Embattlement

Interview with the Author

Where did the idea for The Undergrounders Series come from?
I've always been fascinated by regimes and resistance movements, and the heroes who emerge from atrocities. I grew up reading every concentration camp escape story I could get my hands on. As an author, I find it intriguing to place characters in post-apocalyptic settings and watch what unfurls inside them as they go head to head with staggering odds. After spending several summers in Idaho, and learning more about Preppers and survivalists, the idea to plant Derry Connolly in a bunker community of homesteaders and mountain men took seed and The Undergrounders Series was born. It's prepper survival fiction meets science fiction dystopian

Have you always enjoyed writing?
I grew up among rich storytelling traditions in my native Ireland and it was a natural transition for me to try my hand at writing. Irish legends are full of action, adventure, impossible missions, and unlikely heroes, and to this day nothing captivates me more than an epic story. Anything along the lines of The Hunger Games or The Divergent Series is a must read for me, only because I'm endlessly fascinated by the capacity of heroic individuals to rise above tyranny and change the course of history. A strong heroine in a young adult action series is a plus

How did you choose the title?
There are three books in the series and the titles track the internal growth of the main protagonist Derry Connolly.
Embattlement, Book Two, is the state of being engaged in battle or conflict. As well as describing the obvious physical struggle against the Sweepers, the title symbolizes the "civil war" of sorts that wages inside as Derry rises up against everything that has been holding her back.

Best piece of advice for writers trying to break in?
If writing is where your passion and strengths intersect, don't take your eyes off the goal. Put your shoulder to the wheel and throw your whole heart into mastering the craft, and taking incremental steps toward publication. Dogged persistence will get you there in the end, and the talent you have honed along the way will be your staying power.