A NOVELLA Length Poem  by Tom Epperson
CATEGORY Post Apocalyptic Fantasy
PUBLICATION DATE  May 2025
COVER ART  Pedro Marques
PAGES 136

EDITIONS 
Unsigned Jacketed Hardcover — ISBN  978-1-80394-516-3 [£18]
100 JHC signed by the author  — ISBN 978-1-80394-517-0  [£25]

SYNOPSIS

Called simply “the female”, she is seventeen, one of the few survivors of a worldwide plague known simply as the Sickness—and quite possibly the last woman on earth. She lives in the mountains and forests of northern California, protected by her father. Life is hard, but they’re happy. Until one chilly autumn morning when a violent, racist band of males, led by an ex-elite soldier called Braydon, find them. Overjoyed at discovering a female they can "enjoy", the men kill the female’s father and take her prisoner.

Life becomes intolerable for the female. Delighted to be in possession of the last woman on earth—or so they believe—they keep her isolated in a cabin of her own, for them to take turns with. Braydon sets up a strict routine to avoid any unrest within the camp—but his own intention is to make her the new Eve, to breed with her and repopulate the Earth. Throughout the winter, the female begins to train—making herself as strong and fit as she can for the spring. She is determined to escape, or die trying.

AUTHOR BIO

Tom Epperson, a native of Arkansas, headed west to Los Angeles with his boyhood friend Billy Bob Thornton to pursue a career in show business. Epperson's co-written the scripts for One False Move, A Family Thing, The Gift, A Gun, a Car, a Blonde, and Jayne Mansfield's Car. His L.A. noir The Kind One was nominated for both the Edgar Award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel. Three more books followed, Sailor, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, and Make Believe.

He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Stefani, two pampered cats, and two frisky dogs.