Gaye Levy
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Today I share the next author interview and book giveaway in the latest Backdoor Survival Book Festival. A. American, the author of Going Home and Surviving Home, is joining us today for an interview and is also providing one reader with a free copy of both books.
Enjoy the interview and be sure to check out the details of this week’s giveaway below.
An Interview with A. American
An Interview with A. AmericanTell me about your books, Going Home & Surviving Home. What are they about?
There are two, the first is Going Home and the sequel is Surviving Home. Going Home follows Morgan Carter on an odyssey across the state of Florida after all power, all cars simply quit. Morgan is 250 miles from home when this happens. Being a prepper he has a pack and quickly figures out the only way it was going to happen was to walk. The book chronicles the walk back to his family and the people he meets along the way, good and bad.
Surviving Home picks up where Going Home leaves off. All his walk home what was happening with his family gnawed at Morgan, he finally makes it and now must deal with the reality there. In many of these sorts of novels the community pulls together and aid one another. Of course there is always one guy that is the problem. In Surviving Home we look at a community that simply cannot pull together for a number of reasons.
How do you survive when everyone around you is simply out for themselves?
What type of research did you have to do while writing these books?
For Going Home my research was conducted over years, though at the time I didn’t know it. On Morgan’s walk home I list the route in detail, place names, roads and land marks, they are all real. I’m a Florida native and this route was one I drove very often, I know it like the back of my hand. When it came to writing Going Home all I had to do was close my eyes and drive the route, I could see it all.
How long did they take to write?
The first book in the series was completed in ninety days. I wrote it on an internet forum just for fun. After nearly two million on line views it has taken on a life of it’s own.
Every book, fiction and non-fiction, includes a message. What message do you hope my readers will take with them after reading Going Home and Surviving Home?
For both Going Home and Surviving Home the hidden message, not so hidden really, is simply to take responsibility for your and your family’s life. Prepare, be ready and keep an eye on the horizon less the storm catch you while at sea.
Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
This year I celebrate my twenty-third anniversary. We have three beautiful daughters who are truly good girls in this modern world where kids often turn into nightmares. I’ve been a Prepper since the early 90’s, an active woodsman and recreational shooter. Prepping is simply part of my life, it isn’t something I do, it’s something I am.
Do you have plans for another book?
Escaping Home released in October. It is the third book of the series and there will also be a fourth.
The Book Giveaway
A copy the both books, Going Home and Surviving Home, have been reserved for one lucky reader. Here is this week’s question:
How would you survive if everyone around you was simply out for themselves?
To enter the giveaway, you need to answer this question by responding in the comments area at the end of this article. The deadline is 6:00 AM Pacific next Thursday and the winner will be selected at random using tools on the random.org website. Also note that the winner will be announced in the Sunday Survival Buzz and he or she will have 72 hours to claim the winning book.
Note: If you are reading this article in your email client, you must go to the Backdoor Survival website to enter this giveaway in the comments area at the bottom of the article.
The Final Word
The message in A. American’s books is clearly one of personal responsibility. As I make my way through Surviving Home, I find myself pondering the possible choices I would have to make if I were in a similar situation. That is why I love survival fiction: it makes you think and it opens your mind to new possibilities.
I hope you will enter the giveaway to win your own copy of this fabulous new book!
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Spotlight Item: 
Going Home: A Novel of Survival (The Survivalist Series)
If society collapsed, could you survive?
When Morgan Carter’s car breaks down 250 miles from his home, he figures his weekend plans are ruined. But things are about to get much, much worse: the country’s power grid has collapsed. There is no electricity, no running water, no Internet, and no way to know when normalcy will be restored—if it ever will be. An avid survivalist, Morgan takes to the road with his prepper pack on his back.
Surviving Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)
No electricity. No running water. No food. No end in sight. If life as you knew it changed in an instant, would you be prepared?
In Going Home, readers were introduced to Morgan Carter, the resourceful, tough-as-nails survivalist who embarks on a treacherous 250-mile journey across Florida following the collapse of the nation’s power grid. Now reunited with his loving wife and daughters, Morgan knows that their happiness is fleeting, as the worst is yet to come. Though for years Morgan has been diligently preparing for emergency situations, many of his neighbors are completely unready for life in this strange new world—and they’re starting to get restless. With the help of his closest companions, Morgan fights to keeps his home secure—only to discover shocking information about the state of the nation in the process.
Bargain Bin: Today is all about books. Listed below are all of the books in the current Backdoor Survival Book Festival. There are both fiction and non-fiction titles and a bit of something for everyone.
THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK FESTIVAL 4.0 – NON-FICTION
Backyard Cuisine: Bringing Foraged Food to Your Table
Home Remedies
Living on the Edge: A Family’s Journey to Self-Sufficiency
Make It Last: Prolonging + Preserving the Things We Love
Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills
The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms: Helpful Tips for Mushrooming in the Field
Good Clean Food
The Amazing 2000-Hour Flashlight
Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living
The People’s Apocalypse
Go Green, Spend Less, Live Better
THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK FESTIVAL 4.0 – FICTION
Going Home: A Novel of Survival (The Survivalist Series)
Surviving Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)
Expatriates: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse
The Border Marches
Rivers: A Novel
After the Blackout
The End: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series)
The Long Road: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series)
3 Prepper Romances: Escape To My Arms, plus 2 other e-books (your choice)
Prepper Pete Prepares: An Introduction to Prepping for Kids
THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL BOOK FESTIVAL 4.0 – LAST MINUTE ADDITIONS
The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
Escaping Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)
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69 Responses to “BDS Book Festival: Going Home, Surviving Home + Interview with A. American”
Gaye I think this question is harder for me to answer than any you’ve asked before. The short answer is I wouldn’t. As hard as that is to say if I’m not able to depend on a few of the people around me, with my health and age I won’t make it at all. My odds aren’t great even with a support system. That being said, I will do what I have always done…by the Grace of God, the best I can with the hand I’ve been dealt. Thank you for the opportunity to win these books. They’ve been on my library list. Good luck everyone.
How would I survive if everyone around me was simply out for themselves? I have thought about this MANY times in the last year. I would protect myself and my family best I could. I don’t really know what that means though. I really should have a plan but I’m still in confusion mode I guess.
Susie
This is a question I have thought about a lot since Hurricane Sandy. I live in a community in NC that is outside the suburbs with good weather, lots of woods, and a lot of small ponds, plus everyone has their own wells, fireplaces, and septic systems. We are surrounded by many small farmers and many people have their own gardens and hunt in the woods. Plus, our area is full of a variety of skills – nurses, heavy equipment operators, construction, mechanics, plumber, electrician, heating and air guy, teachers, and lots of former military people. Since the people in my community are in their early 40s to late 80s, many of our skilled kids and grandkids will be coming here. With the strong skill set in this area, I see us being better off than the people in the city and the small towns, but the sad truth is that while we know each other by sight and a pleasant word, no one is too terribly close. We all work hard but most people are in bed by 10/11 and up for work before the sunrise. Would we rally around each other? Hopefully, but there are no guarantees. Would it be better to leave? That’s a hard question since so many people would be leaving their areas. I have heard a lot of people say they would head for the mountains (3-4 hours away) but people already live there. Depending on how bad it gets, I will stay in my home, keep quiet about my plans, continue to be vigilant (because I already know who is prepared and who will not be), and work within my community to help others to grow foods and to forage for what is in the surrounding woods. I am prepared to hike out, if I absolutely need to, but sometimes staying put is the only logical choice.
First I’d like to say, I’m almost finished with Staying Home, book three. All were very good, but the 1st, Going Home was the best of the three. Can’t wait to get #4 along with the continuing saga of Holding there Own & Apocalypse Law.
Unfortunately, my BOB in my truck isn’t as extensive as Morgan’s to get home a couple hundred miles. I might think about bringing my Get out of Dodge Bag when I venture further than a couple days walk. I have only one friend that is a prepper that I just met recently. Security is my main concern. My wife and I couldn’t perform all the tasks and security. Other family just doesn’t discuss and will prove to be little assistance. Our neighbors, I’m sure has there head somewhere else. Have a place a few hours away but going there is a big risk, depending on the roads and what the emergency is. Morgan lucked out with the people he met. Going it alone, he most likely would not have survived encountering who he did. (Don’t want to give the story away.) I have loved learning the old ways and having the ability to do them. So much more to learn. I always say, even if you can stay on your own for a couple weeks, you are better off than 99%. More prepared the better you will be for what is coming.
Keep prepping!
We are already in the boonies. Just hunker down and do the best we can.
First and foremost for our survival is the grace of God. Another thing is to blend and not draw attention to ourselves.
Hunker down and defend our property. Keep as low a profile as possible. Band with our family, prepare for the worst and pray for the best.
I personally think someone alone cant survive in a hostel environment. I am now and always have prepped for my children and grandchildren, and I know they are all familiar with the use of weapons. I am hopping that with this group of family members we can hold our own until most of the zombies are gone, and life gets back to a little normalcy.
As far as keeping a low profile, it aint gonna happen. With my monstrosity of a greenhouse in my back yard that can be seen for miles, and all my critters getting out and roaming the neighborhood, everyone knows ole John R has goodies. I try to go to my backyard shooting range and blast off a few rounds every week to let the locals know, I will not be a pushover.
We’re already living it! We’re in a cheap-but-nice-enough old apartment in a block of urban sprawl occupied by people who, with a few exceptions, cannot be bothered to even nod their heads in response to our “hellos” each morning and evening. After two years, we’ve given up trying to make friends and are instead focusing on growing our savings for a home (two more years!), and maintaining OPSEC. Our cars are the oldest on the block, and the TV’s shining through all the windows at night are twice as big as ours. Because we appear to have less than everyone around, we’re betting that we’d be the last place anyone comes looking in the event of a longer-term emergency. There’s almost nothing in our apartment that most people would recognize as valuable, even if they saw it: some plants and water bricks on the balcony, coat closet full of old camping gear, and a kitchen full of whole, organic ingredients that require more than a microwave (which we don’t own) to become food! Our computer is ten years old and hard to find because it has no monitor (we use the tv), the small fireproof safe under the bed contains only paperwork, and our modest amounts of emergency cash are well-hidden in a couple of weird places. Besides, folks around here honestly do seem to be the wait-two-days-in-line-for-gas type, and while they’re doing that, we’d be long gone!
great ‘grey-man’ life. Congrats.
This is a really complicated question, and I asked my husband, too. He said if you think about it,everyone in this country is already every man for himself. Granted everyone probably is out for himself and his family, but everyone is still out for himself. Just think of how many divorces happen in this country every year, many because of pure selfishness on someone’s part.
Anyway, I’d say that cooperation within whatever unit you’ve assemble together in a survival situation, perimeter guards, and laying low and away from all people outside of the unit.