August Update
Free Story of the Month - Reece's Sister
After It’s Over Pre-order!
After It’s Over, the eBook, is now available to pre-order on Amazon. The Paperback should be up for order by the launch date (if not before). My first fiction book is a labor of love. During the last 2 years, we all suffered in different ways during the pandemic. After It’s Over was written as a memorial to those losses and what is hopefully a very compelling story about survival in a possible future that none of us want. Will you please help support this effort by buying the book and sharing it with friends?
Cover Reveal - After It’s Over
The Cover design will be revealed on social media soon, but here is a preview of the latest draft.
The Force of Magic - Season 2 Begins!
I hope you enjoyed the exciting finale to Book/Season 1. Look for information about the eBook/Print release of The Force of Magic in the next newsletter. For now, I want to let you know that the first episode of Season 2 is live! The story arc for Season 2 is all planned out and you don’t want to miss it.
Vella Recommendation: Dirus by L.J. Vitanza
Dirus is a fascinating thriller that imagines what might happen if a pack of dire wolves started hunting in Yellowstone Park. Well-written with compelling characters and surprising twists, I recommend Dirus for anyone who likes an action-packed ride. The author draws on many details from their own experience with the park and impeccable research backs up the story. Click the link to find out why it is very deserving of 5 stars!
August Stats Update
As of 8/27/22, here are rankings and numbers :)
After It’s Over
246 People follow this story
4126 episodes read
#1 Post-apocalyptic story
#1 Alternate History story
#1 Pandemic story
#5 Survival story
#9 Dystopian story
#17 Action story
#36 Adventure story
#20 Thriller story
The Force of Magic
204 People following this story
3337 Episodes read
#1 Super Powers story
#1 Epic Fantasy story
#4 Coming of Age story
#8 Young Adult story
#1 Female Protagonist story
#15 Magic story
#15 Adventure story
The Agency - DDD Inc.
My baby Vella is starting to get a few readers. :)
23 People following this story
354 Episodes Read
#2 Conspiracy story
#5 Business story
#17 Life story
#21 Betrayal story
Art of the Month
Here is mockup of a cover for the Force of Magic, the picture generated by AI! AI image generators are a new thing. You type in a descriptive sentence and the AI comes up with something, drawing from it’s database. I typed, “a man and a woman walking through a dark forest in cloaks, fantasy Lord of the Rings style”. It did pretty well, didn’t it?
Free Story of the Month - After It’s Over - Cassidy Daniels Pt. 1
Note: This free story covers events from Chapter 2 of After It’s Over. Come back next month for another picture of life in Australia with Cassidy.
"I'm sorry Reece, there's nothing I can do. You've seen the headlines. Australia is locked down and there is no way I can leave. You know I'd come if I could," Cassidy said.
"Cass, It's just wrong. I'm here and they wouldn't even let me see her until she was gone. Calling her did no good. They had her on a ventilator when I arrived. Now I'm just here, alone. The house never felt so empty," Reece said.
"Won't someone from the church help with things?" Cassidy asked.
"I'm sure they will, but I don't really know any of these people. They were mom's friends, not ours. It'll work out, I just wish you were here. This is a time when family should be together and there's really nobody else," Reece said.
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry Reece, but it doesn't change anything. No one can leave here. There are little kids separated from their parents by all this. It's not right, but it's reality and I don't see anyway around it. Why don't you get some rest and we can talk again tomorrow when you get up," Cassidy said.
"Will you be up? Won't that be your bedtime?" Reece asked.
"I'll get up. No matter what time it is, just call me. I may not be able to come, but I'll do my best to be there for you, at least virtually," Cassidy said.
They said there goodbyes and hung up the phone. Cassidy felt lost herself with everything that was going on. She couldn't believe how strict the government was being, but she supposed it was necessary to stop the virus from spreading. It was times like these when she regretted the distance from her roots.
Poor Reece, I know he's an adult now, but he still seems like my little brother, asking for help. I really do wish I could be there for him.
It was Cassidy's dream job to study the Reefs off the coast of Australia and 2 years earlier an EU grant finally made that a reality. She was a part of a small team that was conducting a 5 year study of reef ecology. She loved her work, but the distance and expense meant she only made it home about once a year for a short visit. She hadn't even seen Reece in person for quite awhile.
The really ridiculous thing was the news she received from the project manager this morning:
"Until further notice, our team is on lockdown and not allowed to visit the reef."
When she called him he said it was a strict requirement from the government and it didn't matter that they worked exclusively outside in very isolated circumstances. She kept checking the reported virus numbers and the numbers here were minuscule compared to the rest of the world. It seemed like poor risk management to her. Still, her mom wasn't the first person she'd heard about dying after contracting the virus. She just didn't know what she was going to do with herself on lockdown.
Cassidy took work that kept her outside for a reason. She couldn't stand being stuck in front of a computer.
Little did she know how much that would be a problem in the days ahead.