Fresh Fiction Blog | Nikki Logan | What Would YOU Do to Survive?

What would you do to survive? What wouldn't you do?

Imagine for just a moment that you've been snatched off an African highway by armed men and thrown into a hastily cleared out storeroom while they do God knows what to the rare wild dogs that you were transporting to the north of the country. The dogs that are your job, and your responsibility, and the thing that gives you purpose and represent two years of work now facing the bad end of a poacher's weapon.

And you're locked in a room, sore and sweaty and gummy-mouthed with thirst, with your wrists bound with cable-tie, totally and utterly powerless.

Imagine vacillating between blood-boiling rage and skin-chilling fear, and knowing that you need to escape to save your own life and also your dogs'. How long do you think it would take you to find your feet, clear your head and start thinking? Planning.

I like to imagine, much like my heroine Clare, that I'd be useless for about an hour or so but that, as the post-adrenaline crash started to wear off, my mind would kick into gear and my brain would start focussing—really focussing with a kind of acuity we don't get to use much in day-to-day life—and ideas would start to come to me. Crazy ideas. Inconceivable or terrifying ideas but very necessary, very urgent ideas.

Something—anything—has to be better than just laying down and waiting for the end, right? Above all else I really, really hope that I wouldn't be the kind of person who wilts with despair and falls to pieces in a crisis.

This moment comes to me often—not just as a writer, but as a woman. My dreams are regularly full of similar situations where I have to best better, stronger, faster, maler opponents with nothing but the gifts the universe gave me—my smarts, my understanding of human nature and, yes, my femininity.

In WILD ENCOUNTER Clare first tries to forge a bond with her captor ("..it would have to be harder to kill someone you've had a conversation with, right?") and then when that's not working for her she switches to seduction simply to be valuable to one of them for something, to bring something to the survival table, as it were. Eventually her brain starts working for her and she realises she has more than she thought at her disposal and her cunning escape plan comes into play. Hooray!

That plan came to me in one of my Nikki-against-the-world dreams. Almost exactly. Clare's escape, her clever plan to outsmart the pack of badguys. The whole book was born there, in that scene.

So, if you haven't already... ask yourself. What would you do? What wouldn't you do? (and while you're thinking about it, check out my WILD ENCOUNTER book trailer which asks the exact same questions...) One Commenter will win a copy of WILD ENCOUNTER

Comments

I would do anything and everything necessary to assure my survival as well as my children's safety. Both no brainers.
Good luck and happy writing!
(Tracie Travis 12:50pm October 7, 2012)

I hope I'm never tested, but I'm a fighter & survivor.
(Mary Preston 1:23am October 7, 2012)

I totally agree with Tracie and Mary. I do not want to be put in a place were I have to protect myself and family from harm ... I would prefer all my danger come from great fiction. However, if push comes to shove I will do anything up to and including self defense to protect my family.
(Shelby S 1:39am October 7, 2012)

Oh geez. That's tough. I could never eat bugs. I would get sick and I think
that'd make it worse. Hopefully nothing involving blood. The sick thing
again. I guess I woukd never know until I was put in the situation. Now I
really, really want to read this!!!!
(Vicki Hancock 2:03am October 7, 2012)

I would do something, anything to get out of the situation. I could never go down waiting for the end. I might die trying but at least I would have a chance to servive. I am glad that I never had to think about this before. This really sounds like a great book.
(Kathleen Yohanna 2:07am October 7, 2012)

Sounds like a very involved situation. Actually between a rock and a hard place. A vet in Africa, I you do large animals, but "wild" and large animals. This is a good read, to find out what happens.
(Suzanne Bischoff 3:30am October 7, 2012)

I watch a lot of crime and forensics shows, and lot of survival type shows, and I'd love to think they help prepare me for something like this (even if only a little). Realistically, you only know once the challenge happens, but I've always been good in a crisis, so I'd like to think I'd be creative about surviving and do whatever it took to make it work.
(Donna Holmberg 4:49am October 7, 2012)

I've been told that in a kidnap situation, you should try to get away as early as possible, because the longer the captor has you, the more they will be making sure you cannot escape.
Also if you do a few physical things, like self-defence or even chopping firewood, you will be that bit better prepared to punch someone or get hurt if that is the only way to get out of a tight place.
(Clare O'Beara 4:57am October 7, 2012)

I'd like to think I'd be genius & inventive & find my way out, but I am such a
prissy wimp sometimes!! 😏
(Penny Mettert 5:15am October 7, 2012)

I hope that I would fight with all of the physical and mental strength that I have.
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 5:46am October 7, 2012)

Interesting topic. I would do anything necesary to survive as I think most people would.
(Pam Howell 7:52am October 7, 2012)

WOW! great idea for a story. I too believe I would try anything to survive my capture.
(Laurie Gommermann 8:50am October 7, 2012)

I would do anything to protect myself and my pets if I were to ever find myself in such a situation! Your book sounds wonderful, thanks for the chance to win!
(Christine Mead 9:40am October 7, 2012)

I'd do just about everything short of harming an innocent person.
The story sounds thrilling!
(Monica Vargo 10:46am October 7, 2012)

I don't think you know what you would do until you are actually put into the situation.
(Sue Farrell 11:28am October 7, 2012)

I would do every thing I could think of except hurt someone else or committ a crime.
(Kathleen Bianchi 11:38am October 7, 2012)

I hope I'm never in a situation where it's a life saving decision. I think I would make a huge effort to save myself, but none of us know how we will react until we are in a life or death situation.
(Anna Speed 12:09pm October 7, 2012)

I probably would do anything to survive and to protect the wild dogs.
(Pamela Fox 1:08pm October 7, 2012)

I would hope I would not become a deer in the headlights kinda girl... try to figure something out.
(Colleen Conklin 1:28pm October 7, 2012)

I would do anything to survive. My self-preservation come first even though I hate to hurt people. But the bad guys wouldn't hesitate to kill. In this situation of life and death, it would be all or nothing for me to survive. I intend to make it out.
(Kai Wong 2:49pm October 7, 2012)

thanks for the great post and congrats on the release! it's
sounds intriguing!
(Erin Fender 3:19pm October 7, 2012)

This sounds like it would be an awesome read. I would hope that I would fight and find a way out. I would be useless for an hour or two until my nerves and emotions calmed down. I will be adding this to my TBR shelf. Thank you for the chance to win.
(Emily Bowes 4:20pm October 7, 2012)

Well, as a former Girl Scout, I have honed a few survivor skilss, but mainly I would find shelter, food and water.
This sounds like an exciting read.
(Alyson Widen 4:21pm October 7, 2012)

I would try to outwit the kidnappers for my survival and a plan to get away, even though it would be very hard. Where there's a will, there's a way; so I wouldn't give up. Your book sounds intriguing.
(Linda Luinstra 4:36pm October 7, 2012)

I would do or use whatever I could to get free including killing anyone who tried to kill me. If anyone in my family was kidnapped I would fight just as hard to free them. Can't wait to read your book.
(Brenda Hill 4:45pm October 7, 2012)

I would figure out how many people are holding me captive. If it's one person, then it's easier to come up with a plan. Then I would have to figure out where the dogs are being held in proximity to me, and how I would be able to release them, once I got free. If there is a window that I have access to, I would check to see if there is anything that I could use as a weapon once I got out. I would also check my surroundings to see if there was something on the sharp side I could rub against to sever my bindings. I wouldn't hesitate to feign illness to get one of my captors in the room, so I could set the ball in motion, when I was ready with my plan. I would have to be ready both mentally and physically, since no mistakes could be made to save the dogs, along with myself. Your book sounds like a real page-turner, and I'm on the edge of my seat here, wondering how it's going to turn out. It takes a special type of Author to write the sort of stories that you do. The artist came up with an amazing cover!! Congratulations!!
(Peggy Roberson 5:08pm October 7, 2012)

IF I WAS IN A SITUATION THAT I WAS KIDNAPPED I WOULD STAY
CALM AND LOOK AT WHERE I WAS AT AND THINK OF WAYS TO ESCAPE
AND FIND OR MAKE A WEAPON TO DEFEND MYSELF WITH. I WOULD
FIGHT AS HARD AS I CAN TO SURVIVE AND ESCAPE. I WOULD
OUTSMART, FIGHT, DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO SURVIVE AND ESCAPE
FROM MY KIDNAPPER. I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK SOUNDS
REALLY INTERESTING.
(Shelly Caggiano 5:10pm October 7, 2012)

Really can't say but I know when I was carjacked, I ran like ...
(P Noda 5:18pm October 7, 2012)

i would do all i can but you never know until you're in that situation
(Kathy Weber 8:05pm October 7, 2012)

Turn up the adrenaline to the max! That's why they call it "survival of the fittest."
(Janice Milliken 8:13pm October 7, 2012)

Interesting idea for a story - sort of Stockholm Syndrome-ish.
I have no idea what I'd do in that situation...I guess trying
for form some sort of bond with your captor is a good idea if
you have no other means of escape. Thanks for the giveaway!
(Laura Garofalo 9:08pm October 7, 2012)

I am no quitter and I love life, so I would do whatever would insure my survival and/or my goal.....knowing that there is never just one path to success. More than being fit, I have an agile, honed brain and a sturdy constitution. When times are tough or uncertain, my body temperature lowers and my brain kicks in--no hysteria or shock for me--to resolve issues quickly.
(Carla Schuller 9:29pm October 7, 2012)

I hope I'd fight for my survival and not give up.
(Sheila True 9:41pm October 7, 2012)

this book sounds very interesting and different from what everone else is doing....
(Kimberly Hoefs 9:45pm October 7, 2012)

I'm a fighter. Whether with my brain, body or both I would do
whatever necessary to survive. They may break my body and
distort my brain but, they would not touch my soul.
(Julie Oest 12:37pm October 8, 2012)

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