The world has ended. Not with a bang or a whimper, but by an unfortunate series of coincidences set in motion before the human race was even a gleam in creation's eye. The plague unleashed on humanity is 100% infectious, 99% fatal and has plunged two thirds of the world back into the dark ages.Paul is a middle class, middle-aged middle manager whose idea of living dangerously is to drive with the traction control switched off. He has a car, a house, a wide screen TV with 7.1 surround sound, and knows how to build a flat-pack wardrobe.Trish is an underaged single mother who was abandoned by her drug dealer boyfriend when she started to show symptoms of the plague. She has a six-month-old son, a semiautomatic pistol, a dark past and a chip on her shoulder.They are citizens of the twenty-first century who have never had to live without electricity, accessible healthcare or online shopping. They have to learn to feed and clothe themselves, as well as surviving everything their new world tries to throw at them. They have to build a new life that neither of them wanted, but first they must learn to survive each other. Chris Devine is a project manager implementing high performance computing systems to universities and research establishments throughout the UK. He has devoured science fiction novels for as long as he can remember: from E. C. Eliott and Hugh Walters as a child, to Larry Niven, Robert Heinlein, A E van Vogt and Isaac Asimov as a teenager and Elizabeth Moon and so many others as an adult.He published his first novel, The Archer's Paradox, in 2014 although the germ of the idea was born in a daydream decades before when he was eleven years old. What started as a short story to fill the evenings on a long contract away from home, took on a life of its own and became the Travis Fletcher Chronicles which eventually spanned five books. It still provides embryonic ideas for spin offs and sequels.Although science fiction is his first love, he believes in letting the story take him where it needs to go, rather than pulling it in a direction you want to go, just like real life. Sometimes you end up on a different path to the one you thought you were on. Petra's Story, therefore sits more in the mystery / psychological thriller section of the bookshelf, although there is still a sci-fi element. As with Travis Fletcher, Petra Connell is flawed, out of her depth and afraid of failing, and there is always Chris' dark sense of humour lurking in the background.Writing a book is a daunting prospect, daring to publish it is just scary. If Chris' literary ramblings persuades one more person that they have a story that needs telling, then he will consider that a success.Chris is a father and grandfather and lives in rural East Yorkshire in the UK with his wife, Julie.
