I've been mingling online with other authors, looking for ways to make Desert more fun. Here's what's new with Desert:

• ​Cast your Vote:  Every month there's an opportunity to vote. Sometimes the vote will be on which short story to release next, other times, it'll be any characters you want included in future Deserts.
• We're setting up several contests. Check out the contest page to submit questions about Desert. Whoever can guess the correct answer first, wins.
• We're also setting up a few giveaways. The first is December 15th. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter before then, as two of our subscribers will receive $50 e-giftcards for Amazon.  

Tori's story is underway. I really debated on Tori's line. I have two half books, that's how divided I was.  I finally chose one track for her to follow.

Tori spends any free time she can get looking for Alysse. It bothers her to her core that Alysse left without saying goodbye. Pete knows something but is so tight-lipped, Tori decides to take things into her own hands. Her intricate plans unravel as a new dissenter attack changes everything.

With Desert 2, I had a dilemma. I had main characters who were now in separate locations, fighting separate battles.  Originally, I planned on weaving scenes from all three story lines together, much like Star Wars jumping from one MC to another. It's an idea I haven't completely thrown out, but one I have post-poned, if only to prevent the creation of a 600+ page book!

Which is why I divided Desert 2 into three parts.  They all occur within the same time period, but at different locations.

It's crazy reading the news even as I work on Book 2 of Desert. There are so many similarities, and both break my heart.  Looking at this dog, would you guess it's wild or domestic? Is this a dog you would pet? 

I'll give you my answer and explain more about the theme on my next post.

I've read articles talking about the panic and hoarding going on. I don't think loading up a shopping cart is a sign of pure selfishness.

I think it's a sign of being ill-prepared.

If there were two cities,

City A where people were encouraged to keep a 3 month supply of needed goods

and City B where people don't buy too much of anything to avoid looking like hoarders,

​
Which would you want to live in should a disaster occur? 

From the Author:

Recently, while working on Desert 2, I worried that a scene wasn't legit enough. Believability is important to me, enough that my husband helped me test the choreography of the fight scenes in Desert 1.

Now with Desert 2, I have a complicated stair scene where there are several factors at work. My very patient daughter helped me work on a rescue scene, with me testing different ways of carrying someone.

More than once, I've worried if that scene was true to life, and I've run up and down stairs, carrying heavy objects just to test how fatigued one of my characters would be. I found out that I'm not nearly as tough as I thought I was (legs were burning by the fourth floor!) and that movies make things look way easier than they are in real life.

So when I saw this video, it was a LOL moment. 

If you have any questions, here's a chance to ask the author. 
Friday, February 8th 6:30-8:30 pm 
3221 Preston Road Frisco, TX 

Question: What does Laundry have to do with Desert 2 and 3?

​From A. Tebbs:
"Oasis goes through some big changes in Desert 2 and 3. I can't say too much without spoiling the suspense, but both Tori and Alysse find themselves in really difficult circumstances.

Tori ends up washing clothes by hand as she tries to blend in with Dissenters. Like always, I prefer my scenes to be legit, so if I'm writing about something I haven't seen or experienced, I start researching or experimenting. In this case, I started washing our laundry by hand. With a big family, this is no small endeavor. 

I figured it'd be good for my kids, so I ended up having them wash by hand as well. I think it's important to know how to be self-reliant, even when not needed.

Question: Just how bad does it get for Oasis in book 2 and 3?

Answer: Book 2 it's more just political turmoil while book 3 gets pretty scary. I haven't decided just how bad things get, but with Oasis being in the middle of the desert, it wouldn't take much for things to turn very bad. 

Question: Any sneak peeks?

Answer: A few are coming, but only for Desert Insiders. If you want to join, just sign up for our newsletter. That's where they'll be released first.

Last Question:  Why so long a wait for book 2?

Answer:  I'd love to kick it out sooner, but this is a busy time in my life, and my family comes first. If I could do it over again, I would've written book 1 and 2 with 3 halfway done before releasing book 1.  Call it a new author's mistake.

"Sorry to be MIA for a while. I moved to Dallas and helped on a few other big projects. As I work on book two, I can already hear the No Way!s from readers. While you wait for Desert 2 to be finished, I have a few behind-the-scenes that will connect all the dots for fans of Desert.  Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be among those who learn what's really going on in Oasis!"  ~A Tebbs