October Update
Free Story of the Month - The Betrayal Pt. 1
The Force of Magic Release Date - December 9th!
Coming December 9th in eBook and Paperback, the Force of Magic - Volume One. The first book in this exciting trilogy will now be available for all to read. Special Pre-Order price is $.99 for the Kindle version. This price is only available through the first week of release. Pre-order now and then pick up the print edition just in time to give as a Christmas gift. :) Coming next month will be the Cover Reveal.
Readers are saying:
A fantasy world to get lost in
You begin to ask yourself what a hero really is, and what you would be willing to do for freedom
This genre isn't my usual choice, but I started reading and it's gripping!
The story is very character driven and I want to know what happens
This is exceptional writing. I have to keep reading
After It’s Over - Early Reviews
After It’s Over continues to see consistent sales in both the eBook and Print formats. We’ve even sold a few of the special Hardcover editions. If you haven’t ordered it yet, I hope you’ll take the time to do so today. If you have, thank you! Please share it with others and the most important gift you give any author is a 5 star review. You can review it by opening the Amazon page and looking for the link to “Leave a Review” towards the bottom of the page. Here are some of the early reviews:
Vella Recommendation: Assassin School by Julie Gilbert
Julie’s story is kind of Jason Bourne for the YA set, with an emphasis on the training that occurred to prepare the protagonist, Cassandra, for all that is to follow. I’m only through Season One so far, but there is a lot here. Intricate background, fully fleshed out characters and intriguing plot twists.
This is a fun story that is clean for all ages. I highly recommend you give it a try. As always with Vella, the first 3 episodes are free to try! On another note, this is also the story that eliminated mine from the Fall Vella Madness Tournament. :( Sad for The Agency - DDD Inc., but happy for Julie. I did make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Hopefully, Julie’s story will go on to victory.
October Stats Update:
As of 10/25/22
After It’s Over
278 People follow this story
6291 episodes read
#1 Post-apocalyptic story
#4 Alternate History story
#1 Pandemic story
#8 Survival story
#19 Dystopian story
#37 Action story
#67 Adventure story
#59 Thriller story
The Force of Magic
253 People following this story
5014 Episodes read
#1 Super Powers story
#7 Epic Fantasy story
#38 Coming of Age story
#32 Young Adult story
#18 Female Protagonist story
#72 Magic story
#68 Adventure story
The Agency - DDD Inc.
44 People following this story
1586 Episodes Read
#4 Conspiracy story
#4 Business story
#13 Life story
#16 Betrayal story
#20 Fiction story
#99 Mystery story
Free Story of the Month - The Force of Magic - The Betrayal Pt. 1
Karven
The invitation came as a surprise to Karven. He'd been a member of the High Council of the Guild for such a short time. Not that he hadn't aspired for such a position long before, but those fools refused to acknowledge his brilliance and the progress he'd made.
Perhaps the Overlord was different. Even in Karven's lifetime, he'd seen many rulers come and go. This man had yet to know defeat. Karven's inquiries for information were unsuccessful. Spies and messengers either didn't return or came back with only the sparest of details.
What he did know was this: a young, powerful warrior who was both ferocious in battle and single combat was uniting the land either by force or the strength of his will. No one knew his real name. He adopted the term Overlord and Karven guessed that had some significance, but he had yet to learn it.
Then this morning, Karven's messenger returned with a message, addressed only for Karven. The messenger said he was forbidden to deliver it to any other member of the Guild by threat of death.
"Our goals may align. Meet me at my camp at the foot of the Orphan Mountain in a fortnight. It's on the eastern face, close to the Nahra River. I'll be expecting you."
The note was signed by only a symbol, an oversized O written in the same uneven script.
It must be from the Overlord, but what does he know of my goals. His are obvious. He would put the entire land under his thumb, but what is it that I really want?
Karven knew he should take this note to the Council. Already discussions about the Overlord and his expanding influence was a common topic at their gatherings. They had their own methods of trying to obtain information about him, but as far as Karven knew, they were just as unsuccessful as he'd been.
"Is there anything else, sir?" The servant asked.
Karven had forgotten he was still standing there in the doorway, waiting to be dismissed. "You know Treatha, the Council's Scribe?"
"Yes, sir."
"Bring a message to her that I'm going to the mountains for a time to further my experiments. I may be gone for some time."
"Yes sir, right at once."
The Council was a trusting lot and they wouldn't think anything of such a trip. Many of the members spent time away for months studying the world around them. It was a part of their mandate as members of the Guild of the Helm.
The servant left and Karven began making plans. Tomorrow he would ride, and ride alone towards the Orphan Mountain. He was very curious what he might find there.
Travel to the north towards the Orphan Mountain wasn't difficult, but Karven didn't really enjoy it. He preferred to be locked away in his workshop, dedicating his time to mastering more of the magic of this world. He'd been met by a sentry long before he could circle around the mountain towards it's eastern side. The man seemed to be on the lookout for him and didn't respond to his questions. He only stated that he would be brought into the camp safely.
Karven was impressed by the order and discipline he saw. This was no ragtag band of barbarians, but an army. They didn't have common armor or clothing, but everywhere he looked, he could see tents and campfires laid out in perfect symmetry. The men were well kept in their appearance, with no beards and a straightness of back that seemed to indicate great confidence.
There numbers were vast. The camp began north of the mountain and circled on towards the eastern side. He would guess there were thousands of soldiers here. Karven had never seen such a force gathered in all his days.
Finally, the sentry led him to a tall man, tending a fire in front of a tent. The man stood up as Karven approached. He was easily a head taller than Karven, who was tall himself, though much thinner.
"Are you Karven?" The man asked.
"Yes, I received an invitation to come. Did you send it? Are you the one known as the Overlord?"
The man laughed and said, "I'm one of his captains. You can call me Alan."
"Why do you laugh?"
"When you meet him, you'll understand," Alan said and turned away from the fire, indicating Karven should follow.
This time they traveled a short distance through the camp until Karven realized they were heading towards the river. There was an open area between the camp and the river and Alan walked to the edge of the water.
"My lord, Karven has come," Alan said.
Karven looked out and saw him. A head and powerful shoulders rose above the water. As he turned to look at Karven, he bore a grim smile, and immediately started moving towards shore. Karven was astonished at the size of his frame. His shoulders were much broader than a normal man's and his hands looked like they would swallow up Karven's own. As he came fully out of the water, Karven realized he wasn't wearing any clothes, but that was not as shocking as his height. If this was the Overlord, Karven understood why Alan laughed. Coming to his side, this man was easily one and half times his stature. He'd never seen anyone like him.
"I'm glad you've come. Let us move to my tent. We have much to discuss.