Jan 9 2026

Why I Wrote ESCAPE TO NOWHERE + Excerpt

I’m currently in the middle of telling my tale of a remote colony world struck by a zombie apocalypse and ESCAPE TO NOWHERE is the third book. I hadn’t planned to write this one and then I thought it might be a short story but it became a 36K novella.

Les and Devora, the two main characters, were minor supporting characters in the previous book, TAMSYN. With each of them I had ideas about their backstory and I was excited to be able to do flashbacks to the earliest stages of the zombie problem. With Les, as the tour bus driver for a major rock star, I wanted to show the events that led to his arrival in Rosewater. With Devora, I had the chance to take an interesting side trip to the interstellar zoo in the nearest city, show how the animals were reacting, how the authorities were trying to cover it all up at that fairly early stage and provide a backstory moment for her that explained some of her choices in TAMSYN.

I also liked the idea of a romance developing between these two people as they flee the last town overrun and try to make it to the refugee camp. As I went, my Muse also started working them and the events of their journey into the plot for at least the next book, which I’m writing now (entitled JOURNEY but which will feature Tamsyn and Cody, a cyborg soldier from the original novel ARRIVAL.) Having Les and Devora opened up the scope of my plans for the next book. Also, ESCAPE TO NOWHERE was one of those rare (for me anyway) books where the entire plot comes to me in one big rush and I just need to write it all down. I always prioritize those! It’s a gift.

I don’t plan to get distracted from my main story again though. I already have an idea for another short story (which means my Muse will probably make it a novella too) about a zookeeper doing her best to survive and to keep her animal charges alive too. The whole topic of what happens to zoos in an apocalyptic time fascinates me. BUT I’m determined not to write that story until sometime after the next two books are published and I’ve written something else.

I know not all my readers are excited about zombies, even set in my Sectors interstellar civilization, so once this series is complete at five books total (ARRIVAL, TAMSYN, ESCAPE TO NOWHERE, JOURNEY and RESOLUTION) I’ll be going back to more of my typical stories. I just have always wanted to write a dystopian, post apocalyptic tale and I’m getting it out of my system with Planet of Last Resort!

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Here’s an excerpt from Devora’s experience at the zoo:

The weather was pleasant and she wandered the extensive grounds of the zoo for quite a while. There were no crowds, not even at the most popular exhibits, which she attributed to it being a weekday. Devora appreciated being able to get close to all the animals and took quite a few holos to share on her social media later. The animals’ behavior was strange today though. She’d never seen anything like it. Some were hiding in their burrows and others were poised at the highest spot in their habitats as if on guard. A few of the big predators were prowling back and forth restlessly.

She was having a good time and the animal-shaped fries from the food kiosk were as tasty as ever. Devora customarily made the big pond her last stop before leaving the zoo. It was a beautiful spot, curated with all kinds of exotic plants and flowers and there were turtles and colorful fish you could feed by hand with special treats bought from a vending machine. Long legged birds in a variety of vibrant colors waded in the shallows while others strutted the perimeter of the pond like kings, big tail feathers spread for an over the top display. She liked to sit on one of the graceful benches and rest before making the long hike back to the entrance. It was a place of peace for her and she was eagerly anticipating reaching the attraction.

As she walked along the enclosures on the way, she was startled to see the entire troop of Aldebaran primates hanging from treetops and perches in their area, screaming and baring their impressive fangs. Glancing around, she observed how the Antarean marmokats were huddling together in a massive pile of fur, right up against the door to their night quarters inside. A few were scratching at the portal and the whole group was keening. A few of the biggest animals stood guard on the perimeter of their fellows, eyes darting here and there frantically, tails twitching.

From another part of the zoo she heard tantoreans trumpeting and the whole effect was unsettling. Devora paused, unsure what she wanted to do, continue or give up seeing the pond today. The park com blared a musical note and an announcement came on. “The Zoo is closing early today. All guests are requested to head to the main gate immediately.”

What are they going to do, come out here and collect me if I go to the pond? She thought defiantly.

Decision made, she continued with the plan to finish her walk to the pond but after a few steps she halted. There was a large figure shambling in her direction. Another couple was between her and the newcomer and she expected him to beg for credits but instead as she stared the disheveled man pounced on the woman and began biting her as she shrieked and her companion punched and kicked the attacker. Devora took three steps to go help and blinked as suddenly there were five more people in torn and bloody clothing lurching toward her. The Aldebaran primates behind her raised the volume of their cries and hurled fruit at the oncoming figures.

She retreated one step, then two, turned and fled in the direction of the main zoo. Behind her she heard the pounding of feet and when she risked a glance over her shoulder, nearly falling in the process, she found she was being chased by a group of the strange people.

“Lady, over here!” came a shout and Devora saw a park worker gesturing frantically to her from a partially open door. “Run for your life, lady.”

She did, running faster than she’d ever moved before and as she got close to the doorway the worker grabbed her arm, yanked her inside, where she fell in a heap and slammed the door behind her, locking it. Devora heard the slam of heavy bodies against the panel and a horrible smell of decay seeped in through the vents on the top third of the door. “What is going on—” she said, getting to her feet and leaning on the wall.

“Sssh,” he said urgently, finger to his lips. “Sound attracts them.”

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The Blurb and Buy Links:

Fleeing the zombie apocalypse on an isolated colony planet, two strangers find a common purpose and more as they strive to reach promised sanctuary in a refugee camp. Les McDaniel barely had a chance to get a cup of coffee in the town of Rosewater before it falls to the swarming infected. He steps in to drive one of the two school buses designated as escape vehicles. He didn’t ask for the responsibility for the lives of all these other people, most of whom he doesn’t even know but he’ll do his best to get them to the refugee camp safely. Then he’s off on his own, no government-run camp for him. Devora Sims was the police dispatcher for the town of Rosewater before the Western Flu hit and left hordes of vicious infected in its wake. The scion of a prominent local family stepped in when infrastructure failed and became a ruthless warlord. She found a temporary haven running his kitchen but then the compound fell to the infected, he was killed and she managed to get herself on one of the buses, with the additional responsibility for an abandoned toddler she rescued. Les and Devora forge an alliance as the bus trip continues and her feelings become deeply engaged with the reluctant hero bus driver. But he’s made it plain he won’t stay at the refugee camp and she can’t imagine trying to live on the run in the open, especially with a child. Will they reach the camp? Will it still be there? And what kind of future could Les and Devora build on a relationship born of the chaos? Author’s Note: This 36K word novella continues the story of the survivors of Rosewater and is related to books one and two of the Planet of Last Resort series. There’s a Happy for Now ending to this novella but Les and Devora will be continuing characters in book three, when the series reconnects with the main characters from the previous books.

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Sep 11 2020

5 Post Apocalyptic #SciFi Novels to Distract You From Current Events

VS Note: Portions of this post first appeared in the Roswell Daily Record…

Combine a long hot summer and the current events in the world, between politics and the pandemic, and I guess it’s not a mystery why I’ve been in the mood to read a lot of post-apocalyptic (PA) science fiction novels recently. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you this month.

These are definitely not romances, although some of the books may contain romantic elements, and quite a few of them are heavy on the horror element — I tend to skim the worst parts frankly, but I’ll keep reading if the rest of the story grabs me. As a longtime fan of “The Walking Dead” TV series and movies like “World War Z,” I’m pretty much prepared for the gore factor in some of these books. I’ve read a lot in this genre.

I started reading apocalyptic fiction with the classic Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, detailing what happens in one small Florida community after the U.S.A. and Russia go to war and the bombs drop. The book has held up pretty well since he wrote it in 1959, although its age shows now, since the advent of cellphones and the internet and many other things Frank didn’t have and which his characters have never heard of. I still reread this one at least once a year. When I first read it as a 12-year-old, reading my dad’s battered paperback edition, the whole concept of what life might be like after a huge event of this nature was fascinating.

Usually, in these novels, the events are kicked off by a war, or a virus, which may result in zombies or other no-longer-human creatures to prey on the main character survivors, or an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from space or a hostile nation, or any number of other events, some scarily plausible. There are some genre tropes a PA author will probably tick off along the way, including the breakdown of civilization, the looting and scavenging, the “preppers” — good and bad — who were ready for this and take it all in stride, the gangs and criminals and bad guys, sometimes a grand conspiracy theory-come-true behind the disaster, which must be fought along with just trying to survive the day — there are lots of variations.

Mike Kraus is a prolific author and publisher who co-writes with various other individuals and I enjoyed his six-book Flashpoint series, written with Tara Ellis. Beginning with a gamma ray event, which decimates the world’s population, this series takes a disparate group of people and chronicles their various journeys and efforts to survive. I was drawn in by the characters and the fact that one part of the story dealt with how a small mountain town survived the initial event and then became something of a magnet drawing in the other characters. I felt the series provided me something different than the standard “after the apocalypse” fare.

Jacqueline Druga is a very prolific writer who tends to write standalone books, although she has several long-running series — and even created two seasons of a limited TV show based on one of her series, although the reviews relating to the production values and quality of the acting weren’t all that encouraging. Once I discovered her, I went through many titles on her extensive backlist of novels, although I didn’t try any of the series yet. Her science is a bit questionable — especially in the early books — as far as the specific causes for the various apocalypses she visits on her characters, but one thing I especially enjoyed about her novels was that the main character is usually a woman who hasn’t been too concerned about disasters, “bug out bags,” “prepping” or anything else beyond her family’s daily life — pretty much an average citizen suddenly thrust into this new world who has to survive. Druga has written a huge variety of disasters — one of my particular favorites was Red Line, which starts with a group of morning commuters on the subway, totally unprepared for the end of the world. I also liked The Last Woman, although it starts off in a very grim fashion.

Just a warning: In her books, whole families may perish. If a heroine starts off with a husband and three children, odds are, she’ll be widowed and down to one or none offspring fairly rapidly. Not always, but fairly often. There’s a lot of loss for the main characters to endure before the story focuses in on how they go on to survive the grim new world.

DRYP: The Final Pandemic by R. A. Scheuring was extremely well written, I thought, although the plague the author sets loose on the world kills pretty much everyone. No zombies here, but a 99% mortality rate for anyone who catches the bug. One of the primary settings for the plot’s action was close to where I live, so that was fun as the characters moved around on the freeways I drive. This is a standalone, so far, but I have hopes there’ll be a sequel because the few survivors do appear to be moving toward a meeting at the end of the novel.

Sam Sisavath’s Fall of Man series started off with a bang, as many people suddenly become “rabid crazies,” ravening beasts — not zombies — who only seek to kill. I liked the extremely capable ex-soldier hero and in the second book. I was impressed by his equally indomitable wife. Book three won’t be out for a while but I’ll be reading it. The Break was the first book and held my interest from start to finish, including the motley group of survivors the hero collects and defends, despite his best intentions to be a loner.

Right now, I’m on book 10 of a 12-book zombie series by Adrienne Lecter, The Green Fields and I am pretty enthralled. I’ve been reading until late in the night, finishing about one book a day. Lots of genuine gore and horror along the way, but I’m hooked on Bree and Nate, the two main characters, and their relationship. The primary focus of the novels is not the romance, and these two — a scientist and a deadly soldier — bicker almost constantly but I can’t get enough of them. I stick around for the adventure and the moments where they stop bickering and let their emotions show. It’s been fascinating to watch them evolve and how they support each other, each in their own way. I’m also interested in the various approaches the other survivors are working on in an attempt to create some kind of civilization despite the zombie presence.

This is a series where I’ve relied heavily on reader reviews in Amazon to tell me if I want to keep reading and to warn me about particularly gruesome events coming in the next installment. Lecter doesn’t shy away from describing disturbing scenes in quite graphic and lengthy detail. I personally like spoilers rather than being surprised, but I won’t give you any here. If you decide to try the books, don’t get too attached to anyone not named Bree or Nathan is my sincere advice. Incubation: Green Fields Book #1 is the first book in the series, which the author has completed. Several of the books end in cliffhangers but the next novel is always right there with one click immediately if you’re a voracious reader like me.

I have a few sci-fi romances and the latest Mary Balogh Regency romance waiting on the Kindle for when I’ve finished all this apocalyptic, dystopian reading and need a change of pace to lighter fare. I’m sure I’ll be more than ready by then.

VS Update: Since I wrote this post for the Roswell Daily Record, I finished reading all twelve Green Fields books AND two books of related short stories and I even signed up for the Author’s Patreon to get my hands on the novella prequel. I’ve never signed up for a Patreon before but I was driven to have every morsel of Green Fields fiction there was. So I guess you can see how much the series really grabbed me. The prequel was tremendously helpful in explaining how and why Nate and Bree came together in the first place and establishing the foundation of their relationship through the entire series. The novella was really more of a scifi romance in style (and sex scenes) and clarified some things about the couple for me. Having the short story collections was great too because she wrote from Nate’s POV (the series is all Bree’s POV). I’m glad I found this series after it was complete, not sure I could have handled the cliff hangers otherwise. (The first book was published in 2015 as far as I can tell.)

The last book takes a hard left turn into a development I certainly never saw coming, as to how certain things are resolved. Looking back, the author did lay clues throughout the books leading up to this revelation but still…it was unexpected and left me sort of blinking. Okayyyyy…

I have to say again, these are very gory stories (as well done zombie novels tend to be) and by the end of the series I’m frankly not sure how entirely human Nate and Bree are any longer. Literally. I still cared about them and their eventual fate though. Hence the binge buying of all the short stories etc! Gruesome things occur along the way, although the author is quite effective at setting the scene for these plot developments. I do skip over the specific upsetting details when I read and I kind of cheerfully ‘forget’ some of the things…so for me the series worked because I was highly invested in Nate and Bree. I was satisfied at the conclusion, given the world they’re living in.

So there’s my trigger warning, without giving spoilers, in case you decide to try the series. It’s a very rough ride for them in the new, zombiefied world and for the reader who gets to see it all happen….

Jun 26 2020

Interview: Anna Hackett on Completing HELL SQUAD #SciFi Series at 20 Books

This interview first appeared on the Amazing Stories Magazine blog…

When an author brings a successful series to a close after years of unspooling the continuing story, how does she feel? How do readers react? How hard is it to tie up all the threads? Anna Hackett has been writing the Hell Squad post-apocalyptic science fiction romance series since releasing Marcus (Hell Squad Book 1) in 2015. She recently concluded the series with Tane (Hell Squad Book 20). Since I’m in the middle of writing my own Badari Warriors series (currently on book fourteen), I was especially eager to ask her some questions about the topic. I’ve been an avid Hell Squad reader since the beginning. No spoilers but I will say I was more than satisfied at the way Anna wrapped the adventures up.

Here’s the beginning of the blurb for Marcus, from 2015: “In the aftermath of a deadly alien invasion, a band of survivors fights on… ”

Here’s the blurb for Tane (Hell Squad Book 20): As the battle against the invading aliens reaches its endgame, a group of bad boy bikers and mercenaries will stand and fight for humanity’s survival…

Tane Rahia is good at one thing–fighting. Before the alien invasion, he fought as a mercenary in the worst jungle hellholes. Now, he’s the leader of Squad Three–aka the berserkers–and he’s fighting to protect his brothers, his friends, and the last of humanity’s survivors. It doesn’t matter if he dies, he knows he belongs in the shadows, doing the dirty work and taking dangerous risks so others don’t have to. There is no warm woman, no love, and no redemption for him, and especially no small, sweet alien woman who he struggles to ignore.

Abducted from her homeworld by the Gizzida, Selena endured captivity and torture. Then she found herself on a distant planet called Earth and rescued by tough, heroic humans. She’s recovered, made a new family for herself, and come into a power that she never knew she possessed. She’s determined to experience everything life on vibrant Earth has to offer and to protect her new home. And she discovers that one battle-hardened, intense man is the only one who ignites a passionate desire that leaves her breathless.

The humans have fought hard, but now the Gizzida have created three deadly, humanity-ending bombs. Tane’s not happy that Selena’s help is vital in the fight against the aliens, and nor is he ready to face her stubborn confidence nor the white-hot desire flaring between them. But as they enter their final make or break fight, Tane and Selena know they need to fight as one. They may not survive the final battle, but they have to try: for their friends, for the planet, for humanity.

Veronica Scott for AMAZING STORIES MAGAZINE: What were your major influences for doing the series itself originally?

AH: Hell Squad started with this idea of a battle-hardened soldier facing off with a pretty former socialite. I wondered what it would take for two so opposite people to have to work together and fall in love. The answer was an alien invasion! I also drew on the influences of lots of TV shows (like Falling Skies) and games to put together my post-apocalyptic world of humans fighting back against alien invaders.

ASM.: Did you always know it would end this way, or at 20 books? If not, how did you come to the decision to write the ending?

AH: I’m laughing right now. No, I never envisioned Hell Squad having 20 books. The first story, Marcus, was supposed to be a short story (called Darkest Before Dawn) that I was contributing to a sci-fi anthology. The anthology fell through and I knew there was more to the story. Clearly, things took on a life of their own. This series has always been very organic — I had no idea where it would end up or how it would end. I knew the fight couldn’t go on forever and I really wanted to give these heroic, tough characters the ending they had fought so hard for. Once I started writing the stories of Squad Three (the berserkers) I knew we were headed toward the final conclusion.

ASM.: Was it tricky to ensure we saw all the major characters in action in Tane? How did you juggle that when writing the book?

AH: The Hell Squad books have always written themselves! I guess I knew this world so well and the characters came to life so vividly from the beginning, so ensuring we saw everyone in the final book wasn’t that hard. The thing I was conscious of was to make sure everyone had an important role to play, not just appearing for the sake of appearing. But these characters have always worked hard together to fight and survive, so again, it wasn’t hard at all.

ASM.: I really admired how you kept bringing in fresh challenges and new characters over the life of the series. Which was your favorite ‘big development’ and why? How did you decide what to add to the basic stories?

AH: Each Hell Squad book has always showcased a mission against the invading aliens. Obviously, the main characters of each book have been critical to whatever that mission was. That means, the mission was always centered on whatever the strengths and skills of the hero and heroine might be. After that, I just let my imagination run wild! I have always worked hard as an author (in all my series!) to keep the stories fresh, interesting, and fun.

A big development in Hell Squad (and one that wasn’t planned) was the character of Selena. I never intended to introduce an additional alien species to the series, and I was just as surprised as Hell Squad when they rescued Selena and realized that she wasn’t human. She is the heroine in Tane’s book and a key part of the story.

ASM.: Over the entire series, who was your favorite character? Who was most difficult to write and why?

AH: I can’t pick a favorite! I love each one of my characters for different reasons. Marcus and Elle were the first, so they will always be special to me. I loved the banter between kickass Claudia and sniper Shaw. I loved General Adam Holmes finding the love of his life in Liberty. I love the tough female fighters of Squad Nine. The wild, bad-boy berserkers are always a pleasure.

Like I mentioned, this characters have always come alive and the Hell Squad books have always been very easy to write. So none of the characters have been difficult to write. I did feel some pressure in Tane’s book, knowing it was the end and two very anticipated characters. I wanted to make sure I wrote a book that the readers loved, but once I started writing, I forgot about the pressure and got lost in the story.

ASM.: Was it hard for you to leave the series behind? What will you miss the most about Hell Squad?

AH: SO hard! It was exciting to write the ending for these amazing characters, but at the same time, it was very bittersweet. These characters feel like family, so not writing more of their action-packed adventures will be hard. I’ll miss the intense feel of this series that is layered with grit, hope, survival, resilience, and love.

ASM.: What’s next for you?

AH: Well, I’m busy working on books in some of my existing sci-fi series (Eon Warriors and House of Rone). I have a new (non sci-fi) contemporary action romance series called Norcross coming out in September (loosely linked to my Team 52 series). And I am really excited for a couple of new sci-fi romance series that I am currently brewing right now. I’ll be hoping to launch them next year.

ASM.: Is there a TV series or movie you’ve binge watched lately?

AH: I don’t have a lot of time for TV anymore (that’s not counting kids shows as I have two young boys — their favorite right now is ‘Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir’, which is a fantastic animated superhero show!) I did recently watch a great limited series on Netflix called ‘Unbelievable’. It was different to what I usually watch (fast-paced action or sci-fi!) It was centered on two female detectives on the hunt for a serial rapist. It had a wonderful diverse cast and the qualities I love to see in my heroines: tough, never give up, and kickass in their own way.

ASM.: What’s on your To Be Read list?

AH: I recently read Nalini Singh’s latest Psy/Changeling book, Alpha Night, and loved it. I’m looking forward to her next Guild Hunter book. I am also waiting (im)patiently for the next Pamela Clare romantic suspense and Ilona Andrews’ Emerald Blaze.

For more about Anna Hackett and her books visit https://annahackett.com/