DEAD: Reclamation...are you ready?

A moment with the author…

I love what I do. I appreciate each and every one of you that have come this far in the journey. So before you go forward, let me send you on your way with a warning: sometimes, bad things happen.

Of course I won’t be sharing any spoilers, but I wanted to let you know ahead of time that this final three book arc has the potential to be upsetting. Am I going to kill off every character and end it with the zombies bringing down the last living human? No. Did I consider it? Sure. I mean, don’t we all see that as an eventuality?

Why would they wipe out over ninety percent of humanity in the first year and then just stop? Sure, the pickings would get slim, but don’t you think there is a likelihood that the zombies win? I know I do. However, I will say that you will not find that ending here.

On the other side of that coin, some of the stories will take a final bow. I have actually considered pulling a Wayne’s World Super Ultimate Happy Alternate Ending and writing it for the DEAD: Special Edition collection that I do after each three books. Maybe if enough people ask for it…I will do just that. After all, the Special Editions are written based on fan feedback of what they would have liked to know more about. So why couldn’t I devote an alternate final chapter to a few of the stories? That is the cool thing about my job…I can do whatever I want! So start banging that drum if you want to be heard.

I wanted to actually share something about the way this book came about. Many of you know that I hate using outlines. That is why things often happen that I find myself wondering how the characters will possibly escape it alive. And then…they don’t.

A few examples, I never intended for the Geeks to drop so damn fast. They just kept getting into trouble that I could not save them from. And then there was Steve. Steve was actually supposed to be part of the DEAD: Spring finale. I do actually reach a point with myself that I say, “Enough already!” However, in writing this particular book, I hit a few spots that had me concerned. And as it got deeper, I tried to alter the direction, but then the words would not come. The only way things would move forward was for me to either delete several chapters worth of work (with no guarantee that I would not end up stumbling down the same rabbit hole) or to just surrender to the words that come.

I have always trusted in the latter. I feel it makes the story more “real.” It is when I start trying to make things happen that my work becomes forced and loses some of its tension. That is also when it stops feeling like me. Let’s face it, we came this far because the story did not follow conventional plans. You are invested in these very real people because they act like we would, not like supermen and women…trained in all matters of survival and who happen to always stumble upon just what they need in that final second to escape their ugly demise.

MY CHARACTERS DIE!

This is a zombie apocalypse, not Adventures in Happyland. (Although a zombie version of that might be fun.) The world is a dangerous place, and even with careful planning and a lot of luck, chances for survival are sketchy at best.

So, buckle in, this might get messy. Also, I have included an excerpt from the first book in the DEAD: Snapshot series, DEAD: Snapshot—Portland, Oregon. So, while the characters that you have come to know and love might be sailing off into the sunset very soon, the DEAD world has many untold tales of horror, salvation, and yes…even some human depravity.

A few quick thank you mentions are in order. They may seem silly to some, but these are our way of trying to make the people who matter realize that we know they are out there. Heck, must people skip this part anyway.

To the firefighters of the world who go into a real Hell on Earth every wildfire season and put it all  on the line to try and save the homes of people they don’t know and will probably never meet formally…you are freakin’ Rock Stars. To the men and women of the armed forces, home and abroad, you are overworked, underpaid, and often under-appreciated—thank you for standing the midwatch. My Beta readers—Sophie, Tammy, and Vix—you make my book so much better Last but not least, my wife. Denise has been through hell and back this year, but she still finds time to do all the computer stuff that make my books available…thank you, Hunny Bunny.

In conclusion, I hope you enjoy the ride. I hope that, either way, you will take the few moments out of your day to post a review on Amazon and any other venue where reviews are accepted. And never feel shy about reaching out and letting me know what you think. I don’t have “people” who read my emails and reply for me. I do that every morning over coffee as I sit down to the day’s work. I love hearing from you. And I am always happy to be interviewed for blogs or just asked random questions.