The simple answer is that I always wanted to write a dystopian, post apocalyptic novel and now I have!

The first one I ever read was the classic Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank and it immediately became one of my favorite genres. I’m not really all about the gore and violence – I’m always fascinated by the people and when did they start to suspect something was wrong, how did they react in the moment when the apocalypse of whatever type it might be struck and then how do events unfold thereafter. I like to compare their reactions to how I think I would react. When I decided to write this new novel of mine, I knew I wanted to place it in the Sectors and I had to think hard about what kind of apocalyptic event would make sense  in that framework.

I settled on a virus that produces zombies, which may or may not have been manufactured by alien enemy agents. Now personally I enjoy a good zombie tale, from The Walking Dead to World War Z to  Kate L. Mary’s Broken World to Dee J, Holmes’ Pandora Strain trilogy. I’m not into the gore part of things though and so I guess my zombies in this book are “zombie lite” in that I don’t get into too much explicit detail of how they look, or the fight scenes.

The Female Main Character is a doctor (I seem to gravitate toward the medical profession for my FMC’s on occasion) and the Male Main Character is a retired Sectors Special Forces operator who has come to Randal Four to claim his veterans’ acres and ranch.

There’s a dog, which survives of course!

I enjoyed placing my characters into various scenarios as they make their way across the planet, taking some of my favorite parts of the post apocalyptic genre into account. I’m always trying to write a book that I’m going to want to read – that’s why I started writing in the first place, way back when I was seven. I hope you’ll enjoy the adventure and action in this one, as well as the romance of course! I definitely plan on at least two more books in the series.

Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of the book:

Melly stood on the cracked landing field and took a deep breath of fresh air, rejoicing in being home, finally. Four long years at a mid-Sectors university, then completing her degree and residency as a doctor and she was finally able to return to Randal Four. Sure she owed the government five years of service as a doctor now to pay off her student loans but all Melly had ever wanted to do was practice medicine on her home world and take care of people. The fact Randal Four was still designated as a colony, despite its three bustling major cities and other amenities, had made it possible for her to accomplish her dream.

One week from today she’d be reporting to the big hospital here in Central City as Dr. Jericho, thank you very much, and her long journey to achieve her goals would be complete.

If the darn robo ground tram ever showed up to whisk her and her luggage away from the landing area and off to the terminal. Shading her eyes with one hand, Melly stepped away from the flimsy shelter offered by the robo dropoff area and stared across the shimmering surface toward the terminal. Nothing. There was a small cargo mover quite a distance away but it wasn’t moving and the doors were open. Was that a body on the pavement next to it?

She blinked and tried to refocus. Surely not.

Her train of thought was interrupted.

“Does it usually take this long to pick up arriving passengers?”

Startled, she turned to the man who’d spoken. He was good looking, imposing in size and build, with a military stance, despite being dressed in casual clothing. Four men stood at his back. They’d all flown to the planet with her in the robo shuttle, Randal Four wasn’t big enough to warrant an actual piloted shuttle. The only ships which touched down here were government, military or free traders. Cheap cruise liners like the Solar Flower operated with a minimum of crew and even fewer luxuries. It was a tired old ship plying the Outer Sectors and ferrying humans and other sentients from one colony world to another. It had been the last leg of her trip from the Mid Sectors and at each stage she’d found herself on less congenial vessels, with the Solar Flower being the least amenable of them all.

But it was cheap. The price was right. The government only paid so much to transport a brand new doctor like herself to her assignment.

Melly hadn’t seen these five aboard the cruise ship but she’d pretty much stayed in her tiny cabin. Since they’d landed she’d been observing them surreptitiously, not wanting to seem rude, but the five were an interesting group. “No, I was wondering about that myself actually. There should have been ground transport here waiting for us.”

“Hmmm.” The man contemplated the far off terminal complex with a frown before giving her his attention again. “Jeff Pearson, recently retired from the military,” he said, putting his hand out.

“Welcome to Randal Four,” she said, shaking the proffered hand. Mr. Pearson had a firm grip and a direct gaze, his blue eyes piercing. “Dr. Melisande Jericho. I’m coming home after completing med school and my residency.”

“Impressive! Congratulation.” He waved at the other four men, who nodded as he made a rapid-fire introduction. “Cody, Zach, Samms and Trent. We’re here to take up our veterans’ acres and make a living ranching.”

“Welcome to the planet then,” she said with enthusiasm.  She was matching her observations to the names and trying to keep the four men straight in her mind. Cody was the one who’d been pacing and playing with a spinning fidget toy, which made her dizzy to watch. Trent had been listening to music, tapping his toes, very much at ease. Samms played some game on his handheld and barely took his eyes off the screen to wave at the introduction. He reminded her a bit of her younger brother, who was also an avid gamer every chance he got to play. Zach was built on a massive scale, with tatts on his bulging biceps. He stood well over six feet and dwarfed the others, even Jeff, who was pretty buff himself.

“My guess is we need to hike, captain,” said Zach now. “No one’s coming with a welcome wagon today.”

“All right,” he agreed, turning away from her. “Get your gear squared away and let’s go.”

She certainly wasn’t going to wait endlessly out here on the landing pad either, so Melly gathered up her backpack and small carryon. “Mind if I join you?” she asked, walking over to where the group was dealing with their own possessions.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jeff’s grin lit up his face, which she’d already decided was handsome enough for a highly effective recruiting poster. “Not leaving you here by yourself. Can you manage your things or do you need us to carry them?”

With a laugh she surveyed the men in front of her, each with his own rucksack. “I can manage, thank you. The rest of my stuff was in the cargo pod which hopefully landed okay a few hours ago.”

“We sent ours ahead on an earlier ship,” Jeff told her. He looked past her to the two businessmen. “You coming, gentlemen?”

“I suppose,” one said, running a hand over his sweaty face and sounding aggravated. “Really the service here is abysmal, Paulson. If we didn’t need the contract so badly—”

“It wasn’t this bad last time we came through,” his companion said as if trying to make up for the first man’s brusque remark. “Probably a minor thing. Once we’re at the terminal we’ll be fine, Baird. We have plenty of time to make our first meeting.”

“After you,” the captain said to Melly, with a good humored expression and a sweeping gesture as if inviting her to a dance.

Feeling more lighthearted now she was taking action, Melly began walking. She speculated where exactly the men were going to stake their veterans’ acres claim and hoped it wouldn’t be too remote. She realized the group had formed up around her as if she was a celebrity they needed to protect as they proceeded. The two businessmen trailed behind, Baird huffing and puffing. She might have to give him medical attention by the time they reached the terminal. The thought reminded her of what she thought she’d seen beside the stationary cargo mover. She paused and looked in that direction again.

“Something wrong?” Jeff asked, coming to a halt beside her.

“I—I think maybe someone is on the ground next to the hauler over there,” she said, pointing. “You go ahead—I need to check on them.”

“We’ll go with you,” he said. “We’re in no rush and if the person does need attention, you may need help.”

ARRIVAL (PLANET OF LAST RESORT BOOK ONE) by Veronica Scott

Melisande “Melly” Jericho is a newly licensed medical doctor, returning to her home planet to practice family medicine. She hasn’t been home in years and is excited to see her friends and family again. But when her shuttle lands, the spaceport seems deserted and she can’t get her handheld to connect to the network to call for help. Stranded on the landing pad far from the terminal, she joins forces with the only other passengers to arrive, never dreaming they’ll all soon be plunged into a life-or-death situation.

Jeff Pearson, retired Sectors Special Forces captain and his friends have come to colony planet Randal Four to take up ranching. He’s attracted to the curvy doctor as soon as he sees her on board the shuttle to the planet and hopes he can at least get her com details and maybe set up a dinner date before he and his team leave the city to reach their waiting ranchland. His tentative plans come to a crashing halt as a strange horde of moaning, growling people emerges from the terminal, headed in their direction with clearly murderous intent.

Jeff, Melly and the others make a desperate run to escape from the mob and begin an adventure the likes of which none of them could ever have predicted. As they struggle against overwhelming odds to survive, evade the infected, escape the city and reach her family home, the attraction and trust between the two grows ever hotter. But so does the danger and the mystery of what happened to the people of Randal Four.

Planet of Last Resort is book one in a new scifi romance series set in the Sectors. This book will end in a Happy For Now situation for the two main characters; however the series arc will continue and the challenges and dangers will not be resolved in this book. Melly and Jeff will find some of the answers they’re seeking with more mysteries to solve.

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