I'm not sure if this is allowed, so can I just post the Introduction and I'll be on my merry way: The Lost Diaries of John Smith INTRODUCTION My dad often spoke of a man who saved my life, and how we became refugees living in Scotland. On the morning of 14th May 2014 most of Europe and North Africa was consumed by a massive fireball that killed countless millions and changed humanity forever. What didn’t burn was cursed by an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) that destroyed all electrical and electronic devices. In an instant mankind was rendered helpless. For those who survived the conflagration, food became scarce and starvation beckoned. At first many thought that the UK had been devastated by a massive, pre-emptive nuclear attack, but weeks later and survivors started to report seeing large “Unidentified Flying Objects” (UFOs) over Southern Scotland and Northern England. I was too young to remember any of this, but my life was saved by the kindness of John Smith, a stranger who found me crying over the body of my dead mother, somewhere in Cumbria or Northumberland. He looked after me until we were picked up by an army patrol. Thereafter, I was reunited with my dad, before moving to Scotland. But what happened to the man who saved my life? Eighteen months ago my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before it was too late, he wanted to trace this man, not only to thank him again for saving my life, but also to help pinpoint the location where his wife (my mum) was buried. Nonetheless, beyond the pseudonym (?) not much is known of John Smith. True, his first name was John and he was a survivor, having come from Cumbria, but we may never know his true origins or family background. His life post-apocalypse was one of survival, sacrifice, imprisonment and finally salvation. He saved many lives and yet he became a prisoner held under the convenience of quarantine. His story and his lost diaries have done more than most to explain the events of 14th May 2014. Yet beyond his rediscovered writing he largely remains an enigma. Some say that was by design and of his own choosing, with friends respecting his wishes to remain just another refugee, trying to survive in Scotland. But none of this was known to us as we began our research and journey of discovery. What little we knew was told by John Smith to my dad the night before we set off for Scotland in the summer of 2014. We survived, but did John Smith? ----------------------------------- Imagine the world ending as told 20 years after the event. The Lost Diaries of John Smith was written by Amy Cooper on an old typewriter in 2035. She was born in 2010 and survived a devastating firestorm that killed countless millions in 2014. This is her story. Her prose is first hand and accompanies the lost diaries of the man who saved her life. The Lost Diaries of John Smith is acknowledged to be the best written account of survival in a post-apocalyptic Scotland. It also highlights the secretive mining operations by both man and alien. The Lost Diaries of John Smith is available exclusively from Amazon Kindle : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0059V8462 My blog: http://thelostdiariesofjohnsmith.blogspot.com/
Eh? I was thinking, Pocahontas. John Smith is too strongly associated with her guy. Change the name and you have a nice story there. Oh and PS, if you are a hew-mon, your post may come off as too spammy and get clanged. Maybe you should post something else to prove you're all there.
Interesting premise...I don't think the author has to change the character's name just because it is linked with any particular known piece of literature Temis. John Smith is widely known as a pretty generic name, pretty much why The Doctor in "Doctor Who" uses it as an alias so I'm not sure where you were coming from with that comment. The dude has a blog as he posted in his link so I would assume he's human and not a bot or spammer. Perhaps he'll post again unless the mods would consider this advertising and lock the thread.
I chose the name for the same reason that The Doctor chose it - so as not to stand out. That said it might be his real name. I don't know Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_smith I find it strange that someone sees my post as being spam. I'm drawing your attention to a Science Fiction novella, and not a something totally unconnected with the genre. And when does a message become spam? Should we all stop talking about what's at the cinema? If spam is spam, then that should include spam by proxy.