Anthem's Fall (60 page)

Kristen carefully pulled the slide from its protective case and held it up for him to see. The crimson stain of blood—of Sejero genetics—glinted in the sunlight, crude and bare. Beyond the slide held between her thumb and forefinger, looming high above the exodus, the great pillar of dust billowed southward across the vast skyline of New York, a curtain of darkness and doubt challenging the certainty of their world.

“We have their blood,” Kristen said with anticipation and dread as she gazed exhaustedly at the slide and the maimed city beyond. “And with it we can defeat them.”

“Sir,” an assistant approached General Redford with another printed photograph. “The analysts just sent this image through the wire. It’s the first reliable close-up of the man who saved the city.”

The general reached out and held it in his hands for all of them to see.

Kristen’s curiosity roused, she leaned over to look at the man who had saved all of their lives. Her expression froze. For a fleeting moment, she grasped the significance, the absolute enormity of who he was.

“That’s . . . not . . . possible . . . ” she heard her own voice speak. At last, her logic could take no more. Kristen felt her mind go blank, and she willingly passed out on the spot, her shoulders sinking into the nearby soldiers.

A note to you, reader:

I’d like to personally extend to you my sincerest thanks for giving “S.L. Dunn” and
Anthem’s Fall
a chance. You have just finished an “indie” novel, which is really just a hip way for me to say
Anthem’s Fall
is self-published. At every stage of writing, editing, marketing, and completing all the other endless tasks that went into this novel, it was just me. No big New York editing team. No assigned design team. No promotional department. No cash advancement. No advice.

Just me. But I wasn’t lonely, because at all times I was accompanied by my hope of you: my future reader.

Unlike stories you might have heard about self-publishing being a contingency or a plan B for writers, it was a choice I willingly and consciously made. I never contacted a publishing house or a literary agent with
Anthem’s Fall
because, truthfully, I didn’t want to give control of Kristen, Gravitas and Vengelis to anyone who did not share my vision—a vision that perhaps you have come to value as well.

Now.

Because I chose to self-publish, there is a huge obstacle that
Anthem’s Fall
must overcome. That obstacle is discoverability. This novel doesn’t have a promotional team sending
Anthem’s Fall
press releases to its rolodex of endless media contacts. But there is a way
Anthem’s Fall
can gain traction and grow—and that is, quite simply, through you. This novel will stand or fall purely based off its readers, and that is a refreshing notion.

So if you liked
Anthem’s Fall
, review it. Right now. Go tell the world your thoughts! Don’t say anything that isn’t the truth, but it’s essential that you get onto those websites and get reviews out there. I want to hear what you think, good or bad. I take every review to heart, and I can use them to hone my craft. If you want to do even more or get in touch with me, then come aboard
www.sldunn.com
, sign up for my newsletter and/or shoot me an email, and I’ll show you how far down this labyrinth goes (and more importantly, how you can personally help).

Anthem’s Fall
is just the very, very beginning.

Yours Sincerely,

Sean

P.S. When you sign up for my newsletter I’ll send you the first chapter of
Anthem’s Fall
’s sequel, currently titled
Herculaneum
and set for a Fall 2014 release.

S.L. Dunn is the debut author of Anthem’s Fall, a novel he wrote amid the wanderings of his mid twenties. He has written while living intermittently in St. John USVI, Boston, Maine and Seattle. Raised on big screen superheroes and pop science fiction, he sought to create a novel that bridged a near-sci-fi thriller with a grand new fantasy. He currently resides in Seattle with his girlfriend Liz and their dog Lucy, and is hard at work completing the next book of the Anthem’s Fall series. Get in touch at
www.sldunn.com
.

There were many people who helped me create
Anthem’s Fall
. For accepting the charge of beta reading early drafts, thanks to Debra Dunn, Evan Dunn, Liz Borgatti, Matt Sheridan, Jon Kalinoski, Chris McDermott, Andy Reed, Jenn Sherman, Adam Weiner, Rebecca Harris and Shane Armstrong. I’d also like to thank the steady handed editing of Anna Drexler and Amanda Triplett.

A few special thanks:

I had pretty much given up on
Anthem’s Fall
when my girlfriend Liz encouraged me beyond all reason to continue my pursuit. I can say without a doubt that this novel would still be an out of sight file on my laptop had it not been for her support.

For encouraging me ever forward in this “authoring” endeavor, I thank my Mom. As I write this section, a particular memory comes to mind. I remember reviewing weekly vocabulary words for my Language Arts classes on the morning commute to middle and high school. I think of all those commutes, along with all of the library and book store trips, and I can’t help but wonder if I ever would have discovered my passion for words were it not for all those fleeting moments that are so easy to overlook in hindsight.

Copyright © 2014 by S.L. Dunn.

All rights reserved.

Prospect Hill Press

P.O. Box 9913

Seattle, WA 98109

www.sldunn.com

Anthem’s Fall
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Cover Illustration by Tim O’Brien

Cover Design by Laura Duffy

Title Font by Leonardo Gubbioni

Anthem’s Fall/ S.L. Dunn. –1st ed.

ISBN 978-0-9916224-0-5

ebook ISBN 978-0-9916224-1-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Dunn, S.L.

Anthem’s fall/ S.L. Dunn. –1st ed.

(Anthem series ; bk. 1)

Control Number: 2014908358

First Edition