Why Did I Write Collapse?

What led me to write my first novel? Why would I pen a tale of the downfall of the very country I live in? What prompted me to write a dark, bleak, dystopian thriller?

I knew before I published Collapse that people would make some pretty broad assumptions as to my motivation for writing it. So far I've gotten feedback from various sources that believe 1) I am a hardcore liberal that hates conservatives. 2) I am anti-Islam 3) I'm opposed to big government so I wrote a piece of anti-government propaganda in the spirit of the Tea Party. 4.) I'm a conspiracy theorist that believes the events in my book will take place. 5.) I'm a hardcore Republican that detests Barrack Obama because he is leading our country to it's demise. (I was going to say "collapse" instead of "demise" but decided it was too corny.)

Well, my friends, let's set the record straight - none of those are true. On a funny sidenote, I thought that I would be accused of #5 very early on, but it didn't happen until recently. If none of those are true, then why did I write Collapse? What was my motivation? The answer is simple - survival.

Survival has always fascinated me because it is the ultimate test that never discriminates. Survival levels the playing field for all involved. Rich or poor, intelligent or ignorant, hard-working or lazy - none of that matters in a survival situation. Everyone has to step up and make the decision to fight to live or give up and die. Survival yanks people out of their comfort zones to see if they have what it takes to pass the test. The Walking Dead isn't my favorite TV show because I'm a fan of the zombie genre, I watch the show religously because I want to watch and see how they survive.

I didn't write Collapse as a protest to a corrupt government or to insult the ignorant and lazy. I wrote it with a very simple concept in mind - civilization is fragile. History is rife with examples that illustrate this fact. Many Americans believe that we live in the best country on earth, the strongest, the mightiest, the most advanced. I wanted to illustrate that an unfortuante combination of events could easily unravel all of that. When the delicate house of cards that we consider our civilization comes crashing down upon us, one thing will remain - survival.

Do you have what it takes to survive?