January: At Calendar's End, Book One

by Andy Lockwood

Time is a fickle thing, and sometimes, so are those that wield it.

As the holidays set in and another year comes to a close, the Intercalary – twelve beings charged with keeping the cycle of time moving forward – prepare for another year. For them, it’s nothing new. One more year in a timeless cycle, except things are shaping up to be different this year.

A shadow is haunting the Intercalary. It seems to be taunting them, but to what end? The year is coming to a close as the mystery begins to unfold, but will any of them be ready for what is coming?

The 12-part series begins here, and will finish at calendar’s end.

83 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Andy Lockwood is a writer, an artist, and above all: a dreamer. He got his start in screenwriting and filmmaking where he discovered his obsessive love of storytelling.
He is the author of two novels, Empty Hallways and House of Thirteen; a 12-part serial thriller, At Calendar’s End; and is a regular contributor to horror anthologies. He is always working on another piece of writing, whether it is a novel, a story, or something else entirely. When not slaving away at the keyboard, he spends his time buying books he does not have time to read, and delving into mediums he has no time to fully explore, but he dabbles in them anyway.
He lives in mid-Michigan with his amazingly talented and entirely-too-supportive wife, their delightfully boisterous daughter, a brood of cats, and a misguided idea of what it means to be an adult.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great start to what I hope will continue to be an intriguing series!
At Calendar's End is about 12 members of the Intercalary; representatives of each month. This first book introduces to a few with the spotlight on Ember and Janus. Ember seems fairly relaxed and enjoyable where Janus carries the heavy burden of opening the year and he takes his job seriously. A few of the friends decide to celebrate the Christmas holiday by decorating and having a few drinks...however, Ember and Janus have both seen a sinister shadow seemingly stalking them. And when Janus is cornered by that same menace...the book abruptly ends with a scream!

This is a novella but even so, it was well written and engaging. Like, I'm really intrigued where this story is going to go! I want to meet and learn more about the Intercalary gang...and I want to be spooked by this shadow some more! Really looking forward to continuing this series!

[Parker Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story. In a few pages, you find yourself in the world of the Intercalary, a group of beings that control the cycle of time. The main story seems to follow Ember (December) as she, going about her business being December, sees a shadow following her out of her peripheral. I like the introduction of the other beings of the Intercalary but we haven't met all of them yet. The book ends on a cliff hanger but one that makes you definitely want to get the second installment which I did.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ordinarily Earthly world with a twist, where twelve immortals, the Intercalary, keep time and the months moving along, so humans can keep living. Their names and personalities are unique, yet identify them as their respective month.

This novella kept me turning the page, waiting for the inciting incident to occur. When it did, I am only too sad I had not purchased the rest of the “year”!