The mission of Eden must be fulfilled and Eden’s best Seekers are needed. Forming a new group they dub the Seeders, Fi, Asher, and Sean are joined by a new addition as they set out to bring hope and support to the Topsiders in the form of radios and heirloom seeds. As radio broadcasts begin to reconnect the survivors, the Seeders stumble upon mysterious broadcasts from unknown stations. When two of their own new radio stations go silent within days of each other, Fi and her companions realize that something is terribly wrong. Eden finds itself pitted against a growing and unknown force as their very mission lights the flames of war.
by Rachel E. Fisher
Number of Pages: 272
Published: December 17th 2011
The year is 2033 and the world hovers on the edge of explosion as unexplained crop deaths lead to severe global food shortages. In the United States, the Sickness is taking lives slowly, creeping its way into every family. Fi Kelly has already faced the Sickness in her own family, toughening her beyond her years. But a shocking confession from her dying father will push her toughness to its absolute limits. Saddled with an impossible secret and the mission of saving her little sister, Fi sets out to transform herself into the warrior that she must become to survive the coming collapse. Along the way, she will discover that evil can be accidental and that love can be intentional.
Tips on How to Survive During a Global Crisis by Fi Kelly (main character)
"I guess by now I count as an authority on crisis survival. Not that survival is a badge of honor or anything...that's why we call it an instinct, right? We all want to live. At least, most of us do. I have to admit there were times when the Famine first started that I wasn't totally sure. But you know what saved me? My weird sense of humor.
When I was in sixth grade, my Papa gave me The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe. I loved the way the main character always made his way forward somehow, despite complete bewilderment and the loss of his home. I can't tell you how many times "Don't Panic!" filled my brain when we were on the run. Of course, there's your brain's weird sense of humor and then there's reality. Heart-pounding, stomach-turning reality. So if you want to know what I learned that kept me alive...I'll have to go beyond The Hitchhiker's Guide...
Tip 1 - Select a hairstyle that looks good while filthy. Seriously. Chop it, braid it, or bind it. But big beachy waves? Forget it. That's strictly TV apocalypse stuff.
Tip 2 - Select a wardrobe that looks good while filthy. Ok, this time I'm sort of kidding. It's most important that your clothing be functional...technical. Will it keep you warm enough in the winter? Will it breathe and wick away in summer? Does it resist pulls and tears? Can it be layered? And does it hold up to washing with water, sand, and sun? THEN...then you can consider looks and I'm going to go out on a limb here and recommend black. Trust me.
Tip 3 - Select and care for your footwear. I am only going to say this once. YOUR FEET ARE YOUR LIFE!! In ancient wars, soldiers died all the time from infections and wounds in their cold, wet feet. You only have to spend one night huddled and shivering in a rain-filled ditch to relate. Your footwear must stay dry and intact. If it wears out, find or make something that fills this bill. There's almost nothing more important.
Tip 4 - Always carry adequate WATER. You can live for a long time without food. You can't live without WATER. Water is for drinking first, everything else afterward. And unless you have iodine pills or other purifiers, you're going to need to boil it, so....
Tip 5 - Learn to make FIRE. Find a flint and learn to make fire. Practice with dry sticks. You'll have a LOT of time on your hand and you won't always have gas lighters or dry matches (though having a stockpile of these is a good idea).
Tip 6 - Carry multiple weapons. I wish I could recommend that the survivors all just hold hands and sing KumBayYah...but while you're busy doing that someone with a gun or knife will be stealing your food, raping your wife, or burning your home. Oh, and while you're carrying those weapons, REMEMBER TO PRACTICE USING THEM! You don't want the first time you fire your gun or or swing your knife to be when your life's on the line.
Tip 7 - Trust only those who've earned it. Trust is more precious than gold (which, as it turns out, is pretty worthless in the average global crisis). You can't go it alone forever, but you have to choose your companions carefully.
Without getting overly dark, those are the main tips I'd give to those who are determined to survive hell. But maybe you didn't just want to know how to survive. Maybe it's not enough to breathe in and out, to wake and to sleep, to eat and eliminate, like an animal. Maybe you want to know how to survive and still keep your soul.
Well, the only thing I can do to help you with that is to share my mistakes:
- I thought that once I saw enough dead bodies, I'd get over it. I didn't.
- I thought that once I created enough dead bodies, I'd get over it. I didn't.
- I thought that being somewhere safe would give me the mental space I needed to sort through my feelings. It didn't.
And...I thought that after all I'd endured, I'd never be able to open my heart to another..but I did."
Find Rachel @ Twitter / FB / Website
I am a wife and entrepreneur living and working in Florida. I am also a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where I majored in Biology. It was always my assumption that I would end up making research my life. Though it did not work out that way in the end, my passion for Biology remains intact.
I have always loved biology-based science-fiction and the young adult genre. It is in this vein that I offer my work.
Rachel has offered to giveaway Seeds of War to one lucky reader, or if you have not read Eden's Root the winner can choose it instead. The book will be a ecopy in whichever format you would like.
Please use the rafflecopter form below to enter.
Open to everyone! Closes Nov 11th.
Good luck everyone and thank you taking the time to read this post. I totally love Rachel's books and she is the most sweetest gal. Thank you Rachel for being here today.