone; your vehicle doesn't start - won't even turn over. A world where all forms of electronic communication fail to work.

And you can tell me - with a straight face - that all hell isn't going to break loose sooner rather than later? I don't think so, friend. This is the apocalypse...and the Darkness has arrived.

History, as mentioned above, proves me right. When things go bad, people tend to take care of themselves first, and later they will help their neighbors. But when this new world lasts for weeks on end, what's theirs is theirs. Plain and simple.

So yes, the Darkness will be that bad...and worse. Read all about it here: The Darkness.

Until next week, chin up. Spring is only three months away here in Minnesota.

e a lake

(go ahead, click on one...I double-dog dare you to)

             

Pre-release Sample Chapter - Book 3 WWIV Series

The time is near! Read the first chapter of this soon to be released novel today.

Subscribers to my newsletter will receive special pre-release pricing information in the next week. To join this group, click here.

To read chapter one of my latest novel, before it is released, simply click here (or on the picture above) and click on "Download Sample Chapter".

Watch for WWIV - Basin of Secrets release, coming soon exclusively on Amazon.

As always, thanks for following, and watch for more next week.

e a lake

(go ahead, click on one...I double-dog dare you to)

             

Happy Friday --- I Think

There's a lot going on in the world right now. A whole bunch. And all of it is super important. Thus, I'll keep this brief so you can get back to those important issues.

Massive Blizzard Strikes East Coast

Two to three feet of snow, in places not used to getting that much snow all at once (much less an entire winter). Travel will be impossible, cities will be paralyzed, food has disappeared from most store's shelves. A true apocalyptic event (albeit temporary).

In Minnesota, we call that kind of thing Wednesday.

Will Smith Joins List of Actors Boycotting Oscars

They have a problem in Hollywood. And it's the second year in a row. But let's face it, this isn't a new problem for them. Have you seen many films? If so, you know they're not all that culturally diverse.

So a group of over-hyped stars (at least in their minds) with over-sized egos want me to worry about a show/event where they pat each other on the back and give out meaningless awards and make speeches giving undeserved adulations to one another?

I don't think so.

Donald Trump Continues to Lead in Many Polls

If you're a mainstream conservative, you grimace every time you see him on TV. Or hear his name mentioned anywhere. Liberals? They are hoping (perhaps praying) this run ends -- quickly. Not that any of their candidates has the answers.

Someone asked me the other day if I thought The Donald would receive the Republican nomination. Maybe, I said. But history is not on his side. Early front runners typically fade. Back in 2008, our current President was barely a blip on the political radar at this point going into Iowa.

And by the way, I truly doubt we will see a Commander in Chief in the next fifteen to twenty years that will make any difference. Our country is too divided right now. Until someone has the guts to fix that problem, the Bush and Obama years will be seen as "good times".

Here's My Point

Everything is temporary, people. The three issues above? Just blips on the radar today, gone with tomorrow's sunrise (okay, we'll have to wait a while for the political thing to play out). But in the long-run, none of this really matters.

Once the Darkness arrives, a whole lot of things won't matter. Of the three above, only a major storm (of any type) will ever have an effect on your life. No one will remember who won what award, who Donald Trump was, or even what life was once like.

Don't believe me? Start reading - WWIV -- Darkness Descends.

According to one reader, it scared the sh*t out of her.

See you next week...perhaps,

e a lake

(go ahead, click on one...I double-dog dare you to)

                           

Best Selling Author -- Leave me OUT!

Consider the graphic below. Don't just glance at it, read it. Read what's written under each picture.

You smiled, didn't you? At least at a couple...the ones you've actually read.

Me? If we count across the top from left to right, I've read numbers 1, 2, 3 & 5. I've read plenty of other Hemingway, so number 4 will have to wait. As for James Joyce's Ulysses - I'm not sure I'm smart enough to read that one.

Show of hands: Who has read 1984

I create in the dystopian and post-apocalyptic genres. As such, Orwell's classic is the standard-bearer for me. But, this doesn't mean everyone loves the novel. Look at these quotes:

"I read it in (high) school, but I didn't really like it. It was weird." -Former Neighbor

"I think Orwell was on drugs when he wrote that book. It's so far-fetched." - College Buddy

"Kinda boring. I prefer Brave New World." 

That last quote comes from my beloved wife of nearly 36 years. How dare she! It is well known that Huxley was an alien from some distant planet, only sent to earth to confuse us. (Okay, I made that part up; but I get irrational when defending George Orwell).

When I ask people about Moby Dick, the reactions are the same

And this is my point. People find a master like George Orwell weird. Herman Melville is boring in their opinions. James Joyce...who even knows. Way beyond the normal person.

Yet, these books are classics. I mean full fledged, 100 percent classics. Even dissenters agree with that thinking. As for people admitting to actually wanting to read these epics... crickets.

I'd love to write a classic, the next Great American Novel

But I don't want people to think I'm dull, or boring. For me, I would rather have a nice group of fans who enjoy the fiction I create. I'm not looking to be forced upon teens in high school. NO! That would give us an entire generation that would read only one of my books, and then say something stupid like this:

"Oh yeah, the teacher made us read e a lake in high school. WWIV or something like that. She said it was a classic. Classic dullsville!"

Selling a few more books would be great. But I don't want to end up in the trash heap of literature! No sir, thank you. I'd hate to be relegated to the likes of Orwell, Melville, Joyce, and Steinbeck. Geez, that would be just awful...right?

Until next week, tell me how many of the six highlighted books you've read. Has anyone had the courage, time, and stamina to read all of them? Let me know.

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)

                           

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Perhaps "won't you be my friend" is a better way to ask this. But you get the idea, right? Tell me you didn't hear Fred Rogers singing when you saw the heading? Deny to me, right now, you didn't sing the jingle!

Join e a lake's First Readers Team

I Need Your Help!

Yep, I do. And I'm not afraid to ask for it.

You see, I need "First Readers". At least, that's what I'm calling them/you. I need 15 to 25 diehard readers for my latest book that will be released later this month. I need to find every last mistake in this one, and you can help. And I need some reviews for Amazon the day it is released.

Here's what I provide to you:

1. An electronic copy of book three - WWIV - Basin of Secrets. Preferably I will provide it in pdf format, but I can be flexible on that.

2. A FREE copy of the paperback (WWIV - Basin of Secrets) sometime in February or March (when it is available).

3. My undying love and thanks.

Here's what you provide in return:

1. Read the entire novel.

2. Provide me with feedback on any mistakes you find, or any questions you have on the book.

3. When released on Amazon, leave an honest review.

That's it, really! I give, you give,  and perhaps we establish a long-lasting relationship. If we "like" each other, we can do this all again with the release of my next book(s).

Here is the link to begin: 

Join e a lake's First Readers Team


Click here to find out more details on WWIV - Basin of Secrets!

Thank you for considering becoming a First Reader.

Have a great first week of 2016,

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on them)

                           

Results of Promo - AweSome!

Okay, as many of you already know, I recently had three free days for my first book of shorts in my WWIV series. Immediately below is the graphic I used, and next to that were my predictions for this giveaway.

It ran Friday, Saturday, and Sunday two weeks ago. From the research I performed, and based on all my other giveaways, I came up with these goals:

Friday Goal - 100 units

Saturday Goal - 75 units

Sunday Goal - 50 units

Total for all days - 225 units.

Promo Time

I placed several small ads on the days above. Let's say six; why "let's say"? Well, I'm not sure all of the ads ran. I was busy with my wife's family that weekend, so I didn't have the time needed to check on all of them.

Also, I placed it in FaceBook on my author page and my personal page. Several friends shared the promo with their followings, and for that I thank them! I further used my blog to promo the giveaway and Twitter (and we all know how well that platform works for things such as this).

And the Results are in

Friday Dec 19th - 236 units (goal was 100)

Saturday Goal - 231 units (75)

Sunday Goal - 95 units (50)

Total for all days - 563 units.

Happy, Blessed, and Thrilled - all in one

Perhaps I'm just goofy. But hey, I more than doubled my goal. And this means that 563 new readers have been introduced to my writing. That's the thrilling part. Even if all of them aren't new readers of my series, the majority most likely are (darn Amazon is so stingy with details like this).

And here's the best part

WWIV - Darkness Descends cracked the top 600 in Free Kindle Books during this period. Actually, it crawled a little higher at one point, somewhere near number 500. But of course, I was busy and couldn't take a screenshot at that time.

Yes, I could have done better with a little better planning, finding a few more places to promote the giveaway, spending a little more money (my budget = $50), and getting the word out to even more of my family and friends.

But with a little bit of planning, it was still a great promotion (at least in my mind). If you'd like more details, drop me a line. I'll be happy to share what I can.

If you would like to know when my next free offer comes, join my readers group here. You will also information soon about discounted pre-release pricing for my soon to be released book  WWIV - Basin of Secrets.

Happy New Year Everyone,

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)

                           

This Weekend Only...FREE!

Absolutely FREE!

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Only!

Get my first book of shorts for FREE!

That's this weekend - December 18th through the 20th! Don't miss my free gift to you.

Thank you for following this blog. I appreciate each and everyone who reads and comments. Without you, my voice would be muted.

Seasons Greetings to All,

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)

                       

You've Got Real Problems Now

Let's summarize what's gone from your world; what I've taken away over the past three weeks.

1. Electricity (all power)     

Yep, you no have use of any electric devices. No fridge, no stove, no air conditioning, no furnace, no television, no radio. No nothing! Fun, right?

You may say, "I'll be fine without these modern conveniences." But really, will you? Can't look up anything on the internet anymore. That's gone too. Just another casualty of the Darkness. 

You know all that stuff you saved on some hard drive? All about prepping and survival skills? Sorry, no access. It's all gone, pal.

2. Transportation

No planes, no trains, no automobiles. 

You're on foot, or horse or bike from this point forward. The range you can roam just dwindled from thousands of miles, to maybe twenty. Feeling a little confined, friend?

Anything with a computer is dead. And almost all of our transportation, nowadays, runs on computers. The average car has a number of them somewhere under the hood. Planes don't use hydraulics that much anymore. Most of what is accomplished to get airborne is done with the aid of a computer.

Now some cars, and some smaller planes, will work - for a while. But once we use up the last of our stored fossil fuels, they are done as well. Remember, no electricity to pump them from deep storage tanks. Bet you forgot all about that, didn't you?

3. Communications

No cell phones, no landlines, no pagers, no faxes, no texting...yeah, you get it: no easy communication.

This one really sucks. How am I supposed to know how my mother, some eighty miles away, is doing? Or how my youngest son and his family 1,200 miles away are holding up in the Darkness?

Even more sobering, what if my wife is some thirty miles away when it strikes and can't get home? Will I ever see her again? Will I ever know what happened to her?

Much will be lost when the Darkness arrives. Ease of living, loved ones, the world we know. How will humankind survive such an event? Will we even care how it happened? Or will we all go into survival mode? Some many questions - so few answers.

This is the world of WWIV. Four full novels, and three novellas (when all are finished) - exploring people's reactions and lives at the time of the event, and in the years that follow. If you want to know what caused all of this havoc, maybe you do and maybe you don't, you'll have to wait for the last novella in 2016 - The Truth.

Until then, if you would like to read any of these stories, click on the books below. If you'd like to know when new books are arriving, click here to receive my newsletter.

I'll have more for you next week. Until then, get your loved ones something decent to read for Christmas.

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)