Dead Storm: The Global Zombie Apocalypse
Page 74
Michael was my source for the Russian nuclear strikes, the weaponry and units employed, and the consequences of the detonations.
Wes Hood: (US Special Forces, retired)
Wes was a Colonel in the US Special Forces and willingly shared his years of extensive knowledge to ensure the uniforms, equipment and communications attributed to the elite troops during their raids into North Korea were accurate and authentic. Wes also helped with the early stages of planning and plotting for the novel, and was an invaluable source of information and inspiration!
Samuel C. Garcia: (Former US Army)
Sam was a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the US Army and is now a commercial airline pilot. He has been making me look smarter than I really am since I sat down to write ‘Dead Rage’ in 2014. Sam helped me all the way through the dramatic Flight 553 sequences of the novel… and then again when I needed some critical Black Hawk details.
Dmitry Gorenburg:
Dmitry Gorenburg is an expert on security issues in the former Soviet Union, Russian military reform, and Russian foreign policy.
He is author of "Nationalism for the Masses: Minority Ethnic Mobilization in the Russian Federation", and has been published in journals such as World Politics and Post-Soviet Affairs. He currently serves as editor of Problems of Post-Communism, and is an Associate of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. From 2009 to 2016, he edited the journal Russian Politics and Law.
Dmitry received a B.A. in international relations from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University.
Dmitry’s advice and expertise was crucial to my understanding of Russia’s political structure, and how the country’s government worked at the highest levels.
Jaap Dijkstra:
Jaap and his team at Scramble https://www.scramble.nl were a tremendous help with research information about the Chinese fighter aircraft I featured in the novel. Scramble is a magazine published by the Dutch Aviation Society.
Rick Easton: (US Navy, retired)
Captain Roger (aka: Rick) Easton commanded the destroyer USS John Rodgers (DD 983), as well as the cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73), the last Ticonderoga Class Aegis cruiser, where he concurrently served as the Stennis Strike Group Air Defense Commander deploying to the Arabian Gulf in 2000. He was a “Plankowner” in three warships commissioning: USS Nicholson (DD982) where he served as Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer; USS Yorktown (CG 48) the second Ticonderoga Class Aegis cruiser, where he served initially as Weapons Officer, followed by Operations Officer and finally as Combat Systems Officer, deploying to the Mediterranean in 1985-1986 where Yorktown served as the Air Defense Commander for multi-carrier battle force operations in the Vicinity of Libya; and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), first ship in what is today a Class of over 60 Aegis Destroyers, where he served as Executive Officer.
Captain Easton also was the first Commanding Officer of the Center for Surface Combat Systems and dual hatted as the Commanding Officer of the Aegis Readiness and Training Center.
He retired from the Navy in January 2007, and currently consults in the defense industry. Rick is President of the USS Arleigh Burke Association.
As well as helping with some destroyer operational details, it was Rick’s suggestion that inspired the US Naval blockade I wrote about in the novel.
Andrew Baird:
Andrew is an Australian minerals exploration geologist who grew up in the maritime industry, and never really left. He is an expert on commercial maritime matters and writes regularly on industry issues for Baird Maritime www.bairdmaritime.com . It was Andrew who proposed the inspired idea of evacuating the Chinese population aboard their fleet of commercial container vessels. Andrew’s help with information, and his technical expertise, was crucial in my ability to detail the ship modification process and all the logistical factors in a realistic and factual manner.
Tara C. Smith:
Dr. Smith is a Professor of Epidemiology at the Kent State University College of Public Health. She previously spent 9 years in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, where she directed the College’s Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases and attained the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. Tara also serves as a member of the advisory board of the Zombie Research Society.
When I first developed the characteristics of the NK Plague for my novel, Tara very kindly read through some of the early scenes and helped with authentic terminology and detail.
Rasha Taylor:
Rasha is a delightful lady from Wellington who gave up her time to help me near the end of the novel when I was struggling with the Chinese invasion of New Zealand. Rasha gave me a unique perspective on the local landscape, and helped with some geographical pointers. I am forever in her debt.
USAMRIID Public Affairs:
Officers from USAMRIID Public Affairs at Fort Detrick very kindly checked through key scenes in the novel relating to information about bioweapons, correcting my terminology to ensure authenticity and accuracy.