Science is a wondrous thing; diligent adherence to scientific principles has led the world into a new age of information, healing, and knowledge of our universe. However, sometimes science is subject to another law-that of unintended consequences. Such is the case when a genetic therapy breakthrough binds with the feline herpes virus. Instead of curing millions of organ failure, it unleashes the unthinkable-the zombie apocalypse.

Unlike zombies in common lore, these zombies are not dead: their hearts beat, they breathe, and they can die with blows other than to the brain, but the destruction of the frontal lobe of the brain leaves most of the Zs without the ability to plan or think; they just eat. The infection a ffects more than humans-dogs, rats, coyotes, and other omnivores can also succumb.

Luckily, mankind is not completely lost. A few are immune to the virus. Dr. Emma O'Conner, a family medicine resident in San Antonio, Texas, is the first to prove that. She is evacuated to a CDC facility and protected by Lieutenant Colonel Angus McLeod. Emma speaks to other survivors over the radio with Canadian broadcaster Alistair Breedham and becomes the mostly loved face of hope as the country falls apart.

Pockets of survivors band together to create new towns, each finding a way to increase their chances of making it in the world. Charlene, homemaker and former PTA president, leads those in the Elysian Heights subdivision outside of Marietta, Georgia. Guillermo, a fourteenyear-old genius, rallies those in the Yucatan to his side. Stokes, formerly third in command for the Shujaa gang in Camden, New Jersey, protects those in Pyne Poynt. Elisandra Hudson, the secretary of state, must help the president reestablish control so that the country survives. Peter Saitou crosses the miles through Z-infested lands to fi nd the woman he has loved since his teen years, Emma.

Most humans want to survive and work toward that end, but there are those who thrive on chaos and the misfortune of others. Bands of raiders attack the communities. Others feel called by God to recreate the country into one that would put God and his laws above all.

Each story weaves around the other, demonstrating the strength of human spirit in a world filled by chaos.

I have created stories since before I was old enough to write, but only since 2012 have I worked to complete and polish a manuscript for publication. I grew up loving horror, science fiction, and fantasy books and fi lms. Growing up asthmatic in the 1970s, there were few medications for an attack except injections of epinephrine. My parents discovered that if I watched something scary, my own adrenaline could sometimes break the attack and prevent an expensive trip to the emergency room. Part of my fascination with horror and zombies came from all those movies that made me feel better. I live, work, and write in San Antonio, Texas, with my husband and my dog.