Running Dark

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Little did I know when creating this story that the Somali pirates would explode into the news. Books are written long before they are printed and sold, and this one is no different. When I began with the concept of pirates attacking a cruise ship, no one really thought such an event could occur. The people at Morrow responded with a polite “Pirates? Like Jack Sparrow?,” but to their credit, gave me the green light anyway.

Many thanks to Commodore Ronald Warwick, master of the Queen Mary 2 for more than thirty years. His son, Samuel Warwick, put us in touch, and Commodore Warwick graciously agreed to answer some questions. I appreciated his suggestions about crew size, ship maintenance, and his comment that while turning off the lights and radar to begin “running dark” (my term) is illegal, he doubted anyone would fault the captain in the instance of an attack. Any mistakes are mine.

I also wish to thank Paul Salopek, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who helped me with information about Somalia. Mr. Salopek wrote an article on the subject for the Chicago Tribune, though Somalia is only one of the more dangerous places that he has traveled to and reported from. He answered my questions about khat, Somalia, and Somali fishermen as pirates quickly and from God knows where. Wherever you are, Mr. Salopek, be safe.

The jellyfish bloom idea came from my own experience encountering one and the subsequent research that I did regarding the phenomenon. Thanks to Dr. Jennifer E. Purcell, marine scientist and adjunct professor at Western Washington University, for her input, especially regarding the fact that even dried jellyfish tentacles will fire.

Certain types of jellyfish are among the most dangerous creatures on earth, and although box jellyfish are not commonly found in the Indian Ocean, they are migrating more as the pollution in our seas force the blooms to grow and move.

Wilson Vanderlock is a fictional character, but the khat flights from Kenya to Somalia are real and some do take passengers along for a nominal fee. Khat is legal throughout most of Africa, but Somalia’s fields were burned during the wars that raged there. They are forced to import it daily as described.

The drug injected into Emma and others in the book is a fictional compound, but I got the idea from two separate drugs that can both increase endurance and create addictions. Neither drug, however, will kill on the second injection.

One drug is called a dopamine agonist and is used for Parkinson’s sufferers. Dopamine agonists sometimes have the unfortunate side effect of creating addictions in people who have had none before. I found the idea of turning on an addiction to be fascinating and wanted to explore what would happen to people in positions of power when such a side effect occurred.

The endurance pill also exists, although it’s currently investigational. The compound, called AICAR, can increase endurance by a whopping forty-four percent with a single dose. I loved the whole idea of getting such a huge boost while doing nothing—who wouldn’t? To my knowledge the endurance drug hasn’t been approved for use as yet, so I guess we’re all still stuck training to increase ours. I’ll be running on Chicago’s lakefront and in whatever city or town I travel to, and I look forward to seeing you there!