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There’s a strange thing about me. Time slows down when I am in trouble; the more trouble, the slower it goes. I know that sounds like something people say and when I tell people they nod and agree. Some even give me scientific explanations. Adrenaline gets your heart racing, and when you’re used to sixty beats a minute, jumping up to one twenty can makes things seem twice as long. And sure, I get that. I understand the internal workings of that. With me it’s external. It happens before the adrenaline rush, before I know anything is going on.
That’s the best I can explain it and I don’t know if anyone else has this happen to them. Most people just think it sounds crazy. I’ve been called that enough times in my life to not talk about it too much. Part of me always hoped I would grow out of it like childhood buck-teeth or something, but alas, no such luck for me. I don’t even usually go this far in explanation except today, today is too weird. Just now, I woke up and it seems like I am the only thing moving. It’s almost too much to even think about. I have no idea what I should be worried about. Usually the danger is kind of obvious. I mean, I can see if I’m standing on a street corner at a busy intersection or on some rickety bridge. But I’m just here, in my apartment, waking up after a good night’s sleep. I look around my room for a clue. It’s 8:37 a.m. and the world is so frozen that the two dots on the digital clock face stands steady. I can feel the panic rising from worry. The unknown is enough to set it off I guess. I lean over my window to look at the street below. The cars look like set pieces. Even the exhaust fumes hover behind them like clouds in a Bob Ross painting. The window creaks and I jump back. The sound is low and slow. Will it break? Will it give out under the pressure of my hand? The building is old but not that old. No, it’s not the window. I move out into the large open room that serves as living space as well as dining room and kitchen. I don’t smell gas. No blockbuster movie explosion. Then I see it. The door is open. Just slightly, as if someone meant to close it but didn’t know that the latch is sticky and the hinges are crooked so if you don’t turn the handle back it won’t actually stay closed. I don’t know what to do with myself. It’s never been like this. I must be in true danger: life-threatening danger. Is someone here to kill me? Why would they be? That’s not their job, after all. Right. I forgot to mention, I may or may not be an assassin for hire. The time thing opened up a few doors for me. This one is the best paying. You can’t avoid a bit of danger in this line of work and that danger only makes the job easier. This though, is different. Another creak, louder than the one from the window, makes me spin around. I catch sight of the man in dark clothes in the corner. I let out a snort. Now that I know the threat I can avoid it. My advantage is almost unfair – a few quick steps and he hardly has the time to blink. I grab for a knife from the block. It will be messy but clean up doesn’t faze me. I am in his space and it seems like he hasn’t even moved. I raise the knife and look into his eyes. He winks and I feel the sting of a bullet in my stomach. I fall to the ground and he bends over me.I hear the ticking of my kitchen clock- the danger is over. I am almost relieved. I am not the only one after all.
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I’ve had my freebie up on amazon for awhile now. It is a complication of the free stories on my site and/or ones from previous blogs. Each one has had their own reviews from blog readers as they came out and I was glad to put them together in a more user-friendly way. But, now even with well over 200 downloads I have no reviews. It's solidly in the top 20 in sci-fi/fantasy short reads, top 100 for Literature & Fiction Short Reads and even top 500 in all horror in the kindle store.
I know that some people ‘acquire’ reviews and honestly I have been given physical products in exchange for reviews - never fiction though - and I have seen books with reviews that give me an inkling that this has happened. But I don’t want anyone to get that kind of inkling from my works. I dont have the budget to back any big marketing push or anything right now, but as I look forward and think about querying my novel I would love to get some reviews up. Ugh. If however you would be up for thoughtful review trades I would be up for that and I don’t see that as being an issue for Amazon. Feel free to comment or email me if your hook book is in the same situation as mine. Or if you have the magic secret of kindle reviews and are willing to share it, drop that in the comments too? Anyway, shameless self promotion link here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MTSQ4QQ We all need beta readers. Obviously for your own work to get it through revisions, but I also think we should all BE beta readers too. All writers read a lot, and in doing that it is easy to forget that every published, well reviewed story was once a first draft (and a 2nd and 3rd and 5th). And those drafts often don't look anything like what comes out in the end. There are plot holes, underdeveloped characters, typos, and the list goes on.
Taking on the role of a beta reader you get to see those early drafts. Often they have had some sort of preliminary edits done, but they are still fresh. They're not perfectly polished yet and they are an excellent reminder that every manuscript starts somewhere. Offer to trade beta reads, or if you don't have something ready but have some time just make the offer to read. It will give you a whole new outlook on the process and you will see that while everyone writes differently everyone has stages of imperfection. That will probably allow you to give your work the time and space to improve. You will see that you are not special in you (perceived) awfulness. (No offense to anyone - but haven't we all put out a terrible sentence at least once?) Looking behind the curtain is a great way to understand that you are not alone. Plus you get to help a fellow writer and I guarantee that you will take back something to your own manuscript too. So go forth and find some writing buddies! As The Shine Box is going out for beta reading I have been playing with cover designs. This one has had so many yet after a break I am never happy with them. They haven't been something that would make me want to pull the book off the shelf. This round though I think that my vision and abilities have lined up. I think that I have one this time! Now my only issue is that the one I like better is the one that fits a little less. I like them both and they both work well enough. I know that I should choose the one that really fits the story AND is plenty eye catching. I just have a soft spot for the artistic appeal of the other one. Without saying more that would give away my preference, here are the two covers:  I have also sent them out to the betas so that they can give me their impression once they have read the story. But of course your opinion matters too! Which do you prefer? Teal/Black or Blue/Orange?
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