Hollow World (31 page)
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the credits! (Stick around afterward for a scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson asking Charlie and Victoria to join S.H.I.E.L.D.) Seriously though, I would like to take some time to express my appreciation and gratitude to all who had a hand—big or small—in making this vulgar, vicious and violent monstrosity a reality. In no particular order, I would like to thank:
Mom, Dad, Jake and Savanah for dealing with my never-ending insanity. My fearsome German shepherd, Sam, for being world’s greatest protector as well as the inspiration behind the Walkers’ dog, Zeus. Leonard and Pentakis for completely disregarding the aforementioned insanity and welcoming me to the family nonetheless. Hugh Allison for having the eyes of a hawk and making sure I didn’t make a complete ass of myself. Payton Craft for the killer artwork. Jeff Heimbuch for some serious support and encouragement. George Taylor for his dislike of Charlie Boats. Michael Dickerson for his knowledge of bus radios. Nomeus Gronovii for lending his knowledge of places most have never been. Adam The Woo for stealing the show in chapter twenty-four. Hoot Gibson for fully supporting this crazy idea. Norm, Jayna and Dallas Stachulski for being my second family and (usually) never complaining about it! Kris and Sarah Roe for forcing me to leave the house during a rough time when all I wanted to do was hide inside. Sean Cecil for being crazy enough to still hang around me after twelve years. Nick and Colette Prainito for being the best metaphorical brother and niece on the entire planet. Chelsea Mee for being an amazing person and a great friend even after all these years. Laura Golden for always being ready with a positive word when I had nothing but negative things to say. Zach Bridges for never saying no to a Qdoba run and always pushing me forward when I try to turn back.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank you. No, not the guy creepily reading this over your shoulder (gotcha!): You.
You bought the book. Or you downloaded it. Or you borrowed it from a friend—maybe even stole it! Regardless, you read it, and I hope you had as good a time reading it as I did writing it.
Thank you!
Nick Pobursky is a child trapped in a man’s body and lives just a handful of miles south of Detroit, The Most Depressing Place on Earth™. It’s no small wonder that he spends most of his money on trips to Walt Disney World.
While spending time as a touring guitarist, he realized that life on the road just wasn’t for him. During that period, he wrote his first novel,
Deadline
, and decided that writing was a hell of a lot more fun than sleeping on the floor of a dirty van.
Hollow World
and its sequels are his first releases with Bamboo Forest Publishing, but they will not be the last.
And he’s always wanted to say something like this:
Charlie Walker will return....
