Wattpad Featured Author

I'm pleased to announce that the fine people at wattpad are featuring one of my stories.




This is the short story that planted the seed which would eventually grow into Hollow World. My intention for this particular piece, was to have a "Twilight Zone" ending.  Where the main character isn't a very nice guy and gets "just what he deserves."  While there are many similarities:

• Both Dan Sturges and Ellis Rogers build a time machine and go to the future because they are dying.
• In both "futures" the people are genetically identical and live underground due to advance technology, leaving the "surface" in a pristine, natural state.

But that's really where the similarities end. Dan was written to be unlikable, and for a full-length novel I needed someone more sympathetic.  Also he is pretty much a card-board stereotype. In this short story it's not about growth of a character (which is pretty hard in a short story as they exist for just a few reading minute), it was more about showing that an inability to adjust to one's environment could lead to disastrous results. It also demonstrates the old, be careful what you wish for theme.

Also, the people in Hollow World would never do to Dan what Dan's future versions do. I don't want to say too much, as it might spoil the story.  But let's just say the people he run into have almost 180 degree different view on how people should be treated.

For those who aren't familiar with wattpad, it's an online community were writers can post stories, poems, or just about anything else.  Most people read these stories via their smart phones and they are voracious readers.  Here are some stats (as of April 2014)

• 85 percent of its traffic and usage comes from mobile devices
• 25 million unique visitors per month
• over 1,000 story uploads per day

I've uploaded a number of short stories (and previews) on that site including:

• Greener Grass (dystopian science fiction short story)
• Burning Alexandria (dystopian science fiction short story)
• The Jester (a Riyria short story - originally published in Unfettered)
• The Thieves (a Riyria short story - also the first chapter of Theft of Swords)
• The Viscount  (a Riyria short story - also the second chapter of The Rose and the Thorn)
• Hollow World, Extended Preview (first 4 chapters of the full-length novel)

If you want to checkout my stories, click here.