16Sunsets – How many covers you gonna make?

If you make with the clickity-clickity, you can view full resolution cover wraps. The blurb isn’t final, but its on these covers. 16Sunsets has received a lot of traffic in the last week. I’m pretty sure it’s because 16Sunsets was listed on Web Fiction Guide. There’s a lot of cool fiction over there, you should check it out. If you are in a voting’ mood, you can vote for 16Sunsets on Top Web Fiction. You can read 16Sunsets by clicking on the image under projects, or just click here.

More 16Sunsets Covers

More 16Sunsets covers. These are really just opposite of the last batch, color-wise. I call ’em “washouts:”

16Sunsets Kickstarter – A Week to Go!

Well kids and other blog followers, It looks as if my Kickstarter project to raise money for 16Sunsets is winding down. I didn’t expect to pull a potato salad or Exploding Kittens kind of success, but I had hoped the project would be funded. There’s still a week to go, but **shakes Magic 8-Ball** all indications point to no.
This doesn’t mean the end of the project. In fact, I think I might get a progress report from my editor soon, it just means it’ll not launch until 2016. Don’t tell BJ this, but I think I might have an outline for a sequel for 16Sunsets. It depends on how much work the first story needs before publication. Nothing like planning the second book before the first one is even done, right?
Anyway, please reblog, retweet, book of face and shout it out from the street corner with the URL sharpied on a cardboard sign. A lot can happen in a week.

16Sunsets Update

Hey 16Sunsets fans! I changed the chronology on the 16Sunsets tag link on the Projects page. Also, I added a link to the next installment at the bottom of each story post. You wont get the behind-the-scene posts like the 16Sunsets tag, just story. There are 41 installments total, with the longest chapter being 1,650 words and the shortest at 495 words. You’re basically reading a very rough draft. The draft submitted to my editor has additional chapters and many of them have been reorderd. On the site, you’ll read about 42,000 words. I submitted a 53,000-word draft to my editor and I expect the word count to fluctuate up as plot holes and other strange first draft issues are resolved.

Head to the first installment and read from the beginning. If you get lost or need to come back for some reason, the 16Sunsets tag will get you back on track – think of it as a 16Sunsets table of contents, but with a few extras. Please comment on any individual installment, as the 16Sunsets novel is still being edited. I’ll be editing each installment today to move my opening comments to the end of each post, to better facilitate a straight read-through.

Finally, don’t forget – there are still ten days left of the Kickstarter campaign.

16Sunsets Alternate Cover-palooza

(Click on each image to embiggen)
Special Edition Cover:

Alternate cover J:

Alternate cover K:

While you’re looking at the covers, go over to the 16Sunsets Kickstarter page.

16Sunsets – Kickstarter Cover

I’m working on a special Kickstarter cover for those who pledge any of the dead-tree versions. Opinions? Click to embiggen:

Kickstarter (Almost)

I’ve sent the third revision of 16Sunsets off to my editor today, so I figure I should launch the Kickstarter campaign as soon as I get home and record a video. I’m excited that you all got to see the story as I wrote it and were able to comment on each installment. I had a lot of feedback from several communities: Inspiration Monday, 52-week Flash Fiction Challenge, Sunday Photo Fiction & Friday Flash. Of course, Chuck Wendig was intregal in the story starting with his own weekly flash fiction prompts. If you want to read some good flash fiction, check out these sites. Submit your own while you’re visiting.

16Sunsets update – 14March

Quick update: The next draft of 16Sunsets should be finished this weekend. I’m privileged to get to work with some very talented people on this project. I’ll likely start the Kickstarter campaign this week and run it for thirty days. Like anyone who does a campaign, I’m hoping to give away all manner of things as stretch goals.

16Sunsets – Where Do We Go From Here

It looks like seven months have passed since the first ever words were written down for 16Sunsets. I received a lot of feedback from several communities: Sunday Photo Fiction, Inspiration Monday, and 52-week flash fiction challenge. At times I couldn’t hold the words back, others is was painful to put out anything. Miss Alister, Cindy Vaskova, Bubba Junior and others kept encouraging me to finish. Joel Cotejar came up with some amazing art, and if I write a sequel, I’ll definitely have him do the cover.

There were forty-five 16Sunsets installments on the blog. They’ve been condensed to twenty chapters and I’m working daily with two very talented ladies to finish the first draft in the next two or three weeks. I’ll be doing a Kickstarter campaign to recoup the out-of-pocket costs for the artwork and to pay for editing and finishing. That campaign could be as early as the end of March – it just depends on when we get the first draft finished.

The finished story will definitely be published by January of 2016 – earlier if the Kickstarter campaign is successful. I may skip publishing a short story in the second half of 2015. I am two months behind where I was when Champion Standing was in the works. The Champion Standing Kickstarter failed, so I hope to have better response with 16Sunsets.

What I need all of you to do is this: Read 16Sunsets on this blog and comment away on each installment. Each story is tagged for easier consumption. I value my reader’s input and hope to see you in the comments section.

16Sunsets – Epilogue

Anne stared through a window – two planes of glass with diagonal wiring sandwiched between them. She hadn’t seen Bree in three weeks – ever since the events at the cabin. She had rode in silence in the helicopter, staring at the little girl she once respected, and now feared.

She had thought briefly of refusing Globe, but during the entire flight, Globe made sure Bree was the closest to Anne. If Anne were to die, she would likely be reborn at the expense of the little girl.

Globe had let Anne wander the halls of the underground facility. He acted as if she were unimportant to him. She was barred from every location save the commissary, her quarters and this one room.

She placed her hand on the glass and peered through. Peter and his only son lay strapped to gurneys, respirators forcing them to breathe. Dialysis machines strummed steadily as their blood was pumped out into an unknown machine and returned to their veins. An array of batteries lined one wall, poised to provide power to the machines forcing the two men to stay alive. Every day she wished they would die – not knowing what tests Globe and his army of doctors were doing to them.

A reflection on the glass drew her attention away from the grisly sight beyond the glass.

“There you are, Anne.”

Anne ignored Globe, so he continued. “These machines will keep the two of them alive indefinitely.” He crossed his arms and stared into the room. “The chemicals we pour into them keep them unconscious.”

Anne scoffed.

“Neither alive nor dead. These two will provide enough research to keep us busy for years to come.” His phone chirped and he looked at the display. “It looks as if Denisha has a job for you to do.”

Anne ignored him.

Globe reached up and grabbed the back of Anne’s head. He pushed it against the glass, torqueing her head to the side so she was forced to see a third gurney.

“You can join your friends any time you feel as if you’re unable to continue.” He whispered into her ear. “I would so enjoy examining the leader of the Jade Council, up close and personal.”

Globe released her and strode out of the room. She watched him leave, fighting back tears. Is there anyone who can stop this madman? She thought as she turned to follow Globe.

* * *

Joaquin staggered out of the trees and flagged down a car driving slowly on the service road. The car stopped and Joaquin ran to the driver side window. “I need your help, yo!” he called out to the driver. As the window recessed into the door, Joaquin recognized the driver.

“You?” he stammered.

Detective Frank Massey leaned over and lifted the door lock on the passenger side. He pulled on the handle and swung the passenger door open. He turned to Joaquin. “Get in Joaquin, we have work to do.”

THE END

The Sixteen Sunsets Saga continues in book two: Moonrise.

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