Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Two For Tuesday #1

We're 6 weeks away from the official release of "Quests, Curses, & Vengeance," and that means we've got to start stirring up some interest in this massive collection.  From now until the official release, each Tuesday will feature two opening paragraphs from two different stories in the anthology.  Will this help people make an informed buying decision, as it tempts them to read more?  We can only hope!

First up are the first two paragraphs from "Burn It Up, Burn It Down," by Philip Overby:

It’s always a shame that I have to burn things to get what I want. But simplistic minds only deal in simplistic deeds. I am a dragon, therefore I must kill them. That’s all they understand. I can’t simply say “I’m looking for someone.” They get out pitchforks, spew obscenities, or throw buckets of urine at me. I’m not sure what they think throwing urine on me does other than piss me off.

I burn because they push me. I don't enjoy it one bit.

And for our second pair of paragraphs, we have "Ashes to Ashes" by Shawn Cook:

In the end, the only thing left was dust. It coated the sidewalks and covered the windows of the lonely, cold buildings. Piles of dust sat in unmade beds and on cracked leather car seats while the dying sun made slower trips across the sky. The dead oceans of the world slowed their tides and began to stagnate as a thick scum covered the lethargic waves.

There were no soft breezes or tree shaking winds to cross the surface of the world, and all things green began to wither and die. For the first time in countless millennia, the world was utterly silent. No animals called in the night and no insects made their presence known in the day. Nothing avian sped through the sky, nothing reptile slithered and clawed across the ground.

Two strong openers to far disparate tales in the same collection.  Be sure to visit the Quests, Curses, & Vengeance listing at Martinus.us to learn more and pre-order this excellent collection.

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