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FREE BOOK FEATURE: Seymour and the Asteroid

FREE BOOK FEATURE: Seymour and the Asteroid

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!  Welcome to another Free Book Feature. 

Time for something a little different: Kindle Vella, an Amazon platform that's been around for about a year and a half. Amazon gives away "tokens" that unlock Vella stories.

 

I thought Vella would be fun to try with some novellas and short stories I've written, including today's feature presentation, a sci-fi/fantasy for kids story, Seymour and the Asteroid.

Vella presents the kind of serialized fiction Charles Dickens and Mark Twain helped popularize, while borrowing from competing platforms like Wattpad and Radish.

A writer can start with Vella, and 30 days after publishing all the chapters -- known as episodes -- re-publish the story as a completed book.

Seymour is a simple tale about a boy discovering the power of self-love that includes modern-day science and old-school fantasy. It's not long -- about 6,000 words. Chapter One is currently FREE on the Vella platform.

I'll publish the remaining chapters in the next few weeks. 

 

Here's an excerpt:

Wiley rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms and swung his pajama-clad legs over the bed and slid across the cold wood floor in his bare feet. Brrr! He pulled the blanket around himself.

When he looked out the window, toward the landfill, he forgot all the cold. He let out a yelp, and caught his breath. His eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe he was really awake.

There, in the moonlight, was the long, thick girth of a dragon. Tail, claws, spines on his backside. Fat, with a big stomach that moved slowly, in and out, in and out, as he exhaled and inhaled, sound asleep.

Seymour and the Asteroid. Click It to Get It!

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BY3M3TRY

 


 


PREVIOUSLY-FEATURED TITLES


THE TROUBLE

Irish homicide detective Adam Kincaid pursues a serial killer exacting revenge for crimes connected to high-ranking Catholic Church officials.

Click It to Get It 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCXD8MVR/

Young scientist Jen Zendeck and her research team must rescue the greatest discovery in history from the universities, governments, and trillionaires fighting to keep it for themselves. A realistic take on science and discovery 20 years from now, CRIMSY is perfect for fans of Andy Weir and Michael Crichton.

◆◆◆◆◆"Loved it! Amazing plot. Very insightful on the scientific parts of the story. Great writing."

◆◆◆◆◆ "Scientific backstory excellent!"

◆◆◆◆◆ "Paints a picture of true scientists and the values they share. I recommend this to those who enjoy good dialogue, thrillers, and realistic fiction."

◆◆◆◆◆ "My type of book ... great characters, lots of thought-provoking problem solving."

◆◆◆◆◆ "Parts of this book would make a GREAT movie."

◆◆◆◆◆"A funny, thought-provoking, and well-written story of space exploration, politics, and the moral issues of scientific investigation."

Click It to Get It

Crimsy: A gripping, funny, realistic near-future sci-fi adventure

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MXY3PK6

NEWLY WIDOWED AND STRUGGLING with single fatherhood, SILHOUETTE hero and small-town prosecutor Ben Harper investigates a murder and uncovers racially-charged secrets that threaten a charismatic Black mayor's ambitious plans for New Orleans.

◆◆◆◆◆ "A fascinating read, clear and suspenseful, all the way until the end. Keeps the reader guessing and turning the page. This is a complex tale with lots of character."  

◆◆◆◆◆ "The author does a wonderful job expressing the intricacies and nuances of race in America."

◆◆◆◆◆ "Ben Harper is smart, anchored, educated, and cares about his people. Unlike many previous portrayals of Black detectives that play to various stereotypes, Ben is worthy of Black readers' admiration."

 

Click It to Get It

Silhouette: Murder, politics, New Orleans

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FH6DR48/

A heartfelt thank you to Marcie Cumberland, who reviewed The Fires of Lilliput on Goodreads and Amazon:

Thought provoking and hard to put down.

The Fires of Lilliput reads like a fascinating documentary. The fictional characters blended so well with the historical settings , it was difficult to remember this is a novel. I be recommending it to all my friends but particularly my Polish friends both Catholic and Jewish.

 

Click It to Get It

THE FIRES OF LILLIPUT

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PZDFMWY

THE FIRES OF LILLIPUT

https://heartbeatbookstore.com/product/the-fires-of-lilliput/



Thank you so much for reading!

Until next time,

Michael Martin

2,856 subscribers

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