Desperation: A Story of Illusions, Magical and Otherwise

 

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Introduction (Tablo)

I will have to start by begging your forgiveness, gentle reader. I am under contractual obligation until early April not to bring this book over here. I've been generally dissatisfied with the tools available to me on Amazon for writing a serial novel. Unless I want to make everybody pay an obscene amount of money to keep up or pay attention to specific free or reduced days, their platform just isn't for an independent serial effort. So... new plan. Tablo will finally get me to sit down and write here.

I like City Owl Press. I should be upfront about that. If anybody has a solid romance or speculative fiction novel they want to see in print, and they want to make money off of it, I can recommend no one higher. I've been delighted with how they have handled my Modern Knights urban fantasy series. But serial novels don't fit well in a traditional publishing model, particularly when reader feedback is wanted to shape the story.

But Tablo... here I can tell my story of vagabond tricksters, street rats, and smugglers on the run, piece by piece, with plenty of room for feedback. Amazon's prices are fine for the dedicated fan (*blush* And my deepest gratitude to those of you that are out there), but here perhaps we can make some new friends along the way. My intention is to make this book free to anyone willing to journey with us... and I'll provide links to patreon (www.pateron.com/jbader) and my City Owl books for those that want to help feed myself and my children.

The countdown starts. As soon as I legally can, Parts One, Two, and Three of Desperation will make their appearance here in full. Spread the word.

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Dedication

To J.R.R. Tolkien and Timothy Wienecke,

Who both taught me something about the enjoyment

Of a well-paced fantasy in gradual parts.

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Preface

The idea of a serial is nothing new. Comic books and soap operas are both attempts to tell a story over time in pieces and parts, allowing audience reaction to shape the tale. As far back as Charles Dickens, authors took up the gauntlet of telling a story in deliberate pieces, often for economic reasons. There are two developments of note for the serialist of today: social media and e-books. Social media allows readers a level of interaction with the material they have never had before. If a reader has a question about my book, they can look me up on Facebook and Twitter and message me their question instantly. (Trust me, it’s happened with my Modern Knights series more than once.) The e-book is also important, because it means a serial doesn’t have to pre-sell a certain number of copies for it to be economically viable. I can release this tomorrow and trust that my writing skills (and my Amazon followers) will attract readers over time.

So, why this serial? I’m committing to thirteen months of the story at this point. On the first week of the month, every month, between now and January 2017, I’ll release a new episode. Readers have a month to read, digest, and discuss on social media. I’ll shape the next part of the story based on reader feedback and storytelling needs. This is your chance to collectively choose your own adventure in a high fantasy setting.

With no further ado, then, I give you the first installment of Desperation…

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Chapter One

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Chapter Two

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Chapter Three

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Chapter Four

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Chapter Five

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Chapter Six

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Chapter Seven

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Chapter Eight

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Chapter Nine

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Chapter Ten

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Chapter Eleven

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Chapter Twelve

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Chapter Thirteen

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Chapter Fourteen

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Chapter Fifteen

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Chapter Sixteen

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Chapter Seventeen

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Chapter Eighteen

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Chapter Nineteen

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Chapter Twenty

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Chapter Twenty One

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Chapter Twenty Two

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Temporary Endings

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~

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