by Sarah Noffke
There isn’t one.
He looks up and surveys the audience, the barest hint of a smirk is playing on his lips as he starts talking.
“So, three authors go into a bar.” He smiles as he raises his eyebrows, “I know!” He shakes his head. “I am just as shocked and appalled as you are right now.” he continues, waiting for a few chuckles to die down. “Can you believe that not one of those sumbitches come out? Why you ask?” He smiles broadly and throws out a hand, “Because those fuckers are still in there drinking and having a good time!”
And they get that is how we are as authors.
Well, those that I’m working with. I can’t speak to the ‘authordom’ at large. I have watched different groups of people over my many years and I’m fairly sure that the creative bent that helps us be authors affects the greater proportion of authors to be different.
Sometimes, it affects us in ways that kinda suck, but kinda work. The massively introverted author who can’t stand crowds, but is yearning with all their heart for a lifetime to just fit in with their own people.
For some, it causes emotional problems that we suffer with through our full life.
For others, they are the direct opposite.
For a few, we find our tribe, and our acceptance amongst our tribe. Whether it is two of us partying in San Diego for a work weekend (and hell yes, I would write that trip off on the jet boat. Because I would use that experience in my books) or a handful.
Or a hundred, or even fifteen thousand (20booksTo50k on Facebook).
I was blessed to read a fan comment on a Facebook post this afternoon that spoke to how they felt they had found a tribe in the LMBPN family of authors (Kurtherian and Oriceran groups specifically.) This post made my afternoon.
My co-authors, collaborators, and just plain friends are all over the world. We are united by loving to read stories, and some of us by writing them. Further, we love the fact that we, the Indie Outlaws, are able to do something cool for others.
And we fucking do it.
We continue to give away Kindles, connect to Vets, support troops, and engage with you because we need it too.
If we lose our energy, you are there to lend us some of yours. If we are reaching for the finish line, you encourage us to write and to cross it. When we think our latest story is inadequate, you give us the feedback we need.
I said all of that to say Thank You for a fantastic 2017!
I could not have done what I did with these collaborators, without you supporting us and giving these stories a chance.
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael
Sneak Peek of Degeneration (Book 4)
Chapter One
Planet Sagano, Behemoth System
Heat blasted Eddie in the face as he ducked under some fallen trees, and he stayed in a crouch as he sprinted through the burning jungle. The fire at his back was growing in intensity, although the crews had been fighting it for days.
A loud crack overhead tore his attention in that direction. The fire had overwhelmed a large stand of trees, which fell in on each other until the largest chose the direction they were going to fall. Eddie rolled to the side, dirt and ash raining down on him as the burning trees hit the ground exactly where he’d been.
He didn’t pause, but rather dashed forward to clear the next part of the burning forest. His vision blurred from his incredible speed, and his feet hardly felt as though they touched the soft ground before rising again.
Flames licked the side of a building, having jumped from some nearby branches, but Eddie sped up the ladder to the house, which had been built on stilts. Entering a burning building was one thing, but entering one that was held up by wooden poles in the middle of a forest fire was something else entirely. None of this seemed at all like a good idea.
Too bad he didn’t have a choice.
The trap door at the top opened and then slammed over as Eddie spilled into the jungle hut. He scanned the room, and the smoke burned his eyes. The living space was open but there were some rooms at the back, so he ran in that direction while wiping tears out of his eyes.
He kicked the first door open and searched the room, which was empty. The structure rocked, probably from the fire consuming the front of the house, which was where the next set of rooms was located.
Without hesitating, Eddie darted for the next room and rammed his shoulder into the door, ripping it off its hinges. He still wasn’t used to his enhanced strength. After all, he’d only had this body for a short time.
Eddie pivoted to the adjacent wall and shot his foot straight at the door. The following area was empty at first glance and fire licked through the open window, spilling smoke into the space. Eddie covered his face from the blaze and was just about to turn back when something caught his eyes.
On the far side of the room between the wall and the bed was a small boy.
Thank the fucking stars! Eddie thought, relief swelling in his chest. “Come on!” yelled Eddie, extending a hand to the kid, who was about four years old. The boy’s large eyes stared at the intruding fire, and his face was swollen and red from the heat.
“It’s okay! Come on, pal,” said Eddie. He dashed forward and scooped the kid into his arms, the heat more intense on that side of the room. “Hold on to me.”
The child clutched Eddie’s neck tightly and his legs wrapped around his waist.
Eddie ducked as much as he could with the boy attached to him, and ran out. Eddie could hear the boy sobbing, although it was barely audible over the sound of the fire destroying the house. He wrapped an arm around the child’s back and shielded his eyes from the smoke, which was thicker now, with the other.
“It’s going to be all right,” said Eddie, screaming to be heard over the crackling flames.
The boy vibrated with terror as Eddie carried him back to the trap door and ladder. The house rocked again, this time sliding forward, and Eddie lost his footing and slipped. The floor was at an angle now, and the stilts weren’t going to stay upright much longer. Eddie realized that they were at the bottom of the house, so if it fell over they’d be crushed in the burning destruction.
Eddie threw his weight and that of the small child forward to try to make up the ground they’d lost when the building tilted. He pressed his boots hard into the tilted floor, but it felt as though he were trying to climb a slick mountain.
The fire had now overtaken most of the main living area, and it was closing in on them fast. Without a second glance Eddie shuffled over to the ladder and clumsily crouched, locating the first rung with his boot. It was harder to manage with the boy clenched to his front, but there was no time to change positions.
“Hold on tight,” he said to the boy. “We’re getting out of here!”
The child nodded against Eddie’s chest, his face pushing into him hard. Eddie climbed down, although now the ladder was leaning. The fire had crawled under the house and was eating at two of the four stilts and, now overhead, the wooden floor creaked and ached.
A loud crack shook the structure and the house dropped two feet. The boy’s body tensed against Eddie’s torso as his gaze flew to the stilt on the right, which had splintered and was barely holding.
The house groaned, fire now spreading over the floor above them and heading for the ladder.
Making an impromptu decision, Eddie jumped backward off the ladder, wrapping his arms around the child as they plummeted down. By crouching as they hit he relieved the brunt of the fall, and now, finally on the ground, he hunched over and started running.
A tumultuous crash echoed behind them. The house was leaning aggressively forward and it started to fall, so Eddie kicked it into high gear and barreled away faster than he had ever run ever before. The heat from the fire seared his back, and smoke and fire shot from the building as it crashed to the ground right behind him. He’d barely made it out! He kept running as trees
toppled toward him in the wake of the collapse of the burning house.
The rush of heat made Eddie’s skin feel like it was melting, but he kept his head tucked and pressed the boy against him as he sped back the way he’d come. Only a little farther, he said to himself, unable to say anything aloud. He wasn’t out of breath from running, but rather from the smoke he’d been inhaling since this started.
Fire had taken over most of the jungle, and it was closing in on them. Eddie leapt over a burning log since he didn’t see a clear path around it, then ducked under a curtain of vines and leaves, smoking and singed at the ends. Soon the entire area would be engulfed.
The boy jostled Eddie’s body oddly, but his weight didn’t slow him down. The threat of burning to death was motivation enough for him to hurtle through the flames, but finally Eddie burst into a clearing where the ground was already charred and the tree stumps still smoking. The fire had already consumed the trees and since been extinguished. This had been where it all started.
Eddie halted, and after heaving in a giant breath he tried to unclasp the boy’s hands from behind his neck. For a little guy he was strong, and clearly not willing to let go.
“Hey, buddy. You’re okay. You’re safe,” said Eddie, patting the kid on the back gently. The child relaxed a little and slowly pulled away, staring at him with large brown eyes. He cried softly, tears glistening down his cheeks.
“That’s it. Take a breath. It’s okay,” said Eddie.
“Dracott!” a woman yelled in the distance. She ran in their direction with her brown hair flying behind her.
The boy whipped his head around, and another sob emerged from his mouth. He pushed away from Eddie eagerly now, dropping to his feet and sprinting for the woman. “Mommy!” yelled Dracott.
When the two met on the charred ground, the woman grabbed her son and cradled him to her. She was shaking and crying as she clutched the boy, pinning him into her chest.
Eddie strode toward them, seeking refuge from the heat of the fire at his back. In the distance he saw the team, who were tirelessly trying to quell the stubborn fire which had taken over this part of the jungle and was destroying many homes and much animal habitat.
When Eddie approached, Dracott’s arms were wrapped around his mother’s neck and his head resting on her shoulder like he was ready for a nap after the whole ordeal. The woman rubbed her son’s lean back, tears still puddling in her eyes.
“Thank you, sir. I cannot thank you enough for what you did,” said the woman, her voice vibrating with relief.
Eddie smiled at the mother and son, finally reunited.
Julianna approached from the side. She had a sly smile on her face, and didn’t seem relieved to see him safe after entering the forest fire.
“You’re absolutely welcome,” said Eddie to the woman. “Now, you two should get as far from the fire as possible. Dracott has inhaled a lot of smoke.”
The woman nodded and carried her son away.
“You weren’t worried about me, were you?” Eddie asked Julianna when she paused beside him to stare at the retreating woman and child.
“When did I have time to worry? I was timing you,” joked Julianna.
A laugh popped from his mouth. “What was my time?”
“Two minutes and ten seconds,” answered Julianna.
“And you didn’t worry even a little bit?” asked Eddie.
Julianna cut her eyes at him. “Maybe toward the end, but I knew you were going to drag that boy to safety one way or another.”
“Poor kid! He was terrified,” said Eddie.
“Yeah, fires like this bring chaos. It was a shame that he got lost, but at least you jumped in to save him,” said Julianna.
Eddie surveyed the burning jungle. “What do you think? Is there more we can do here?”
“The fire crew says they could use an extra few hands on the eastern perimeter. They’re trying to fence in the fires there,” said Julianna.
Eddie slapped his hands together, rubbing them eagerly. They’d had Pip monitor the radios, listening for disasters on nearby planets just so Eddie could swoop in and do something brave. That was how he was breaking in his newly enhanced body.
“I’m ready! Let’s do this,” said Eddie, ambling forward.
“You think you’re going to get this adventuring out of your system soon?” asked Julianna from beside him.
“Does it ever wear off, having these enhancements?” he asked.
“No, not really. Not for me, anyway,” said Julianna.
Eddie grinned. “Then no. What’s the point in having this body and not using it?”
Acknowledgements
Sarah Noffke and J.N. Chaney
Thank you to Michael Anderle for taking our calls and allowing us to play in this universe. It’s been a blast since the beginning.
Thank you to Craig Martelle for cheering for us. We’ve learned so much working with you. This wild ride just keeps going and going.
From Sarah: Thank you to my coauthor and friend, Jeff Chaney. You push me as a writer in ways I never dream about. I try to keep you grounded, but I honestly think you’re the one who keeps me from floating off the Earth.
Thank you to Jen, Tim, Steve, Andrew and Jeff for all the work on the books, covers and championing so much of the publishing.
Thank you to our beta team. We can’t believe how fast you all can turn around books. The JIT team sometimes scares me, but usually just with how impressively knowledgeable they are.
Thank you to our amazing readers. We asked ourselves a question the other day and it had a strange answer. We asked if we would still write if trapped on a desert island and no one would ever read the books. The answer was yes, but the feeling connected to it was different. It wouldn’t be as much fun to write if there wasn’t awesome readers to share it with. Thank you.
Thank you to our friends and family for all the support and love.
About Sarah Noffke
Sarah Noffke, an Amazon Best Seller, writes YA and NA sci-fi fantasy, paranormal and urban fantasy. She is the author of the Lucidites, Reverians, Ren, Vagabond Circus, Olento Research and Soul Stone Mage series. Noffke holds a Masters of Management and teaches college business courses. Most of her students have no idea that she toils away her hours crafting fictional characters. Noffke's books are top rated and best-sellers on Kindle. Currently, she has eighteen novels published. Her books are available in paperback, audio and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. http://www.sarahnoffke.com
Check out other work by this author here.
The Soul Stone Mage Series:
House of Enchanted #1:
The Kingdom of Virgo has lived in peace for thousands of years…until now.
The humans from Terran have always been real assholes to the witches of Virgo. Now a silent war is brewing, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Princess Azure will soon be crowned queen of the Kingdom of Virgo.
In the Dark Forest a powerful potion-maker has been murdered.
Charmsgood was the only wizard who could stop a deadly virus plaguing Virgo. He also knew about the devastation the people from Terran had done to the forest.
Azure must protect her people. Mend the Dark Forest. Create alliances with savage beasts. No biggie, right?
But on coronation day everything changes. Princess Azure isn’t who she thought she was and that’s a big freaking problem.
Welcome to The Revelations of Oriceran. Check out the entire series here.
The Lucidites Series:
Awoken, #1:
Around the world humans are hallucinating after sleepless nights.
In a sterile, underground institute the forecasters keep reporting the same events.
And in the backwoods of Texas, a sixteen-year-old girl is about to be caught up in a fierce, ethereal battle.
Meet Roya Stark. She drowns every night in her dreams, spends her hours reading classic literature to avoid her family’s ridicule, and is prone to premonitions—which are becoming
more frequent. And now her dreams are filled with strangers offering to reveal what she has always wanted to know: Who is she? That’s the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. But will Roya live to regret learning the truth?
Stunned, #2
Revived, #3
The Reverians Series:
Defects, #1:
In the happy, clean community of Austin Valley, everything appears to be perfect. Seventeen-year-old Em Fuller, however, fears something is askew. Em is one of the new generation of Dream Travelers. For some reason, the gods have not seen fit to gift all of them with their expected special abilities. Em is a Defect—one of the unfortunate Dream Travelers not gifted with a psychic power. Desperate to do whatever it takes to earn her gift, she endures painful daily injections along with commands from her overbearing, loveless father. One of the few bright spots in her life is the return of a friend she had thought dead—but with his return comes the knowledge of a shocking, unforgivable truth. The society Em thought was protecting her has actually been betraying her, but she has no idea how to break away from its authority without hurting everyone she loves.
Rebels, #2
Warriors, #3
Vagabond Circus Series:
Suspended, #1:
When a stranger joins the cast of Vagabond Circus—a circus that is run by Dream Travelers and features real magic—mysterious events start happening. The once orderly grounds of the circus become riddled with hidden threats. And the ringmaster realizes not only are his circus and its magic at risk, but also his very life.
Vagabond Circus caters to the skeptics. Without skeptics, it would close its doors. This is because Vagabond Circus runs for two reasons and only two reasons: first and foremost to provide the lost and lonely Dream Travelers a place to be illustrious. And secondly, to show the nonbelievers that there’s still magic in the world. If they believe, then they care, and if they care, then they don’t destroy. They stop the small abuse that day-by-day breaks down humanity’s spirit. If Vagabond Circus makes one skeptic believe in magic, then they halt the cycle, just a little bit. They allow a little more love into this world. That’s Dr. Dave Raydon’s mission. And that’s why this ringmaster recruits. That’s why he directs. That’s why he puts on a show that makes people question their beliefs. He wants the world to believe in magic once again.