Are you prepared for a Survival situation?  

What would your Survival story be?

I thought I was pretty prepared.  I mean after all, I have been involved with the homesteading and prepper communities for over 3 years.  I have all the books, I have indeed read them…bookmarked them…highlighted and underlined them.  I have my food storage, my BOB…Bug Out Bags and my emergency kits for our vehicles.  I have a variety of self-defense tools such as knives, guns, etc…and know how to use them.  I fell like I am on my way.  Somewhat more prepared than others but not as prepared as some.  I definently would not be a hindrence in a Survival situation.

But really….am I prepared?

Are YOU?

I have been completely blown away by a book I just finished reading…”Aftermath; A Story of Survival”.  I mean, literally blown away.  In any given emergency or disaster situation…the ones that will change the face of your life and the world around you…are we really prepared for what our futures will look like?  What our lives will look like…live like?

LeAnn Edmondson does an amazing job of bringing all the characters of her book to life…a rich full life.  I feel like I know each and everyone of these people.  That they are my friends, my neighbors…not just characters in a novel.  

We learn to immediately like Jimmy, a young man who has prepared quite a lot in his life (a lot more than me), has a solid head on his shoulders and is quite a determined person.  He is resilient and trustworthy and I like that he is my tour guide for this new lifes journey.  Along the way we meet Amie, a rough and tumble gal that is very comfortable in the wilderness and in her current situation.  Through her we meet her Dad whom we get to know as “Captain”.  That’s enough said about him…only I will share…he is quite the character.

Several people come into Jimmy’s life as he builds his camp; Alvarado and his wife Sarah and their son Austin. There is Terry, Dawn and Jessica and Brad just to name a few people that are your normal everyday people trying to exist…survive in a world they thought might come but were surprised when it did. 

This is their story…Jimmy and Amie’s, Al & Sarah’s, and yours…too!

I had the pleasure of interviewing LeAnn recently about her book:

Kat: Where did the original idea for your book come from?? Where do you find your inspiration??

LeAnn: The book was originally started as a weekly serial, hosted on TinHatRanch.com. I am a contributing writer and took an immediate interest. Mike Kosinski, who owns that site, let me fill in for him one week and I was hooked. When his schedule didn’t allow him to keep writing, I offered to take it over. So, the initial location and disasters the book starts out with were his setting.

My inspiration comes from the interaction with the readers and what I see around me.

Kat: How long did it take you to write it?

LeAnn: It was originally written as a weekly serial that lasted for 30 weeks. Some weeks were longer than others and some weeks were missed. Overall, it took about 7-8 months for the writing part.

Kat: Do you write the old fashioned way with pen and paper or computer?

LeAnn:  Oh, computer all the way. I can’t write as fast as I can type and sometimes when you get on a really good writing groove, you need to be able to get it all out quickly or you’ll forget some great ideas.

Kat: Who is your favorite character? And why…..

LeAnn:  Haha! My favorite character is actually one of the secondary ones. While I love the main characters to bits, the one that cracks me up is Swabbie. He is toward the end of the book but I adore him. He is a salty old Navy dog who is gruff and gravelly on the outside but with a huge heart and wisdom on the inside. A strong, reliable person.

Kat: And your least favorite character? And why…..

LeAnn: That is a difficult question! There is no one character that I can pin down so much as the Idlewild people in general. They are pure consumers who take what they want instead of working for it and being a producer or contributor. They are greedy, selfish, and have no regard for community or the betterment of all.

Kat: Is there any similarities between your characters and real life?? If so, who?

LeAnn: I don’t know of any fiction writer who doesn’t pull from real life for their stories and some of the characters are based loosely on people I have known. Amie, for example, is named after my closest friend from high school.  The real Amie isn’t a crack shot with a gun, doesn’t ride on snow machines, and certainly never worked for the forest service. She is sassy though! Swabbie is based off of an old fisherman here in Alaska I knew when I was a kid. 95% of the characters are just ones I created to fill the need of the scene or help to portray certain situations the survivors have to deal with.

Kat: Have you always been a writer? When did you start?

LeAnn:  I have always enjoyed writing but I haven’t always been a writer. In school I did the typical teenage poetry and short stories but nothing ever more than that. You could say that I started seriously writing when I began contributing to TinHatRanch.com. Then I started the blog, Homestead Dreamer. That was a year ago this month!

Kat: Tell me, what was the first thing you ever wrote?

LeAnn:  The first thing I wrote for was a guest post on TinHatRanch.com. It was an article titled “Island Prepping in Alaska.” I realized how much I really enjoyed writing and soon learned that Facebook wouldn’t allow me to really share what I was doing with the fans I had accumulated so I started HomesteadDreamer.com

Kat: So LeAnn, what do you have in the works for the future?

LeAnn: 2015 is looking bright! A sequel is already in the works for Aftermath, with the real possibility that it will turn into a trilogy. The blog will hopefully continue to grow as I share the (mis)adventures we have on our homesteading journey. Our biggest hope is to buy land in the next year.

Kat: Okay, last question for today…what are your favorite books and authors??

LeAnn: My favorite books are all over the board. The only things they had in common were how they affected me. The stories that keep you thinking long after the last page are the best ones. I loved the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I also lost considerable sleep reading the “Survivalist Series” by A. American. There is no one genre or author I really prefer.

 There you have it folks, an in-depth interview and look at who LeAnn Edmondson is…what she likes, thinks and a wonderful tidbit that yes indeed, we have a sequal coming out which I am eagerly awaiting.  Did I tell you??  I think her current book became a permanent appendage when I was reading it.  I could…not…put…it…down.

And you won’t either!!

Go…GET…YOURS!

Click HERE to get yours today!!

“LeAnn Edmondson lives in Southeast Alaska with her husband and fur babies. The ultimate goal is to buy land to homestead and live a more self-sufficient life.

Being born and raised in rural Alaska gives LeAnn a unique perspective and approach while learning the skills it takes to homestead in a temperate rainforest. Since the blog began in early 2014, LeAnn has been featured on podcasts and other blogs, guest posted on several sites, and is a contributing author for PREPARE Magazine. Current published works include “Aftermath, A Story of Survival,” and “A Primer on Pickling.” Both are available on Amazon.com.”

 

Want to know more?  Want to ask LeAnn some questions??  I have the pleasure of interviewing LeAnn this Thursday, March 12th at 6:00 PM PST for a FULL HOUR!!  I am so excited.  We get to learn all the juicy tidbits about the Aftermath book and all the wonderfulness of her upcoming sequal.  PLUS….BIG SURPRISE…..LeAnn will be GIVING AWAY a signed copy of her book!!  I will also be GIVING AWAY a doTERRA Essential Oil Emergency Preparedness kit too!! You won’t want to miss this broadcast!  See ya Thursday over at Around the Cabin, just click the pic below to get there!

 

 

 

This article may be hopping around the following Blog Hops: (mis)Adventures Mondays Blog Hop, The HomeAcre Hop, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, From the Farm Fridays, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Simple Life Sunday Blog Hop.