So many ways for a plan to go wrong
The grid failure fractures the nation in two. The government in Washington retains sway in the northeast and the west coast, except for New Hampshire. The Coalition States organize Operation Longbow to smuggle supplies into New Hampshire to keep it free. Susan holds the key to the success of the operation. Her mission becomes more than a scout. It becomes a fight for survival that tests her breaking point.
Author’s notes for Book 4:
Book 4 picks up the story of Susan after she is dropped off near Keene to assist the covert Coalition States’ scheme to sneak food into New Hampshire. From the ending of Book 3, readers find out that she was successful, but nothing more.
In the course of fleshing out the outline for Book 4, it turned out that Susan had more of a story to tell than it first seemed. Her tale ends up being one of personal growth and struggling to cope with severe adversity. In this, she becomes a model for ordinary people finding the strength that tough times require.
I wrote Book 4 such that it was not absolutely necessary for a reader to have read 1, 2 and 3 first in order to understand what’s going on. Lots of backstories and recall fill in the necessary gaps. However, reading the first three books definitely helps round out Susan’s character — it shows where she started: as a modern (clueless) city person.