HUNTER is coming…

Check it out:

Hunter-Cover-A

A little excerpt from Hunter can be found in this post. Or you can keep reading here:

Pyke chased the girl down a street still wet with the afternoon’s rainfall. A thin sliver of moon was glowing behind the thinning clouds, but it wasn’t bright enough to pierce the darkness between thefew street lamps that still worked. The girl was fast. He had to stay close, or she’d escape. 

Pyke had let the girl put about 500 feet between them when she ranthrough a bright pool of light and was swallowed by darkness. When she didn’t reappear, Pyke knew he had her, for there was only one place she could have gone. He followed her through a once-ornate gateway into the old city, where the colony had been founded a century before.

Her footfalls echoed off rows of empty windows down narrow streets that seemed to turn back on themselves, an ancient trick intended to confuse invaders. When the Gan arrived, they solved this puzzle by simply bombarding most of the buildings and walls from low orbit until there weren’t many places left to hide. Hunters like Pyke—a second-generation Goa colonist who’d grown up in the old city—knew every twist, every turn, every blind alley and every hidden basement.

It wasn’t the first time Pyke had pushed a rebel into the avenues. In the six months he’d been working for the Gan, he’d let dozens of terrified patriots think they were making their escape into the old city’s maze-like streets, only to trap them in one of its countless dead ends, where he’d have a little fun before turning them over to his masters.

He heard a splash just down the block, followed by a yelp. She must have fallen in a puddle, Pyke thought. Shallow craters were everywhere in these streets; filled with water, they made quite effective traps. Pyke slowed to a jog and grinned. It was only a matter of time now.

Hunter will be released a little later today, and I'm starting to feel some apprehension breaking through the excitement. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how I would do this, from putting epub and mobi and pdf files at Lulu and smashwords for 99 cents, to putting it here for free.

Because I've never done anything like this before, I ultimately decided to do the pay what you want model. I hope it works, because I'd like to use it in the future for short fiction projects, until I have enough short works of fiction to make a collection that's worthy of the printed page.

26 thoughts on “HUNTER is coming…”

  2. O man, I love the cover! And I think some apprehension is good, it keeps you on your toes. So long as it doesn’t outgrow your excitement. I will certainly buy Hunter, I want to know how this story continues. Thank you for being so creative (and awesome ;)).

  3. I got to say, Wil. anything you write is printworthy, but I can see what you mean. As I’m addicted to the ancient ways; the physical book, I’ll probably wait, – even though I want to read this right away.
    <3 you rock!

  7. Ok Wil, your teaser has me hooked! Very much looking forward to reading the complete story and any future fiction you release. I’ve been working my way through your non-fiction releases and actually purchased The Day After twice by (my) mistake (bought it on lulu once for each release). No, I do *not* want a refund 🙂 I’m sure someone I know would appreciate it and now I don’t even have to debate if I’m stealing by sharing a copy with them. Cheers!

  11. In for $5, looking forward to reading it when the stars align (and the Ardbeg kicks in).
    Now, when do we get a spoken word album? I swear, you reading Star Spangled Banner to a Molly Lewis uke track – fried gold.

  13. Just finished reading and donating, I absolutely loved it. Just like in Day After, your command of mood is fantastic, and your exposition is smooth and near seamless. I’m so glad you took a leap of faith, and put this great story out there. I’d also like to ask if you think Stephen King influences your writing? I’ve heard you cite On Writing before, and I think I can see some stylistic similarities between you and Mr. King.
    Thanks for the Story
    Props for the Prose
    Ross

  14. downloaded! and the reason you got a random donation of .72 is because you were born in 72, not because I am cheap. Thanks!

  15. Pretty good story, Wil, I liked it a lot. The story was gripping, and tense, and it left me wanting to know more. If you ever expand it to novel-size, I’ll by a (virtual) box of ’em.

  16. I read the story for free, and I came back to pay $1.69.
    Some editing from the epub version:
    Page 8 of 25: “But if she just stared…” I assume that ‘If’ was supposed to be removed.
    Page 11 of 25: The sentence about Pyke’s sap clattering. It feels awkward that his name is used twice. Also, that’s a compound sentence, and it needs a comma before the ‘and’.
    [/EndEdit]
    I really liked the story. I’d be interested in reading more if you go back to this place. How many villains cause pain with hugs!? The Kraken? I can’t think of any others right now. Do you plan to expand on this setting?
    Good stuff.

  17. Most excellent story! I want more, please! I donated the $.99 that you originally priced it at in hopes of encouraging you to take this and make it into a book. It definitely has a “first chapter” that hooks you right in.

  18. Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
    King is a huge influence (older King, not so much the newer stuff) and On Writing is something I go back to over and over again for inspiration and guidance.

  22. Hey! I tossed you five bucks – a buck a page – and I’m looking forward to reading it! (If you ever want to return the favor, grab a copy of my co-written business book, “I Hate People!” – you can get an electronic edition for about twice what I just paid you, and that’s for over 200 pages of snarky advice on how to deal with idiots and morons in the workplace…)
    Cheers!
    Marc Hershon

  23. Mmmm. OK then, some proper constructive criticism.
    The concept feels too big for a Sloane’s teddy treatment, but the treatment is too cramped and the courses delivered too swiftly to satisfy.
    There’s not enough fleshing out of the characters to draw me in to their stories. They’re just exposed catspaws for the narrator. But I do want to read more about the greater tale of the colony and the Gan.
    There’s at least a novella there, and I want to read it. But please, run the next tranche past a copy editor. You have literally thousands of Wheatonites standing by to polish your junk before you open your kimono next time.

  24. Ok. You sucked me in. I admit it. I couldn’t just *take* the story for free, you’re one of my heroes. And I loved it. Would love to see it as a novel, tv-series, game.. I loved it.
    You were my first e-book purchase by the way. (you were gentle.)
    Oh,and I only had 2$ left on my card,so that’s what you got.

  26. I downloaded your engaging short story read it on my kobo
    and sent my donation.
    I want more!
    Please Wil I have to know what happens next.
    Thank you can I have more please sir.

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