After Arrival - author's intro
When I was younger I had a recurring nightmare for many years: I would be sitting in the back of my parents car, I'd look out the window and, without fail, see an airship floating in the sky. Not scary on the face of it, but even as I write this the goosebumps return. In some part I think that's where the idea of an alien vessel looming silently in the distance came from. The silence of the airship was unsettling. Planes and helicopters make a racket but airships float like UFOs, full of
the same elements that fuel the stars. They were otherworldly.
I often find myself fantasising of a world where I'm the only one left in town - no doubt like many of you! We know the houses we'd occupy, the tools we'd need and which supermarkets to loot. Although I'd have loved to start the story there, I was also keen to explore the events after an immediate fallout and the relationships and politics of those left - humans are very good at ignoring things until they turn up on their doorstep. That said, I couldn't resist bringing in some of those early elements in the form of "foraging" or the occasional reminiscing comment from a character. I hope you enjoy them.
When Julie got in touch I did have to pinch myself. As an independent author, this is more than I could have dreamed of; a group of end-of-world enthusiasts picking up my book - and I dream of ubiquitous blimps! So when the end of the world does come, I'll be waiting for you all in Chard. Between us we'll likely have enough knowledge from the stories we loved to start our own community and not screw it up.
Enjoy,
Massimo
