Happy fall, dear friends! Can you believe 2018 is already nearly to its end? One of my goals for this past year was to publish something, and I’m so excited to let you all know that one of my short stories will be hitting Kindle Select later this month. As mentioned in my previous post, this story was originally written for a local contest way back in 2014. I’ve taken that story, revised it, and expanded it to more than double the original length.

While I could sub this story to magazines and anthologies, I’ve decided it’s more important to me to make it available for my readers now while I focus my querying efforts on my novel-length fiction. Using Kindle Select/ Kindle Direct Publishing will allow me to make the e-book available on Kindle Unlimited and still have a paperback version for those of you who love actual books (ahem, like me!). It’ll be a skinny book, but a book nonetheless, and I’m over the moon with excitement.

But you didn’t come here for all those boring details–you’re here for the blurb, opening lines, and book cover I promised last time. So without further ado, meet The Tank.

(Note: Since the book is still in production, all of the following are subject to change.)

Cover

Isn’t the cover the most fun part? I won’t make you wait until the end (since then you’d skip the rest just to get there faster), but I will warn you that this version may change slightly before it’s finalized.

I found some gorgeous pre-made covers available online, but I couldn’t justify the expense for a short story. Hence, I made this one myself in Canva using a royalty-free stock image and Canva’s template. This cover is for an e-book only; the print version will take a little more tweaking, as it requires a spine and back, also. The handy thing about using Kindle Direct Publishing is that it would be easy to upload a new cover if I ever decide it’s worth replacing.

Backcover Blurb

How much is success worth?

Good science comes at a price. At least, that’s what the head of Eric Lawson’s psychology graduate program always says. The hours in the lab may be grueling, and his personal relationships may suffer, but Eric knows the sacrifices will pay off when his groundbreaking research in cognitive science propels him to the cover of Time magazine.

But after he’s involved in a tragic accident, Eric undergoes a sudden, horrifying transition that puts his research in a whole new light. Now he’s making a huge contribution to science–but is the price more than he can afford?

Opening Lines

Now, for your teaser, here are the first 150 words or so of The Tank:

“How long did this one last?”

Eric Lawson glanced up from the wires he was disconnecting and brushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes with the back of his hand. Soo Kim, one of the other graduate students in the lab, pointed at the lumpy, pinkish-gray mass on the dissecting tray, curiosity lighting up his face.

“Nearly four weeks.” Eric grinned, his chest buoyant. “It’s a record.”

Soo Kim poked a purple, nitrile-gloved finger at the little brain. “The cerebrum looks decent still.”

Pushing the brightly colored wires aside, Eric flipped the brain over. “Pretty good, but there’s some tissue damage here. And the cerebellum is pretty much shot.”

“Poor little monkey.” Soo Kim pulled off his gloves and dropped them into the plastic-lined biohazard box under the bench before jerking a thumb toward the lab’s door. “I’m meeting Maria and Phil at the burrito place for dinner. You coming?”

 

Sorry, but that’s all. You’ll have to wait for the official release to keep reading. I know I probably just broke all the usual marketing rules for cover reveals and sharing blurbs and all that, but now we can all learn from my mistakes. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this little teaser and I’ll keep you updated on my first foray into self-publishing. I don’t have an official release date yet, but look for The Tank by the end of the month. Perfect Halloween reading… 🙂

 

Image credit: Pixabay.com, CC0 license.