Mason “Clay” Clayton arrives at work where it begins like any other day. Then a co-worker drops dead, then another, and another. Clay retreats to his home only to find a majority of his rural Maine town engulfed in flames. In shock and without direction, Clay drives south where he meets two teenagers that give him a renewed sense of safety and hope for the future. Together, they encounter other-worldly beings and get answers from the unlikeliest of sources.

The Source is a bringer of death. Calculating, mechanical, and with one singular goal – to aid in the destruction of every human being on Earth. His plan implemented, The Source wanders the country in search of a new task. As the world around him evolves, so does The Source and his growing need for purpose.

Senescence is about the destruction of the world we know and the resilience of humankind. As Clay receives answers about the death that surrounds him, he leaves the ghosts of his past behind and approaches the future with the aid of things he never thought possible. The world around him is changing at an advanced rate, but Clay is transforming much faster.

How will Clay learn to survive in this desolate world? Will answers bring strength of will or nothing but despair and a sense of futility?

**NOTE** This novel has already been through several stages of editing and will be ready soon after the campaign is closed.

Senescence is for fans of all things horror and science fiction, inspired by TV shows like Falling Skies and The Walking Dead, as well as novels like The Stand and A Handmaid’s Tale.

One goal I set when drafting this novel was to step on the reader’s throat and only let up for a quick breath of air - methaphorically of course. I wanted the reader to feel that overwhelming feeling of dread that Clay feels, not to mention the sense of urgency that is needed for him to survive. There’s not a lot of "fat" in Senescence, meaning it gets right to the point, and this was by design. Not to mention Clay’s journey takes place in a short period of time. This makes the pacing more organic for the reader - at least it did for me as a writer. However, I wanted to infuse this story with a casual sense of humor, which, to me, is a somewhat natural reaction to cope with dire circumstances. Clay’s relationship with the teenage twins is especially humorous at times. These dynamics evolved as I wrote, as all gloom and doom would have simply weighed the story down and not given a chance for the characters to develop.

Sure it has horrible things happening to people simply trying to survive, but Senescence is a study of one man trying to leave his past behind while there seems to be no future. This story is much bigger than Clay, of which he is constantly reminded, the least of which is the presence of an malevolent being with the sole purpose of destroying all humans and the emerging threat of an alien invasion explained by a rather fun character. I think you will come to love reading about Morgan as much as I loved writing about "him".

Let’s not forget the question every reader will ask: What caused everyone to die suddenly?

ABOUT ME:

I was born and raised in a town in the heart of Maine, at the base of a mountain and surrounded by the lush wilderness. I recall seeing the wonder of the most mundane items but longing for the unimaginable to become reality. This lead to the creation of outlandish stories and a need to create on a constant basis as a child.

I’ve worked as a pharmacy technician, retail associate, restaurant manager, and chef. But the one thing that has given me a sense of professional purpose and accomplishment is writing.

So here it begins, with a story about a regular guy in the most irregular circumstances. This novel came from deep within my creative consciousness on some of my darkest days, when the world seemed to weigh me down and close in around me. As I broke through the darkness, so did Clay, and together we’ve created something I do not doubt you’ll enjoy.