If you have read this last tale or skipped around to check out the fates of your favorite characters, you now know that major characters die in this book. In fact, one of the two leads dies saving the lives of those she loves. This was not easy to write, I can assure you, but I knew it was her fate from the moment I wrote about those tiny fingers pressed under the door. But that is the reality of being a pioneer in a hostile country. Death and life always dance together and I could not deny that reality.
When this series started, I stated that originally I believed I was writing a short story. That idea lasted for less than three hours. In a very short time, I knew how this story ended and the major plot points along the way. I always knew who would live and who would die except for one death that was a real shocker. The journey from the tiny fingers under the door to the newborn fingers gripping Katie’s fingers was long and sometimes overwhelming. It feels solid to have the series end with the beginning of Katie’s family after beginning with the death of Jenni’s family.
But is this the end for the fort on the hill? I am planning a short story volume that will highlight some of the supporting cast in the series. It will be released in 2010. And I will never rule out diving back into deadlands to see how Bryce, Jason and Juan’s children are shaping their new world as they grow older.
Writing this last volume in the trilogy has not always been easy, but it tells the story I wanted to tell. In the end it is the tale of two women who find a rare and powerful friendship at the end of the world and help rebuild a new one through love and sacrifice. It’s been one hellvua ride with Jenni and Katie. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.