September 02, 2016

S - Seismic Activity in SEISMIC CRIMES





You can probably guess that there’s a lot of seismic activity in Seismic Crimes from a massive quake to aftershocks. I had fun writing these thrilling scenes and the aftermath of the quake. To really pique your interest in the second installment and full novel of the Disaster Crimes Series, I’m sharing an excerpt to show some of that seismic activity.




This is the official excerpt for Seismic Crimes:

The moment she realized Buck was shooting under the cars to hit her, the tire she hid behind blew. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to make herself smaller by pressing her body into the SUV. The Morse code of bullets hitting metal started up again. She could've sworn she felt the SUV shaking with the continuous beat of bullets slamming into it, except the shaking was below her feet. It started gentle but as soon as she noticed, it became violent.

Earthquake!

She fell backward and struggled to get back up. Her body bounced up and down and rolled from side to side simultaneously, which told her the quake's epicenter was close. The origin could've been beneath the hotel for all she knew. A light came crashing down from the ceiling and slammed into the concrete floor with such power it exploded into a trillion stars. Glass shot out in all directions like the Big Bang. Beth screamed and covered her face with her hands as tiny pieces of glass bit the skin on her arms.

She fought onto her hands and knees and hugged the tire to keep from falling over again. The intensity of the tremors grew. The concrete below her feet didn't feel solid anymore. It felt alive, as if two gigantic gophers burrowed through the earth. The truck behind her slid with the vicious shock waves and bumped into her, pushing her roughly into the tire. She let out a cry of panic.

(AND A LITTLE MORE....)

“Beth, get under the car!”

She heard Donovan yelling over the roar of the quake and shimmed underneath the SUV. When she was under the vehicle, she lifted her head to look for Donovan. The shaking suddenly increased, as if Mother Nature had her hands on the asphalt that smothered her creation and wanted to rip it off the ground. Chunks of concrete tumbled down. Donovan raised his arms to shield himself, and that was the last she saw of him before a wall of rubble came down between them. She screamed his name, but the sound of the garage collapsing swallowed her voice.


Digital:

Print:




QUESTION: In this excerpt, Beth is in an underground parking garage. Where would you NOT want to be during an earthquake?


34 comments:

  1. In two words "IN BED".
    It must be frightening to experience an earthquake, why I'm scared of thunder storms
    Great post Chrys,
    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't want to wake up in bed to one either.

      Delete
  2. Great excerpt! On a major roadway or bridge would be bad, I guess, because those tend to crack and collapse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't even imagine how frightening it would be to be on a bridge during an earthquake.

      Delete
  3. I wouldn't want to be near the crack that opened up, think you're safe and then boom, grand beneath you opens and you are sent to the center of the earth. Dinosaurs down there lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I certainly don't want to be with the dinosaurs. lol

      Delete
  4. On the road or anywhere near the collapse. I also wouldn't want to be trapped in an apartment. There aren't earthquakes in Singapore (fortunately) and we generally don't get much education on what to do during quakes. When I stayed in Taipei for a month, there was a small earthquake and friends there said the first thing to do was to open the door and make sure there's an escape.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The scary thing is, because fault lines are everywhere, an earthquake can strike anywhere. I don't think I'd remember to open a door during all the shaking.

      Delete
  5. I wouldn't want to be there!
    I also wouldn't want to be on an elevated highway, as those always seem to come down in California earthquakes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wouldn't want to be on a train. They're already underground. Don't want to be buried or worse have to deal with any fires that might break out because of the quake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Getting trapped underground in a train would be bad.

      Delete
  7. I couldn't think of a scarier place except perhaps a bridge or tunnel. Yikes, that's a fear I have. Great book, Chrys. I really enjoyed Seismic Crimes. It's a real page turner!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A tunnel would be scary. Those can collapse so easily and then you're trapped. Thanks, Lisa! :D

      Delete
  8. Hi Chrys - I most certainly wouldn't want to be anywhere near a major earthquake ... but certainly lots can be made out of them - story wise ...

    I'd rather not think about it .. if you don't mind! Enjoy your happy weekend of Labour Day ... ? On this happy note - I shall leave ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A lot can be made out of an earthquake for a story.

      That's okay. I understand.

      Thanks, Hilary!

      Delete
  9. In an underground parking garage. LOL Such a pretty cover. I must get to reading this...ASAP.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yesterday NZ had an earthquake scare. And then the tsunami warning. It was scary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. There have been so many earthquakes this year. It's terrible.

      Delete
  11. On a bridge. I've been on the fifth floor of a six story building once. The building just swayed. I think a larger quake would worry me there, though.

    As for the earlier comment of "in bed". That's not bad, really. As long as there's nothing over your head (and that's one thing that I'm careful about), everything just sways. I've had numerous times where a quake wakes me just enough to know it occurred, and then I go right back to sleep.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think what would be scary about being in bed during an earthquake is waking up to it. I've been woken up just by a big bang and my heart would pound like crazy. I couldn't imagine how I'd react if a quake woke me up. For some who experience quakes a lot, I'm sure it doesn't rattle them as much.

      Delete
  12. Great excerpt. Where would I not want to be? Good question. I think I wouldn't want to be in a tall building. The thought of it falling down and being buried beneath the rubble is scary. I've seen the pictures from that horrible earthquake (forget where) and it's a mess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seeing the images after a quake can be heartbreaking.

      Delete
  13. Great excerpt, Chrys. Probably anywhere would be scary during an earthquake. A bridge would be the scariest to me.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I wouldn't want to be on a bridge, or in a cave or subway. I imagine one of the safest places is a wide-open desert where, with the possible exception of the sky, not much is going to tumble down ;-)
    The compelling excerpt is perfect for the fabulous cover!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is there a chance that you might be in a cave? ;)

      I think you're right about that being the safest place...unless the desert floor falls away. *gulp*

      Delete
  15. Great excerpt, Chrys. Glad I'm here, in a dull, motionless place at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've been in 2 earthquakes that I could feel. Last year I was sitting at the computer desk and all of the sudden...boom! shake shake shake. 4.8 and it was over. Another time we were in bed just dozing off and the bed started to shake back and forth. I thought hubby was doing it but when he sat up and I knew it wasn't him, my first thought was ghost! LOL I've watched to many horror movies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! I love that your first thought was that it was a ghost. :P

      Delete