Knifepoint is the third book in my Breakers series. Six years after the apocalypses–first a plague, then the aliens who sent it–humanity has been reduced to a scant handful of survivors.

Raina, a teenager orphaned during the outbreak, has been adopted by a new set of parents and lives a quiet life in the ruins of Los Angeles. But when conquerers from Catalina island smash her family, she vows revenge against their leader.

Meanwhile, a desperate mission is sent to the Yucatan, where the man who brought down the invaders has been living in isolation–because the aliens survived after all. And they’re regrouping in LA.

Sounds very exciting, but if we start here we’ll only be getting half the story, right?
Well, you should probably go back in time and read Breakers and Melt Down before you’d read Knifepoint. But it’s not strictly necessary. None of the books are direct sequels, and I do my best to make each one work as a complete story of its own.

What genre is this series?
Post-apocalyptic. Pretty firmly so.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
Anyone who likes reading about the end of the world. The alien invasion part might make it sound pretty sci-fi, but the story is more about a batch of flawed, weak characters coming to grips with the apocalypse and finding the strength to survive.

Initially, they’re not very good at it, which means it’s probably not much of a prepper story. But most of them get better at it.

Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love The Breakers series.
The Stand. That’s the obvious influence. And if you like Joss Whedon, better yet; I try to include humor alongside the tension.

Tell us a bit more about your main characters
Raina was just a kid when the virus wiped out the world. That means she lived by herself through the worst of the apocalypse, going half feral in the process. Her new parents brought her back around to civilization–what’s left of it, anyway–but she’s still very survival-oriented and has her own perspective on the world. She’s primitive but pragmatic.

Meanwhile, Walt saved humanity from extinction, but that didn’t solve all his personal problems. The apocalypse unhinged him a bit and he’s not the saintliest guy on the block (or what’s left of it). He’s not exactly an ex-SEAL, either. But he’s got good instincts and has
learned to trust them. He’s deceptively capable despite himself.

How would you like the reader to feel as they read the last word of Knifepoint?
Catharsis.

That’s a terrible answer. I’d like them to feel like they’ve followed the characters through hell and back, but emerged to a slightly wiser place. Like maybe you’ll get it right the next time–but more likely, you’ll just be a little better at handling your next screwups.

Will there be more Breakers novels? And when?
I’m publishing the final installment of a serialized time travel thriller. Earlier today, I was adding words to Breakers 4, which will probably be out by August, 2013.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a scientist or cartoonist. A couple years later, I knew I’d be a writer instead. Triangulate those three and it’s probably a pretty accurate summary of what to expect from my books.

For me as a human, I’m current in my early thirties, I was born in Washington state–the desert, not the rainforest–graduated from NYU, moved to Idaho, and presently live in Los Angeles. I read fantasy, science fiction, and literary fiction, especially the funny stuff. I love baseball and baseball stats. And movies! Movies are amazing. I learned kung fu for a while, but it probably wouldn’t be as useful as I portray it in my books. Because guns.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
Yeah, a couple. I mostly use Facebook to talk about my work and hang out with readers: facebook.com/edwardwrobertson

I also have a blog, but I mostly talk about publishing over there (I’m primarily self-published). If that stuff interests you, it’s http://www.edwardwrobertson.com/.