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Message From The Author
Thank you for reading my novel Midnight Zone. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind as to take a moment and leave a review, I would be very grateful. As an independent author, reviews and referrals are essential, and really the only way, to compete with the major publishers and big-name writers. It sure would be nice to make it out of the dark and dusty aisles of Amazon, and with your help, I can! If you do write a review, please email me at author@jkfranks.com, and I will forward you something special not included in the book. I thought this would be a fun way to say, “Thank you!”
Author’s Notes
What parts of Midnight Zone are real?
Thank you for reading my novel Midnight Zone. I hope you enjoyed it. I am often asked what parts in my books are real and what is simply made up. As Michael Crichton famously said of his book Jurassic Park, “This is a work of fiction except all the parts that aren’t.”
Even though my work is most often ‘near-future’ science fiction, I try to tell the most compelling stories I possibly can. Much of that comes about by including science and technology that is just a few steps down the road from where we are currently. I strive for accuracy and to introduce ideas that I hope will prove entertaining, fascinating, thought provoking, and possibly even unbelievable. I do a considerable amount of research for all my novels, but I thought I would briefly venture into this book’s content and help separate the facts from the fiction.
USS Liberty — First off, the attack and main details in Chapter One with the USS Liberty are factual. It was indeed attacked in the summer of 1967 off the coast of Israel. This story has fascinated me since hearing first-hand accounts years ago. The clandestine purpose of the Liberty’s mission described was my own device, but I stayed as close as possible to all other facts about that day. I did more research on that one chapter than any other part of the book. Several books were extremely helpful, including Assault on the Liberty by James Ennes, Jr.
Operation Highjump — This is also an actual mission launched in 1946 led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd and included 4700 men, 13 ships, and 23 aircraft being deployed to Antarctica. The accounts I presented are accurate, but still cause for considerable controversy. There were numerous oddities that did happen on the operation. Many vessels were destroyed, and there are mixed versions of the number of casualties that were suffered. One of the most controversial pieces is a quote by Admiral Byrd to a Chilean newspaper, El Mercurio, on March 5, 1947, where he stated that he “didn’t want to frighten anyone unduly” but that it was “a bitter reality that in case of a new war, the continental United States would be attacked by flying objects which could fly from pole to pole at incredible speeds.” As far as I know, there was no Israeli scientist included in the operation, nor any missions deep into the continent to find a lost civilization, but much of the operation is shrouded in mystery and confusion.
DNA Based Data Storage — Yes, this is a real thing, and while it worked well in my story, I had no idea how incredibly groundbreaking and useful this technology could potentially be until I began researching it. DNA is stable and compact; we already know it contains all of the data to build, well, ‘us’ or any other living thing we can imagine. That in itself is even more complex than a supercomputer or a habitable moon-base.
The density and durability of a DNA-based storage medium is incredible and considered very likely to become a viable commercial option in coming years. Companies like Microsoft are devoting considerable resources to making it happen. They, in fact, already have a working DNA-based storage drive. As Popular Mechanics describes, “Researchers have shown the theoretical possibility that they could store 10 petabytes (10 million gigabytes) of data in a single gram of DNA. Potentially, all of YouTube could fit on a teaspoon.” Will we all become walking hard-drives a few years down the road? Probably not, but the possibilities are intriguing, to say the least.
If you want to learn more, I suggest reading “DNA Storage is Closer Than You Think” by Sang Yup Lee in July, 2019 Scientific American. Numerous university research programs are propelling incredible advancements in the field. The simple fact is, our society has a data storage issue. We are manufacturing an astounding quantity of new data every second of the day. From your favorite cat videos, to the latest data from our interplanetary probes. I have been as accurate as possible in portraying this technology, but I urge you to investigate it yourself.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch — For those fans who have read my other books, you will know that I often include some relevant facts concerning pollution, or more accurately, our human species’ impact on the world. In Midnight Zone, I discuss Thrall getting his boat stuck in a floating trash heap in the northern Pacific. While this scene is a slight exaggeration, the truth is that, sadly, this does exist. Not just in the Pacific, but in all the world’s oceans. Plastics and other refuse collect in these giant zones called gyres and concentrate the mass, while also breaking it down into smaller and smaller particles. Smaller is not safer; it is, in fact, even worse. The dangers to the marine life and the environment itself are enormous. Currently, the particular heap I describe is 600,000 square miles. That is twice the size of Texas, and it is just one of many. One traveler I spoke with said there are no more pristine waters left anywhere in the world today. Pollution has indeed reached every corner of the globe.
As I described my main character, Cade, I, too, am a practical environmentalist. We, as humans, simply don’t have the ability to perfectly coexist with our environment, but that doesn’t mean we can’t attempt to lessen some of our impact. I have no desire to enter political, or even moral, debates on the subject. The simple fact is, I have always been drawn to the oceans and love diving below the surface to enjoy the sheer magic it holds. I would like to know that our future generations can have this same exhilarating experience. In that regard, a portion of the profits of this book is going to some of what I think are the better run marine charities helping to ensure this future, including Ocean Conservancy (oceanconservancy.org) and Oceana (oceana.org). I urge you to seek out and support these or others that are helping protect and restore our ocean’s health.
Acknowledgments
This book was written and released during a global pandemic. The COVID-19 coronavirus has savaged much of the planet and countless families. The writing was also interrupted by a personal accident that left me relying more on my team than ever before. With all that in mind, please know you would not be reading it without the gracious assistance of others. A very special thanks to my editor, Debbie, who helped me fill in the considerable literary potholes in the original manuscript, and to my great friend and personal antagonist, Richard, who helped smooth out the rough patches and breathe new life into the story. My eternal gratitude to you both and everyone else who had a hand in this book’s creation.
About the Author
JK Franks is a bestselling author and self-proclaimed tech geek with a passion for sci-fi, thriller, and post-apocalyptic books. He is the author of the popular Catalyst Series, which imbues page-turning action and suspense with gritty, seldom-matched realism to create an engaging military thriller experience. JK Franks fell in love with sci-fi while growing up in the rural South during the space age, and this passion prompted him to become an avid student of history and science.
This latest project is the slick techno-thriller Midnight Zone, which combines hard sci-fi with deep characterization, vivid settings, and exhilarating action. JK Franks currently resides in West Point, Georgia, with his wonderful wife. No matter where he is or what's going on, he tries his best to set aside time every day to answer emails and messages from readers. You can visit him on the web at www.jkfranks.com.
Please subscribe to his newsletter for updates, promotions, and giveaways. You can also find the author on Facebook, or email him directly at author@jkfranks.com.
Other books by JK Franks:
The Catalyst Series
Book 1:
Downward Cycle
Life in a remote oceanfront town spirals downward after a massive solar flare causes a global blackout. But the loss of electrical power is just the first of the problems facing the survivors in the chaos that follows. Is this how the world ends?
Book 2: Kingdoms of Sorrow
With civilization in ruins, individuals band together to survive and build a new society. The threats are both grave and numerous—surely too many for a small group to weather. This is a harrowing story of survival following the collapse of the planet’s electric grids.
Book 3: American Exodus
This companion story to the Catalyst series follows one man’s struggle to get back home after the collapse. No supplies, no idea of the hardships to come; how can he
possibly survive the journey? Even if he survives, can he adapt to this new reality?
Book 4: Ghost Country
Since the solar superstorm and CME almost two years before, the Gulf Coast town of Harris Springs, Mississippi, has suffered from gang attacks, famine, and hurricanes and has battled a crusading army of religious zealots. Now, they face their greatest challenge: outsmarting a tyrannical president and escaping an approaching pandemic.
Cade Rearden Thrillers
Book 1: State of Chaos
He’s exhausted and brutally traumatized. Now, Spec-Ops Captain Cade Rearden must finally listen to the voices in his head…or everyone on Earth may die. If you like near-future technology, complex heroes, and high-octane action, then you’ll love this JK Franks’ explosive high-stakes adventure.
Book 2: Midnight Zone
Nightmares are real in the cold dark waters of the deep. National Security Agent Cade Rearden is used to secrets. Assigned to protect the ultra-dark-ops organization known as The Cove Project, he grapples with his role of defending a country still in crisis after a deadly super AI has devastated much of the U.S.
But when part of his team mysteriously disappears beneath the idyllic waters of the Caribbean, Cade finds himself thrust into a web of lies and mystery, at the heart of which lies an eons-old secret that somebody will kill to protect. Grappling with his inner demons and struggling to locate his friends, Cade stumbles upon government cover-up…and terrifying creatures, hidden miles beneath the surface of the ocean.
Connect with the Author Online:
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Contents
Untitled
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Message From The Author
Author’s Notes
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other books by JK Franks: