The Containment Zone by Danielle Singleton-Review and Interview with the Author

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 29, 2014

When a disease pandemic sweeps the nation, people in the United States start dying in unprecedented numbers. As the mysterious illness spreads like wildfire, killing nearly 90% of the population, leaders in the region and around the world scramble to figure out how to respond. In a highly controversial move, the borders of the United States are closed and no one is allowed to enter or exit the country. What happens next – inside and outside the “containment zone” – tests the bounds of both medical science and human nature. In this compelling novel, author Danielle Singleton raises the questions people are too afraid to ask – and then answers them in thrilling fashion.

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The Containment Zone is not my usual read, but I found it quite entertaining. It’s basically an apocalyptic type story, without romance, more science and adventure.

The premise is a really scary but good one; a disease that ravages the USA in a matter of weeks killing 90% of the population. How’s that for tingling excitement! It almost feels like you could watch this story on a TV or movie screen. There’s a lot of science in it and global politics.

One of the storylines in this was those who eschewed the MMR vaccine for themselves and their children, like the Amish, and some other religions, and yes, even good ole “hippy” types; they were the only ones to survive the disease, except those out of the country at the time. I also appreciated the way many characters brought God into the storyline of this one.

It was interesting to see the politics evolve as the USA was used as the “Containment Zone” and the entire country was quarantined, a truly massive effort – but well written.

I don’t want to do spoilers on how this was resolved, but it involved a global effort to isolate and find the cause of the disease as well as a vaccine to keep it from spreading…ironic yes, since it was the MMR vaccine that caused the mutated disease to kill so many. It’s a very thought provoking story in many ways. Lots of hard decisions on the part of the world leaders and local survivors.

Much of the story is dedicated, and well done, to how quickly the disease spread. Also, the way governments cooperated to blockage the USA, our own overseas troops and equipment used to help do this. All coordinated by NATO, whose military head was one of our generals (a wonderful man).

A whole town of heroes in Shining Light, Texas survived and gave their all for their country!

As I said earlier, reading this I could easily see it as a TV movie or series…hmmmm.

I would have loved to have more development and time with some of the characters, but with an event this quick and deadly…
So, if this kind of excitement and interesting thriller is your thing, pick this up and have yourself a really good read!

Copy supplied by author for an honest review.

Reviewed by Georgianna

 

TRC: Hi Danielle and welcome to The Reading Cafe.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow Danielle: Goodreads/ Twitter//Website/Facebook

Danielle: Something about myself…hmm. Well, I live in Atlanta with a fantastic “roommate” (my dog, Gus). I’m also only about 30 minutes away from where my parents, sister, and nephew live, and it’s really nice to have my family nearby. Family is very important to me.

TRC: You are a lawyer by trade and education. Have you ever had the opportunity to apply your education and background to any of your storylines?

Danielle: I haven’t written any legal thrillers or anything like that, but I definitely think my education has helped with my writing. Law school taught me a lot about how to write and convey a story to the audience, and it also taught me the importance of research. I spend a lot of time researching for my books to make sure they’re as realistic as possible.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Danielle: I’ve always liked telling stories, but I’d say that two of my childhood teachers most influenced my career in writing. I was really lucky to have those 2 great English teachers while in school, and they taught me not only how to write but also how to appreciate and apply the intricacies of literature to my own stories.

TRC: When not writing, what do you like to do to relax?

Danielle: I go running with my dog on most days and I also really like to watch and play sports. During the summer, my free time is often spent at the lake.

TRC: THE CONTAINMENT ZONE is your April 2014 release. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Danielle: Sure. The Containment Zone is a thriller that fits into the apocalyptic fiction category. An epidemic sweeps the United States and kills so many people that the United Nations closes the US borders. The book centers on what happens after the border is closed…how people inside and outside the “containment zone” react to the crisis.

TRC: Where did the idea for a pandemic storyline originate?

Danielle: I wanted to write a story about government overreach, originally. Something about how a government mandate went wrong. My imagination kicked into gear from there and I ended up with a vaccine program wreaking havoc. I know…it’s a bit of a strange way to arrive at a pandemic storyline!

TRC: Are any of the characters or the premise based in reality or a combination of reality and fiction?

Danielle: The character of the British prime minister has a lot of Margaret Thatcher in her (not very creative there!). None of the other characters are based in reality, though, and the premise isn’t either. I do often make the characters have the same names as people I know, but I use their names randomly.

TRC: What do you want your readers to take away from this particular book?

Danielle: That it’s a great book and everyone should read it! Haha. Just kidding (well, sort of…). In all seriousness, I hope readers take away two things. One: that life is precious and can be taken away at any moment, so they should live with no regrets and never take tomorrow for granted. Two: so-called “ordinary” people can do extraordinary things – never underestimate the difference one person can make.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background, medical) did you encounter writing this particular story?

Danielle: The Containment Zone has a very broad scope. It’s about a pandemic that threatens the globe, and I struggled to adequately convey the magnitude of the situation while keeping the plot and characters compact enough that it wouldn’t be confusing for readers. That was definitely my biggest struggle. I was lucky to have some family and friends with professional expertise in medicine and the military who I could go to with any research questions.

TRC: What are your thoughts on writing a series and ending an instalment with a major cliff hanger?

Danielle: I think cliff hangers can be good as long as they’re done well. I don’t like it when you can tell that the story was better suited to be one book and the author chops it in half just to have two books rather than one. I wrote a series, the Joseph series, that has a surprise at the end of the first book (not a cliff hanger, though). But I think readers in general like series because they can get to know the characters better.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Danielle: A little bit of both, I think. I have a firm, detailed outline of what I want the story to be, but within that the characters will often develop in ways and do things that surprise me.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Danielle: Conveying the emotions of the characters is definitely one of the hardest parts of writing fiction. I think a writer has to start by developing the characters enough that readers feel like they know them…so that, in the mind of the reader, Josiah Jones or Lucy Rodgers or whoever it may be is less of a character and more of a person. It’s also important to develop the world that the characters live in. What does the room look like? Smell like? What does the food taste like? How is the weather? The readers need to be able to put themselves into the story, and they can’t do that if they don’t know what that story’s world is like. I think writers fail by focusing too much on plot and not enough on characters and setting, leaving the characters too one-dimensional for the readers to be able to relate to them.

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Danielle: Like I mentioned earlier, I have a solid outline that I build out, but within that I don’t write in any particular order. So if I get blocked in one area of the story then I can bounce over to another area and work on that. If I’m really, really stuck on any given day, then I’ll work on character development or research or something that I know I can always
use more of but that doesn’t require too much creativity.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Danielle: My mom is probably my main sounding board while I’m still putting the story together. In the editing stage, though, I have a Reading Committee of about 5-6 people who help me with not only grammar but also research and things like character and plot consistency.

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Danielle: In relation to my writing career, I’d like to:

(1) publish at least 3 more books

(2) have my first bestseller

(3) get to a point where I can focus solely on writing and not have a “day
job.”

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Danielle: I’m ambidextrous.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Danielle: I’m working on my 5th book, which is a paranormal fiction story.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Danielle: Thank you so much for having me for an interview! I love getting to interact with readers this way!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – pizza

Favorite Dessert – ice cream

Favorite TV Show – Downton Abbey

Last Movie You Saw – “Skyfall” (James Bond)

Favorite Musical Group/Song – George Strait…he has too many great songs
to pick just one favorite!

Dark or Milk Chocolate – I’m allergic to chocolate.

Secret Celebrity Crush – Bradley Cooper (we both went to Georgetown!)

Last Vacation Destination – Charleston, SC

Pet Peeve – people who use poor grammar

TRC: Thank you Danielle for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of THE CONTAINMENT ZONE. We wish you continued success and look forward to many more storylines.