This book is Volume One in my Life versus Death trilogy. Volume One (Home is Where the Soul is) is completed but not yet published. I’ve outlined the next two volumes and I’m currently writing Volume Two.

I’ve always enjoyed stories that feature a large cast of characters (such as The Walking Dead, Lost, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), so I wrote Life versus Death to accommodate many characters. Paul Truman (a software engineer in Chicago) is chief among them, but the story also features Detroit police officer Hank Mardukas, homeless youth Brendon Fields, research pilot Jenna Fitzpatrick, astronaut Thomas Poole, and many others.

I began writing the novel with the aim of having a Douglas-Adams-esque playful tone, but as the story delved deeper into its main conflict, the tone grew darker without me realizing it until later re-reads; I’m hoping that the change in tone feels as natural to readers as it did to me. I also had fun including homages and references to the many books and movies that have inspired me.