All posts by Joe Reyes

Aftermath Bios

Sara Character Info

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Sara might be my favorite character of Aftermath. She also had the biggest change from planning her out to actually writing her character. Originally, Sara was going to be the leader of a cannibal gang. She was ruthless and led this band of horrible human being to just total destruction.

I don’t know exactly what made me change her to the innocent little girl, but I loved how it turned out. She was such a depressing character to write that I almost felt bad at times putting her in such terrible situations.

I needed to make her a “feel bad” character and watch her overcome and fight on through all the obstacles that are put in front of her. That might’ve been the reason for altering her personality. So I surrounded her with the cannibal gang called the Savages, led by a man named Marcus, who used Sara as a sex slave.

She had an ongoing secret relationship with a woman in the camp, Penny, who is one of the head chefs there. Her specialty, you ask? How to cook people. They keep their relationship private because Marcus would have them both killed.

Joe Reyes

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Aftermath Survival Guide

Sleep Is A Luxury You Can’t Afford

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Unless you live in a heavily fortified homestead surrounded by an army of well-trained soldiers, then you are never safe in the world of Aftermath. Count your blessings every day you survive in the new world. The last thing you want to do is be killed in your sleep. The key is where to find a few hours of well-deserved rest?

The first thing you must do is scout the area you are planning on sleeping in. Is it near a water source? How close is it to a settlement? Is there any wildlife in the area? Can you use nature as cover? Do you have people with you who can stay awake while you sleep? Can you create a makeshift alarm system? All these questions must be answered before you shut your eyes for a moment.

Water sources attract people and animals. Unless you have a group of survivors or a settlement nearby, water isn’t the most ideal place to rest your head by. Everything needs water to survive, so it’s not the smartest idea to take a nap near water.

Smart settlements send out scouting parties to make sure the surrounding area is safe. Depending on the size of the settlement, the range of the scout parties change. More importantly, you don’t want to be caught sleeping in the path that the people might walk down every morning down.

Animals kill for food just like people do. They’re predators that will attack you when they get hungry. Sometimes marking the territory will deter them. Fire is another big thing to scare most animals from coming over to you. But be careful where you set your fires, especially at night, you may attract people’s curiosity with a beacon of fire.

The best place to take a nap in the woods is in a tree, but it is dangerous if not done correctly. You have to be able to fasten yourself so you won’t fall off in the middle of a deep sleep. A simple belt or rope should be enough to keep you in place. Hopefully, you aren’t the kind of person who tosses and turns in their sleep.

Staying in a group is the best way to ensure a good night’s sleep. This ensures you are able to take a well-deserved rest and not wake up to the sound of your feet being gnawed off by a pack of dogs.

An alarm system will surround a space where you are sleeping and wake you up when someone passed into it. An effective idea is to boarder your sleeping area with twigs and kindling. These are easy to find if you’re planning on sleeping outside. The weight of the intruder will break the sticks and hopefully wake you up.

The quiet sound of nature is easily broken by even the lightest creatures. Use this to your advantage. Take short naps until you find an ideal spot to sleep. Follow these steps and you might survive to see the sun rise again.

Joe Reyes

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Aftermath Bios

Carmen Character Info

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Carmen was the last character I created for the story. She lives in the town of Riverfield just like Ian, and is captured early on in the story unlike Sara, Carmen isn’t the sex slave character who is constantly abused. I didn’t want to have the repetition of two characters with a similar story like that.

I was afraid Carmen’s plot wasn’t that intriguing in the planning stages. I had to pair her up with a few other characters. Carmen isn’t a lead character, but I felt she was a good “go along with” character. She isn’t a fighter, doesn’t have a major role in the war, isn’t a leader, Carmen was just an innocent girl thrust into a bad situation.

The sequel is where Carmen is thrown more into the action of the story. I’m hoping with the situations I put her in, she can blossom and start to become a ruthless survivor like everyone else. I wanted to give Carmen a good set of morals so I can create a total change in her personality based on what I put in front of her.

Even though I didn’t give Carmen world class fighting skills or a terribly sad backstory, I still enjoyed writing her. I would like to have her be a larger part of the overall storyline in the sequel, but don’t want to push her. I need to gradually mold her little by little into a more savage character for all I’m planning on throwing at her.

Joe Reyes

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Aftermath Bios

Alice Character Info

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Alice is that badass chick that would scare the crap out of most men. She is on a constant quest for revenge against the rebel leader, Cortez. Shortly after the bombs fell, Alice and her husband were attacked by Cortez and her husband was killed.

The military took Alice in and gave her the freedom to take down Cortez. Her journey has been long and bloody, but she still hasn’t found Cortez yet. Alice is a lone freelance sniper who learned her skills from her husband.

The only time Alice returns back to the military base is to get more supplies. Pental Base, is one of the biggest military bases in Aftermath. It was converted out of an airport and houses mostly soldiers for hire.

Alice doesn’t sleep or relax. She spends her days interrogating enemy soldiers looking for Cortez’s location. She knows there is a main base somewhere, but hasn’t found anyone who knows the location. Cortez has many sub-factions that work for him and Alice picks them apart one by one. What Alice does not know are the consequences of killing Cortez.

Joe Reyes

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Aftermath Survival Guide

Survival Guide Preview

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Being able to survive in the world of Aftermath is difficult. Every day is an unpredictable battle with the man and nature. The characters in the story envelope these principles and have survived the first 5 years because of them. Hopefully you read these quick tips and you’ll be ready if what I wrote becomes a reality.

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Free Giveaway!

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I am working on a free giveaway short story that will dive into the past of one of the major players in Aftermath. This story will be given to those who subscribe to my email listing so sign up now and receive this free addition.

The subscription will also grant you access to future writings, release dates and chances for free giveaways! Thank you all for your support!

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Joe Reyes

Aftermath Bios

Ian Character Info

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This whole story started with the creation of Ian, which, was supposed to be a single character story about his journey in this world. Ian is the prototypical “good guy” character. He is that brave, kind, and innocent character that could lead this story. As more and more characters came into the story, Ian became the absolute toughest character to plan for. Which again, sounds odd because he is the one who started this whole journey. Ian isn’t a thug, he doesn’t have any commitments to other characters, he isn’t a soldier, he is just a regular guy. Ian lives in a remade town called Riverfield. It’s a quiet and peaceful community in the middle of the woods. He has a crush on a young woman Carmen, who he has never been able to converse with. They exchange playful glances and have a few words, but are always interrupted by something. Every morning, Ian and a few others go hunting for the town. When they go out, the town gets attacked and the people of the town are taken. Ian makes his fellow hunters pursue the attackers and leads them on a long, every-changing journey. His pursuit for Carmen and the others in his town takes Ian through a gauntlet of several factions and characters. Joe Reyes

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Aftermath Bios

Character Bios

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Hey everyone! Wanted to give you all some insight into the main characters in Aftermath. I made a post for each of the 7 characters and will be putting them up one by one when I get the chance. I didn’t want to give away too much, just give you guys a little insight into who they are, what their motivations are and the process I went through creating them.

Thanks again for reading!

Joe Reyes

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About Me

My Bio

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I was never one for clichés, so I don’t want to start this off with “as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a writer”. I was never a big reader because I found a lot of novels boring. Unless a book was mandatory for school, or became a TV show or movie, then I had very little reason to pick them up. Even the big authors, like Stephen King and John Grisham, I’ve never found interesting.

I lose interest quickly in a book. No, I don’t need constant action to keep me flipping pages, but I must be entertained. Long drawn out descriptions and dialogue kill my engrossment. I don’t need a room described to me down to the dust clumps under the couch.

I get plot ideas easily. Almost to a fault because I can’t work on all my ideas at once. The challenge is sitting down and committing to seeing one story through, rather than having a ton of half-finished ideas.

My style of writing is the kind that catches my attention. I feel my stories are very fast paced. It reads like you’re watching a TV show, especially if it’s a story with multiple characters. I describe the setting and characters, but I don’t like to take a long time doing it.

When I create a character, I put myself in their shoes. I picture as that character in the same situation with all the backstory, and write what I would do if I were them. Even when I have the characters do terrible things. I think what I would do in the same situation with that mindset.

Honestly, I don’t really enjoy writing stories about violence and killing, but I do it because I feel I come up with creative plotlines. I think I’m better at darker storylines than happy ones. I once had to write a rape scene and it took me two days to begin writing because I tried to find a way around it, but it was the only scene that made sense.

The characters aren’t just words on a page, they are extensions of me. They are real to me, and I am in control of their failures and successes. Sometimes it’s nice to see some have happy endings. However the problem is I like to take a real life approach to my stories, and not everyone gets that storybook ending.

I want to be able to do more with my writing than just sit at a desk all day and type. Yes, it would be ideal to have more money than I know what to do with, but I would like to do more than just that. I would like to start charities and give back to people; give a large portion of a books profits to disease research. I would also like to start writing communities and give unknown writers the chance to showcase their work.

But I can’t look that far in the future now. I know right now I must focus on my own dreams before I can help others fulfill theirs or give back to the community. I do hope you enjoy what I write and hope I can produce more pieces that catch your interest.

Joe Reyes

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AFTERMATH, Aftermath Updates, BLOG

Aftermath Teaser

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Aftermath is a growing series about war, love, brutality and most of all, survival. What was once the United States has become a savage post-apocalyptic environment where the worst of the worst prosper and the remaining good hide.

The series features a brutal setting, where 7 characters in different parts of the United States must adapt to this new environment. The “fight or flight” mentality plays into the story, as the nation is divided into factions fighting for control of the country. The government is outnumbered, outgunned, and forced into hiding as well to recoup their forces.

The novel follows a fast paced momentum from the first page to the last word. The plot pits these characters against the elements and each other, with plot-lines intertwining on opposite sides of the war effort. And one character’s quest for revenge can jeopardize not only the war outcome, but the reshaping of the entire nation.

With an ever-changing storyline and evolving characters, the Aftermath series gets more intense with every chapter. But what these characters don’t realize, the terrifying evil making its way across the ocean.

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Hey Everyone!

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Thanks for clicking on my site. My name is Joe Reyes, I am trying to be an author and this site is to help promote my novels. I will have descriptions of the stories and release dates. I have a lot of my social media linked into this website so there will be multiple updates on many different avenues.

The novel series I’m working on now is Aftermath. It’s a post-apocalyptic story that centers around 7 characters in different parts of the United States. I will be giving you a full synopsis about the story as soon as I can and also send out some teasers as well. I have a street team member working on my Twitter and other social media accounts. I will let you all know when and which ones are active so you can follow me.

I will be posting short stories that you guys can read anywhere anytime. Also I will be making some videos about my stories and me talking about the process of creating each story. You can also follow my blog and sign up for our mailing list. Signup to be the first to know whenever I release a new book, host contests, online parties and events.

Follow this link to signup now and you’ll receive a free gift:

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I want to thank all of you for stopping by and supporting my site and hope I write things that will peak your interest. So stop on by every day to see the new posts I’ll be putting up.

Joe Reyes