Past, Present, Future-and Free Download of My Austin Starr Short Story by Kay Kendall

Past, Present, Future—and Free Download of My Austin Starr Short Story
By Kay Kendall

Once upon a time I believed my dreams would all come true when I wrote a book. With that accomplished, of course I wanted to have it published. And then when I held it in my hands, I knew I would be ecstatic.

Those dreams did indeed come true. With lots of hard work, more than I ever imagined would be necessary, my debut mystery was published two years ago this spring. Now I have its sequel coming out this summer.

The goal posts keep moving, however. I am now striving to juggle more than one writing project at a time.  Today I will share with you how I’m doing in that regard.

CURRENT PROJECT – Free download! 

Download at Amazon

Last month I published a short story that bridges DESOLATION ROW with its sequel RAINY DAY WOMEN. The story is “Strangers on a Plane,” and through March 6, you can download it FREE on Amazon. You don’t need a Kindle to read it either. You can read “Strangers on a Plane” on other devices—your PC, Mac, cell phone, or other type of tablet. If you’ve been curious about my fiction, now is a great time to read, absolutely free.

FUTURE PROJECTS—Mysteries #2 and #3

Mystery #2, RAINY DAY WOMEN, is in its final stages before publication. I’ve done edits based on my editor’s suggestions and await her verdict on the changes I made. With my first mystery, DESOLATION ROW, I enjoyed the revision stage. I like the back-and-forth process with a professional who helps me make my book as strong as it can be. Meantime the cover, blurbs from other mystery authors, and promotional copy are in process. All of this is exciting. Almost every part of publishing thrills me—except for the torture of first drafts.

But here’s a surprise. I am shocked to confide that I am already planning mystery #3. I don’t have its name yet, although several song titles by Bob Dylan are in contention. The theme of the mystery is haunting me, and possible plot points pop into my mind now at the oddest times. I hesitate to say this, but I think, I hope, I believe—sort of—that I just may be a writer.

3 Firsts for Me!

By Kay Kendall

Here are my three firsts:                                                   

Buy at Amazon

1) My first short story.

2) My first venture into sci-fi.

3) My first self-published project.

The shortest way to explain that list above is  – I seized an opportunity.

A group of writers asked me to come aboard an anthology of short stories written around a common theme—called The Prometheus Saga. There were rules to what we could do with our alien character who dropped to earth, plus rules for making our stories as Kindle shorts available only on Amazon. Set price = 99 cents. Such a bargain.

On Monday, January 26, twelve of us published thirteen stories in The Prometheus Saga. Settings include pre-history, the American Revolution, and the sixties. That latter was mine, entitled “Strangers on a Plane.” The sixties is what I write about, always.

Fans of the suspense genre will recognize my title as an homage to the great Patricia Highsmith’s sinister novel, Strangers on a Train. But my story is not sinister. Instead, it shows my amateur sleuth Austin Starr traveling across the North American continent, rushing to the rescue of her dear friend, Larissa Klimenko. Readers who know my debut mystery DESOLATION ROW will recognize these characters.

New is an odd elderly woman who calls herself Promethea. Strange things happen. Then Austin and Promethea disembark from the plane, never to see each other again. This short story is a bridge to my next mystery, RAINY DAY WOMEN (due out this summer), and the sci-fi touch is so light that I don’t bend the mystery genre—not too much.

Why did I seize this opportunity? Advice to writers is to issue short stories in between major books as a way to keep your readers interested. While some of my author pals crank out more than one book a year, I don’t do that. Thus, this advice seemed wise.

Moreover, there was a chapter I dearly loved that for various reasons my editor suggested I chop from my next book. Here was a way to save it.

Finally, authors are encouraged these days to become “hybrids.” That means that you mix up your projects—some issued through publishers and others self-published. When I checked, the wonderful Ken Coffman, owner of Stairway Press of Seattle, was fine with my participating in The Prometheus Saga.

So, here’s the bottom line. If you ever felt a tiny urge to read my fiction and never acted on it, you now can do so for only 99 cents. You don’t even have to own a Kindle. There’s an app that lets you read “Strangers on a Plane” on your tablet, cell phone, PC, or Mac. Return to the time of America’s first moon landing, the week of the horrid Manson murders, and endless bad news from the Vietnam War. August 9, 1969—with just a hint of the paranormal!

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE E-EDITION

 OF "STRANGERS ON A PLANE"

13 stories make up The Prometheus Saga

*******   

Kay Kendall set her debut novel, DESOLATION ROW--AN AUSTIN STARR MYSTERY in 1968. The sequel RAINY DAY WOMEN (June 2015) shows her amateur sleuth Austin Starr proving her best friend didn't murder women’s liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver. A fan of historical mysteries, Kay does for the 1960s what novelist Jacqueline Winspear accomplishes for England in the 1930s–present atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit of the age. Kay is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too.