The Becoming: Ground Zero (39 page)

Ethan sucked in a slow breath and lifted his head, even as his brain scrambled to process what Alicia was saying. “What, exactly, are you trying to say?”

“We have been informed that there’s a high chance that Michael Brandt Evans is infected with the Michaluk Virus,” Alicia answered solemnly, “and that he may carry the cure to the virus.” She paused for a long moment, watching Ethan intently, studying his reaction, before she spoke once more.

“We need Evans to save the rest of us.”

Writing a sequel to anything is always much more difficult than the initial novel, and this was definitely not an exception to that rule! It required a ton of research, both the obvious and the obscure, and a lot of motivation to keep it going. The resulting book would have been a whole lot more difficult to write if not for the following people.

Firstly, my parents: you guys are the awesomesauce, and I really couldn’t ask for better parents. You put up with my oddities, my general craziness, and the ridiculous things I do, and you do it with infinite patience. Your support is the best thing I’ve ever had!

My sisters, Stephanie and Amanda, for their own versions of support. Stephanie, keep writing and acting and all that other fun stuff you do. Amanda, don’t let those “seagulls” get you down! (Maybe you should consider a BB gun…)

To my two BFFs (I feel like I’m back in middle school), Jennifer and Janet: many, many, many thanks. It’s been fun going on Atlanta trips with you guys and bouncing ideas off of you as we wander around Baker Street and discuss the awesomeness of a zombie apocalypse at the Georgia Aquarium!

To my coworkers and bosses at my assorted jobs for your support and enthusiasm once the first book came out: thank you so much!

To my beta readers: Scott Baker, Heather Lindskold, Kevin Burke, and Jeff Burke, THANK YOU. Your support is a great thing to have, and your insightful questions about the books always manage to open my eyes to potential problems with my storylines. And Danielle Blanchard, you, dear, are a
powerhouse
.

To James Jackson: Your help was invaluable! You’re a fantastic source of information to have, and I hope you don’t mind me pestering you for more as I jab around at the third book.

To Stephanie Gianopolous: Thank you for your hard work on my books. You put up with all my questions regarding the little things like “blond” vs. “blonde” and “toward” vs. “towards.” And your patience with all these questions and your fantastic editing has made my books that much better! I hope you enjoy the third book!

To Jacob Kier. Really. No. Thank you so much for taking a chance on such a newbie author. I hope it’s been what you’d hoped, because it sure has been exciting for me!

To the folks at IWU and that
other
, more secret group: Thank you so much for your support and the fun and not-so-fun chats and debates we’ve had since almost at the same time my wild ride with Permuted began. I don’t see that ending anytime soon!

To Kevin Michaluk: Thanks for letting me continue to abuse your name. I hope it’s to your satisfaction!

To all the great authors, both at Permuted and elsewhere: your support and encouragement have meant the world to me. I thank each and every one of you for the kind words you’ve offered me during the process of getting my trilogy out in the public eye!

And, of course, last but not least: to my fans, supporters, readers, and the rest. Where would I be without you? Most certainly not writing these acknowledgements right now. Your support has been amazing, and your questions and comments are fun to read and respond to! I hope you enjoyed this book, and I hope you’re as excited for the third one as I am.

Jessica Meigs is the author of
The Becoming
, a post-apocalyptic thriller series that follows a group of people trying to survive a massive viral outbreak in the southeastern United States. After gaining notoriety for having written the series on a variety of BlackBerry devices, she self-published two novellas that now make up the first book of the series. In April 2011, she accepted a deal with Permuted Press to publish
The Becoming
as a trilogy of novels. The first of the trilogy, entitled
The Becoming
, was released in November 2011. It was named one of Barnes & Noble’s Best Zombie Fiction Releases of 2011 and Best Apocalyptic Fiction Releases of 2011 by reviewer Paul Goat Allen. In March 2012, she released a related novella entitled
The Becoming: Brothers in Arms
. The third novel in the series,
The Becoming: Revelations
, follows in early 2013.

Jessica lives in semi-obscurity in Demopolis, Alabama. When she’s not writing, she works full time as an EMT. She enjoys listening to music and spends way too much time building playlists for everything she writes. When she’s not rocking out at concerts or writing or working, she can be found on Twitter @JessicaMeigs, on Facebook.com/JessicaMeigs, and on Goodreads at goodreads.com/JessicaMeigs. You can also visit her website at jessicameigs.com.