T.J. Schmidt is a Tennessee-based author who writes character-driven survival fiction with emotional depth, dry humor, and a good dose of mayhem. Her stories explore what happens when the lights go out—and who we become when survival is the only option.
She enjoys gardening, late-night plotting, and stories that stay with you long after the last page. When not writing, she teaches high school, which means she’s no stranger to chaos, shifting plans, or the stubborn will to survive.
A massive EMP has crippled the country—no power, no communication, no help coming. Far from home at college in Chicago, Cullen Scribner knows one thing for certain: she has to get back to her family in Tennessee.
She’s not alone. With her quick-thinking roommate, an awkward neighbor with something to prove, and—eventually—a battle-hardened stranger with secrets of his own, Cullen forms an uneasy alliance. Along the way, she finds herself responsible for more than just her own survival. Each step takes them deeper into a country unraveling at the seams—where kindness can be fatal and silence doesn’t mean safety.
Raised by parents who believed in preparation and purpose, Cullen has the skills to survive. But the real test isn’t what she can do—it’s what she’s willing to risk.
This is her journey home. The rest of the family will have their own battles to fight.
The power is gone. The rules are broken. But family still matters. Book One of The Road Between Series—where one family, scattered by catastrophe, will stop at nothing to reunite.
One moment, he was a college student traveling with friends. The next, the power was gone, the rules had collapsed, and staying alive demanded skills he never expected to use. As cities emptied and cruelty rushed in to fill the void, Grey learns that keeping others alive means stepping up fast.
When he crosses paths with Justice, a skilled sailor hardened by loss, survival takes a dangerous turn. Her sister has been taken by traffickers, forcing them across open water, violent towns, and lawless roads. Grey’s instincts, Justice’s command of the sea, and the strength of the people beside them are pushed to their limits as trust—and attraction—grow under pressure.
Saving her sister is only the beginning. Getting home may be even harder.
Book Two of the Road Between Series is a fast-paced, post-apocalyptic journey of loyalty, courage, and the risky hope that refuses to die.
