DAEIOS

They believed Daeios would be a safe haven. They were wrong. Fleeing apocalyptic weather, survivalists Shea and her family seek safety deep underground in Daeios. Fear drives them to the shelter as the killer storm worsens. They reach the shelter just before permanent lockdown. Now they're 140 feet down, protected from the storms to live out their shortened lives until the food runs out and they starve to death. It buys them about a year. But it soon becomes clear that they're trapped in a nightmarish existence. When the Elders who run Daeios announce their plans to breed with all fertile females to repopulate the earth, Shea knows they will force her to breed. She plans to fight off her seed-bearer. The punishments of the Daeiosians begin, including long periods of total darkness with the Daeios song blaring repetitively. Each time the darkness and music finally stop, several more people are missing. It’s especially clear that the Elders are getting rid of the other men. What happens to the people who disappear into the total darkness of Daeios? Shea’s time for her breeding arrives. She must make the gut-wrenching decision whether to breed with an elderly, sadistic man and bear his child, or to fight the breeding, knowing that defiance will endanger her life and that of the other Daeiosians. She vows that her family must not vanish into the darkness. A dystopian thriller with overtones of The Handmaid’s Tale, Shea’s chilling story will appeal to readers with an interest in family and survival. Contains mature situations and language.

I was born and raised in Wyoming and can’t imagine living anywhere else. I’m an author, a certified public accountant who works tax season each year, and a United States Army veteran who served as a military police officer. It was as a soldier and MP that I learned survival skills and the use of multiple weapons, skills needed by the characters in DAEIOS: 140 FEET DOWN.
I became an author because, for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to write a novel. Everyone has a book in them, they say. I had no idea my first book would be a dystopian thriller! I’ve written a lot of stories, essays (I was a top finalist in the Writer’s Digest 83rd Annual Writing Competition for my essay, Fearsome Men), poetry, and one short play over the years. I have always been an avid reader and my love for the written word needs to be expressed in my own voice.
When my husband, Rob, proposed to me, he told me he would support me in whatever I wanted to do. Whether that be hanging out my own shingle as an accountant (I had worked full-time in accounting for many years at that time), writing that book that was nagging at me, or anything else. I really enjoy writing, seeing my stories come to life sentence after sentence, page after page.
I wrote DAEIOS because I wanted to create an imperfect character and have her become something special at the end of the book. I’ve been fascinated by underground caverns ever since visiting Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico as a child, so that became the setting. I thought it would be interesting to take current world issues and imagine the worst-case scenarios. What would that look like? How would it affect the characters in the story?
My original idea for DAEIOS was to make it a dystopian story with humor. That’s how it started, with Shea and other characters being funny at times, because, don’t people handle adversity with humor, even if it’s dry humor? But the darker DAEIOS became, the less the humor fit. So DAEIOS became a thriller and has only a touch of lightness here and there to break up the darkness.
When I’m not writing or getting my fix of numbers, (which I also love), during tax season, I love to travel: by boat or ship, airplane, train, car, or motorcycle (I ride on the back). I’ve seen much of the world but there's still so much more to see. I also enjoy whitewater rafting, walking and hiking, reading, movies and binge-worthy TV series, plays, live music, and most of all, spending time with my husband and family.
Other formats: Hardcover - $26.99, Paperback - $14.99, Audiobook - $19.95