I have moved this blog to a new location.
I have customized a new website and it is coming along well.
There wont be new posts on this blog.
http://spxblog.richardtamm.com <- Complete
http://richardtamm.com <-in progress
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
The Early Days...Almost there...
I have been putting a lot of work into "The Early Days" and I am happy to announce I am working on the final chapter. I still have some edits to finish to create a better sounding story-line and make some of the scenes a little more adventurous but all in all it is pretty close to complete.
After completion I am going to distribute the completed story to my selected group of readers and have it proof-read to make sure there aren't errors that will drive readers crazy.
As planned the book should be released and available early March 2014
After completion I am going to distribute the completed story to my selected group of readers and have it proof-read to make sure there aren't errors that will drive readers crazy.
As planned the book should be released and available early March 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
and on to today...
Just as a regretful update.
I did not work on any of the titles of the Surviving Population books.
I am planning on doing more work today. I know there isn't much left of "The Early Days" I am going to do my best to have the completed draft finished before the end of the week. It is hard to tell right now though.
I did not work on any of the titles of the Surviving Population books.
I am planning on doing more work today. I know there isn't much left of "The Early Days" I am going to do my best to have the completed draft finished before the end of the week. It is hard to tell right now though.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Up to now
I have finished more work on "The Early Days". I have not been working on any other titles recently. I hope to get "The Early Days" finished by as early as next weekend.
I am happy to have received positive feedback on Facebook for the sample chapter of "The Early Days"
Thank you for those who read and commented on Facebook.
I will be getting more finished on "The Early Days" this weekend and going to try to get something finished in the other titles.
I am happy to have received positive feedback on Facebook for the sample chapter of "The Early Days"
Thank you for those who read and commented on Facebook.
I will be getting more finished on "The Early Days" this weekend and going to try to get something finished in the other titles.
Monday, February 3, 2014
A Sample Chapter from "The Early Days"
A good friend of mine asked me to post a sample chapter of "The Early Days" I have been asking my friends to share and like my facebook page for the series. She asked me to share some of the nook so I have something to show when trying to gain fans early.
Please comment on this post. It would truly mean a lot to me to receive some feedback.
Surviving Population X on facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/survivingpopulationx
Flynn stood in the
doorway of his cousin’s control room. He watched as Kurt rolled his chair
around the room checking computer monitors, flipping switches, and turning
knobs on different radios.
Kurt was attempting to find a channel that might be broadcasting
information about the military choppers that flew overhead moments ago. There
hasn’t been any luck so far but he hadn’t been searching long.
“You find anything?” Flynn asked, curious about the choppers
himself. This is the first time Flynn has stepped foot into the barn in years.
His eyes move rapidly between computer screens and radios. There is so much
more in here than he had thought.
Kurt rolled to a computer along the far wall, “Not yet, but
the computers are still scanning.” Kurt had written a program that would scan
through the radio channels automatically. When a channel had activity, a window
would open on another monitor indicating the activity. “Something is bound to
come up.”
Flynn watched as his cousin did his thing. It was fascinating
to watch Kurt move in his rolling rhythm. “What are you looking for exactly?”
“Anything, I am scanning through both police and military.
Someone has to be talking about or to the choppers.” There was a long pause as
Kurt stared at the monitors. “Like that,” he said pointing at one of the
screens. “That’s a police channel.” Kurt rolled over to one of the radios and
turned a dial to match the channel that was displayed on the monitor.
“It’s a military issue now Bernie, get your ass back here!”
shouts a female voice through the radio.
“I can’t run and let all these people just die waiting for
the military to pull their heads out of their asses.” He squawks back to the
woman on dispatch. “I’m not going to do it!”
The two cousins just stared at each other not quite
understanding the entirety of the conversation they are hearing over the radio.
“Did he say people are dying?” Flynn asks and Cooper if fanning his hand in the
air as to hush him.
“You aren’t safe out there alone,” she protested.
“I can’t let these people rip each other apart!” the officer
cries into the mic “I can’t jus….”
“Bernie!” she shouts “Bernie! Are you there? Bernie!” by the
sound in her voice you can hear she is terrified. “Bernie!”
“Where was that signal coming from?”
“I think it is up north, possibly Terre Haute,” Kurt answered
back.
“He said people are ripping each other apart”
“Shush!” Kurt demanded, “Let me see what I can find out.”
He quickly rolls over to another radio flipping switches on
the way. Then stops and twists the channel dial a few rotations and keys the
microphone in front of it. “Dispatcher, can you hear me?” No answer. He rotates
the dial moving to another channel. “Dispatcher, can you hear me?”
A tearful voice came over the radio, “Who’s this?”
“My name is Kurt ma’am” he said trying to stay calm, figuring
in his head if he was calm she might calm down as well. “Can you please tell me
exactly what is going on?”
“Sir, Kurt you said, I am not authorized at this time to tell
you what is going on.” She said firmly. You can still hear the cracks in her
voice as she tries to compose herself. “Everyone is ordered to stay indoors and
lock their doors and windows.”
Kurt quickly came back to the mic, “Ma’am this is Sergeant
Major Kurtis Hyde with the United States Army, it is urgent that you tell me
what is happening and where you are located.”
This was a complete lie. Neither of them has ever served in
the military. In addition, their last name isn’t even Hyde. “Are you looking to
go to jail Kurt?”
The voice came back over the radio. “What are you guys doing
to help us? People are dying and you’re doing nothing to help!” she cried into
the mic. You can clearly hear that she started crying again.
“Ma’am in order to resolve the situation we must know exactly
what is going on,” Kurt continued “Please take a minute to compose yourself and
tell me where you are.”
“I am at the station in Terre Haute.” She said with a little
more calmness to her voice.
“Ma’am can you please tell me what you know about the
situation there in Terre Haute.”
“I don’t know exactly, I am at the station.” She said, “I
have lost contact with all officers on duty, I know Bernie, I mean Officer
Daily, said people were chasing each other around and killing each other,
ripping each other apart.”
“Ma’am, are you safe there?” Kurt asked. “Is anyone in the
building with you?”
“I’m alright,” she replied. “Nobody can get in here once the
doors are locked.”
“Alright Ma’am, can you walk to a window and look outside and
tell me what you see?”
The two sat in silence while the dispatcher went to check
things out. Something strange was going on and they needed to figure it out.
“What do you think this is all about?”
“I can’t figure that out yet,” Flynn muttered, still in shock
from what they have learned already. “Did she say people are out there killing
each other?”
“That’s what I heard.”
“I wonder if this has to do with the riots that have been
breaking out in other cities.”
“That seems logical,” Kurt replied. “But why?”
“The news hasn’t given a reason for the riots, the news just
keeps reporting them, and they keep popping up everywhere.”
“Sergeant Major?” the familiar voice came back through the
radio. “Are you still there?”
“I’m here Ma’am,” Kurt assured her “Are you still alright?”
“I’m as alright as I could be, they didn’t kill me.” She
whispered.
“Ma’am who are they?” Kurt asked leaning towards the radio.
“The dead,” she whispered. “They are the dead”
Kurt rose in his seat now looking back at Flynn who is
standing directly behind him and he lipped the words “The dead” Flynn nodded
his head in affirmation he heard the same thing.
“Can you please tell me what you mean by ‘the dead’ ma’am?”
“How many definitions of dead do you know of?” she snapped.
“How are the dead trying to kill you?” Kurt asked lifting an
eyebrow.
“Listen,” she interrupted. “I looked out some the windows
around here and didn’t see anyone fighting. There are people walking around but
none fighting. I saw a woman fleeing from three men and a man lying dead on the
ground with his stomach ripped open.”
The woman stopped talking and there was a long pause. “What
makes you believe they are dead?” Kurt asked the woman on dispatch.
“The man,” she started to say then paused again. “The man
with his chest ripped open, he got up and joined the chase after the woman.”
Flynn and Kurt just stared at each other. “This woman is
crazy,” Flynn decided.
“What if she’s for real? What if the dead are rising?”
“They must have heard me,” the voice said coming over the
radio. They could hear glass breaking in the background. “They’re coming
through the windows.”
“Can you get somewhere safe?” Kurt asked in a panic. “Ma’am
can you find somewhere to hide?”
“Yeah, you need to come help me.”
“Get a walkie-talkie and hide I can find your frequency, if
you try to contact me, hurry, and hide.”
“You think she’s still alright? Flynn asked walking over to
the desk where the radios are lined. “Do you think she made it?”
“There is no telling yet,” he replied. “We have to wait and
see.”
“Let me know if you hear something, I’m going to go up to the
house and switch on the news,” Flynn informed him. “We need to know if they
have anything new to say about what’s going on.”
*** ***
Flynn stood against the desk in his office watching the
television. He flipped through the numerous news channels watching the violence
and savagery play out live.
The local news channels only had reporters playing video
feeds from around other cities. They had no live feed at all. The situation
appeared to be bad.
It was just like the dispatch woman said. People were running
around tearing each other into pieces. Some of the people stopped to eat the
meat from the downed bodies. Watching the news Flynn could see that the people
that were attacking the others we injured, some to the point that they
shouldn’t be on their feet at all.
There were no reporters on the ground. All of them were
reporting from above in helicopters trying to get their coverage. Below were
large crowds of these attackers. The reporters were saying that this was a
viral infection and if anyone suffering symptoms is to report to a hospital
immediately for treatment.
The CDC had said that the virus was somehow self-mutating.
The virus was different depending on the host. They are unsure how it is
contracted other than those who are attacked are infected with the virus.
Flynn picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the
extension for his cousins control room.
“What’s up cousin?” Kurt asked answering the phone.
“You should hear what’s going on,” he started. “The CDC said
there’s a virus spreading causing hallucinations and rage. They are saying it
has all the symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.”
“CJD doesn't bring the dead back to life.”
“Same symptoms,” Flynn said. “It is faster spreading and more
lethal.”
“That’s insane. There has been a lot more chatter on the
radios too. People are talking about this everywhere.”
“What are they saying?”
“Most people are saying they are zombies and your fine unless
you get bit.”
“As ridiculous as that sounds, I can believe it from what’s
on TV.”
“It’s that bad, huh?”
“Yeah, there isn't going to be safety in the city for a
while.”
“That isn't good at all.” Kurt decided.
Flynn flipped through channels on his TV. Cities everywhere
around the world were under siege. Fires have broken out in most of the major
cities. People trying to loot, pillage for survival only to be chased down, and
chewed into by the infected.
They displayed images of the military attempting to shoot
their way through the hordes only to be pushed back and swept away by their
attackers. Some of the greater cities were the infection has been running for
days were being bombed. The military was trying everything to eradicate this
infection and they continued to fail.
*** ***
“Sergeant Major?” the voice echoed through the room “Sergeant
Major? Are you there?”
Kurt popped up as if he was never asleep at all, pressed in
the key on the mic “Good morning sunshine.”
“You can call me Rose,” the voice said through the radio.
“Alright Rose, are you alright? He asked.
“I’m fine,” she said back still whispering into the mic. “I
have a few bangs and bruises but nothing that won’t heal up pretty fast.”
“What happened last night?” Kurt asked waiting to hear
another story about living dead people.
“Nothing to interesting,” she said sarcastically “Those
monsters came in the window and I ran and locked myself in the gun cage.”
“Can you escape? Kurt asked. “Is it safe for you to get out
of there?”
“Unfortunately, no.” she began “For one, I don’t have the key
to open the door. Second there are three of these things reaching through the
gate.”
“You should probably kill them if you can,” he replied.
“I tried. I shot them several times they just won’t go down.”
“Don’t you watch TV?” he said sarcastically. “You got to
shoot them in the head.”
“HA, you’re talking like these are zombies.” She said
laughing.
“Aren’t you the one who said you saw the dead get up and
attack the living?”
“Holy shit, I hadn’t even thought of that until now,” she
said. “I mean, I know those people got up, but how do we know they were for
sure dead?”
“You said the one man had his chest open, people can’t just
get up and chase others with those injuries,” he retorted.
“That is true,” she replied defensively. “If there are
zombies, then wouldn’t the noise attract more?”
“I would have to assume that it would, but since these are
clearly real and the books are fiction, who knows what can be considered true.
Do you have anything you can kill them with quietly?”
Rose searched around inside the cage. There were dozens of
lockers to go through, any of which might have something useable for the
situation. Rose came across a couple things that could be useful if the holes
were larger in the cage. There was nothing small enough to fit through the
grating of the cage door.
“I found nothing,” she said after a while. “There isn’t anything
in here small enough to fit through the mesh of the door.”
“There isn’t anything you can break apart in there?” Kurt
replied. “There has to be something you can tear apart, like a shelf or
something.”
“Everything is built solid, there isn’t anything in here.”
She sighed.
“What guns are in there?” he asked.
“There is a crap ton of guns, but I can’t shoot them
remember?”
“You’re not thinking outside the box Rose,” he said back. “If
you can break down a bigger gun you can use the barrel through the mesh right?
Break down a rifle and jam the barrel into the eye socket, which should do it.”
“You’re brilliant!” she exclaimed. “I would never had thought
of that.”
Rose didn’t rush to take apart the rifle she took from one of
the lockers. She was locked safely in the cage and couldn’t be reached. There
was no reason to hurry. She would still be locked in after the zombies outside
the door were killed.
Meanwhile, Kurt sat in his control room studying the map
pinned on the wall. He was trying to find a way to get to the city, without
crossing through any major areas. Flynn had told him this outbreak was bad and
if there zombies roaming around hunting, he wanted to make sure that he missed
them.
Studying the map, if he were to stay on only the back roads
and make his way north, he could reach the outskirts of the city in
approximately three hours. There were plenty of open fields he could drive
through that could shave off some time, but the travel was the least of his
concerns.
What was he going to do when he reached the city?
“You’re thinking about going on a rescue, aren’t you?” Flynn
asked his cousin from the doorway.
“Thinking about it,” he replied. “If I take the buggy I can
stick to side roads and fields and make it there in less than two hours.”
“How do you plan to make it through the city?”
“That’s what I am trying to figure out now,” he said. “Going
through the streets is going to be dangerous if they are all spread out.”
“Wouldn't that make it safer?”
“I think if they’re spread out, like everywhere, then I could
run into them more often and have larger amounts following me. But, if they are
already grouped up in areas maybe I can bypass those and move around them.”
“It has only been two days since it hit the city, they are
going to be spread around, there is no way to know for sure, but it is a safe
bet.” Flynn said.
“That’s why I am trying to figure a way through and around to
get to the station without drawing too much attention.” Kurt replied.
“I have been watching the telly. They seem to be more docile during
the night, when it is dark. Some of the areas they have been covering show them
calmer at night.”
“That is good news,” he said looking back to the map. “If I
can travel this route around on foot, stay to house areas, I can travel through
yards. The fences should help give cover and slow any approaching down.”
“Sound like you have it planned out pretty good,” Flynn
replied. “One question though.”
“Yeah,” he said look over to Flynn standing in the doorway.
“When do we leave?”
Over the weekend
"The Early Days"
I started chapter 13 and have made some good progress on it so far. I am going to continue on this book tonight and hope to get into the 14th chapter of the book.
"Her Biggest Fear"
I didn't work on this book over the weekend. I was in a stump on where to proceed so I have been just jotting on notes for where proceed.
"The Castle Falls"
I was able to get the first chapter of this book finished. The hard part is where exactly to proceed from what I have recently written. I may be scratching the beginning and start over, for now I am going to try and formulate a continuation from where I am at.
"When the Music Stops"
I was able to finish the first chapter of this book and started some of the second. I am happy at the way this book is going and am sure it will not be too hard to complete.
I started chapter 13 and have made some good progress on it so far. I am going to continue on this book tonight and hope to get into the 14th chapter of the book.
"Her Biggest Fear"
I didn't work on this book over the weekend. I was in a stump on where to proceed so I have been just jotting on notes for where proceed.
"The Castle Falls"
I was able to get the first chapter of this book finished. The hard part is where exactly to proceed from what I have recently written. I may be scratching the beginning and start over, for now I am going to try and formulate a continuation from where I am at.
"When the Music Stops"
I was able to finish the first chapter of this book and started some of the second. I am happy at the way this book is going and am sure it will not be too hard to complete.
Friday, January 31, 2014
last night...
"The Early Days"
Another chapter and a half down last night. I am getting excited that it is coming along so well. Hoping tonight I can get another chapter or more finished.
"Her Biggest Fear"
I was able to get a chapter finished late last night, or early this morning. Either way this book is coming along smooth.
"When The Music Stops"
If designing the cover is a start to the book then last night I got a start on this book. LOL... There is a lot of notes written for this book and It will reveal the two characters who will be recognized if the reader has read "The Early Days." I can't wait to get started on this book. Maybe tonight.
"The Castle Falls"
Nothing was done with this book last night. I made some notes and am trying to decide where I want to start the story. The begining is always the hardest for me to start.
Another chapter and a half down last night. I am getting excited that it is coming along so well. Hoping tonight I can get another chapter or more finished.
"Her Biggest Fear"
I was able to get a chapter finished late last night, or early this morning. Either way this book is coming along smooth.
"When The Music Stops"
If designing the cover is a start to the book then last night I got a start on this book. LOL... There is a lot of notes written for this book and It will reveal the two characters who will be recognized if the reader has read "The Early Days." I can't wait to get started on this book. Maybe tonight.
"The Castle Falls"
Nothing was done with this book last night. I made some notes and am trying to decide where I want to start the story. The begining is always the hardest for me to start.
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