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Song of Ariel: A Blue Light Thriller
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Under normal circumstances I would never serialize a novel and put it out a chapter at a time. I have nothing against doing this, I’ve read some novels this way and enjoyed them. Remember The Green Mile? And I used to like those old serialized cliffhangers from the thirties and forties they reran on television when I was a kid.
It’s just that I never considered doing it myself until now.
Let me explain. When I set out to write Apocalypse Island I did not have even the slightest notion that there would be a sequel. I thought it would be a tidy little stand-alone novel that would begin and end with the stories of Danny Wolf, Laura Higgins and Rick Jennings, and that would be that.
That’s not the way it turned out. Somewhere along the way this strange entity known as the Blue Light intruded into my consciousness and made its way onto the pages of Apocalypse Island. By the end of that novel I knew that the Blue Light would have to continue in one form or another, one way or another. I wasn’t sure how then, but I knew that it was so.
You see, I liked the blue light. But even more, I felt a strange attachment to it, as if it had a life of its own that had somehow escaped the imagination of its creator and found its way into his heart. Sometimes that happens, and I don’t have an explanation for why.
By the time Apocalypse Island was published I was more than halfway through another novel entitled Soul Thief, which up until then was also destined to be a stand-alone novel. But something happened with Apocalypse Island that I didn’t expect. It became a best seller. A minor bestseller when you compare it to the likes of King or Patterson, but a bestseller nevertheless. And the one thing fans of Apocalypse Island kept coming back to was the Blue Light. I got a lot of mail from fans, as well as a ton of reviews, and the thing they talked about most was the Blue Light, What is it? Where did it come from? Where is it going? Please don’t hurt it. Please don’t kill it. I’m addicted to the Blue Light. I think I’ve fallen in love with it.
Seriously?
Seriously.
Even one bestselling author made that claim.
Somehow, I had unwittingly created an entity, not a human being, but an entity, without form or substance that readers have become attached to.
Go figure.
Well, that next novel, Soul Thief, pretty much wrote itself from then on. The two books became the Blue light Series with ideas for at least two more novels.
Once Soul Thief was published I began to see the same sorts of comments from readers I’d seen with Apocalypse Island. “Loved the Blue Light.” “Can't wait to see the next one in the series.” “Want to know what happens to the Blue Light.” Will Doug and Annie and Ariel be all right. Will they survive? I want to know what happens to them and the Blue Light. Will the characters from the two previous novels come together in the third?”
You get the picture.
And that brings me back to the original reason for this note. The third novel in the series will not be complete for another few months, so, in an attempt to appease those who want more now, I’ve decided to release it as a series of .99 shorts, a chapter or perhaps two chapters (as in the following opening to the novel) or a section at a time, depending on how it all fits together. Some releases will be shorter and some will be longer.
For those who don’t like to read a book this way, well, sorry but you’ll have to wait for the full release.
Under normal circumstances I would never serialize a novel and put it out a chapter at a time. I have nothing against doing this, I’ve read some novels this way and enjoyed them. Remember The Green Mile? And I used to like those old serialized cliffhangers from the thirties and forties they reran on television when I was a kid.
It’s just that I never considered doing it myself until now.
Let me explain. When I set out to write Apocalypse Island I did not have even the slightest notion that there would be a sequel. I thought it would be a tidy little stand-alone novel that would begin and end with the stories of Danny Wolf, Laura Higgins and Rick Jennings, and that would be that.
That’s not the way it turned out. Somewhere along the way this strange entity known as the Blue Light intruded into my consciousness and made its way onto the pages of Apocalypse Island. By the end of that novel I knew that the Blue Light would have to continue in one form or another, one way or another. I wasn’t sure how then, but I knew that it was so.
You see, I liked the blue light. But even more, I felt a strange attachment to it, as if it had a life of its own that had somehow escaped the imagination of its creator and found its way into his heart. Sometimes that happens, and I don’t have an explanation for why.
By the time Apocalypse Island was published I was more than halfway through another novel entitled Soul Thief, which up until then was also destined to be a stand-alone novel. But something happened with Apocalypse Island that I didn’t expect. It became a best seller. A minor bestseller when you compare it to the likes of King or Patterson, but a bestseller nevertheless. And the one thing fans of Apocalypse Island kept coming back to was the Blue Light. I got a lot of mail from fans, as well as a ton of reviews, and the thing they talked about most was the Blue Light, What is it? Where did it come from? Where is it going? Please don’t hurt it. Please don’t kill it. I’m addicted to the Blue Light. I think I’ve fallen in love with it.
Seriously?
Seriously.
Even one bestselling author made that claim.
Somehow, I had unwittingly created an entity, not a human being, but an entity, without form or substance that readers have become attached to.
Go figure.
Well, that next novel, Soul Thief, pretty much wrote itself from then on. The two books became the Blue light Series with ideas for at least two more novels.
Once Soul Thief was published I began to see the same sorts of comments from readers I’d seen with Apocalypse Island. “Loved the Blue Light.” “Can't wait to see the next one in the series.” “Want to know what happens to the Blue Light.” Will Doug and Annie and Ariel be all right. Will they survive? I want to know what happens to them and the Blue Light. Will the characters from the two previous novels come together in the third?”
You get the picture.
And that brings me back to the original reason for this note. The third novel in the series will not be complete for another few months, so, in an attempt to appease those who want more now, I’ve decided to release it as a series of .99 shorts, a chapter or perhaps two chapters (as in the following opening to the novel) or a section at a time, depending on how it all fits together. Some releases will be shorter and some will be longer.
For those who don’t like to read a book this way, well, sorry but you’ll have to wait for the full release.
55 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2015
11 people want to read
About the author
Mark Edward Hall
53 books150 followersMark Edward Hall is the author of the bestselling fantasy and science fiction Blue Light Series. He’s written more than twenty novels and numerous short stories.
Apocalypse Island — In Book 1 of The Blue Light Series we meet Danny Wolf, Laura Higgins and Police Lieutenant Rick Jennings.
Their city has turned into a killing ground. Is it a serial killer, someone with a penchant for the macabre and a need to destroy? Or is it a darker force, an ancient legend from a mysterious Island come ashore to wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting?
In a desperate search for answers they discover a government conspiracy involving the Catholic Church, and a cold war CIA mind control program known as MK-Ultra where children were used as test subjects.
Danny Wolf, a local musician becomes the number one suspect in the murders, but no one, not even Wolf, is prepared for what they discover on Apocalypse Island, a mind blowing secret that was supposed to stay hidden forever.
Soul Thief — In Book 2 of the Blue Light Series we meet Doug and Annie McArthur. Doug McArthur, hit in the face by a young friend at the age of seven, is suddenly able to see a supernatural creature who calls itself Collector. Doug’s life is turned upside down when he realizes that it’s not just the creature he sees, but the atrocities it commits.
Since marrying Annie his visions have been quiet and Doug is grateful. Now Annie is pregnant with their first child—a child that promises to be special—and their world is in the process of coming apart, beginning with the destruction of their home and forcing them to run for their lives, back into the world of Annie’s childhood, the De Roché dynasty, to a murdered mother and a cruel and enigmatic father.
Song of Ariel — Book 3 of the Blue Light Series begins four years after Doug and Annie McArthur are forced to take refuge in the Maine Wilderness. Ariel has grown into a beautiful and gifted child wise beyond her years. Their life, although hard, has been peaceful and relatively quiet.
But the tide is about to turn. When they sense something isn't right in the world Doug leaves the shelter of their wilderness cabin to investigate. In a heartbeat their quiet life is shattered by an unspeakable violence, and once again they are forced to run for their lives, this time to a place where they will encounter a truth more fantastic than anything they could ever have imagined.
Join my mailing List Readers who join get advance copies of my ebooks before they're published: Also you will be notified of new releases, freebies, exclusive extras, and special promotions.
Visit my Website
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Apocalypse Island — In Book 1 of The Blue Light Series we meet Danny Wolf, Laura Higgins and Police Lieutenant Rick Jennings.
Their city has turned into a killing ground. Is it a serial killer, someone with a penchant for the macabre and a need to destroy? Or is it a darker force, an ancient legend from a mysterious Island come ashore to wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting?
In a desperate search for answers they discover a government conspiracy involving the Catholic Church, and a cold war CIA mind control program known as MK-Ultra where children were used as test subjects.
Danny Wolf, a local musician becomes the number one suspect in the murders, but no one, not even Wolf, is prepared for what they discover on Apocalypse Island, a mind blowing secret that was supposed to stay hidden forever.
Soul Thief — In Book 2 of the Blue Light Series we meet Doug and Annie McArthur. Doug McArthur, hit in the face by a young friend at the age of seven, is suddenly able to see a supernatural creature who calls itself Collector. Doug’s life is turned upside down when he realizes that it’s not just the creature he sees, but the atrocities it commits.
Since marrying Annie his visions have been quiet and Doug is grateful. Now Annie is pregnant with their first child—a child that promises to be special—and their world is in the process of coming apart, beginning with the destruction of their home and forcing them to run for their lives, back into the world of Annie’s childhood, the De Roché dynasty, to a murdered mother and a cruel and enigmatic father.
Song of Ariel — Book 3 of the Blue Light Series begins four years after Doug and Annie McArthur are forced to take refuge in the Maine Wilderness. Ariel has grown into a beautiful and gifted child wise beyond her years. Their life, although hard, has been peaceful and relatively quiet.
But the tide is about to turn. When they sense something isn't right in the world Doug leaves the shelter of their wilderness cabin to investigate. In a heartbeat their quiet life is shattered by an unspeakable violence, and once again they are forced to run for their lives, this time to a place where they will encounter a truth more fantastic than anything they could ever have imagined.
Join my mailing List Readers who join get advance copies of my ebooks before they're published: Also you will be notified of new releases, freebies, exclusive extras, and special promotions.
Visit my Website
Like me on Facebook. I love to chat with readers.
Follow me on Twitter.
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