Haven and Hope (Dark Mercury: Book One) released on Kindle

As of early this morning, the first book in the Dark Mercury series has been released for Kindle.

Check the link at:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008C9Z4SE

If you’re so inclined, help me get the word out by any (reasonable) means necessary!

Update on status of Dark Mercury

Hello, everyone.

Now that DMZero is completed, I intend to use this space for periodic updates on the status of the book going forward.

I have been working with an editor, Krisi Keley (http://thescrupulousscribe.weebly.com/, http://www.onthesoulofavampire.com/ ), and am currently implementing her changes, along with a bit of my own restructuring.  My current timetable has me finishing those edits by early- to mid-January, with a Kindle release of DMZero (under a new, non-working title) by the end of the month.

In anticipation of this release, I will be removing the free, blog version of the novel within the next few weeks.  So, if you’re still reading…get caught up!  If you need a little more time, contact me directly and I will be happy to send you an advance copy.

This space will remain in use, as a source of news about both the upcoming release of Book Zero, as well as future releases.  As it stands currently, the rough drafts of the next two books are already written, along with about half of the final (?) book in the series.

There is also a modest Facebook group where I will be posting updates.  If you would like to join, it can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Mercury-Book-Zero-and-beyond/115325328544438 .

I’m looking forward to where things are headed in 2012, and hope to be providing you with more reading in the near future.

— John

Chapter 1

“Mr. Dane, you do realize how limited your options are, yes?”

Jacob glances around the warden’s utilitarian office.  “I thought that was sort of the point of prison.”

Prologue

The soft purr of the Ford Explorer’s engine is hypnotic, and sleep keeps coming and going in waves.

Mommy turns from the front passenger seat, her silhouette haloed by the headlights of an oncoming car.  “Just a couple more hours and we’ll be home, sweetie.  Go back to sleep.”  Her voice is soothing, reassuring, and Jacob’s eyes begin to flutter closed.

Foreword

For those of you who have read some or all of Book 1 of Dark Mercury, you may recognize much of the prologue as parts of the flashbacks in the early portions of the novel.  I’ve always thought that flashbacks were a heavy-handed exposition device, even when they do make sense in the overall context of the story.  To that end, I had been planning on rethinking that part of Book 1, and I feel that the prologue of what is shaping up to be Book Zero is as good a place as any to store them.

Thanks to Sparky, Matt C., Dan E., Laura D. and the others who populated my early role-playing game storytelling experiences with compelling characters that still influence my writing to this day.

Thanks to my NaNoWriMo crew from 2008, (Alvin, Liz, Shannon, Candace) who helped me get through a few writer’s blocks in that frenzied month.

Thanks to Tugboat for caring enough about reading what I’m writing to bully me into writing more.

And extra super special thanks to Nicole, for brainstorming, and for dealing with my moody, tortured writer nonsense. ❤