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Press Release: May 20, 2004
Sam Penny's Novel, Memphis
7.9
Now Available at Hastings Bookstore
in Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas - Sam Penny,
author and lecturer, announced this week that signed copies of
his novel Memphis 7.9 are now available at the Hastings bookstore
on Caraway Road in Jonesboro. Penny said, "I am pleased
to make this book available in one of the active bookstores in
this region. I believe my book holds a special interest for the
residents of the Jonesboro area because, just like in Memphis,
here we find a juxtaposition of a significant population center
with a dangerous, active fault.
Penny continued, "My analysis
shows Jonesboro would be shaken by seismic waves exceeding an
intensity level of VIII for more than sixty seconds in the 7.9
magnitude earthquake described in my book, displacing over 60%
of the population and destroying 30% of the buildings. Flooding
and liquefaction would be a major concern in the eastern part
of Craighead county. The death toll could exceed four hundred
with injuries in the low thousands."
The story of Memphis 7.9 focuses
on how some citizens of Memphis have prepared for a major earthquake
on the New Madrid Fault Zone, just 45 miles west, and what happens
to the Mississippi River valley during the first six hours immediately
following a great earthquake of magnitude 7.9. A series of three
major earthquakes of even greater magnitude tore apart the same
region in 1811 and 1812.
"This book is the result
of my explorations of the New Madrid Fault in the central United
States after retirement," Penny explained. "My long-time
amateur interest in seismology developed from life in shaky California.
I found the level of preparedness of Memphis and the attitude
of the locals appalling. I felt they could best be told of the
fate that awaited them in story form rather than as a dull scientific
treatise.
"Some call my book Science
Fiction, but I call it Reality Fiction. My intent is to use the
best scientific and engineering analysis available to determine
exactly what the effects of a great earthquake will be, and then
tell a story that illustrates those effects while it entertains
my reading audience."
Memphis 7.9 won Honorable Mention
for Best Science Fiction novel in the 2004 Darrell Awards at
MidSouthCon 22 in Memphis March 27.
Books available at Hastings are
signed by the author. Copies are also available on-line at www.the79scenario.com,
www.amazon.com, www.alibris.com and at www.booksurge.com in both
printed and eBook formats.
Memphis 7.9 is Book 1 of a four-part
project, The 7.9 Scenario, which tells of effects on the central
United States cities, lands, and rivers and attempts of the United
States to recover from the worst disaster that ever struck this
land. Other books in the series are scheduled for publication
in the next three years. |
