Rainy Camps and Post-Apocalyptic Journeys: The Books That Inspired The Long Walk Home

What sparks the creation of a new story? For me, writing The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies was a journey shaped by the books that left an indelible mark on my imagination. From tales of survival to stories of youthful courage, these works inspired the themes of hope, resilience, and discovery in my post-apocalyptic novel. In this post, I’ll share the stories that fueled my writing and ask: what inspires you to create?

When I began The Long Walk Home, I envisioned a gritty wilderness survival tale, inspired by my Boy Scout experiences and books like How to Stay Alive in the Woods by Bradford Angier. But as the story unfolded, the themes of hope and the journey—both physical and emotional—took center stage. The wilderness became a backdrop to the characters’ growth, reflecting the resilience I admired in stories like Watership Down and The White Mountains.

As a young Boy Scout, I huddled under a dripping tarp during a rain-soaked summer camp, the patter of rain mingling with my flashlight’s glow as I studied Wilderness Survival Merit Badge lessons. How to Stay Alive in the Woods captivated me. Its practical wisdom, paired with those rainy nights, planted the seed for the survivalist spirit in The Long Walk Home, where characters like Tommy learn to thrive in a harsh yet hopeful, post-apocalyptic wilderness.

Richard Adams’ Watership Down inspired the sense of camaraderie and peril in The Long Walk Home. While Fiver, Hazel, and their group of 12 rabbits were too large for my story’s intimate focus on a smaller cast, the eerie ennui of Cowslip’s warren—where comfort masks a sinister truth—shaped the Heavenly Ranch and Farm. In my novel, this setting lulls the characters into a false sense of security, mirroring the rabbits’ unsettling experience.

John Christopher’s The White Mountains set the tone and pacing for the post-Denver journey in The Long Walk Home. The novel’s depiction of Will, Henry, and Jean Paul’s trek across a dangerous, Tripod-controlled landscape inspired the rhythm of my characters’ travel—moments of quiet reflection punctuated by sudden threats. For example, a scene where my protagonists navigate the empty Rocky Mountains echoes the tense, exploratory vibe of the trio’s journey to the Alps. I discovered the book when I was newly moved up from Cub Scouts to the Boy Scouts and reading the comic book serial adaptation in 1981 and 1982. You can read it here.

While not direct influences on The Long Walk Home, Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Sequence and Jim Kjelgaard’s wilderness adventures shaped my desire to write for young adults. Cooper’s portrayal of 11-year-old Will Stanton growing into a courageous watchman and Kjelgaard’s tales of teens and their canine companions braving the wild inspired me to craft stories of young characters finding strength through adventure and guidance.

The journey, growth, and resilience in stories like Watership Down, The White Mountains, and My Side of the Mountain ignited my passion for crafting The Long Walk Home. Other works, like Tolkien’s epic quests, C.S. Lewis’s moral adventures, and J.K. Rowling’s tales of courage, continue to inspire me, while books like Hatchet and The Road await my reading list, promising new insights. What stories fuel your creative fire? Share your inspirations in the comments—I’d love to hear what drives your imagination!