The Ballad of Before

Ten years after the End, Rachel Brown is living in a barricaded city with no law, no government. She was a nurse in the Before, and survives by bartering skill for food. Into her life comes Teddy, who has grown up hiding and dreaming. Teddy promises to get Rachel to the Outside. He's in love with Rachel, but she doesn't dare love: bad survival. The most powerful person in the city is Cap, leader of Capsband. Cap and Rachel share a secret, a secret that has kept her alive and has kept him in power for ten years. But Cap's lieutenant, Slag, has plans of his own: to kill Cap and take over Capsband. Rachel discovers Slag's plan, and she and Teddy join Cap in a strange and stealthy war. In the midst of fire and war and betrayal, will Cap finally realize what Rachel means to him? And will Rachel finally stop running and dare to fall in love?

Dana grew up in Ketchum, Idaho, and learned to flyfish, ride, and shoot as a child. Fascinated by the plants and animals of the mountains, she became an outdoor biologist, working as a conservationist in the Idaho high desert with special emphasis on small mammals and rare plants, and also teaching college students on field study expeditions to some of the wild places of the world. To Dana, everything is a story: the time grandpa saw a murder in 1909 and what happens on the day of the spiders, how fireflies behave in the rainforest, how to bottle-raise baby pack rats, and what happened after the collies ate the cement. She has published many studies in scientific journals, plus the young adult SCAVENGER Series and the thriller series LITTLE DEMON CREEK in addition to her award-winning memoir, Wildflower Girl. She lives in Idaho with her husband and Shelties.