Since I introduced our company in an earlier post, let's take a peek at Biohazard 2012.

The hype surrounding the alleged end of the world according to sensationalistic misinterpretation of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012 -- a potential literary goldmine -- inspired this project.

The most popular 2012-as-end-of-the-world senarios ran the gamut from highly improbable to utterly ludicrous. BeanPods Press solicited material for this anthology based on a more likely one -- a global pandemic.

The Black Death, better known as the Black Plague, devastated Europe between 1348 and 1350. It spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, going as far as contemporary modes of travel allowed.

Fast forward six centuries.

In 1976, an outbreak of the Ebola virus caused 318 cases of hemorrhagic fever in Zaire. Of the 318 infected, 280 died -- an 88 percent fatality rate. Outbreaks of such virulent diseases are often localized. The pathogens kill the host too quickly for the epidemic to spread, especially when transportation is limited.

Modern aircraft, however, enable travel from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Africa or the Pacific Rim, a trip that once required months, in only fifteen hours. In the past, both regions have been hotbeds of infectious illnesses.

In BeanPods Press's hypothetical scenario for Biohazard 2012, a deadly virus reaches the North American continent. It spreads. Its incubation period is identical to that of the Ebola virus. Within a month, nine out of ten Americans are dead.

Prospective contributors were asked to assess themselves, their surroundings, their loved ones, and their probable courses of action. In the final hours...

What would you do? 

To purchase Biohazard 2012, click on our ad this month in The Patch, or go to Smashwords.com and download it to any e-reading device. If you'd rather download from Barnes & Noble or Amazon, you'll find it there as well.

Enjoy!