Free Book Friday June 18: The View from Here now just a little bit longer.

Without any fanfare, I added an epilogue to my published book, The View from Here.

Here is the story behind the story:

[Spoiler Alert if you haven’t read the book. Scroll down for today’s promos]

At the end of the original short story—with the same title—Thomas and April enter the cave to explore the new world. In that version, this was the ending:

After the earthquake hit, the largest on record for the area, the road to the park was deemed too hazardous to reopen. The landslide and rushing water had obliterated most of the trail system and public access areas. Known to be missing was a senior park ranger. Parts of several vehicles were found downstream from the mountain but could not be identified.

When I decided to turn the story into a novella, the problem was that they would not have been able to return by that route, so I decided to have the earthquake occur after they came back. I suppose I could have returned them to another location, which would maintain the continuity of the original plot line, but I didn’t. Artistic license? Sure, why not.

I then ended the book with April and Thomas pulling out of the parking lot. But there is a problem. I didn’t mention the aftermath of the quake, reserving that for the sequel, meaning readers of the book are left hanging. My goal was to have this as a stand-alone book. If you wanted to read more about the two characters, then the sequel is for you. If the book didn’t grab you, then you could easily walk away.

Many of the reviews mentioned that it felt like a sequel was in the works (correct), others found the ending disappointing. Upon further reading, I understood their point. I needed to end the book the same way I did the short story. But there’s a problem with this. The line : Parts of several vehicles were found downstream from the mountain but could not be identified, was meant to suggest that those were April and Thomas’s vehicles, but they had driven away, hadn’t they. So with a bit of tweaking, my ending became this:

---

Epilogue

After the earthquake hit, the largest on record for the area, the road to the park was deemed too hazardous to reopen. The landslide and rushing water obliterated most of the trail system and public access areas. Known to be missing was a senior park ranger. All other emergency personnel were able to evacuate the area prior to the quake.

An investigation is pending on the cause of the disaster.

---

Problem solved? Hmm. Now can I sneak an epilogue into a previously published book (on KDP) without having to publish it as a new edition?

Turns out you can.

-Leon

The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

---

Featured Author

Free Books

bookspry.com’s Sci-fi Freebies (June 15 – July 15)

Kindle Unlimited

Reviewers still needed!

See all current promos here: Discover New Authors and Free Books

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!