Dear reader,
I sincerely hope you enjoyed your time in the world of the Combat Codes.
I know I’ll be missing my time there with these characters. Cego, Sol, Murray, and the entire crew feel as if they’ve been real companions for me over the past decade.
I used to scoff when I heard about other authors speaking of their stories and saying the characters are the ones who wrote them. I thought it was just a colorful way of describing the writing process. But throughout my time with this trilogy, it really has been the characters that have written the story for me. At each step, they’ve told me what needs to happen next, whether I was sending them on the right path, whether the words I gave them seemed illogical or insensible. It also seems strange that so many of these characters had an external influence in their minds, when it was really their voices constantly chattering in mine.
But there were certainly other inputs outside of my own or the characters that made it possible to write these stories. Ed Wilson, agent extraordinaire, who is a triple threat of savvy, enthusiastic, and dependable. Bradley Englert, master editor, who has breathed new life into the series. Angela Man, expert publicist, who worked to push this unorthodox blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and mixed martial arts to the right readers. Hillary Sames, who first gave the story a shot and has been a champion ever since. The rest of the wonderful Orbit team in the US and UK, in particular Lauren Panepinto, who headed design on the new covers.
Thank you as always to my family, you know who you are. My girls, Mom and Dad, Kathy and Mike. Katie. Couldn’t do this, wouldn’t do this, without you all.
To my training partners, who keep me sane, and to the entire Brazilian jiu jitsu community, who helped grow the Combat Codes from the roots.
And of course, my deepest appreciation to you, the reader, who has ventured this far with me and the cast. Whether you were one of the early adopters or a new fan of the series, I can’t express how wonderful it has felt to take you on this journey.
I do hope to return someday to the world of the Combat Codes. There certainly are more stories to tell. But I need your help. Please spread the word to any and all who you think might enjoy.