Sunday, December 29, 2013

Back in action! Checking in!

I finally got a new Macbook and I have started writing book three in the series Reclamation. I have made some changes and switched to a past tense writing style to better fit the mold. I have also made some other tweaks and minor adjustments to get a better handle on everything. If I can keep up a normal writing pace I should be able to get Reclamation out before summer comes along! So keep an eye on the blog and website going forward for more updates.

I have been participating on a weekly basis over at Prepper Chicks - After Dark. We have been gaining a steady listener base and playing Conflicted, making hard decisions and deciding who gets to live and who needs to go. This of course made some waves and has caused us to rethink the whole show. I will be creating some crazy scenarios and then the team will be breaking down those scenarios, coming up with ways to avoid them and tactical solutions. Using this new format I think will be really engaging and get our listeners thinking about what they would do in these scenarios and also prepare them to avoid these scenarios. I am looking forward to the next episode which will be on Tuesday, January 7th.

Of course I won't be the only one on the show. My good friend, and biggest fan Alika will be on there as well. He runs shtfready.com a survival/prepper forum. They have some great information about survival and how to prepare yourself for a crazy scenario that could actually happen. I'm not saying that the Apocalyptic Empire won't reign, I'm just saying the odds are it will be a tsunami or something...

Also on the show is the host Lori from PrepperChicks. She is a crazy lady that keeps us all semi-inline and keeps the show going. She's super funny and always keeps the fun going. PrepperChicks on the other hand is all business. They are exactly like the title says, promoting prepping to chicks. Their goal is to spread the word of preparedness to women and getting the knowledge out there. She can tell you 101 ways to use a tampon, or maxipad, or something, just ask her...

Lastly, but not least is JD from Conflicted. He is the creator of Conflicted The Game. It's a deck of cards that contains some serious situations that make you and your friends/family really stop and think. If someone in your family answers each question with "just kill them all," you may want to rethink having them in your party when the shit hits the fan. JD is a funny guy originally from Brazil, and he's an awesome guy. He and I have partnered up on raffles and cross promote each others gear all the time. If you haven't checked out Conflicted, now's the time.

Tune in to Prepper Chicks After Dark at 11PM EST on 01/07/14 to check us all out!

On a personal note, I hope you all had a good Holiday season. New Years is right around the corner and I am super excited for 2014. I have two new books planned for 2014, and I plan on getting them both finished. I also plan on having many raffles and giveaways in between. On a way personal note, I have a new baby coming in March and we are so happy for that. So as we look forward to a new year, I wish you all a good one, and please check back with me later for more updates about the Apocalyptic Empire, and all that I have going on in the AE Universe!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake


Thursday, November 7, 2013

Survival radio show

Ok first things first, my Macbook died so it has seriously hindered my ability to post stuff! Hence the lack of blog posts! Now I am on my iPad so I will keep it short!

This week I was able to be a part of a new survival radio show hosted by PrepperChicks and Survivalogics. The show will be aired every Tuesday night at 11PM ET, 8PM PT. Since I failed to get the word out in time feel free to listen to this weeks recorded show. The link is for the Conflicted Card Game. He summarizes it much better than I can!

Listen Now!

Monday, October 14, 2013

And the winners are....!

The raffle is over and here are the winners! I will be sending everyone an email to collect addresses for your prizes, make sure you respond in a timely manner to collect your prizes! The rafflecopter system doesn't assign winners to prizes so I am giving them away first come first serve. Respond to the emails I sent off with a list of a few things you would like and I will send them off or let you know!

Thanks everyone for participating, I'm really glad I got to do this! I will do another on next month, so check back for more raffle goodness!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Friday, October 11, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire Series FREE This Weekend Only! Plus The Raffle Is Ending!

There's a ton of stuff going on this weekend so you better not miss out!

First, the raffle is ending this weekend! If you want a chance to win survival gear, signed print copies of the series, or a Conflicted card game deck, you better enter to win below!

Next, I am giving away FREE copies of Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication and The Hatchery Compound. This deal is only on Smashwords though so you have to head over there. The cool thing about Smashwords is that you can download your copy in whatever format you need to read it on your devices. Just add the books to your cart and apply the coupon codes. Both books will be FREE all weekend, but the coupon expires Monday, so grab them while you can!

Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication - Use coupon code GZ24E when checking out!

Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound - Use coupon code JJ79P when checking out!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Guns, guns, and more guns.

It's been awhile since I've talked about weaponry on the blog. Life has been an endless whirlwind for me, and I've forgotten my bloggy routes. When I originally started this blog I said I would be informative! Then I switched jobs again, finished Eradication, and got on the marketing bandwagon.

So on to the guns right...

Lately, if you live in a cave, you may have missed that there is a lot of talk going around about an "assault weapons ban." Now, before you start lighting me up with political shenanigans, I am going to just be honest....ENOUGH shenanigans. We're here to talk about no, not "assault rifles," I prefer to call them semi-automatic-bringers-of-love.

Moving on!

The funny thing about this blog post is that I do not own a single rifle, so this isn't me spouting off about all my fancy toys, and how intelligent I am about them. It's just me checking out some bad ass guns. I am going to drop some links to BudsGunShop, because well, they are pretty cool.

I'm going to start off with, you guessed it, an AR-15. Now, not all ARs are made equal, even a cave man would probably know that. You can spend thousands of dollars on one, or you can spend $700. I prefer the latter. Enter the Bushmaster CAR15. For $700, it's a sweet little package. It has a collapsable butt stock and a red dot sight to make it look even more sweet.

Ok, so nobody said I was sticking to cheap guns, this thing weighs in at $2,800. It's a Bushmaster ACR 223. I think it just looks awesome, and it is definitely ready to rock and roll.

This one isn't even in stock it's so awesome. The H&K MR556 is basically an amped up gorgeous looking M416. It still wears the same gear as your standard AR platform and fires the same rounds.

The FN FS2000 is sold out too! I'm sensing a pattern here... Anyway, this rifle is really cool, it's in a bullpup form factor which means that the receiver is behind the trigger and shortens up the buttstock. The bullpup form factor isn't widely used in the US, but I think it should be.

Just to prove a point that I'm not entirely about new fangled technology, here's a Springfield AA9626 M1A SOCOM. It's a modernized version of the standard military M1A1 from the WW2 era. I'm a sucker for WW2 weapons, and this brings me back there like a 1911, while still adding in the newer technology.

This isn't "technically" a rifle, but most of these were carbines anyway, so neither were they... Anyway, how awesome are Tommy Guns? Or Thompson 45 ACPs officially. It's still the same form factor, caliber, and 50 round drum that the gangsters were using back in the early 1900's. Need I say more?

I'm going to end with this rifle, because nothing says you're a bad ass zombie killing machine quite like the .50BMG. BARR M82A1SYS is a .50 caliber cannon. I don't even think it's fair to call it a rifle. That's like calling the Lamborghini Veneno a car, which clearly it's not, its a batmobile... and if a rifle could be the equivalent of the batmobile, the Barrett .50 is it. You can Google the M82A1 all day long and find videos and pictures of it destroying things, so I don't have to do that for you, I will just leave you with this one... Barrett Pumpking Blasting! This guy's on my Youtube list and he's legit so give him a follow!

Thanks all for today! Until next time!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication Featured on Halloween Horror over at the Reader Depot!


Debra Wattes, a soon to be Apocalyptic Empire Partner featured Eradication on her website Reader Depot. She has a page up over there featuring all sorts of gory, horror based novels and decided Apocalyptic Empire was a good fit.

If you read the very first chapter of Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication, you will probably get the idea. Eradication is a much grittier, intense book. In the very first chapter you see a major transformation in Vintago, and it only goes downhill from there. Things are going to get very interesting indeed...

Check it out on Reader Depot!

Featured on Halloween Horror at the Reader Depot!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Signed and Personalized Copies of Apocalyptic Empire Series

I got the idea a while back about selling signed printed copies of Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound. Now that Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication is out, I would like to extend the offer again!

I can print, sign, and ship a copy of Eradication for $11 and The Hatchery Compound for $10. The extra buck is because Eradication is 50 pages longer so they charge me more...ugh!

Anyway, I will sign your copy, personalize it, gift it, whatever you want. Just shoot me a comment on the blog here, or send me an email to chris@apocalypticempireseries.com and we can discuss!

Thanks for checking in again.

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Rafflecopter Raffle is Now Live! Enter to Win!

The raffle is live! For two whole weeks! Enter to win some pretty nifty gifts!

Check out the Raffle below!

Comment on this post for entries in the raffle!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Friday, September 27, 2013

Rafflecopter Online Raffle Starts Tomorrow!

I am going to post the link to the raffle once it is live tomorrow afternoon, but I wanted everyone to know it was going on. I plan on giving away 3 copies of Eradication and The Hatchery Compound, a cool 5 in 1 survival tool, 5 military can openers, a 19 in 1 multitool, some water purification tablets, and a magnesium fire starter. I am also planning on teaming up with Survivalogic to give away some of their Conflicted card games, and possibly other gear, more info on that tomorrow.

Anyway, check in tomorrow for the links to the raffle. You can do a bunch of different things to enter the raffle, and one of them is leaving a blog comment on tomorrow's post! So check back tomorrow for more info.

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication Live on Amazon and Smashwords

The wait is finally over! You can pickup a copy of Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication now over at Amazon and at Smashwords. The print copy from Createspace is still processing but should be done tomorrow. Smashwords will also get it uploaded to Apple books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, etc. in the next few days. I am also waiting on Google Play to process as well. So come next week, you can grab a copy wherever you read!

I have been speaking with my guy over at Survival Logics and we are going to jointly host the raffle next week. I have some really cool items planned to give away as well as some signed paperback copies of both books. Check back in this weekend after I have a few seconds to breathe for more info!

Thanks for checking in again.

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Monday, September 23, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication Release Date

It's official. I am going to give a release date! Well more of a release guideline! It's going to be this weekend!

It has taken a little bit longer to finish book two, because we wanted to do it right. Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound was released way to prematurely on my part. It was riddled with grammar issues and all sorts of goodies. Thankfully I met Abigail my editor and she has helped get me in line.

This time around I made sure we did things right and we have gone over the book page by page multiple times.

Besides the editing, the story itself should be much better and much more exciting. I incorporated a lot of positive and negative feedback when writing Eradication, and I really feel like it will be more enjoyable for everyone.

The final page count will be about 350 pages, so it's adding quite a bit of extra story to the Apocalyptic Empire series. I felt like The Hatchery Compound was a little thin the first time around, so I wanted to make sure I captured all of the story this time.

I am letting everyone know ahead of time because I plan on having it uploaded and out there this weekend. It depends on how quickly Createspace, Smashwords, Google Play, and Amazon does their things though. Either way, I will have it uploaded by the end of the week, and in your hands physically or digitally this weekend.

I plan on having a couple Goodreads Giveaways next week and also a really sweet raffle as well. I will get them all planned out and online this weekend and provide another post for the details. Check back in next week for those.

I hope you all enjoy reading Eradication, and I can't wait to see what happens!

I am working on book three still as well, so plan on that being out sometime in the first part of next year.

Thanks for checking in. I will update as soon as it is online for purchase!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake


Sunday, September 8, 2013

Midnight Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication Update!

So it's midnight...well it will be by the time this is done.

I just sent off my final revisions to Eradication. I added 18 pages of content and 12K words to the book. It filled in a lot of areas that I felt needed more description or beefed up action sequences, etc. It also makes the book feel more polished and complete I think.

Anyway, I sent them off to Abigail, my editor, and as soon as she gets back to me, I can start uploading to Amazon, Smashwords, Createspace, Google Play, etc. etc. Hopefully I can get it out before I head to California next weekend, but if not I will do it as quickly as I can.

Can't wait to get Eradication into your hands!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Signed copies of Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound? Yes please?

I got the idea of selling signed copies of Apocalyptic Empire from another author in my group. I realized that I can print and ship a copy of my books for $0.80 less than Amazon is currently selling the print edition.

If you would like a signed and personalized print edition of Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound please let me know. If you have never read my book or would like to get into the series before Eradication comes out, now's the time. I can also sign it and send it to someone else, so you could essentially gift someone a copy.

Hit me up by email for details!

Also a quick status update on Eradication. I am about halfway finished with my "final" edit. I have gone through and been adding twenty or thirty pages of additional detail to beef up the story and make it even more awesome. I think it really adds to the story and makes it more action packed. Of course my editor Abigail will probably yell at me about having to proofread more content, it's all worth it! It's coming along great though and I plan to have it available in the next couple weeks. I'm going on vacation next week, but that shouldn't hinder it. If it does...you now have my email, feel free to yell at me...

Thanks for checking in, until next time.

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Friday, August 30, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire: Eradication is in the final phases!

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update to the status of Eradication. Abigail and I have gone through line by line and performed our initial edits. Now we have one more read through and we are set for launch. I am anticipating that we will be done within the next week or two and I can have an official release date as I get a little bit closer.

I have had some readers taking a look at Eradication and I have heard many good things about it so far. I can't wait to get it out there and see what all my readers think!

Here's a link to my book page for a quick synopsis and the cover for Eradication if you haven't seen it yet! Apocalyptic Empire Series

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Conflicted the prepper's card game!

Today I wanted to take some time and tell you guys about the Conflicted card game. It's a game that I stumbled upon that is right up our alley!

The idea of the game is to dream up an apocalyptic scenario. It doesn't have to be zombies. It could be anything! I tried explaining this to my wife last night...it went over better than zombies... After your group decides on an event that would change the world as we know it, the first player picks a card. Each card has a scenario on it that the player must make a decision about.

One card that comes to mind is about a plane ride in which you and your friends are flying a plane that has been stolen. Mid-flight it is determined that the plane is overloaded and will not be able to make it to the destination. The decision is who will be thrown from the plane mid-flight to make the plane light enough to continue. Now if you're sitting around playing this game with your family and friends, this may not be an easy decision! My wife said, well better to lose friends than family, and shoved them out the door!

Once you have made up your mind, you explain to the group what your decision is, and why. The other members of the group then give you an evaluation score between 0 and 3. Five being that they agree with your decision and would likely do the same thing, one being, no way!

The object of the game is to be the one with the most points at the end of the game. The interesting part of the game is that the person that makes the best decisions, or gets the group to agree would typically be your leader or the person that people would follow. The person with the least amount of points is going to be the person with off the wall decisions and probably that person you want to kick out the door of the plane!

The game really challenges your mind, your survival skills, and also the ideology of who you will be bringing when the SHTF. In my novel I bring along my family members and no friends, but after playing this game with them I wonder if it would be wise to bring them along? Sometimes it's the hard decisions that have to be made for the survival of the group or your family.

Can you make those hard decisions or will your own moral compass put your family in harms way.

Find out now by ordering a copy of Conflicted the card game!

You can also follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook.


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire Update!

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update of the state of affairs inside the Apocalyptic Empire! I have completed my preliminary revisions and am now waiting on the updates from Abigail my editor to get Eradication all wrapped up. I plan on having it out as soon as she is done and I go through it one more time.

I have also started writing book three which I have tentatively named Apocalyptic Empire: Reclamation. I can't go into too much detail about why I picked that title without spoiler alerting Eradication. Not really too far into it yet, still working on the prologue. If I can stick to my semi regular schedule I should have it done by the end of the year. We will see!

On a different note, I have partnered up with a game making company who makes a game called the Conflicted Card Game. I can't really go into too much detail about that because it isn't really on the market yet, but I am sure it is going to be really cool. I will be partnering up with them to make some pretty awesome material going forward. Check back later on for details about that.

Well that's about all I can think of this time around. Hope everyone is having a good summer. Hopefully I can get Eradication out there soon, and look forward to the feedback!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Saturday, August 17, 2013

10 Awesome Survival Edged Weapons

Since I had a pretty decent response on my last "10 items" post, I figured I would try it again. This time I have found some really cool edges weapons. Some of these knives have more uses than just a blade and can go a long way toward saving your butt in a survival situation.

Check out this list of knives:


  1. Gerber 22-01400 LMF II This is a survival knife with a few extras. The butt-cap on the grip can be used to pierce glass, and in the sheath is a blade sharpener, so it won't go dull in a survival situation. It's a 10 inch partially serrated blade, and definitely a keeper.
  2. Amazon Jungle Survival Knife This blade is especially cool because in the grip there is an assortment of cool survival gear. There are matches, a compass, striking paper and fishing gear. The blade itself is 13 inches long and is straight on one side and serrated on the other.
  3. Elite Forces Survival Bowie Knife This blade is 12 inches in overall length, and is straight on one side and saw like on the flip side. Looks like it could make short work of a tree!
  4. Big Bohica Kukhri Machete With 19 inches of overall length, this machete is a must if you plan on getting stranded in the jungle somewhere. This thing looks awesome and can cut through some vines!
  5. Secret Agent Tactical Ninja Sword OK, the name alone screams badass. How can you NOT want a "Secret Agent Tactical Ninja Sword"! I mean technically you could call it a long knife right? Even at 27 inches in total length, it's just a big knife... OH and it's awesome! It's serrated in the middle, and razor sharp on the pointy end. Make sure the pointy end goes toward the zombies.
  6. United Cutlery Tomahawk Throwing Knife Set To go along with your Secret Agent Tactical Ninja Sword, here's a set of three throwing knives. You know, so you can take out a few at range before busting out your sword. I'm pretty sure that's how ninjas would take out zombies...
  7. Black Ronin Tomahawk I may be going off the grid a little bit on this one, but come on. Look at this thing. It's almost as cool as a sword. It has multiple zombie puncturing aspects to it, and would go great with the secret ninja sword and throwing knives.
  8. Military Warrior Tanto Point Stealth Trench Knife It wouldn't be zombie knives day without a trench knife. This knife is 9 1/4 inches long and features knuckle slots so you can punch the zombie, and then put him down. Wow that sounded really brutal...
  9. Dark Assassin Dagger Just incase you don't want to be a secret ninja, and want to be a "Dark Assassin" instead. This thing looks straight out of Assassin's Creed. Whether it would be amazing against zombies, just depends how good you are at hiding to the shadows and striking out in the night. Which...the zombies are probably better at...so you better just stick to your Glock.
  10. Longclaw If you don't know what Game of Thrones is, this sword won't have the same meaning to you. If you do know what it is, then you know this sword can mess up some white walkers. Which also are kind of like zombies. Plus it looks amazing, and nothing says "I'm a badass survivalist" like wielding a legitimate sword.
So there you have it, I started with some very practical survival knives with fishing kits, and ended with amazing swords! That's like going from BB guns to Desert Eagles. Sometimes you have to go big or go home, and today we are going big!

If you have any cool ideas for more lists like this one, please shoot me a comment and let me know.

Thanks for checking in.

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

10 survival items under $10

This time I have found some pretty cool survival gadgets, gizmos, and gear all priced under $10. For these prices, these items are definitely must haves for any bug out bag. Of course all of these items can be found on the awesome internet retailer Amazon. If you haven't noticed yet, I have a thing for Amazon...

Anyway, on to the list!


  1. Essential 5 in 1 Survival Tool ($5.99) - It's a compass, matchbox with waterproof matches, whistle, flint fire starter, and signal mirror. The best part is, it's the size of a keychain, and it only costs $6!
  2. Emergency Mylar Blankets ($6.50) - OK so these aren't super cool or anything, but there's ten of them for 6 bucks and they can keep you warm in a pinch. Plus they are super thin when folded up and super lightweight. Definitely a must have for your bag.
  3. P-51 Can Opener ($1.80) - These are the old military style P-51 can openers. Small enough to store anywhere, rugged enough for the military, and a must have for any survivor. When you get down to eating canned food, trust me you will want one of these. Just ask a certain Captain in my next book, and he will tell you!
  4. Potable Aqua Water Treatment ($6.49) - I know I had these on another post, but they fit the category, and nothing is more important that clean water. These tablets make water drinkable in 30 minutes. There's 50 tablets for under 10 bucks!
  5. CKRT Eat'n Tool ($5.95) - This thing is so simplistic it's silly. It's a spork, on a carabiner. Oh and it has three hex wrenches! But seriously, everyone can use a spork...
  6. Emergency Tent ($9.99) - Some of you might say, Chris, why not just use one of your emergency blankets as a tent! To which I would reply... Because this is a tent already?
  7. Paracord Bracelet ($5.50) - These bracelets are pretty cool for two reasons. The obvious: it's fashionable? The less obvious: it is up to 9 feet of paracord wrapped around your wrist. Paracord holds a ridiculous amount of weight, and even 9 feet of it is enough to get some hardcore jobs done.
  8. Snaplight 10 pack ($9.01) - These are industrial grade glow sticks, I'm not going to sugar coat it, but when it's dark and all your batteries are gone because the zombies took them all? You'll be glad you have your glow sticks.
  9. Military Style Sewing Kit ($8.24) - OK listen, you might think, who's going to be sewing during the zombie apocalypse! Think about it, you can only fit so much clothing in your bug out bag. It's going to get torn up and ripped, and when you can't run to Walmart and grab a new shirt, you're going to go man...Glad I had that sewing kit.
  10. Swiss+Tech 19 in 1 Tool ($8.49) - It's got 19 doodads and fits on your keychain. Need I say more?
In all seriousness, some of these items are a little bit less awesome than others...but I was shopping with ten bucks, cut me some slack! Some of these items are really cool and I own a few of them myself, so if you're into glowsticks like I know I am, check some of these things out, especially the paracord bracelet. You know you want to be one of the cool kids...

Thanks for checking in again! Until next time!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound 100% FREE on Smashwords!

Today and tomorrow only on Smashwords you can score a copy of Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound for FREE. Use the coupon code SH54Z when checking out. 

Grab your FREE copy today!


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Awesome survival firearms!

I am going to go out on a limb again and talk about some awesome firearms that can be used for survival situations. Looking at some other survival blogs, some of these guys get torn to pieces for providing intel one way or another about how good a particular caliber is, etc. So...I'm not going to do that! I am just going to show you some really cool guns, and leave the conjecture out of the equation.

First up, and probably the coolest is the Springfield Armory M6 Scout. I saw this weapon on a show called Ultimate Survival: Alaska on Discovery Channel, and I instantly thought must have one. The cool thing about the M6 Scout is that it fires both a .22 Long Rifle or .22 Hornet round out of one barrel, and a .410 shotgun shell out of the second barrel. It can store both types of ammo in the butt-stock, and weighs only 4.7 pounds. This thing is definitely a survival weapon. Originally it was made as a survival weapon for pilots in the U.S.A.F from 1950-1970. It has been in and out of production and is currently out of production since 2008, so if you can find one, all the power to you! Definitely worth it though if you can find one.










I can't even begin to explain how cool the Henry Arms AR-7 is. It is a rifle that literally breaks down and fits inside its own butt-stock. The entire gun can be broken down, stored nicely in the butt-stock, and sheltered from the elements. When stored away it measures only 16.5 inches long and weighs 3.5 pounds. It also comes with two 8 round magazines that fit inside the stock as well. The best part is, it's widely available and costs less than $300.



Now, this is where it starts to get dicey...A survival handgun. This topic alone can be debated for hours on end about various makes, models, calibers, etc. I am not going to go into all of that! I will throw out a couple good handguns that I have personally used, and leave it at that! I mentioned my Taurus firearms in previous posts and I obviously stake my life on them on a daily basis so I won't reiterate them here. Check out my previous post for more info on those.

This particular handgun pictured below is a Springfield Armory 1911, which is one model that I have fired. I also have owned a High Standard Crusader Compact 1911, which is also pictured below. Both of these handguns, and any 1911 will never steer you wrong. They have proven themselves time and time again for over one hundred years and gun manufacturers are still making them. In my opinion a 1911 is as badass as it gets and as simple as it gets. Anyone can learn to shoot, clean, and carry a 1911.



Next up is a Beretta 92FS. The Beretta 92FS is the civilian model of the well known military standard issued Beretta M9. It is a 9mm handgun and carries 15 rounds. The reason I picked it, is mainly because of its ease of use, familiarity with most people who have fired a gun at all, and because it is so reliable. I would definitely recommend any 92FS model, not just Beretta's. Taurus also makes an excellent 92 model. As you can see from the pictures below, it's hard to even tell the difference.











That's all I have for you this time. Let me know in the comments of any other cool survival guns I left out. Until next time!

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Monday, August 5, 2013

Apocalyptic Empire Series Update

For all of you anxious Apocalyptic Empire fans, I just wanted to do a quick Blog post about the status of the series.

Firstly, if you haven't heard The Hatchery Compound has been completely edited for about the sixth time. It includes new content, and fixes a lot of the issues that I had with it from day one. It has been an uphill battle trying to gain back the momentum I first had when I released it. That being said, going forward it will be a much cleaner product and everyone should be pretty happy with it. If you have yet to read a copy of The Hatchery Compound shoot me an email and I will gladly send you a free copy. Also, if you have read an earlier version and had problems reading it due to the editing, I would love to send you a new copy. I will send you a coupon for a free download through Smashwords. If you are interested shoot me an email at chris@apocalypticempireseries.com

Next, up is news on Eradication. For those of you who don't know, Eradication is book two in the series. It will be continuing the story from the first book, but is much more action oriented with many more plot twists and turns. I have taken the advice of a lot of readers and I think everyone will really enjoy Eradication. As it stands the book is about 315 pages in length, and I am 215 pages into the editing process. My editor Abigail is 75 pages into her edit. I was originally trying to get the book out in July, but with my busy schedule and the desire for a much cleaner product, I am pushing it back to September. This time around I want to make sure the book is ready to go out of the gate, to ensure everyone who reads it an enjoyable read.

On a side note, I have started a few partnerships that will definitely be benefitting my readers in the near future. I will be hosting a couple raffles, and some book giveaways as well, so keep checking in on the Blog for updates about that.

I have yet to hear any feedback on my blog, so if you have any comments or suggestions on how to improve it, please let me know.

Thanks for reading.

Stay safe out there,

Chris Blake

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Must have survival gear for fishing!


Fishing at the Hatchery Compound is like fishing out of a barrel. There are so many fish in the pond there that they don't even have to try. That being said, some people will not have it as easy as Vintago and his community members.

Some people may not have any fishing gear, but for the prepared survivor, these items may help out.

This item is an absolute must have Rothco Survival Knife. This knife has a fishing kit with line and sinkers, bandages, signal mirror, saw, a harpoon, and more. It's a whole survival kit inside a knife!

This Lifeline 29 piece survival kit includes just about every survival item you might need. Seriously though, look at it...

This Pocket Fisherman Kit is pretty cool. It folds up and is small enough to fit in a backpack, but extends out into a fishing pole. It beats fishing line and a stick for sure!

Lastly, if you really want to be a bad ass, check out this AMS Bowfishing Kit. This thing looks awesome. I don't know the first thing about bow fishing, but I think with this kit you can get it done!

Friday, August 2, 2013

Electronics in the Apocalypse?

I got to thinking today as I was typing on my MacBook and simultaneously checking my iPhone; What would I do without those devices!

Lots of people write about zombies and apocalyptic events, and usually it's all about guns, food, and water, but what about electronics! Don't get me wrong it's not like there would be a charging station on ever corner, but some people would have power right? The Hatchery Compound has a generator running all the time, so why stop using your iPads, MacBooks, and what not just because the world as we know it has come to an end!

I for one would be jamming to tunes on my iPod, apocalypse or not. There's no reason why you can't listen to music stored on a device while you are driving your favorite zombie wagon.

I think that electronics get overlooked in most apocalyptic fiction, and we need to get it back! It's time to dial in a solar charger, generator, or car charger and get those devices back. If anything, wouldn't you just feel better listening to your favorite band while you're shooting at zombies? I know I would...

Anyway, enough of that, here are some items to help out our feeble electronics!

Check out this Instapark 10 watt solar panel. It can charge just about any portable electronic device, pending there isn't to much cloud coverage. If you live in a cloudy zombie apocalypse, then you're just SOL.

Now this thing is the absolutely awesome Ambient Weather WR-334-U. It's an emergency radio, solar charged, battery powered, and even hand crankable! Plus it has all kinds of stuff like flashlights, sirens, you name it. Oh and it charges your electronics! It looks like it would be a very good tool to have on hand for any survival situation, zombies or not.

Lastly, just incase you give up on your electronics and want to read a book in the gloomy darkness that is your post-apocalypse life, here's a Zombie Response Team Zippo.

Hopefully you have a plan in place for your electronics when the world comes to an end, I know I do. Let me know what kind of devices you would cherish, even without power.

Stay safe out there, watch your back.

Chris Blake



Monday, July 29, 2013

Water purification, how to find, and how to make water.

Not everyone can have a mountain spring in their zombie survival setup. The Hatchery Compound members have it easy with a spring fed creek and well setup, but not everyone has it that easy during the apocalypse. Some people need to seriously consider how they will get fresh water. Most people can only survive 3 days without water. Three days isn't exactly a long time to devise a homemade water filtration device, and that only works if you have a water source.

I can't exactly show you how to squeeze water from a rock, but if you do have water here's a couple sweet items to help you make sure that water is clean.

Lifestraw - This cool little gadget only weighs a few ounces and filters water down to 0.2 microns. You just pop off the end caps, stick it in any kind of water and drink straight from it. It's super cheap at less than $20 and should be a staple for any survivalist!

MSR Miniworks EX - This filter is more about volume. It would be good if you need to clean up water and transport it somewhere. Not everyone can have a readily available water source, so this sucker can clean up some water for the road.

Aquamira - Lastly, these chlorine dioxide drops are designed to be used on any water to get rid of bacteria and improve the taste of the water. Some people have used these drops in conjunction with another filtering device and said it was amazing.

So you can't squeeze water from a rock, but apparently you can pull it out of a tree! I found this very informational article about using the transpiration cycle of a tree to collect water. Making water in the desert is possible. This article is all about finding water in the desert. They point out some very helpful tips about where to look, and some useful things like "be careful looking under rocks, scorpions live there!" I thought that was a given...but some people need to be shown the light apparently.

If all else fails in the deserts of Arizona, head north! Northern Arizona is full of lakes, streams, and springs. If you can't hack it in the desert, head north like Vintago and his family. Without air conditioning and running water even Arizonans can't handle the desert!

I hope you found some interesting information this time around, thanks for checking in.

Chris Blake

Sunday, July 28, 2013

(What I think is) important gear in a survival situation

(What I think is) important gear in a survival situation

This post is inspired by a show my wife and I watched on Discovery Channel called Naked and Afraid. The premise of the show is that they drop off a woman and a man in a horrible environment with only one survival item and make them strip naked. Then they kick them out into the wilderness and say "See you in three weeks!" Well supposedly they do...but I digress.

The thing that caught my attention, as well as most of the people watching the show on one particular episode was one man's choice of survival item. Since they were going to be on an island in the middle of the ocean, he choose to bring...wait for it...goggles. Then to make matters worse, he was too scared to go swimming in the ocean for fear of sharks!

All laughs aside, it got me thinking. If I could only bring one item with me to survive in the wilderness, what would I bring?

Most people bring a knife, machete, pot/pan, or something along those lines.

I got to looking on Amazon, and I think I found the perfect match. Now, granted people might think it is cheating because it is TWO items, but technically since both items fit in the sheath, I'm counting it as one!


Having any kind of knife in a survival situation is absolutely quintessential, but watching some of these "survival experts" try to start a fire it is clear to me that fire starters are just as important.

If you don't have fire you can't sanitize water, cook food, keep bugs or predators away, or keep the morale up.

I'm sure there are 101 better items out there, but the theory is still the same. Let me know in the comments if you have a better idea for a single survival item, or even a better knife/fire starter combo. I'm interested to see what everyone else has to say!

Until next time,

Chris Blake

Friday, July 26, 2013

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

Let's talk weaponry and survival gear. I think it is absolutely essential for everyone to have a setup in place just incase things get a little...undead... I want to talk about some of the weapons I have around our house, and would love some feedback from you guys! Later on I will check out some other gear and see where that goes.

First things first, I don't know how you feel about guns, but I think they are definitely a must for every home. With the state of affairs our world is in right now, I think everyone should be able to defend themselves and not rely on the government and local authorities to protect us. That being said, here's just a few of my favorites.

My daily carry handgun is a Taurus 24/7 G2 .45ACP Compact. It comes with a 10 round magazine and a 12 round magazine. I usually carry the 10 round magazine because it is easier to conceal. People will go back and forth all day about caliber sizes, but in the end my choice is a .45ACP hollow point. It's got to be the go to defense round for dangers of all kind, even the undead kind...

My secondary handgun is a Taurus 24/7 G2 9mm. It comes with two 17 round magazines. I have a tactical light as well. I think when it comes to protecting yourself against the undead horde having more ammunition probably counts for more than caliber size.

Lastly, I have a little Ruger LCP .380. People always discount the 6 rounds of .380, but it's a sweet little gun that you can hide just about anywhere.

All of these guns make their debut in my novel Apocalyptic Empire: The Hatchery Compound, and they definitely get used. Of course in the book, Vintago goes to the gun store while the Outbreak is unfolding. He spends quite a bit of money on some other awesome firearms.

One gun that I do not have, but definitely would buy is an AK-74. The AK-74 is the same form factor and ruggedness of an AK-47, but fires a smaller faster bullet, much like an AR-15. These guns are like mixing the reliability and robustness of an AK platform with the accuracy of an AR platform. The only downfall to a weapon like this would be ammunition shortages in the zombie apocalypse. It fires a 5.45x39mm round which will definitely be hard to come by when it hits the fan. That being said though, they are a solid gun I believe.

Well I think that's enough gun talk for one post. Let me know what kind of firearms you use, prefer, or carry. Next time I will talk about something else. Leave me a comment if you have any useful topics you would like more info on, or would like to discuss.

Thanks for reading!

Chris Blake