If the Light Escapes by Brenda Marie Smith

Excerpt Three: FROM CHAPTER 5: “These northern lights bug the crap out of me,” I tell Alma. “What are they doing here? They’re supposed to be tied to magnetic poles. I saw this show a couple years ago that said the north pole was drifting north, not south. So how did they end up here? The poles can’t drift around randomly. That’s impossible.” “I don’t know, baby. They worry me, too, but we need to be quiet.” “They make me feel like something bad is gonna happen. What do you call that? Fore-something.” “Foreboding?” “That’s it. I’ll be quiet, now, and just stew in my foreboding.” “Silly.” Alma reaches up and ruffles my hair. When we patrol and we can’t cuddle on account of guns, Alma and I could talk all night. It’s not a good idea for us to talk much when we’re patrolling, though. We get all involved and forget to listen for anyone who might be sneaking around, hunting for food or water, or worse: getting ready to kill us for it. We walk along with our rifles in the night. It’s cool out here, but not cold… Alma stops and raises her gun. “Hear that?” she whispers. “No, what?” I’ve got my gun up, too, and I’m pivoting around, searching. I want to hide Alma, but she would never let me. “Over there.” She points at the corner by the park. And I hear a jangly noise, like car keys. No one drives cars now, though… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

INTERVIEW 12

What group did you hang out with in high school?

I was incredibly shy, and I mostly hung out with my two besties who were popular, so I would be around the popular people a lot, and I had grown up with them. But the older I got, the less I liked the popular people, then one of my besties got married. My remaining bestie and I got interested in the dissidents and the nerds, who were very sweet to me, and brought me a little way out of my shell. Many of those people became lifelong friends.

What are you passionate about these days?

I’m always passionate about my five grown sons and my two grandkids, as well as the new grandbaby who will be born any day. And, as you can see from my writing, I’m forever fired-up about the environment and the scary directions our governments often take. I’ve been a peace, justice, and environmental activist since I was a teenager, and I have no intention of ever stopping. We have solar panels on our house, we have energy efficient everything, we have a compost pile and plans to start a veggie garden, and I would love to add some rain barrels soon. Plus, I plan to have more fun now that we’re vaccinated.

If you had to do your journey to getting published all over again, what would you do differently?

I wouldn’t quit my day job just because I had half a novel written. (Yes, I did that. Doh!) I would be less afraid of querying. It’s kind of like dating. If they like me great, and if they don’t, who cares? (Well, I would care, but not that much.) I would be less defensive about critiques, but I would also be stronger about sticking to my vision. And I would be less long-winded (still working on that, lol).

E-book or print? And why?

Nothing is as satisfying for an author as holding your shiny new actual book in your hand. And I love physical books; I have a ton of them. At the same time, the environment needs to be protected, and with e-reading technology, we don’t have to waste so many trees, which is a wonderful thing. Also, I’ve gotten where I prefer reading e-books, simply because I can do it in less space. And my hubby is happy that I’ve stopped accumulating so many physical books. 

What is your favorite scene in this book?

It’s got to be the scene where Grandpa pulls a gun on much of the family, saying he’s not letting them share the treasure trove of water they’ve just discovered with their neighbors. It’s a wild scene, full of pathos and humor and fear, and everyone running around yelling at each other. It ultimately ends when our hero Keno locks cracked, crazy Grandpa in the cellar.

 AUTHOR Bio and Links: Brenda Marie Smith lived off the grid for many years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. She’s been a community activist, managed student housing co-ops, produced concerts to raise money for causes, done massive quantities of bookkeeping, and raised a small herd of teenage boys. Brenda is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their own limitations to find their inner heroism. She and her husband reside in a grid-connected, solar-powered home in South Austin, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count. Her first novel, Something Radiates, is a paranormal romantic thriller; If Darkness Takes Us and its sequel, If the Light Escapes, are post-apocalyptic science fiction. 

Social Media: Website: https://brendamariesmith.com/ Twitter: @bsmithnovelist Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaMarieSmithAuthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brenda_marie_smith/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlLSnORIyoaygvZ1j49ZKw Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52206957-if-darkness-takes-us Buy links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Takes-Brenda-Marie-Smith-ebook/dp/B07WK9BQHN/ Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-darkness-takes-us-brenda-marie-smith/1133374442?ean=9781970137835 BookPeople Austin: https://www.bookpeople.com/book/9781970137835

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Please use this rafflecopter code on your post: a Rafflecopter giveaway If you’re unable to embed, please use this HTML: Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway