Zombies are on the loose and the world is falling apart. In the tradition of apocalyptic novels such as Stephen King’s THE STAND, a group of strangers on a Manhattan subway are brought together in the name of survival. The group follows the lead of Ari Brenner, a young man who doesn’t recognize his own leadership qualities and believes they follow him simply because he wears an army uniform. Lila Teske, a college student studying philosophy, finds her non-violent beliefs tested in the crucible of a zombie attack. There are other members of the diverse group, but the focus of the story is on Ari and Lila, two young people who learn about sacrifice and inner strength through the ordeal.
With the city’s infrastructure down and communication with the outside world curtailed the survivors head toward the nearest marina. When they meet a lab tech who may have a solution to the virus, they know his safety is paramount and it’s more important than ever that they get off the island. But zombies aren’t the only danger that impedes them on their perilous journey.
The story has kind of a young adult feel because of the age of the protagonists but with more violence and sex than you'd probably normally find in a young adult level book. Coming from writing erotic romance, it was hard to tone down the frank language. Because this is a new genre for me, I'm very interested to know if I handled the suspense and action well. It's hard to tell if the pacing is right when you're in the thick of writing it and busy planning out what has to happen next. I would LOVE feedback, both positive and negative. If the story doesn't work for you, I want to know that too--and why. I've been writing for a long time now and have gotten very used to criticism. I won't cry like a little girl if you hated it.
BTW, you can download 50% of the book for free at Smashwords to check it out before you buy. Wish Amazon gave the same option. They only allow you to download a snippet.
Joined: Apr 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 2,000 Karma: 44
Re: After the End « Reply #2 on May 23, 2010, 9:46pm »
I just finished The Killing Moon (review to come shortly), and I think After the End is going to be my next read. I should be able to start it tomorrow.
May the road gangs never meet you. May the wind be fallout-free. May the sun shine through the ashes, hot rain not fall on thee. And until we meet again, may no one hold your flesh in the palm of their hand.
Re: After the End « Reply #3 on May 24, 2010, 3:03am »
Now that I want to read it, smashwords isn't available I'd demand a paperback version, but for 2,99$ (for me, it seems to be 5,74$ with the explanation page running into 404), I won't whine much Still, I'll wait until smashwords decides to respond...
Joined: May 2010 Gender: Female Posts: 40 Karma: 1
Re: After the End « Reply #4 on May 26, 2010, 6:55am »
No paperback. AFter a while, if I feel it's worth it, I'll look into using Amazon's Createspace or another service to make a paper version.
Hope you like it and it's not too relationshipy or girly for you...I do come from a romance writing background. Writing a lot of suspense and action (other than sex) is hard work!
I'm a happy camper because After the End hit the top 100 bestseller lists in both Horror and Action/Adventure at Amazon, albeit in the bottom third. (In Kindle books overall bestseller list that puts it in the 1,000 range) Of course those lists change constantly as books shuffle for position. I'm having a blast being able to check the number sold at my dashboard at any time. I feel empowered not working through a publisher for a change.
Joined: Apr 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 2,000 Karma: 44
Re: After the End « Reply #5 on May 26, 2010, 12:40pm »
I'm only about 50 pages in, but I like it so far. At least nothing has jumped out at me as leaving a negative impression, as is often the case when I read independent or self-published titles.
May the road gangs never meet you. May the wind be fallout-free. May the sun shine through the ashes, hot rain not fall on thee. And until we meet again, may no one hold your flesh in the palm of their hand.
Joined: Apr 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 2,000 Karma: 44
Re: After the End « Reply #7 on Jun 5, 2010, 2:22pm »
Finished it this week. I'll be writing up a real review soon, but for now, here are my micro-thoughts.
Really liked it Started strong, slowed in the middle, ended strong Will I read it again some day? Probably not, but absolutely would read a sequel Enjoyed the characters More "lovey-dovey" stuff than usual for the genre, but not intrusive
May the road gangs never meet you. May the wind be fallout-free. May the sun shine through the ashes, hot rain not fall on thee. And until we meet again, may no one hold your flesh in the palm of their hand.
Joined: May 2010 Gender: Female Posts: 40 Karma: 1
Re: After the End « Reply #8 on Jun 7, 2010, 4:56pm »
Thanks. Good to hear it. Since this is a new avenue for me, I'm glad to know it works. Book's been creeping up at Amazon. Was at 45 in the top 100 for Horror for about two minutes.
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