sarah stuart

What’s with the ‘part 2’ in the title?

My first blog regarding this topic and the idea was Time after Time on 7th December 2019. I thought it would keep everything neat and tidy if I used the same blog title with the addition of ‘part 2’. It doesn’t mean it’s the second book. It’s not rocket science, and if it was, the theme of the stories would be Sci-Fi … but I digress.

Mainly because I have faith in the standard of the authors there, I only promoted my blog post to the Indie Author Support and Discussion (IASD) group on Facebook.

Apart from one author and friend outside of the group I had the promise of stories from three people. As might be expected, the cusp of a new year is not a great time to capture anybody’s attention so after the minimal interest in December 2019 and January 2020 it was time to play my ace … post again in February.

Inside forty-eight hours I acquired a handful of original/unpublished stories from proposed guest authors and the promise of tales from others.

How do things now stand?

I’m pleased to report that I have completed my personal contribution (six original stories). I may add more if my imagination and time permits.

I have five original stories from guests.

My estimate at this time is that the anthology will contain at least fifteen stories of between 1,000-4,000 words. When published the eBook will be available for 99p/99c and it will also, of course, be available Free on Kindle Unlimited, as are all of my titles.

Now that I have a reasonable number of guest authors and stories, it’s just a matter of time ….

The proposed publication is July 2020, but if sufficient work is done on all of the stories (including my own), and they are ready earlier I’ll be happy to publish earlier.

I had intended to add ‘bonus’ stories of previously published work by the authors but I’ve dropped the idea to avoid upsetting those readers who don’t like finding stories they’ve found elsewhere.

I’m sure any reader or writer would agree it will be a bargain and a great collection.

***

In my latest anthology of short stories, once again I’ve aimed to create a blend of action, intrigue, suspense, and twist in the tale. I feel particularly satisfied with these tales because several of them have been in my files at some level of completion for about five or six years.

I never throw away an idea, and at least three of these stories grew from a single paragraph removed from a previous short story or novel. In their original locations, those paragraphs were excess to requirement, but nurtured, over time they grew to become stories in their own right.

Once again, to offer value to my readers I’ve included bonus stories to support the new line-up. If you decide to try my work, I’d appreciate a review—however short.

My thanks to Robert Lalonde, Penny Luker, Paul A Ruddock (PA Rudders), Sarah Stuart, Ruth Coulson (Rebecca Bryn), Senan Gil Senan, Lucinda E Clarke, Anne Francis Scott, SK Holmesley, and Lesley Hayes. All of these wonderful people are fellow members of the Indie Author Support and Discussion group on Facebook and were my beta readers for this anthology. Every one of the ten beta readers has had an impact on the stories through their valuable suggestions.