Cover by Timothy Banks
Hi everyone! I’m thrilled to announce University of Arizona’s YA publication site Pine Reads Review has serialized my middle grade novel THE 12 RULES OF SURVIVAL. Serialized between May 18, 2019 and February 1, 2020 on Pine Reads Review’s Serial Saturdays, the book tells the story of a boy having to endure some tough times after an earthquake. Share with your kids, your friends. Read aloud! Read together! Let me know what you think! (Scroll for contact info and cool story info).
Chapter 1: Earthquake
Chapter 2: Mechanical Earthworm
Chapter 3: Things Dad and I Don’t Talk About
Chapter 4: The Unknown
Chapter 5: Trapped
Chapter 6: Abandoned
Chapter 7: Why Am I Here?
Chapter 8: The Most Terrifying Moment
Chapter 9: A Terrifying Morning
Chapter 10: Seeing Things
Chapter 11: Mr. Boles Is A Mole
Chapter 12: In The Infinite Mud Space Between The Bushes And The Wall
Chapter 13: Lair Of The Mole-Man
Chapter 14: The Tent
Chapter 15: Peter and the Mountain
Chapter 16: Mole Talk
Chapter 17: Blindness
Chapter 18: Another Night In The Dark
Chapter 19: No Patience
Chapter 20: School Troubles
Chapter 21: Fears
Chapter 22: The Old Chicano
Chapter 23: Things Are A Little Different
Chapter 24: Breakthrough
Chapter 25: Discovery
Chapter 26: Mission Mole
Chapter 27: Collapse
Chapter 28: Nightmare
Chapter 29: Everything Goes Wrong
Chapter 30: The Energy Of Being
Chapter 31: Han’s Hideout
Chapter 32: The Belly Of The Beast
Chapter 33: Hall Of Lights
Chapter 34: The Secret
Chapter 35: To The Mountain
Chapter 36: I know Who You Are
Chapter 37: Climbing From The Center Of The Earth
Chapter 38: The Changes In Things
What’s THE 12 RULES OF SURVIVAL about? A boy named Cameron. A Mexican-American family he never knew, including his mom, grandma, sisters and cousins. His friends: Clayton and Denise. His nemesis: Mason. His dog Snapers. A Millennium Falcon Hideout. A Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) named Gabby. And a monster mountain that swallows not only the TBM, but Cameron’s dad who is piloting it through the San Gabriel Mountains when an earthquake traps him and others. Lucky for Cameron and his dad, they already have 12 rules of survival from something horrible that happened a few summers ago at Big Bear.
Big thanks! I can’t be more ecstatic that PRR Director Stephanie Pearmain and her students chose this work. Pearmain teaches University of Arizona courses on Children’s and Young Adult Literature & Publishing and is also the Coordinator of Undergraduate and English Internships. Her incredible students have put in a lot of effort to make this happen. After all, the best part of writing is when others read your work after you’ve put in all the difficult months of writing and revision.
Are any characters based on real people? Cameron’s grandmother in the story is based on my grandma Benita who wore the most beautiful wigs and outfits. Here she is in the late 1960s in San Jose, CA with her son Adrian. He’s holding my brother (I think).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is THE 12 RULES OF SURVIVAL going to be in print?
Pine Reads Review is an online journal of young adult, middle grade and children’s literature. That means one day hopefully this book will be sold to a publication company and appear in print.
Is Cameron a real person?
He’s real in my imagination. In reality? No. He’s someone similar to me: dual ethnic, curious about the world. I’d like to think he’s more adventurous than me in some ways.
How about Gabby? Please tell me she’s a real Tunnel Boring Machine.
While Tunnel Boring Machines do exist, Gabby is a fabrication of my imagination. She’s actually a few feet larger in diameter than the largest TBM in the world.
Is there a tunnel in the San Gabriel Mountains?
A tunnel has been proposed for the California High-Speed Rail through the San Gabriel Mountains. No tunnel has been dug as far as I know. But one day that could change.
Why is all this Chicano stuff in the novel important?
Because it’s important to understand identity and purpose. Who are you? Who am I? Where did I come from? Who were my parents? Where did you come from? Who are your parents? Who are their grandparents? Ask enough questions and you might figure out not only where you’re from but where you’re going. In my case, I am a Mexican-American who believes in rights for the underprivileged of my ethnicity. That identity for me is Chicano. Sometimes I am grouped with Latinos, Latinx, Mexican-American or Hispanic. As far as Cameron’s journey, he needs to figure out the various parts of himself and why they’re all important to his future. It will help him in his relationship with his dad, mom, grandmother, uncles, cousins, classmates, etc.
Still have questions? Contact me at nickbelardes@gmail.com