Release date: May 1, 2015
Subgenre: Post-apocalyptic science fiction
About As the Ash Fell:
Life in the frozen wastelands of Texas is anything but easy, but for Clay Whitaker there is always more at stake than mere survival.
Yellowstone, along with two other Super Volcanoes, exploded with a tremendous fury following months of heightened seismic activity worldwide. The devastating eruptions released unmeasurable quantities of ash into the atmosphere. Coastlines were changed. New canyons were formed. Temperatures plummeted, dragging economies down, too. With no real way to sustain order, governments around the world began to fold, societies collapsed.
It’s been seven years since the ash rained down from the sky. Populations are thinning. Food is scarce. Despair overwhelming. Clay and his sister Megan have taken a handful of orphaned children into their home—a home soaring 16 stories into the sky. Providing for his adopted family is a 24/7 job for Clay. And with roughly six short months a year to gather enough food and supplies to last the long, brutal winter, Clay is forced to spend much of his time away from home—scavenging, hunting, and bartering.
Despite the vicious, unforgiving world he lives in, Clay has grown accustomed to his new life. That is, until he meets Kelsey Lambert.
Now, with winter rolling in earlier than ever, Clay must swiftly adapt to the changes in his life to ensure the safety of those he cares about.
Excerpt:
It started with a rumble, then another…Finally, the
Cascadia fault line released a massive earthquake which devastated the
Pacific Northwest. Less than a week later, the world would come to find
out that the Cascadia quakes were just a foreshock to dozens of high
magnitude quakes around the globe, devastating hundreds of major cities
across the world. Canyons formed through the middle of metropolitan
areas. Trillions of dollars in damage in mere hours. Millions of lives
lost in a few short weeks. The governments around the world, friend and
foe, banded together to pick up the pieces from the devastation,
demonstrating one of mankind’s finest hours. Then it happened…
Seven
years after Yellowstone erupted, life in the frozen wastelands of Texas
was only getting harder. Struggling to find a way to provide for his
adopted family of ten, Clay and his sister Megan scramble to prepare for
the long, harsh winter months that are arriving earlier than ever.
Living
at the top of a 16 story office building in a small downtown area, Clay
and Megan do their best to make life comfortable and normal for the
kids—giving them the kind of childhood Clay and Megan grew up with. A
task that’s easier said than done in the cold, gray world they now live
in.
On his way back
from a small trading town about a day’s hike away, Clay rescues a young
woman by the name of Kelsey Lambert from a pack of Screamers—a group of
sadistic night dwellers hell-bent on inflicting carnage on anyone they
can find. After a daring escape, Clay escorts Kelsey back home where he
meets the head of the small community she lives in, Jake Watson.
Watson’s
ranch quickly becomes a favorite trading post for Clay. Not just
because they have fresh dairy and produce, but because Clay enjoys
visiting with Kelsey.
Over
time, Clay and Kelsey become good friends. They spend most of their
time together hunting and scavenging—searching for anything that will
help with the approaching winter. As Kelsey’s trust in Clay grows, she
slowly reveals more about her past…and her present.
With
time running out, and tensions running high, Clay must adapt to the
changes in his life to ensure that those he cares about are taken care
of.
Amazon
About AJ Powers:
AJ Powers is a professional game developer working on some of the
biggest franchises in the game world--Halo, Call of Duty, and
Borderlands to name a few. However, once he leaves the fluorescent pit
of polygons and PBR materials, he switches gears into a reading, writing
monster fueled by Code Red. His first full-length novel, As the Ash
Fell, is due out in May 2015. In addition to writing, AJ also does his
own cover art, as well as covers for various other indie authors.
AJ resides in Austin, Texas with his beautiful wife, Lia, and their two incredible children. They also have a dog that really could use some braces.
AJ resides in Austin, Texas with his beautiful wife, Lia, and their two incredible children. They also have a dog that really could use some braces.
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