The flash fiction story Boundless is now available in ebook form. This short work shows a glimpse into the sick world of a serial killer as he toys with and tortures a young girl.
Boundless is book 3 of The Killers series. It’s the first appearance of Gary Avellis, a sadistic serial killer who features prominently in the work-in-progress (WIP) Parts. Although he doesn’t appear in it, his handiwork also appears in the WIP Bound, the sequel to Boundless.
Boundless is currently available on Smashwords. It should be rolling out to the other stores soon, with the exception of Amazon. Kindle users will need to read it online here or download the mobi from Smashwords… or wait until I have a collection that I can put up on Amazon. I’ll update Boundless’ library entry with additional links when they become available.
 |
| English: Google Logo officially released on May 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
I turned 40 not long ago. That fact alone seems rather surreal and not quite possible. Statistically speaking then, I’m about halfway through this life. True, I may not be quite at the halfway point. In fact, if I turn out to be one of those bizarre cases, it could be that I’m only a third of the way through. Or it could be that I’ve expended two-thirds or better of the time I’ve been given. We never know. But for the sake of this posting, let’s settle on half.
English: Stack of books in Gould's Book Arcade, Newtown, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In looking at my Goodreads to-be-read shelf, I see that I have over 700 books on there. That does not include all the books I’d like to read or even all of the physical books that I have sitting on bookshelves, waiting for me to pick them up. There was a time when I had to ponder what my next read would be, when I would work on one or two books at a time and had to have the physical book in front of me. Now, I can read almost anywhere and typically have a half-dozen or so in progress at any one time. I’ve become extremely picky about what I add to my shelf, only picking up unknown books by unknown authors (to me, at least) when they have at least 4.5 stars by double-digit or better reviewers. Most of the time, I don’t even open my BookBub emails anymore, because I’ve come to realize that even if I stopped adding books today and only worked on my backlog, looking at my rate of reading (which has averaged 27 books a year over the past 3 years), there’s a good chance I don’t have enough years left to get through them all. It’s a rather sad thought. True, I could read faster than I do, but what would be the point in that? I read for either the enjoyment, the knowledge, or both, and I tend to not enjoy it and not pick up as much when I speed-read. Thus, I read at the speed at which I can enjoy and get the most from the experience. That whole quality of life vs. quantity. So, I have to accept that every time I pick up a book that it may be at the expense of getting through another in this lifetime. And thus, it had better be a good read. I don’t give books nearly the chance that I once did because life is too short to waste on a mediocre or poor reading experience.
Then there is the other side of the coin to books: the writing. I’ve heard of writers bemoan the process, worried that the muse will give out and they’ll be left with nothing to write. I don’t understand that. I have the opposite problem (knock on wood that I’m not jinxing myself). I have scores of story ideas written down, even more that I’ve forgotten (although I figure that if they’re worth telling, they’ll come back to me). I work on the ones that gnaw the worst at my brain and won’t let me be and for which I think I’m up to the challenge*. Unless senility claims me early, I can’t imagine running out of stories to tell. Although, granted, I’m not able to turn them out very quickly, so maybe that’s a problem for the full-time writers. Or the unimaginative. But again, as with the reading, I don’t expect to live long enough to tell all the tales that are waiting for me to tell. And that’s just as sad to me as the fact I’ll not be able to read all that I’d like. Perhaps more so, I’ve not yet decided.
Am I the only one who thinks this? Let me know. Thanks for reading.
*Yes, Three, I know that you (and your sequel) keep gnawing at me, but I don’t think I’m up the challenge of your second draft yet. Come talk to me after Parts is done.
Ah, it’s Fall. The weather’s cooler, the leaves are changing colors, there’s sweet and tart apple cider about, and soon the kiddies will be dressing up as princesses and… wait a minute, that doesn’t sound like D Lee. Let me try again…
There’s a chill in the air. The leaves on the trees are dying, turning brown. They’ll soon release their grip, leaving stark branches outlined against a steely gray, uncaring sky. The chill worms its way into the hearts of the people who know that the Winter will soon be here, all of nature dying for another year, and forcing contemplation of our own short existences. But before old man Winter descends on the lands, we must first go through the time of the reaping, All Hallow’s Eve, when all manner of creatures – spirits and demons – get to roam the land and go bump in the night. The wise will huddle close to the fire, their shutters and curtains drawn, lest they look out their window to find something looking back.
Might as well cuddle up with a good book. And if you can’t find one of those.. well heck, have one of mine. 
All the D Lee stories are free this month*, in celebration of my favorite holiday, Halloween. The price has already been set at Smashwords and should trickle out to the other retailers they distribute to over the next few days. The only pesky ones may be Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I can’t set it as free there, so we just have to wait on a price match.
How could you ever thank me? Your readership is enough. If you really feel compelled to do more, leave a review or a comment or even send me an email. I’d love to hear from you. And if you liked it, tell a friend. And if you didn’t, lie to an enemy so they waste their time reading it, too. Bwa ha ha! And have a happy Halloween!
*To be fair, all of the currently released ones except Repetition have been free, but this month you can get Repetition free, too.
The bridge over the Haast River, north of the Haast township. At 737m it is the longest one-way road bridge in New Zealand, and the 7th longest New Zealand bridge overall. Transit New Zealand Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved on . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’m a bit late relaying this over here, but there have been a couple of updates over on the main site that I thought might be of interest to D Lee Warren fans.
