Gaye Levy
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Full Disclosure Here.
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
If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Facebook which is updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or link to a free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon. You can also follow Backdoor Survival on Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.
In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.
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)
___________________
Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.
Recent purchases from Emergency Essentials
Two of the top sale items this month are the Freeze-Dried Diced Roast Beef Steak
at $32.99 (32% off) and the Freeze-Dried Green Beans which are on sale for $10.99 (26% off) .
For a head start on your holiday gift giving, a dozen red emergency candles – including gift bags and bows – are on sale at $49.99 or 41% off. These are great candles, even for non-emergency purposes.
These are just some f the items on sale this month at Emergency Essentials. Click on the link below for more great deals from Emergency Essentials.
Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials
___________________
I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here.
The Amazon Top Ten Most Wanted Survival and Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com
Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!
11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life: This little book will provide you with the motivation to get started or stay on track with a self-reliant life. 11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life, co-authored with my long time pal, George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com), and can purchased from Amazon.
69 Responses to “BDS Book Festival: Going Home, Surviving Home + Interview with A. American”
hopefully, be invisible and avoid others, but if i did encounter others, i would offer my skills, i’m a registered nurse and hopefully, that would buy me some time.
I would have to also hunker down and lookout for myself and family.. Meanwhile, l would be on the lookout for anyone that deserves to be helped and lend them a hand, anonymously to start with.
Me and mine would lay low , blend in and protect our own.
I would try to stay as inconspicuous as possible, not draw any attention to myself. Keep as many of my preps hidden as possible. But I still think I would want to try to find others who would be willing to work together. Interested in building a community, supporting and helping each other. I just can’t imagine a world where there wouldn’t be people trying to work together to make a better life for everyone. But that’s probably not a very realistic view.
(I am going on the assumption that my family and at least part of my small group has made it to my “Place”) If everyone around me was only out for themselves I/we would take a very low profile. the premice that everyone is out for themselves would lead me to think that they did not prepare at all or at most very little. I have 2 old trucks (that i use for parts) and have not run in years. I would take one of these to the beginning of the driveway and with a weed burner make it look as if it was set on fire. i would make the property appear as if it had already been ransacked. the animals would be taken to the basement. (smelly but nessesary for a time). i would also make a couple of my out building look as though they had been set on fire with a weed burner. I would remove the covering from the greenhouse 30’x40′. I believe in many cases if people who were out for them selves to loot or steel would probably not bother with a place that appeared like it has already been hit by others. this could/would cut down on how many people may come further. they would probably move to other homes or places that appear like they have not yet been touched. for those who would still want to see what was (if anything) left, they would have to be delt with, according to their threat level. after the first round of starvation came to an end you could start to clean up, to a point. there are of course many other chores to be done, this however is a brief answer. Bill B
Gaye; I’m probably breaking up a thread, but……**.”HAPPY BIRTHDAY”!!!** And many many MORE!!
If the situation deteriorates to the point that the police and fireman leave their posts then anyone who is physically able to ‘hike’ should do so. Moving away from danger will be your best chance of survival.
If the people around us who were simply out for themselves were relatively honorable people, I think we would be all right. We can trade goods and services for our mutual benefit. That is basically the way capitalism works in a high trust culture.
If all the people out for themselves were dishonorable, willing to steal, rob, and kill, we would be in serious trouble.
I suspect that there would be a mix of both types, so we might be able to band together with self-interested people to protect our group. Mutual aid is in our self-interest.
If we couldn’t join up with enough such people, then we might very well not survive. That’s just the way it is. The dishonorable might come out on top for a while, but they aren’t likely to last. Of course, by the time they finally go down, they may have already exterminated the rest of us. I think there are enough honorable people in our neighborhood who would understand that their own self-interest requires cooperation and trade for us to make it.
I would have to separate myself from them and go it alone. Staying with such a group would only get me taken advantage of and probably killed because I am not like that and wouldn’t put up with it. I’d do the best with what I had and what happens, happens. I’d be better off alone.
I understand the part of staying away from others….but in my case, I wonder how long I would last, on my own. Since this subject has come up, I’m going to take a chance and talk to a couple of my neighbors; explaining what I’m trying to prepare for ( anything and everything bad ). Maybe we can come to an understanding and support each other. I have to try anyway. Frankly, I’m wondering how to start such a conversation. Dang, I hope nothing happens so bad to have to worry about life and limb.
What about you Dennis? Do you know anyone you can sit down with a meal or ?? and just talk about this sort of thing?
Our family has already been discussing this. We only have one trustworthy neighbor and the rest of the family lives deep within a city. We would stay at our place as long as possible, but ultimately we would all have to retreat to a rural property an hour away for as long as necessary. No one can stand against the number of desperate people around a city for long. The number one prep should be to acquire a place in the country and prepare it for your family to live at during troubled times.