"Amaranthine: The Heart of
Decompose", is my current novel. My other novels are out of print. I decided
to release a novella that is an abridged version of the four out of print
novels. I wanted to give my readers access to the background of the characters
but I didn't feel all four novels needed to be re-published.
I published it through Createspace and yes,
it’s out on Amazon as both paperback and kindle. I've heard publishers shy away
from previously published works, hence why I used this method for my novella.
If I have a good experience I may do more novels this way. We'll see.
If you’re wondering why I decided do full releases
of the books. Let’s just say I used to go crazy and my
original novels were all over 100K. My mom is a speed reader and I wanted my
novel to actually take her more than a day to read [laughs]. But now I trim the fluff and keep myself to a
tight 80K.
When I made my novella, I ended up turning
four books that were all over 100,000 words, into a single novella of 60,000
words. Was it hard? Not at all. I knew what needed to be done and I did it. The
only complete people have now is how many characters are in the novella. To
which I roll my eyes, I mean, I cut 2/3 of the characters, so anyone who
complains needs to try reading the originals!
Amaranthine: The Heart of Decompose
Nina R Schluntz
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Romance
Publisher: Rainstorm Press
Date of Publication: 19 December 2014
ISBN-10: 1937758532
ISBN-13: 978-1937758530
Number of pages: 230 pages
Word Count: 80,580
Cover Artist: Nina Schluntz
Book Description:
Dragons, unicorns, fairies, zombies… and Santa.
At the center of it all stands Dee, a man immortalized in legend as Decompose. An ongoing war between unicorns and dragons has led to the creation of a plague… a deadly infection Dee is the host for. Not quite human, but not a unicorn either, Dee and the plague form a symbiotic relationship, resulting in immortality of the undead kind.
Every ruling Empire has desired control of Decompose. Controlling the infection means control of the people. An intervention of an old rival, Santa, results in Dee going missing. When he resurfaces decades later, Dee has one goal: locate the mythical cure to his plague.
However, complications of the heart force Dee to decide whether he truly wants to find the cure and give up being Decompose.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/93Yoo-LcPZo
Available at Amazon
Excerpt
Jhon.
Dee focused on
the name, pulling strength from it. Jhon contained the cure. Dee had to live so
he could find Jhon. The cure was his way to correct all the wrongs he had done.
Dee ripped at
the flesh surrounding him and clawed his way to the surface. The guts of the
creature spilled out onto the ground, and he fell with them. He coughed,
spitting out bodily fluids of the creature that had eaten him.
Jhon.
Dee rolled onto
his side and threw up. The acidic stomach bile had left him temporarily
disabled. His hearing returned before his vision and he heard voices near him.
“That?” A boyish
voice asked. “That’s what you call a great and powerful present?”
“Trust me.”
Another male voice said. “Throw the net on him and all your wishes will come
true.”
“What is he, a
genie?”
“You can treat
him like one. He will be able to grant your every wish.” The older voice
sounded familiar. Air rushed into Dee’s lungs, and his heart gave a painful
beat. “Throw it over him now, before his strength returns.”
“Santa,” Dee
managed to say. He gritted his newly mended teeth and gave a low growl. What
did that man want now?
Dee’s vision
returned in time for him to see a large, light- weight fishnet fall over his
head and shoulders, covering his entire body. There was something
claustrophobic about it. The more he struggled, the more of a mess he made of
himself and the net.
“Stop moving
around like that,” the boy said. Every muscle in Dee’s body stiffened.
“Straighten the net out and get to your feet.” Dee moved as quickly as his
wounded body would allow. His skin continued to burn from the acidic digestive
juices still covering his flesh. The child before him didn’t look nearly as
young as he’d expected. He was a teenager. And a dorky looking one at that,
dressed in dark green pajamas with a cowlick on the back of his head.
“Santa, what is
this?” Dee asked.
“Show me a
trick,” the boy said. Dee obediently raised his hand and created a tennis ball
sized orb of fire. It hovered in mid- air a few inches from his hand.
“He can do
whatever you want,” Santa told the boy. “He is yours. No one will miss him.
They all think he is dead.”
Dee put the fire
out and lowered his hand. Fear rose through his healing body as he realized
Santa was right. Dee had just crawled his way out of a dragon’s belly. Everyone
who knew him thought a giant winged lizard had digested him. Even if someone
searched for his remains, they would likely find nothing awry with his missing
body.
“What is this?”
he asked again.
“You’re my
Christmas present,” the boy said.
Santa leaned in
close to Dee. “The boy is clever, Dee. He caught me in a trap. You wouldn’t
want all the children in the universe to miss the joy that Santa brings, would
you? Of course, you wouldn’t. Therefore, I bartered with him. I gave him you in
exchange for my freedom. You understand, don’t you?”
“You gave me to
him as a present? I’m not an object to be owned.”
“Well, let’s be
honest here, Dee. Most of your life has been spent in exactly that manner. At
least this time your owner only wants you for your power, not your plague.
Consider it a blessing—besides you’ll still have my visit to look forward to
every Christmas Eve.”
My plague. Dee
tried not to cringe at the reminder.
“Can you
teleport him directly to the shower? He’s disgusting. My mother will throw a
fit if he brings all that goop into the house.”
“Then you’ll
take him?” Santa asked, as though Dee were a puppy for sale at the pet store.
“Yeah, he’ll do.
Thank you, Santa.”
“I should have
thought of this years ago,” Santa said.
“Santa, please,”
Dee said. “I have to find Jhon before Emperor Emanuel does. He’s the only one
who can cure the plague.”
“I’m sure Jhon
will be fine without you, Dee.”
About the Author:
Nina Schluntz is a native to rural Nebraska. In her youth, she often wrote short stories to entertain her friends. Those ideas evolved into the novels she creates today.
Her husband continues to ensure her stories maintain a touch of realism as she delves in the science fiction and fantasy realm. And their kitty, a rescued Abyssinian, is always willing to stay up late to provide inspiration.
Visit her blog; mizner13.wordpress.com for information regarding previous and upcoming publications. She also posts book and movie reviews for a wide variety of genres.
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1 comment:
Sounds like a fantastic book, thanks for sharing it!
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