Eight years after the Louisiana Purchase, the western frontier of the United States extended only to the Mississippi River. There, in the soggy, inhospitable Delta of today's Missouri Bootheel, hardscrabble pioneers suddenly found themselves fighting for their lives against horrendous odds. The Great New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811 & 12 left death and unimaginable destruction in their wake. Nuetzel chronicles the terror witnessed through the eyes of panicked victims as he recounts Vade Boncoeur's struggle for his family's survival. But could it happen today? Nuetzel firmly believes that it will, and he guides us through the sobering and shocking consequences of a twenty-first century Armageddon.

Although I never set out to become a short story writer, I am not a stranger to writing itself. I have written several poems over the years. The latter geared toward a younger audience. After the death of my grandmother at age ninety-nine, I sat down one evening and "Ole Luke" was born. Shortly after, I penned "Play Ball." Six months later I had written a collection of six. With others still in the works, I decided to publish this book. This collection of stories takes you into the lives of everyday, ordinary people. Each story has a lesson to teach in a humorous way. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.