My new novel, FRACKED: Earth’s Warning!, was released last
week. I’ve stepped out of my horror writing comfort zone into straight fiction.
The genre is action, adventure with a bit of romance and heroism thrown in to
round things out. The story emerged from my summer work at Yellowstone at the
Old Faithful Lower General store. Little by little the characters came to life
as I hiked the various areas of the Old Faithful basin.
As I was writing, I had a memory of Irwin Allen. Remember him?
He became known as the “Master of Disaster.” I loved watching his films like The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. Today his legacy
can be seen in films like 2015’s summer blockbuster, San Andreas.
Though Fracked:
Earth’s Warning! is a work of fiction, I’ve woven into the storyline facts
and discoveries about fracking, and its possible harmful effects. Here
are links to some of the articles I researched for the novel:
“Fracking Firm Admits
It Caused Earthquakes” by RP Siegel
“Man-made Earthquakes | StateImpact Texas” This article was reported and researched by StateImpact Texas reporters, Kelly Connelly of KUT News, and David Barer and Yana Skorobogatov of StateImpact Texas and Reporting Texas.
“States With Fracking See Surge In Earthquake Activity” by
Emily Schmall and Justin Juozapavicius
“The Seismic Link Between Fracking and Earthquakes | TIME” by
Bryan Walsh
“After statement linking earthquakes and fracking, oil tycoon
tried to have scientists fired.” By Jenny
Hayden
* *
* *
Is it too late to fix our broken planet? Some would say yes
that we are past the tipping point. News reports almost daily depict unprecedented
storms and weather related disasters. Global warming is no longer a theory. It
is upon us and now the majority of the American public agrees with the
scientists. As for some politicians in denial, it’s a slow arduous effort to
convince them. We can only hope that the efforts to put the brakes on the
warming of our planet will work or future generations will have to pay a hefty
price. Could we possibly break our planet in our hunger for fossil fuels and
the greed associated with it?
On a more positive note, Fracked
really is about people coming together to help others without fear for their
own life. Whatever the disaster is and no matter where it occurs, people rise
to the occasion to be the good Samaritan, to be the selfless hero. I have
always felt that the greatness of country is not reflected in its leadership or
its wealth, but rather the caring, compassionate fabric of its people.
FRACKED: Earth’s warning!
is available from Amazon. Here are links to the ebook and print formats:
Hope you’ll give FRACKED a read. Let me know how you like it
with a review on Amazon or send me an email (jhoch@winona.edu)
