I live in North Carolina and everything around me inspired locations and characters in the Red Plague Trilogy, but here are some things that made me stop and imagine the series in a new way.
<3 Anna
Want to know more about the heroine of the Red Plague Trilogy? I put together a faux interview between Maya and her school newspaper. Enjoy!
Interviewer: This month’s Palmetto High School’s student spotlight is on Maya Solomon, 17, recent 1st place winner in the thousand meters sprint at the state track finals. Here are your five questions.
Q1: What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
Maya: I have a twin brother named Mason. But nobody at Palmetto has ever met him. He doesn’t live with us anymore.
Q2: Who is your favorite teacher?
Maya: Mr. Reynolds the music teacher. He taught me a lot about songwriting and composing.
Q3: What is one thing you can’t live without?
Maya: My iPad. It has all my recordings on it, my favorite music, and pictures and videos of my family. I would be really upset if I lost it.
Q4: Who is the one person you can’t live without?
Maya: My dad. He’s a single parent now. Without him I’d be an orphan.
Q5: What are your plans for after high school?
Maya: I’m going to Meredith College where my mom used to teach (before she passed away) to study music and creative writing.
<3 Anna
<3 Anna
My YA paranormal, Elixir, is only free on Amazon until Sunday, March 16th! Hop on over by clicking HERE and check it out. If you read it, please let me know what you think.
Blurb:
The red plague has devastated the human race, turning billions of people into zombies with red eyes and an insatiable hunger for human flesh.
The 212R virus sweeps through the population so quickly a possible cure is left to rot. Seventeen-year-old Maya Solomon may be the only survivor who knows where it is. But to reach the lab in Raleigh, North Carolina she will have to outrun the infected boy tracking her every step and cross into a city swarming with monsters.
<3 Anna
Pretend it’s the zombie apocalypse and you have only enough electricity in the generator to power the oven. The fresh milk and eggs have been substituted for dehydrated powder.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons yeast
2/3 cup dry milk with 2 cups water (or the equivalent to 2 cups milk)
4 tablespoons egg crystals with 6 tablespoons water (or the equivalent to 2 eggs)
½ cup warm water
8 tablespoons shortening
7 cups flour
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Directions
Step One: Mix wet ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. Add shortening.
Step Two: Slowly add flour and dry ingredients. Mix well.
Step Three: Knead dough by hand until mixed and soft. Sprinkle extra flour on hands and counter as you knead.
Step Four: Raise the dough in a bowl (covered with a cloth) at room temperature for one hour.
Step Five: Grease inside of 13×9 glass baking dish with shortening.
Step Six: Knead dough again by hand until soft.
Step Seven: Separate dough into about 16 balls and roll smooth by hand, arranging them in greased dish.
Step Eight: Raise the dough in the dish (covered with a cloth) for another hour at room temperature.
Step Nine: Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Can be eaten warm or cold. Wrap them up and stuff them into your backpack before you set out on the open road to find other survivors.
**When I was writing the Red Plague Trilogy I wanted the survivors to make a food item that was both a little unusual but also reminiscent of home. This is a family recipe that can be found in a 1977 church cookbook of recipes handed down for generations. Read about these dinner rolls in Antidote (Red Plague #2) and Panacea (Red Plague #3).
<3 Anna
American Horror Story’s Zoe and her zombie boyfriend Kyle. So cute, so scary. (Bonus: Lifehouse song!)
This video was created by MoMonator.
<3 Anna
With a rare day to ourselves last week my husband and I ran off to the shooting range and practiced our skills.
My hubby looks much cooler shooting than I do. 🙂
<3 Anna