Haley squirmed out of his grip, then placed her arm around Butch. “No, you’ve got it backward. He delivered the best gift to me.”
The muscle-bound pair playfully tickle-wrestled to see who could wrap their arm around the other, and who really, seriously, got the best gift, causing everyone to let out much-needed laughter.
When it settled down, he turned to Asher and his evasive daughter. “So, is there anything you want to say to me?”
Asher raised his hands as if to clap.
Ezra held up his palm. “We aren’t doing that right now. Time out on the clapping game, okay? This is serious.” He looked into Grace’s eyes. “There’s something you aren’t telling me. I know you too well, kiddo. Come on, spit it out. Your mother is watching, don’t forget.” He was being cheeky, but there was a grain of truth to his words. He really did think she was watching over them. Certainly, he felt that way in all those times he’d almost died, and someone had miraculously protected him.
Grace glanced at the grave, then back at him, tearing up a little.
“What is it?” he asked with concern.
“I remember the forest fire where I met this man.” She gently bumped Asher’s hip, prompting him to immediately wrap his arm around her waist. “And all the adventures we shared in those ten crazy days afterward. I remember our tiny wedding ceremony. I remember all the little moments he and I shared as we built our dream home this past year. So many incredible memories I’ve already experienced.”
She reached for him, holding her breath, as if building up to a surprise.
“And?” Ezra coaxed, taking her hand in his.
Her misty eyes were nothing but joyous. “Well, I’ll never forget the memory of this moment, either, Grandpa.”
Author Notes
Thank you for reading the Impact series to the end. It was a collaborative effort between myself, EE Isherwood, and post-apocalyptic powerhouse Mike Kraus. However, to avoid confusion, this author note is an Isherwood original.
As an author, it feels like I’ve just traveled across the country in a van filled with my wife and kids, all our camping gear, and an additional half a trunk of things we don’t need. We’re all tired, our legs are cramped, and our youngest has asked, “Are we there yet?” for the last hundred miles. However, when we get out and look at the Grand Canyon together, all that struggle is forgotten.
But it isn’t just about writing the book.
Last summer, at about this time in August, my family and I were having the time of our lives at Yellowstone National Park. We camped. Hiked. Saw the bison. Got blown away by the beauty and seemingly endless wonders at the huge park. We sat and watched Old Faithful. Traveled the boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs. I knew at the time it was where I wanted to set the early books of this series.
When I got home and started writing, all the wind was in my sails. The kids begrudgingly went back to school. My wife returned as a teacher’s aide. All was right with the world. However, by the time this last book was ready to go out the door, the entire world had changed. COVID-19 struck, making vacations to Yellowstone impossible, and simple trips to the grocery store suddenly seemed more dangerous than Mad Max scavenging for some Dinky-Di dog food.
The world of today is completely upside down. The kids are begging me to go back to their schools. We have no idea if my wife will have her job. And all the while it still seems dangerous to go to the local food store. Or, maybe it isn’t? I have dozens of sources saying opposite things about COVID-19. Masks are good and bad at the same time. Studies say one drug works and doesn’t work at the same time. There’s no way to know what to believe, which makes it all the more chaotic.
Back to my point about the long trip, the family who gets into the car at the beginning of the cross-country jaunt is never the same one who gets out. You have no choice but to learn new things about your closest family members. Their musical tastes. How much boredom they can endure. You share disgusting experiences at the filthy gas station in the middle of nowhere. And you always have that one time where campgrounds are full, motels are flying the no-vacancy signs, and your family has to sleep in the van that night. It’s not fun, let me tell you!
As an author, writing these books allowed me to stay in the car while the world did its thing on the outside. Writing the last pages were both a relief and a disappointment. I wasn’t quite ready for the journey to be over, as much as I’m proud of the conclusion. The world isn’t back to normal just yet, so it felt like I wanted to keep on driving…
As a reader, I hope our shared journey provided some comfort and distraction from what’s taking place outside your own windows. May you find the leadership of Grace, the single-mindedness of Ezra, and the good humor of Butch. If you find yourself in a troubled spot, remember that anyone can redeem themselves, like Misha. Finally, though the world can often seem like a dark place, never forget there are real heroes out there. When life is burning hot with chaos all around you, an angel could come walking out of the flames to pick you up. Just ask Asher. Once you see how it’s done, you can go on to be the next hero.
Before I let you go, I do want to mention some of my other PA series. If you enjoyed Impact, you will almost certainly enjoy my Minus America series. As a strange energy sweeps across America, erasing people in its path, an Air Force pilot gets a frantic call from his sister. She makes him promise he will keep her only daughter safe…just before the call is cut off. Over the next five books, he has to track down his niece, solve the riddle of who attacked America, and is also tasked with protecting the first female vice president of the United States.
My other post-apocalyptic series is called End Days. A truck driver is loading his rig in California when a science experiment sends a blue wave of energy around the globe. His son sees it, too, but he is in New York City. Over the next four books, they must travel across an unraveling nation to meet up with each other. Along the way, they’ll begin to figure out time itself is unraveling.
I keep to realism as much as possible, and there are some dark times in these series, but I also like to think all of my books balance toward the lighter side, which is because I’m a glass-half-full type of person. If you need some positive books to read, I hope you’ll check them out.
Find me on Amazon by searching for Minus America or my author name EE Isherwood. You can also hit me up at www.eeisherwood.com.
The last thing I want to do is the most important. Mike Kraus invited me to come and write in his world and I want to convey my sincere thanks to him for giving me this opportunity. He has more series than I can list here, but after seeing his quality control, editors, beta readers, and his vision, I can assure you each one is going to be worth your time.
Thank you, Mike.
In closing, I truly hope you enjoyed this story. If you did, and if you can spare perhaps five minutes of your time, please consider going to Amazon and tapping those stars on each of the books. You don’t have to leave a long, glowing text review, though I like to read them. Instead, you can tap the stars to give it a rating, then hit submit. No text necessary. Each review is like a slice of that golden asteroid for us authors. It tells other readers we’re worth buying and it tells movie producers our story is worth making into a movie (hint hint!).
That’s all I have for now. Please be safe out there. Be kind to your fellow humans. They’re a lot more stressed out than you, remember, since they don’t all take fun post-apocalyptic car rides to calm themselves down.
EE Isherwood
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Impact Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 122