I can't express to you enough how much I have enjoyed writing these books, or how much the characters have become part of my life. They talk to me, their words echoing in my head. Their encounters make my pulse rush. Their fears become my own. They have life, and within these pages, their story is told. And to you, the reader, my thanks. Without you, the tale of these survivors would never be known. I used the designation Alpha in lieu of any real Russian attack sub. The closest is the Alfa attack sub, the last of which was decommissioned in 1990. I chose this alternative to any real sub mostly as a place-card holder, so to speak. I chose to base this off of the Akula class, but didn’t really want to name it specifically. Why? I don’t really have an answer to that other than that’s what I chose. Sorry if this has caused any confusion. I also cheated a little on the exact layout of the hospital in the story. Call it a little literary license. To me, a book is like a rope. At first, it is clean and straight, living a life as it ever has.
