I looked at him, barely recognising the skinny teenager I’d met only a few weeks before. ‘Thanks.’ I turned to the others. ‘All of you.’ I stared towards the nearby island, a steely determination now burning within me. ‘Let’s do this.’
Together, we scrambled to the side and, with all the strength we had left, we paddled furiously. I watched the island gradually draw closer and closer, and for the first time in days, I smiled. Soon, I knew, we’d be safe, at least for the time being.
About the Author:
Colin M. Drysdale has worked as a marine biologist for almost twenty years. During this time, he has travelled extensively and spent much of his professional career on or near the sea. He is also a keen sailor and has sailed in Scotland, the Bahamas, Florida, Newfoundland and Labrador.
When writing The Outbreak, he drew on his experiences both of living in Glasgow, where the novel starts, and from sailing amongst the islands of north-west Scotland. This allowed the story to be tightly woven into the landscapes in which it is set.
He now lives in his native Glasgow, where he runs a small business providing mapping advice to ecologists and marine biologists. While he is the author of countless academic papers and a number of technical books, this is only his second novel. He is currently working on the third book in the For those in Peril series, which will bring together the characters from the first two books. This is scheduled for publication in summer 2015.
If you would like find out more about the world of The Outbreak, and the For those in Peril series in general, visit:
TheOutbreak.ForThoseInPeril.net
For Those In Peril (Book 2): The Outbreak Page 32