He shuffled to his left, standing over his mother’s grave. “Mom, I don’t even know where to start. Thank you for everything. I doubt you knew any of this would unfold by our simple visit to that antique store, but it has changed me for the better. I never thought I’d be able to conquer the mountain of grief following Izzy’s death, but this has shown me a new life. One with hope and happiness. Purpose. I don’t know how it all happened, but you saved my life with the message you relayed through Izzy that day in the woods. I love you, and will always work to make you proud.”
Martin stood there a moment longer, savoring the nostalgia that ran through his head, dreading the thought of having to return to his new life as a commander of peace. He only wanted to sit in the cemetery all day and carry on these conversations with the muted gravestones.
Your term isn’t forever—there will be plenty of time for that.
While Martin understood this, his perception of time since joining this secret universe had been pure confusion. It had only been two years since he took that initial pill in the Wealth of Time store, but everything that had happened since made it feel like a decade. In the grand scheme of things, his two-year term was sure to fly by, soon to be another memory that he’d reflect back as a life-changing event.
For now, he dropped to a knee and kissed each of his hands, planting them on the grass that grew above the women who had reshaped his mid-life and beyond. With one final wipe of the tears, Martin Briar rose to his feet and returned to the car where not just Alina waited, but the road to a hopeful future ahead. As they drove off, Martin leaned his head against the window, staring to the graves, knowing the hardest part of his commandership—and his life—were now behind him, promising to never let anything threaten what he had accomplished.
I will never let any of you down.
GET EXCLUSIVE BONUS STORIES!
Connecting with readers is the best part of this job. Releasing a book into the world is a truly frightening moment every time it happens! Hearing your feedback, whether good or bad, goes a long in shaping future projects and helping me grow as a writer. I also like to take readers behind the scenes on occasion and share what is happening in my wild world of writing. If you’re interested, please consider joining my mailing list. If you do so, I’ll send you the following as a thank you:
A free copy of Revolution, a prequel story that goes back in time before Chris Speidel ever knew about the mysterious world of time travel.
A free copy of Road Runners, a prequel story that visits the origination of the Road Runners organization.
You can get your content for free, by signing up HERE.
https://www.andregonzalez.net/Wealth-Of-Time-Bonus
Acknowledgements
It’s hard to believe this series has ended. When I first started, I didn’t have a plan for how many books it would run, but as I finished Keeper of Time, the fourth book, I felt two more were enough to complete Martin’s story. Even though I have worked on some other projects during this series run, the prior three years have felt entirely dedicated to the Wealth of Time series. I suppose I’ll always look back to the time frame of March 2018-May 2021 as the time I grew and learned the most as an author.
Writing a trilogy, which I’ve done three, is simpler to structure out the series. Writing a fourth book and beyond, however, is an entirely different beast. It takes a particular dedication to keep the story-line fresh and moving forward (but not too fast!). As the author, the characters can become repetitive once you’ve drilled into as much of their backstory as you can find. It’s strenuous work, but rewarding to reach this point.
With every ending comes a new beginning. I have some ideas lined up for life after Wealth of Time, and I hope you’ll stay with me on this journey.
Before we turn the page, however, I need to thank those who have helped make this series a possibility. First is my editor, Stephanie Cohen-Perez. Our first project happened to be the first book of this series, and there has been no looking back. Readers may not understand just how much an editor contributes to make the book a cleaner reading experience. My success is your success, and I hope you take equal pride in this Wealth of Time universe as me.
People say to not judge a book by its cover, but that is precisely what we do as readers. Thank you to Dane Low for having the perfect vision for this series. I can’t envision these covers any other way.
Writing can be a lonely gig, and it’s important to have friends who understand the grind and struggle. Thank you to the Dizzy Dragons for being there every step of the way.
Thank you to Arielle. A seemingly ordinary moment we shared sparked the premise for this entire series. I suppose the extraordinary can happen anytime, and it’s important to be ready.
Felix and Selena, don’t think you’re out of the woods just because Arielle sparked the idea. Similar moments have occurred, and I can’t wait to create a new universe where you are all the stars of the show!
Thank you to all of the family, friends, and fans who have supported me. You all make this possible, and
