I've challenged myself to post about Leaving the Tribe every day between now and release on April 18, so here we go.

Let's start with Milla, who begins the narration. Granddaughter of the leader of the Woods Tribe, she's about 13. Though well-behaved and very intelligent Milla, like many kids her age, can be pulled into doing things she knows she shouldn't. Her decision to go with her older, sneaky cousin Mary Ann is the inciting incident of the book. Milla sees something she was never meant to see, and that night begins a series of events that show her and us what society has become. We read on to find out how will Milla react to that knowledge.

That's the teaser for today. If you want to pre-order the book, it's only $2.99 right now HERE. (FYI, it will be up for pre-order soon at other retailers besides Amazon. I'm workin' on it!)

Now on to my "authorly musings." Hubby and I watched a movie the other night that used the old chloroform ruse, where an attacker puts a cloth soaked with the stuff over a victim's mouth and they succumb within seconds. I try not to be that kind of watcher, but I heard myself shout, "That's not how it works!"

I try to be accurate when I write, though the word fiction makes some think that writers can make up whatever they want to make a story work. That's not true, at least not with good writing. Even science fiction "world-building" has to have a feel of reality to it. Yes, the sky can be yellow instead of blue IF the reader understands why that is.

Of course there are writers who bend the rules, and maybe all of us do some of the time. We know people don't get "knocked out" in a fight, lie on the ground for a minute or so, and then get up and go on like nothing happened. We know that police officers don't get instant reports on DNA or even fingerprint matches. And we know that little old ladies don't solve crimes by leaning toward a suspect with a piercing gaze and asking a few pertinent questions.

Because Leaving the Tribe is set in the future, I had to try to imagine what it would be like if our society broke from the pressures it's facing. How would we recover? Who would dictate the terms of that recovery? And how would it affect the next generation, the ones growing up unaware of what a cell phone is?  After reading, my editor said that future college students might be assigned to analyze this book, discussing how I got so close to the truth.

I hope that's not the case, but speculative fiction is all about imagination tied to a sense of possible reality. We might not end up living in tribes, but it could happen.

Once again, the link HERE  will allow you to buy the book at the pre-release price of $2.99.