Tribe is an idea that’s been kicking around in my head for years. It began on long car trips with my husband and the kids clamoring from the backseat. I wondered what would happen in a future with no adults. Would my kids survive? What kind of future would they create?

The story centers around a pair of adversarial twins, Mel and Benji. They had their world figured out and their careful truce lines drawn until the world fell apart when all the adults died. A cancer vaccine meant to to be the crowning achievement of a generation went wrong and killed everyone eligible to receive it. The FDA mandated age restrictions saved the children from the pandemic that resulted.

Mel and Benji have to navigate a new and unfamiliar world. There are no rules. There are no instructions. School is a distant memory. The needs are simple now: food, shelter, and family. Mel forces Benji to leave home, and on their journey Benji attracts other kids like a magnet. He believes there is safety and community in numbers. Mel resists every addition her brother makes to his tribe. Each one is another mouth to feed, another complication to her ordered world, another invasion to her fragile state of mind. Benji strives to recreate the family he lost, while Mel only wants to protect him. He’s all the family she needs.

Tribe is a character based adventure story inspired by the brutality of The Walking Dead and the unsettling breakdown of society in The Lord of the Flies. Tribe of Children is a post-apocalyptic story complete at 74,000 words. It is the first in a planned series, the next book is in the outlining stage.

I have a background in genetic research, but my love of books and stories has always been an equal passion. I’m a new author that craves to tell stories about interesting characters with driving plots.