PREPARED WRITING

My war was cold. I grew up waiting for the cold war to heat up. It never did. There were some tense moments when Castro invited the Russians to his island with their atomic bombs, and President Kennedy said, “Go home.” They went.

In the meantime, I prepared for the cold war to go hot by hiding under my desk at school and every Saturday watching movies filled with mutants, fallout, and radiated wastelands. Those movies gave my bad dreams and ignited my imagination. 

My generation invented dystopian, futuristic, end-of-times storytelling. Godzilla wasn’t just a big lizard; he was also a metaphor for rampaging, worldwide destruction. Not to mention, he made a few bucks in the movies.

I grew up thinking about fallout shelters and mutant monsters.

And now I write “Prepper” fiction, among other genres. It’s a sub genre of fiction falling under science fiction but without the ray guns. It’s a category of action adventure with a futuristic theme but without the space aliens. It’s a kind of speculative writing but without the zombies. Humans are the zombies.

Prepper fiction is a realistic, what-if, survival story. Pat Frank’s “Alas Babylon” written in the 1950’s, dealing with the aftermath of a nuclear war and set in Florida was a national best seller and is a classic example of the genre. Doomsday possibilities include: solar flares, EMP attacks, financial collapse, nuclear warfare, invasion, pandemic, ecological disasters, and the list goes on . . . 

Prepper fiction is an exercise in imagination.

Prepper fiction can be frightening.

Prepper fiction examines the collapse and re-formation of societal constructs.

Prepper fiction deals with preparations for “doomsday” scenarios or the lack thereof . . .

I’ve had people say to me that my books gave them bad dreams. At first, I was horrified and thought, “Oh no. What have I done?” But then, on future examination, I thought, after rubbing my hands together in glee, “Oh my! What have I done?!!”

Prepper fiction is not your momma’s cotton candy romance, although romance in a doomsday setting can be much more intense and realistic than an average love story. Sex and pregnancy become a life and death theme without modern medicine.

In a prepper novel, life becomes an exercise in imagination filled with “what if” questions. 

What if there’s no electric? What if I can’t refrigerate my food? What if I can’t buy gas? What if there’s no money? 

How would I find clean, drinking water? How do I stay clean? Preserve food? Stitch a wound? Set a bone? Pickle a cucumber? Keep bugs off? Have safe sex? Stay human and hopeful?

Prepper fiction is action/adventure set in a realistic apocalyptic collapse of civilization that some people will be prepared for but most will not.

It can be scary, intense, and upsetting. It can also get readers to think . . . and maybe, just maybe . . . prepare.

Linda (Bunker Babe) Zern 

NEWS FROM THE DESK OF LINDA L. ZERN

A prequel, a short story, a kindle edition of the way they were before they found each other at The Strandline.

amazon.com/author/lindazern

READY PREP with ZOE

USES FOR A BANDANA: It's a big list of things for a little piece of material. 

READY PREP = Prepping Skills and Thrills for Kids

READY PREP an INTRODUCTION - With Zoe & Linda 

A Whole Big World of Resources

Another great blog and website resource . . . Check it out.

Preserving Food @ trayerwilderness

IN THE NEWS

In the Standline series (Book #1 - Beyond the Strandline and Book #2 - Following the Strandline [Coming 2016]) solar flares have collapsed the aging and unprotected electrical grid, it being scientifically the most likely grid collapse scenario.

However, there are other vulnerabilities that put the modern world at risk . . .

Read more online:  EMP ATTACK

RESOURCES and RECOMMENDATIONS

Churches are some of the best free resources when it comes to preparedness fairs and expertise in the area of getting ready for "whatever" . . . This is photo of the demonstrations and displays from a Raleigh Durham Stake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints preparedness evening. Contact your local mormon church to find resources and individuals in your area who know how and what to prepare. Being prepared is a fabulous way to be 'of service' to others.  

GOOGLE IT!

THE SCIENCE AND THE NOVEL: FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GRID COLLAPSE; IMAGINATION IS UP TO YOU!http://energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/25/american-blackout-four-major-real-life-threats-to-the-electric-grid/

BIG STORMS, LITTLE WORRY

Here comes the storm. At my age, I’m not overly surprised that there are storms in winter, hurricanes in summer, power outages, power surges, and general rough patches in life.

As the mother of a combat soldier in the United States of American army, I’ve also seen what can happen when man-made disasters crash down on the world. My son spent six years in combat in some of the most challenging and dangerous areas of the world. He and his fellow soldiers learned how to survive—literally.

Out of all the stuff we sent to Forward Operating Bases, he was happy to let us know that one of the most versatile, useful things we could and did send to him were wet wipes, wet wipes without perfume.

They cleaned the grit off their weapons, vehicles, equipment, wounds, and themselves.  He said that they used wet wipes for everything, on everything. Send more.

We did.

It’s my storm advice.  Stock up on wet wipes. Being clean has psychological benefits, not to be underestimated. Being clean keeps you healthy. And when you’ve got your health . . . let the storms rage. 

Wet wipes have a shelf life. They dry out. And I’ve had them go “bad.”  So long term storage becomes a question. If you dry packed them in a number ten can, would they last longer? Most likely. It would be interesting to check that out.

   

  

BEYOND the STRANDLINE TIP OF THE WEEK:

DENTAL FLOSS:  It’s a dancer’s trick. Ballerina’s have to sew ribbons on their shoes and mend costumes—constantly. Nothing works better or holds up tougher than using dental floss for mending clothes, backpacks, and shoes. Waterproof, heavy duty, and almost impossible to wear out, dancers use dental floss instead of regular thread for quick mending jobs. It’s tougher than quilting thread.

Stock up. Dental floss is a fabulous multi-use item to include in your storage. Just make sure you also store heavy duty needles with larger eyes.

In the novel, Beyond the Strandline, Tess recognizes her backpack because of the dental floss used to mend rips and tears in it. It’s one of those details that come from shared experience and thinking through various emergency scenarios.

SEARCH IT OUT

New to prepping?  Sure. But the Internet makes getting prepared, getting ready, and planning ahead as easy as doing a search on Google. Here's a fun link to an article from the UK; couldn't do that in the old days.

Pinterest is a place to find fellow preppers and planners.

Pinterest Preppers:
Read all about it in the news.

WINTER PREP! A RE-POST

Here are two ideas that might come in handy for your family.  The first is one that I hadn’t gone into such depth, but can see many benefits! It’s putting in EMERGENCY numbers in your cell phone. If you have a smartphone, you can just look up these numbers. However, under stressful circumstances, the ability to easily scroll to what you need could be very helpful. Take a few minutes of your time to be prepared! Here are some important ones, but think of your family and those places you’d want to be able to contact easily! You’ll need to figure out a way to list them so they POP on your phone list.

ICE-with your next of kin emergency numbers                      Local Fire & Police

Water, Power & Gas companies                                              Poison Control

Nearby hospitals                                                                   Doctor(s)

Neighbors                                                                              Towing or AAA

Insurance Agent                                                                    Co-workers/Boss

Church (Pastor, etc.)

While we’re getting ready for Winter….Do you have an emergency car kit….IN YOUR CAR?? Gather these items up, many will already be in your home, get a box and in they go~

• bottled water
• packaged food (protein bars, nuts, etc.)
• blanket
• package of body and hand warmers (these work well inside gloves and shoes)
• flares
• flashlight
• jumper cables
• rope/chain
• small shovel and windshield scraper
• kitty litter
• battery operated weather radio
• batteries
• extra clothes (including socks/insulated shoes)
• thick jacket and hat, gloves, ear muffs
• extra cellphone charger (or battery backup)
• TP/wipes

If you usually travel with babies or small kids, then you will want to include these extras:

• extra food and water                                                          Dry formula you can mix with water
• extra clothing and blankets                                                 infant or children’s Tylenol
• diapers                                                                                Toy or game to keep them occupied

CAN DO!

Try it out. Mindy’s advice to try out long-term food storage items is perfect. Try it out in smaller sizes before you invest.

Emergency food storage has come a long, long way since the days we were filling our shelves with food we canned ourselves and put in glass jars, not that we shouldn’t continue to perfect our skills in this area. I’m just saying that we’ve come a long way, baby, when it comes to emergency food supplies.

They’re popular. They’re varied. And more companies selling more emergency food means more competition, means more good deals. Let’s hear it for free enterprise.

Number ten cans, jar canning, buckets, pails, kits, assortments, MRE’s, and now smaller, more versatile fourteen-ounce size cans of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods.

Try it out.

Some dehydrated/freeze-dried foods, once opened, need to be used up and quickly and some sit quite nicely on the shelf for a while.

The smaller can sizes are perfect for experimenting without wasting a lot of money, and if you don’t get to them for a while . . . well . . . it’s long-term storage; you’re still good to go.

I rotate and use my long-term storage a lot more in my everyday cooking these days, finding that it’s more economical, in that I don’t waste food.

Tomato powders get gross fast and tomato pieces or chunks turn dark fairly quickly, but I’ve had excellent luck with green beans, peas, corn, mushrooms, and other vegetables, and I love dehydrated mashed potatoes.

What works for you and yours? 

Next time:  How do you know when it’s too old?

Linda (Can Do) Zern

 

 

     

BUY A BOOK FOR YOUR HERO!

Genre fiction can be tricky. There are books for boys. There are books for girls. There are books for cat lovers. BEYOND the STRANDLINE is a book for guys, gals, and lovers who have cats. amazon.com/author/lindazern

GENRE FICTION: YOU BE THE HERO!!

Genre fiction can be tricky. There are books for boys. There are books for girls. There are books for cat lovers. BEYOND the STRANDLINE is a book for guys, gals, and lovers who have cats. amazon.com/author/lindazern

Getting ready for Winter....are you??

Here are two ideas that might come in handy for your family.  The first is one that I hadn’t gone into such depth, but can see many benefits! It’s putting in EMERGENCY numbers in your cell phone. If you have a smartphone, you can just look up these numbers. However, under stressful circumstances, the ability to easily scroll to what you need could be very helpful. Take a few minutes of your time to be prepared! Here are some important ones, but think of your family and those places you’d want to be able to contact easily! You’ll need to figure out a way to list them so they POP on your phone list.

ICE-with your next of kin emergency numbers                      Local Fire & Police

Water, Power & Gas companies                                              Poison Control

Nearby hospitals                                                                   Doctor(s)

Neighbors                                                                              Towing or AAA

Insurance Agent                                                                    Co-workers/Boss

Church (Pastor, etc.)

While we’re getting ready for Winter….Do you have an emergency car kit….IN YOUR CAR?? Gather these items up, many will already be in your home, get a box and in they go~

• bottled water
• packaged food (protein bars, nuts, etc.)
• blanket
• package of body and hand warmers (these work well inside gloves and shoes)
• flares
• flashlight
• jumper cables
• rope/chain
• small shovel and windshield scraper
• kitty litter
• battery operated weather radio
• batteries
• extra clothes (including socks/insulated shoes)
• thick jacket and hat, gloves, ear muffs
• extra cellphone charger (or battery backup)
• TP/wipes

If you usually travel with babies or small kids, then you will want to include these extras:

• extra food and water                                                          Dry formula you can mix with water
• extra clothing and blankets                                                 infant or children’s Tylenol
• diapers                                                                                Toy or game to keep them occupied

TWO CAMPS & **SOLAR STORMS

Spent last weekend at the Authors for Authors Book Fair, selling books, chatting with authors, and explaining “prepper” fiction. My book “Beyond the Strandline” is realistic “prepper fiction.”

It was fascinating. There were definitely two camps of readers: those that were looking for books on cats or cats on books or escape to cat land and those that not only understood “prepper” fiction but were in to it.

The cat crowd was definitely the larger group. Please understand; I like cats and books about cats. I, myself, own some cat books. I have a cat.

But I have always enjoyed books that invited a reader into scenarios that stretched my understanding of what might be and placed me in worlds that require something of the characters involved and vicariously—me.

What would I do if my home were threatened by brutal civil war as in Gone With the Wind, and how would I save Tara?

Would I have the courage to pull the trigger and sacrifice my friend, Flag, like in The Yearling to ensure the survival of my family?

Where would I go to find salt, an essential nutrient for human health, in a collapse situation like that in Alas Babylon?

Prepper fiction allows us to safely peek through the windows of science fiction where the stakes are high, the consequences life altering, and the choices resulting in life and death.

Prepper fiction is the stuff of heroes and solar storms.

Cat books are good too.  

   It's all about the sun . . . or **solar flares. #beyondthestrandline WHAT IF?  

Hangin With ... Authors Linda Zern & Pat Pesce

DETAILS

Halfway through writing book two of BEYOND the STRANDLINE, still working on the title, I realized how important details are in getting the story right.

In book two, I talk about the way Florida pioneers kept their yards free of grass and weeds. Cabins were surrounded by sand and dirt. There were a couple of reasons for this: one, to provide a natural firebreak around their wooden cabins, barns, and sheds, and two, so that it would be easier to spot the poisonous snakes that inhabit the semi-tropical state.

Details.

Grassy lawns are a modern day luxury. Think about it.

In a recent blog post, I talked about cast iron pots and how important the right cookware for open flames and high heat would be without the easy predictability and consistency of electric heat.

It made me do a bit of research on the subject: details.

What I learned. 

Cast iron needs to be seasoned. Rub it lightly with oil and heat in the oven until it smokes lightly. A detail I had not known before about cast iron is that storing a kettle or Dutch oven with the lid closed tight can make the oil go rancid and smell. I checked my pots and true. To fix it, wash, oil, and re-season.  Note: Some say soap is okay. Some say not.

Just make sure that you store the pots with the lids slightly askew so that air can circulate.

Details.

The stuff our grandmothers knew and quit telling us when we starting buying Teflon and Tupperware.

Linda (Good and Seasoned) Zern       

   

AUTHOR FOR AUTHORS BOOK FAIR: NOV 21 & 22

Buy a copy of BEYOND the STRANDLINE this weekend at the Author for Authors Book Fair and receive a FREE bandana for your go-bag. 9:30 - 4:30 Eau Gallie Civic Center, Florida

SEE YOU THERE!!!