End of Days (Pike Logan #16)(128)

I have an ability to write wherever I am—hotel bars, airplanes, the barracks of a security contract, you name it—and all of that was killed by COVID. I used to brag that I didn’t have a writing desk, and now I was stuck in a house without any space at all dedicated to writing. But it wasn’t like I had a lot of options. The libraries were closed, the parks shut down, the flights no longer flying, the security contracts all canceled because of COVID. I was on my own to write this book, and it was a little trying. There is only so much pacing around the house gets you for inspiration. Luckily, I had traveled the world during my military career and for various other research trips, and a lot of that travel didn’t make it into any specific book. So, my first thank-you is to Apple Photos for saving all of that for me.

The germ of an idea for this book had been brewing for a few years. My wife, the Deputy Commander of Everything, had planned our research trip to Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco for my book Ring of Fire, and also planned a two-day stopover in Rome on our way home. During that time, we took a Segway tour as Great American Tourists because we had walked miles the previous twelve days. Our guide led us to all the major sites in Rome, and during our tour we were almost overrun by a car with diplomatic plates near the Spanish Steps. That’s where I first learned about the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta—colloquially known as the Knights of Malta. Intrigued, I had our guide take us to the Magisterial Palace and got a quick class on the order. It didn’t factor into Ring of Fire, but I knew then that I would eventually use it in a book. Two years later, while doing research for Daughter of War in Zurich, I asked our eighty-five-year-old guide (who was smoking me into the ground with her pace) if she knew anything about the Knights of Malta. She was the wife of a retired ambassador who had traveled all over the world. She held up her hand, showing me a ring with the Maltese cross, and said, “We don’t talk about that in mixed company. Sorry.”

That piqued my interest even more, but the order would have to wait yet again until I could work it into a plot. But now, stuck in my house, I could finally use it, because Amazon could deliver me four books about its history and modern-day status. All I had to do was figure out that tiny issue of a plot.

I’m not great at spitting out a story out of whole cloth if I’m describing a different culture or country, especially if I haven’t visited. I need to feel the terrain, which is why I like doing the research trips to get the sights, sounds, and smells of the “battlefield.” Luckily, only about 10 percent of my research actually makes it into a book, and so I went back to my other trips, pulling up memories and pictures that I hadn’t used before, now praising my past lack of imagination that had caused those scenes to be neglected.

I wanted to use the Grottos just south of Lebanon in Operator Down because it’s a very interesting place, but I just couldn’t make it work. Luckily, I was able to use it in End of Days. By the same token, I traveled all over Switzerland for Daughter of War, with only some of that research making the page. Fortunately, I was able to use that detail to kill the Ramsad in this book. Full disclosure . . . it was actually the DCOE who had done the research, paragliding in Interlaken with her friend Betsy, the wife of a unit friend of mine. I relied heavily on her for the opening scenes: how the vans worked to take riders up to the hill, what the instructors were like, the process of prepping to fly, and the touchdown location.

For Bahrain, I had to rely on my memory from military deployments. I researched online to see how much it had changed and found that it hadn’t changed much at all. “American Alley” was stuck in a time warp, looking the same as it had years ago. After talking with some friends, I learned the politics of Bahrain hadn’t changed a bit, to include the Sunni/Shia divide.

Charleston, of course, was easy to research since I live here. I’ve included Halls Chophouse in one other book, but it really is the finest steakhouse around, and I’ve been to a few of them. Tommy, Billy, Justin, and the rest of the Halls family deserve Pike Logan to show up at their table every once in a while. In the same vein, Saltwater Cowboys really is the best place to watch the dolphins swim on Shem Creek.

Finally, a special thanks to my daughter, Savannah. Years ago, when she was still a small child, she asked me if Pike and Jennifer were going to get married. I said I had no idea (I was literally on book two at that point). She said, “Well, when they do, I know how to do it,” and she began to describe this incredible scene where Jennifer rips off her dress and starts throwing grenades and slaying terrorists. I said, “I’ll take that under advisement if they ever get married.” She’s now in college, but better late than never. Pike’s daydream at the beginning of the book is all hers.

Enough about my writing trials. The actual people I need to acknowledge are my team at Morrow. For the first time in my writing life, I was late on a deadline, and David Highfill, my editor, let it go. Trying to work during COVID was a mess, and he and the rest of the Morrow team were gracious to understand that. Thanks also to John Talbot, my agent, who stood by me patiently while I’m sure they were all wringing their hands, wondering if I would ever finish. At the same time, the DCOE was patiently asking, “Isn’t your deadline looming?”

It’s been a weird couple of years, but I just reread the book, and I’ve reached step twelve in what the DCOE has coined “The Twelve Steps of Brad’s Writing Process.” Meaning I said, “Hey, this thing is pretty good . . .”