The first post, the first lines.

Empire, Nevada Blog

Thank you for checking out my blog. I will be posting updates here as I continue to work on this novel. I have the story completely mapped out. I am tinkering with some characters and still deciding what should be shown versus what should be hidden from the reader until the end.

The first thing you should know about this novel is that Empire, Nevada was a real place. It is still there, but now it is a modern ghost town. What was once a thriving- if small- community has been ruined by the recent economic collapse.

I discovered the story of the town when watching the news one night. I had been toying with novel ideas, and the news report I saw about the town being closed affected me greatly. Maybe it was because I was preparing to embark on a career as a middle school teacher. Maybe it was also because these preparations had me thinking a lot about my middle school experience. Either way, thinking about what it would be like to see the world you know crumbling around you at that age struck me as even worse in a way than in the apocalyptic stories that are so popular now. Why? Because the rest of the world went on like nothing was happening while everything you knew of it was dying.

Paul jumped into my head almost immediately, and the rest of the details just seemed to fall into place. Some details are still getting clearer as I prepare to finish the work over the summer of 2012.

I hope you enjoy following my experience as I embark on this journey with Paul, his friends, and the adults that I have imagined living in Empire. I will post here often, so please check back.

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Chapter 1-

January 2, 2011

Population 325

Gerlach-Empire is a census-designated place in Washoe County, Nevada, United States.

The combined population was 499 at the 2000 census.

It is part of the Reno-Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Most of the population lives in the two settlements of Gerlach and Empire; the rest live on outlying rural ranching properties.

In December, 2010 the Gypsum Plant in Empire announced that it will be closing its doors on January 31, 2011.

Residence with children will be allowed to continue inhabiting their houses through June 20, the end of the school year.

Its elevation is 3946 ft.

Gerlach is served by the Washoe County School District.

( Excerpted from http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Gerlach-Empire,_Nevada )

            Paul put his right hand on the mouse and moved the arrow on the screen to hit the “play” button again. The unforgiving voice rang out of Paul’s small speakers. It declared Paul’s hometown was dying in its unnerving, robotic tone.