Like the fictional Annex in Crimson Phoenix, the Greenbrier bunker was designed only for members of the House and Senate, plus one staff member for each. No provisions were made for families. Also like the Annex, the Greenbrier bunker was run by an outside contractor, an Arlington, Virginia-based television repair company called Forsythe Associates, which spent twenty percent of its time on the actual A/V needs of the Greenbrier Resort and its guests. I want to make it abundantly clear that Solara, the contractor in Crimson Phoenix, is in no way based on Forsythe Associates—Solara is purely a figment of my imagination.

My wife and I spent several glorious days at the Greenbrier Resort a couple of years ago, enjoying the spectacular autumn scenery and the five-star service. On a lark, we took the bunker tour, and in a flash of inspiration, the idea for Crimson Phoenix arrived fully formed in my head. What would a single mom who was also a member of the House of Representatives do when she found out that her kids would not be welcome?

That kind of inspiration is a rare beast for me. As soon as we got home, I pitched the idea to my agent, Anne Hawkins of John Hawkins and Associates, and then to my longtime editor at Kensington Publishing, Michaela Hamilton. Kensington jumped on the idea right away.

In my youth, I was fascinated by Nevil Shute’s On the Beach and Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon. Those are much darker than the series I want to write, but given the subject matter, I’d be remiss not to give a nod to both.

One fifth of the way through the twenty-first century, we’ve come to count on luxuries that are dependent on technology that is as fragile as it is ubiquitous. We live in a world where a computer virus can shut down the electrical grid, and a biological virus can trigger worldwide panic and economic devastation.

What if all of that was taken away? In the midst of billions of fatalities in the eight-hour war featured in this book, hundreds of millions still survive. Government officials, safe in their bunkers, think they are still in charge, but are they really? When that third-party arbiter of justice gives way to the true will of the people—community by community as they try to rebuild—what does the new version of justice look like?

These are the themes I plan to explore through this new series. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I enjoy manning the controls.

One last point before I let y’all go. Crimson Phoenix intentionally ignores certain elements of science. The perpetual darkness of the “nuclear winter” is one of them. Ultimately, I’m not interested in exploring darkness. I’d rather deal with hope, with what I believe to be a fundamental truth about people: There are more good ones than bad ones.

—John Gilstrap

Fairfax, Virginia

May 19, 2020