All The King's Men

Out Saturday 12th December from Silver Publishing


Earthquake, Forest Fire & Survival

The largest quake ever recorded hits LA early in the morning.

The story of estranged lovers, Nathan Richardson and Ryan Ortiz, and their desperate fight for survival when everything around them is going to Hell.
Excerpt

7:12 a.m.

After his pathetic half-hearted stumble run, Nathan decided he needed to get some more water and then, with the impetus to phone Ryan clear in his head, he went indoors at exactly 7:12 a.m. Despite Jason's words of caution, Nathan really wanted to see if maybe his ex-lover would agree to meet up, talk, find some kind of resolution. He was just inside the main door when the floor beneath his feet moved, subtly the first time, slowly, strongly, a groaning, a creaking, and a soft shaking.

The strong, certain ground shift left him holding the doorframe. It only lasted a few seconds and was over before he could force a thought about it through the rest of the clutter in his mind. The checklist in his head clicked in automatically before the shaking had stopped. He smiled briefly. That earth movement would be dominating the news today. Hey, maybe today was a good day for him to walk proudly out of the closet! Surely revealing his sexual preferences would never be more newsworthy than an earthquake in Tinseltown.

He thumbed to the number of his brother out of state, and hit "Send". The phone at the other end rang once, twice, a third time, and voicemail kicked in. He decided not to leave a message. No one really needed to know that a minor shock had hit his apartment in the hills above LA. The trembler hadn't been strong enough to be worthy of hitting the national news anywhere outside of California. Nathan had just been trying to be a good citizen, letting a family member know, like the government said he should. He made a mental note to charge the damn cell when he had finished his shower.

Seconds later, just as Nathan pocketed his iPhone, the earth around him ripped apart with such savagery that it was impossible to stand upright. Nathan scrabbled to hold the side of the doorframe, trying to find his feet. His vision blurred as dust and concrete fell about his head, knocking him to the ground. Before the shaking stopped, before the ceiling joists cascaded down and trapped his legs, he slammed into unconsciousness.

Pre-order HERE