by Shawn Inmon
He got the chance to find out in the third week of September. The new Scott McKenzie Hospital Oasis for Veterans had been open and helping veterans for more than a decade. It was where he drew his last breath.
Scott was seventy years old and was surrounded by so many whose lives he had touched. His sister Cheryl, who he had once done his best to protect from the storms of their childhoods. Jerry and Lynn Werbeloff, who had been his constant friends for more than four decades. Joe and Samantha Hart, no longer young themselves, but still healthy and vibrant.
In addition, word had spread through the internet that the man once called The Angel was in his last days. Hundreds of veterans, many in a much-better place in their lives than they had been when they met him, came to pay their respects.
It meant everything to Scott to have a last chance to see so many of them, but it made it hard for him to focus on the job at hand, which was to die.
Finally, in the early morning of Friday, September 21, 2018, the ward was quiet. Machines hummed around Scott and his room was lit only by the green lights of the machines constantly taking his vitals.
Now is a good time. I’m tired of the pain and ready to leave.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
It’s been a good life.
Postscript
Scott McKenzie opened his eyes, mostly expecting to see his grandparents’ old house in Evansville.
Instead, he was in an all-white room. Everything around him was blindingly white—the walls, the ceilings, the benches.
“Hello, Scott, my name is Shamus. Take a moment and get acclimated. When you’re ready to talk, let me know.”
Scott rolled his shoulders, flexed his legs. The pain that had been with him since the moment he had been shot in Vietnam was gone. He felt young and vital again.
He kept his own counsel for a few minutes, breathing in and out, peering around at the endless white.
Finally, he said, “Where am I?”
The disembodied voice said, “You are in the Universal Life Center. This is where all new transfers from Earth start out.”
In a blink, a man sat beside Scott. He was slightly round, bald, and had the most devilishly sly eyes Scott had ever seen. Nonetheless, his face was split with a kind smile.
“It’s a bit of a bear, this initial adjustment. I remember.”
“So, you woke up here, too?”
“Oh, yes, we all did, at one time or another.”
“We?”
“The Agents of Karma. We all work for the Karma Delivery Service. We’ve watched your life carefully. I’m here to offer you a position, if you want it.”
Agents of Karma #1, available 2019.
The next book in the Middle Falls Time Travel series will be The Reset Life of Cassandra Collins. It is available for preorder here.
Cassandra Collins is born into a privileged life as the youngest daughter of the wealthiest family in Middle Falls, Oregon. She finds there is a price to pay for privilege and safety, though. At the end of her life, she wishes that she had chosen another path.
When she dies, she wakes up in her eighteen year old body in 1968, able to make exactly that choice again. As in all Middle Falls stories, Cassandra’s choices don’t necessarily bring her the hoped-for results.
The Reset Life of Cassandra Collins
Available December, 2018
Author’s Note
One of my goals in writing The Middle Falls Time Travel series is to not get into too much of a rut. I don’t ever want to repeat the same story. Yes, all of the Middle Falls stories have common elements—death and reawakening in a younger self, and redemption. But, the stories are all different, from Michael Hollister’s redemption from being a cold blooded killer, to the lessons Nathaniel Moon still needed to learn, to the many choices Veronica McAllister had to make to find her own emancipation.
In that vein, The Vigilante Life of Scott McKenzie is once again a new kind of story. In reviewing the first six books in the series, one thing I had noticed was that there wasn’t a lot of “action sequences.” You know, car chases, or physical altercations and the like. I thought it was time to remedy that. So, we have a book that’s relatively chock-full of those elements. It’s important to me to not neglect the most important parts of the story, though—the emotional arc of Scott McKenzie, in particular.
If you’ve been reading these books in sequence, you might remember that after the last book—The Changing Lives of Joe Hart—I had announced I was going to take a break from writing more Middle Falls books for a while. That lasted all of about ten days, as Scott McKenzie kept banging on my brain, asking me to tell his story. That hadn’t happened since I tried to kill of Michael Hollister at the end of the very first book. I turned out to love Michael’s story, so I decided to listen to Scott. I’m glad I did.
It was a challenge to write Scott’s character and have him come off to the reader the way I saw him—as a man conflicted by his natural tendencies of non-violence, but needing to embrace violence to fulfill his destiny. I worked hard to present him as a real person, warts and all, but show that ultimately, he was a good, and kind man.
Did I get there? Only you can decide that. That’s the great thing about our relationship. I do my best to write a good story, but it doesn’t come to life until you put the words into your head.
Bestselling author Terry Schott once again was my alpha reader. He reads each of my books in ten-thousand word chunks and provides insight and incredible advice on the fly. He made some terrific suggestions and had a number of keen insights into what would make this book work. I appreciate him endlessly.
Once again, Linda Boulanger from TreasureLine Books handled the cover duties. This cover came together faster than any project we’ve ever worked on, and Linda’s been doing my books since 2012. As soon as I saw the dirty, menacing face of Scott McKenzie, I knew she had captured the vibe I wanted perfectly.
Dan Hilton of Hilton Editing and Proofreading, once again had the editing reins. Dan is exceptionally busy and talented, but somehow he manages to find a way things done, always before the deadline. Dan made this book better, and I owe him a great deal of gratitude.
Mark Sturgell and Debra Galvin served as my 1-2 proofreading punch once again. Speaking of tight deadlines, I put them to the test with this book and they both did an outstanding job of catching my errant hyphens and commas. I believe if we didn’t have hyphens in the English language, it would eliminate 80% of the mistakes I make.
Because this book contained some elements I am not familiar with, I consulted with two experts. Jerry Weible has been my best friend since third grade. He and his lovely wife Lynn are also the inspiration for Jerry and Lynn Werbeloff in this story. Jerry has been studying martial arts since 1974. He assisted me in making sure the fight scenes were believable. He also turned me on to the deadly karambit that Scott McKenzie used to great effect in the book.
Also, my brother-in-law, Brian Decker, helped me on many aspects of the book. Brian has been in law enforcement since the seventies and explained many things I was previously unaware of. One of those things, unfortunately, is that the collapsing baton that Scott uses throughout this book is illegal in many jurisdictions, and would have been difficult for Scott to obtain in the early seventies. Since I had already written that Scott had used that weapon in the last book in the series, I couldn’t change it for this one, so I took a small literary license and left it in. Mea culpa.
Many thanks to both Jerry and Brian for their invaluable advice and assistance. All remaining errors in fact are mine alone.
Finally, I would like to thank my Constant Readers who make up my Shawn Inmon’s Advance Readers group on Facebook. They read the story in its roughest form and give me a push in the right direction every time. If you are interested in volunteering to be one of my Advance Readers, drop me a line at [email protected].
I want you to know how grateful I am that you choose to read my stories. You are the reason I write
them.
Shawn Inmon
Seaview, WA
September 2018
Other Books by Shawn Inmon
The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver – Book one of the Middle Falls Time Travel Series. Thomas Weaver led a wasted life, but divine intervention gives him a chance to do it all over again. What would you do, if you could do it all again?
The Redemption of Michael Hollister — Book two of the Middle Falls Time Travel Series. Michael Hollister was evil in Thomas Weaver’s story. Is it possible for a murderer to find true redemption?
The Death and Life of Dominick Davidner – Book Three of the Middle Falls Time Travel Series. When Dominick is murdered, he awakens back in his eight year old body with one thought: how to find Emily, the love of his life.
The Final Life of Nathaniel Moon – Book Four of the Middle Falls Time Travel Series. Nathaniel Moon gains perfect consciousness in the womb, but when he tries to use his miraculous powers to do good, difficulties follow.
The Emancipation of Veronica McAllister – Book Five of the Middle Falls Time Travel Series. Veronica McAllister said she was no good at life. When she dies and wakes up back in 1958, though, she has a second chance.
The Changing Lives of Joe Hart – Book Six of the Middle Falls Time Travel Series. Joe Hart dies in 2004, but wakes up in his eighteen year old body and decides to change the world. As always, that isn’t easy.
Feels Like the First Time – Shawn’s first book, his true story of falling in love with the girl next door in the 1970’s, losing her for 30 years, and miraculously finding her again. It is filled with nostalgia for a bygone era of high school dances, first love, and making out in the backseat of a Chevy Vega.
Both Sides Now – It’s the same true story as Feels Like the First Time, but told from Dawn’s perspective. It will surprise no one that first love and loss feels very different to a young girl than it did for a young boy.
Rock ‘n Roll Heaven – Small-time guitarist Jimmy “Guitar” Velvet dies and ends up in Rock ‘n Roll Heaven, where he meets Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jim Morrison, and many other icons. To his great surprise, he learns that heaven might need him more than he needs it.
Second Chance Love – Steve and Elizabeth were best friends in high school and college, but were separated by a family tragedy before either could confess that they were in love with the other. A chance meeting on a Christmas tree lot twenty years later gives them a second chance.
Life is Short – A collection of all of Shawn’s short writings. Thirteen stories, ranging from short memoirs about summers in Alaska, to the satire of obsessed fans.
A Lap Around America – Shawn and Dawn quit good jobs and set out to see America. They saved you a spot in the car, so come along and visit national parks, tourist traps, and more than 13,000 miles of the back roads of America, all without leaving your easy chair.
A Lap Around Alaska – Have you ever wanted to drive the Alaska Highway across Canada, then make a lap around central Alaska? Here’s your chance! Includes 100 photographs!
