Interviews, Profiles, and Reviews
July 15th 2010
Acknowledgements
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2005
The following is a message from the author to those who have read “Monster Nation” in its entirety. If this is your first visit, please click on chapter one to start from the beginning.
Hello everyone.
This is the part where I bring down the lights, have a seat on my simple wooden stool, and bring the mood down for a moment to talk about something very close to my heart: the book you just read.
This was a very different kind of book from what I’m used to writing. It was much, much more difficult and a little more fun. It was also very therapeutic. I’m coming off the most eventful year of my life as I’m writing this. A lot of great things happened. I got married for one, and had the best day of my life surrounded by our two families. A lot of dark things happened, too, though. I’ve taken solace in these pages, turning to my writing as a way to get my demons out. I don’t know if it shows or not. I think on the whole this was a darker book than “Monster Island”, but I suppose that’s up to the readers to decide.
I hope you enjoyed coming along on this tour of my psyche. I definitely enjoyed having you. Normally the acknowledgements page comes at the start of the book–but this is not a normal book. I’d like to thank everyone who read “Monster Nation”, whether you read it on your cell phone, your PDA, your computer, or printouts you clutched in shaking hands as you read under the covers on a moonless night. I especially want to thank those who commented on the chapters. Adrian Padden, of course, was the sexiest cheerleader of all, yet again. Alnjo tried to keep him (and me) honest. The Laura(s), Digbeta, igame3d, Feral Fish (who started a fan site!), Marbo/Marbotty/Marb-something, Don, Donny D, DavidKaye929, Mendoza, Mel, Jacqui, Carlos, Shadowfusion99, Timmy, Baglegod, liam, Saketini and everybody else I’m forgetting, thank you so much. You kept me going, you kept me writing when I just wanted to curl up and go to sleep forever. Your role in this project has been far more dynamic and far more valued than you know.
There were two people who provided information without which I could not have read this book:
Raul Gallego, provided information on topics military, architectural, and religious. Then there was Clint Freeman, who knew more about Florence, Colorado and its famous prison than I had room to fit into the book.
There are those who say a book like this is only as good as its research. If you enjoyed “Monster Nation” you owe these two men a round of applause.
Also, let us never forget Alex Lencicki, of course, our intrepid publisher. And webmaster. And Halo 2 instructor (the man is unstoppable with an energy sword). And friend. Alex went so far past the call of duty this time I nearly lost sight of him. During the last few months Alex made this story available on cellular phones, PDAs, and now, of all things, iPods. Alex Lencicki is no Johnny Halfways.
I would like to thank my wife, Elisabeth, who put up with all of this when she really didn’t have to. Thanks, Pepper. Just one more to go.
Speaking of which.
“Monster Planet.”
Well. Give me a little time. I’ve been working on a bunch of side projects. There are some “Monster Universe” short stories out there floating around in the process of getting published. I’m in school, I have a full time job, and I’m moving to a new apartment.
Let’s meet back here in three months. Call it Monday, May 23rd. I reserve the right to change that date if necessary, but I’ll do my best to stick to it.
I know it’s a long time, but it will be worth it, I promise. “Monster Planet” is going to finish this thing in style. Think running gun battles between the living and the dead. Think mysteries uncovered and solved, think legends made and broken, think bizarre new dead characters with bizarre new powers. Think Nilla and Dekalb and the Russian Boy. Think Ayaan. Think Sarah. Think Gary. Think the end of the world.
Think how much fun we still get to have together.
-Dave Wellington
February 23rd, 2005 at 2:44 pm
I’ll be there on May 23rd. Good luck and keep up the good work!
February 23rd, 2005 at 3:09 pm
Thanks Dave.
Of course now I’m going to have to re-re-re-re-read Island and Nation for the next 3 months.
We need a blog tour Dave with a stop in Rockford, IL.
February 23rd, 2005 at 3:25 pm
Hey Dave! Thanks a lot for the reading and good luck. Oh, and many thanks for mentioning me :~~~
So, there is a fansite already? Let me know the address!
How about we start an orkut comunity, just to stick together, since we can’t chat through the comments for 3 months……. can we? Lol
See you guys on May, then?
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:11 pm
David it was a nice surprise to find an acknowledgments page here i havent checked my emails so i didnt know about it.
) Sorry again to hear of your losses and hopefully the future will be brighter for you, but still you must maintain the dark thoughts that made nation the hopeless trek of greatness that it was, we all loved it and we will all love planet.
..hmmm…monster tokyo???
im looking foward to planet more than Episode 3!
Once again you get me all upset, although the nail hasnt been nailed fully into nations coffin, (ive re-read parts 1-4 since yesterday) its still sad thats its over, Again congratulations to both you and Mrs E “pepper” Wellington and heres hoping you may enjoy a prosperous marriage together, (delkalb gary and adrian are all really good names for future wellingtons
I also owe a thank you to alex as well, we all do. If it wasnt for him and his efforts nation would have been consigned to PC now it has spread its rotten wings and is now even read on japanese subways!
3 months???!!! what am i to do for three months, i know you have a life Dave but you shouldnt, Jesus didnt move apartments when his followers were waiting for more miricles!!! nah im kidding, good luck with the publishing of short stories and the school and the job. But dave what do you do for a living? what are you studying at school? i knew you did these things but what is it you do whilst there?
Im thinking may23rd YES!!! or Da!
Dave how much fun can we have together? dont tease! and Laura its official i am the hottest cheerleader, David says!!!
Dont forget the monster island yahoo group! we can now expand to nation and prepare for planet!
Adrian
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:37 pm
Woo it’s my name! I’ll see if I can’t fix the group up a lil, expand it, and make it something to be proud of. Currently it’s mouldering a bit, partially due to general life craziness.
I’ve absolutely loved both series and like Adrian said, I’m more excited about Monster Planet than I am Episode 3 (which is NO small feat, I’m a Star Wars junkie).
I’ll most certainly be there on the 23rd! With bells on! Or maybe not…might attract unwanted undead attention.
February 23rd, 2005 at 4:40 pm
David,
As quiet-spoken reader I am not prone to comments but I must add to all the above. You write a hell of a yarn and althought the wait will be trying I just keep telling myself that the wait will be worth it. “all good thing to those that wait”. Thanks for the great enertainment and will wait (impatiently) for MP.
Congrats on your marriage. Happy trails……
February 23rd, 2005 at 5:56 pm
Dave, i was full of enthusiasm about coming back on the 23rd but after you voting adrian the sexiest cheerleader i just dont know…im disappointed dave. I might go so far as to say…tsk tsk tsk….!!
But seriously, the date on my calender is set as i salute you Mr. Wellington and all your hard work.
See you all in May, take care. Later.
Laura M ; )
PS: Adrian this battle is not over. Ill see you in may for The Sexy Summer Cheerleader Try-outs. Your ass is grass homes….!!!
February 23rd, 2005 at 6:08 pm
Dont even try challenge me to a cross dressing competition, mum put me through years of therapy because of that…she didnt like adriana, why not mum, why she loved WHY!!!??/ damn you mother i know what you did i know give me back my pretty-pink panties…………………………………………………………………….I need a booster jag…bye
hehehehe
adrian
February 23rd, 2005 at 6:12 pm
I’m going to keep checking back here hopelessly for the next 3 months. Maybe, just maybe, Dave will sneek in a preview.
Good Luck with everything Dave and see you again in 3 months.
February 23rd, 2005 at 6:25 pm
By far one of the best adventures that I have ever been on… I am looking forward to MP…and to see where this will take us next. Can hardly wait, Dave.
February 23rd, 2005 at 7:52 pm
all the best, to all the best!!
dave, the faithfull, the newcomers who will hopefully stick with us.
the cheerleader.
3 months. wow.
peace out and safety to all. the family reunion will be great and wild.
love to all.
later.
February 23rd, 2005 at 8:13 pm
thanks dave and thanks to all the people who helped (especially fellow readers) you all kept dave going and helped him produce an awe-inspiring web novel.
i think monster tokyo whould be extremly cool, or even monster cuba.
the 23rd it is then (unless of course it isnt)
February 23rd, 2005 at 11:28 pm
“Think Ayaan. Think Sarah.”
YES! I knew it!
Anyway… Monster Island was awesome. Monster Nation was even better. It was HANDS DOWN the greatest zombie fiction I’ve ever read, and even some of the greatest fiction at all. I can’t stress that enough.
Incidentally, before I started Monster Nation I thought you were a published author. But some of the others’ comments made me not so sure. Have you published any books? Because if you haven’t… it’ll be a great loss to society.
February 24th, 2005 at 7:21 am
Wow. I like the ideas of some “Monster Universe” short stories. Very exciting. But until then, thanks and see you all May 23rd.
February 24th, 2005 at 11:30 am
Monster Nation was such an awesome story Dave. I love being taken into a persons imagination and this story has been one hell of a trip! You really have a knack for keeping your readers in suspense just about every chapter.
February 25th, 2005 at 1:00 pm
Dave….once again we sit with baited breath and await your next installment on the end of living man. Like the Rabbit awaiting the dangling Carrot. Can’t wait for May.
February 25th, 2005 at 1:23 pm
Dave, It will be a long 3 months but if it helps produce the same caliber of story you have given so far…..it’ll be worth the wait. Best of luck with all your endeavors.
February 25th, 2005 at 9:13 pm
Mr. Wellington, Thanks for your Excellent stories, I be there 5/05, provided the stuff you’ve written does not actually happen!
March 2nd, 2005 at 4:40 pm
I want nation back. life sucks without it
March 2nd, 2005 at 11:55 pm
yo what up all?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Science – AP
Archaeologists Uncover Bead-Covered Mummy
2 hours, 42 minutes ago Science – AP
By JAMIE TARABAY, Associated Press Writer
SAQQARA, Egypt – Archaeologists uncovered three coffins and a remarkably well-preserved mummy in a 2,500-year old tomb discovered by accident — after opening a secret door hidden behind a statue in a separate burial chamber, Egypt’s chief archaeologist said Wednesday.
AP Photo
Canadian Press
Slideshow: Archaeologists Uncover Bead-Covered Mummy
Net Calling Rocks!
Why ditching the landline, if done right, could save you a bundle. Plus, a who’s who VoIP service providers.
The Australian team was exploring a much older tomb — dating back 4,200 years — belonging to a man believed to have been a tutor to the 6th Dynasty King Pepi II, when they moved a pair of statues and discovered the door, said Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s top antiquities official.
Inside, they found a tomb from the 26th Dynasty with three intricate coffins, each with a mummy.
“Inside one coffin was maybe one of the best mummies ever preserved,” Hawass told reporters at the excavation site in the cemetery of Saqqara, a barren hillside pocked with ancient graves about 15 miles south of Cairo.
“The chest of the mummy is covered with beads. Most of the mummies of this period — about 500 B.C. — the beads are completely gone, but this mummy has them all,” he said, standing over one of the mummies that was swathed in turquoise blue beads and bound in strips of black linen.
The names of the mummies have not been determined, but the tomb is thought to be that of a middle-class official.
Hawass said the wooden coffins, called anthropoids because they were in the shape of human beings, bore inscriptions dating to the 26th Dynasty, together with a statue of a deity called Petah Sakar. Petah was the god of artisans, Hawass said, while Sakar was the god of the cemetery.
The door was hidden behind 4,200-year-old statues of a man believed to have been Meri, the tutor of Pepi II, and Meri’s wife, whose name was not revealed.
Meri also was believed to oversee four sacred boats found in the pyramids, which were buried with Egypt’s kings to help them in the afterlife, Hawass said.
“I believe this discovery can enrich us about two important periods in our history, the Old Kingdom, which dates back to 4,200 years, and the 26th Dynasty, that was 2,500 years ago,” Hawass said.
According to tradition, Pepi II — the last ruler of the 6th Dynasty — ruled from 2278-2184 B.C., one of the longest reigns in ancient Egyptian history.
Naguib Kanawati, the head of the Australian team from Sydney’s Macquarie University, said the site had fallen into neglect after Pepi II’s rule and was covered by 50 feet of sand, until it was used again as a cemetery 2,600 years later.
“By that time the art of mummification was perfected to the extreme,” Kanawati said.
Archaeologists would begin tests on the mummies to learn more about their medical conditions, including using CT scans, as they were presently doing on King Tutankhamun, Hawass said. The results of Tut’s scans will be revealed next week, he said.
Science – AP
Archaeologists Uncover Bead-Covered Mummy
2 hours, 42 minutes ago Science – AP
By JAMIE TARABAY, Associated Press Writer
SAQQARA, Egypt – Archaeologists uncovered three coffins and a remarkably well-preserved mummy in a 2,500-year old tomb discovered by accident — after opening a secret door hidden behind a statue in a separate burial chamber, Egypt’s chief archaeologist said Wednesday.
AP Photo
Canadian Press
Slideshow: Archaeologists Uncover Bead-Covered Mummy
Net Calling Rocks!
Why ditching the landline, if done right, could save you a bundle. Plus, a who’s who VoIP service providers.
The Australian team was exploring a much older tomb — dating back 4,200 years — belonging to a man believed to have been a tutor to the 6th Dynasty King Pepi II, when they moved a pair of statues and discovered the door, said Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s top antiquities official.
Inside, they found a tomb from the 26th Dynasty with three intricate coffins, each with a mummy.
“Inside one coffin was maybe one of the best mummies ever preserved,” Hawass told reporters at the excavation site in the cemetery of Saqqara, a barren hillside pocked with ancient graves about 15 miles south of Cairo.
“The chest of the mummy is covered with beads. Most of the mummies of this period — about 500 B.C. — the beads are completely gone, but this mummy has them all,” he said, standing over one of the mummies that was swathed in turquoise blue beads and bound in strips of black linen.
The names of the mummies have not been determined, but the tomb is thought to be that of a middle-class official.
Hawass said the wooden coffins, called anthropoids because they were in the shape of human beings, bore inscriptions dating to the 26th Dynasty, together with a statue of a deity called Petah Sakar. Petah was the god of artisans, Hawass said, while Sakar was the god of the cemetery.
The door was hidden behind 4,200-year-old statues of a man believed to have been Meri, the tutor of Pepi II, and Meri’s wife, whose name was not revealed.
Meri also was believed to oversee four sacred boats found in the pyramids, which were buried with Egypt’s kings to help them in the afterlife, Hawass said.
“I believe this discovery can enrich us about two important periods in our history, the Old Kingdom, which dates back to 4,200 years, and the 26th Dynasty, that was 2,500 years ago,” Hawass said.
According to tradition, Pepi II — the last ruler of the 6th Dynasty — ruled from 2278-2184 B.C., one of the longest reigns in ancient Egyptian history.
Naguib Kanawati, the head of the Australian team from Sydney’s Macquarie University, said the site had fallen into neglect after Pepi II’s rule and was covered by 50 feet of sand, until it was used again as a cemetery 2,600 years later.
“By that time the art of mummification was perfected to the extreme,” Kanawati said.
Archaeologists would begin tests on the mummies to learn more about their medical conditions, including using CT scans, as they were presently doing on King Tutankhamun, Hawass said. The results of Tut’s scans will be revealed next week, he said.
March 2nd, 2005 at 11:57 pm
ooppss sorry for the double. just to fast.
March 3rd, 2005 at 10:24 am
Evil mummys kill with bead whips!
March 9th, 2005 at 7:46 pm
got back from florida(orlando area)on monday. it was 78 when we left. now back here it is 12 with a foot of new snow. more on the way saturday. 25 inches over average so far this year. sucks. oh well.
zombies- originally from haiti.
dead bodies brought back from the grave by magic.
half life- then slaves to the living(or not)
always look downwards.
area around eyes are usually so white, almost transparent.
walk very slow, awkwardly, shuffle.
never speak. any noises gibberish.
if a zombie is given salt or blood, it will realize that they are undead.
if they become mad, they will kill anyone or anything they think is responsible.
just a few facts all.
peace out. later.
March 10th, 2005 at 11:21 pm
Thanks for acknowledging me! I didnt have net for awhile, and I just got done reading the last few chapters, great wrap up! and keep on writin’
March 18th, 2005 at 2:09 am
Dave,
hardcove/softcover… whatever 
you just wrote one of the best (ongoing) zombies stories I have ever read! I can’t wait for zombie planet! I trust it will be just as awesome as the former two stories.
Im sure it’s been mentioned a lot in previous posts, but I’ll say it anyways. I’d love to see this story in actual print
anyways,
Awesome story from begining to end!
looking forward to more!
james