Smashwords is having their annual Summer/Winter sale all July with participating ebooks at 25% discount, 50% discount, or free. Raven Memory is 50% off and profits still go to KIPP as detailed in this post. Shadow Memories is a free download for the sale.
Thanks, and go read some books this Summer/Winter (depending on the hemisphere you’re in.)
Raven Memory cover
Grab a book marker, munchies, bubbly, and say hello. Careful of the wraith skulking about. He won’t bother anyone unless provoked.
Before this story had a title, I referred to it as my “practice novel.” Two years ago some anonymous test readers (I still haven’t met them) reported with excitement and urged me to seek publishing. I wasn’t convinced. It was in poor shape in need of editing. The strange part: after being passed around, the draft was finally returned to me a year later.
Book marker front
So, I decided to share this novel as an introduction to Draco Torre’s world. (Who is Draco Torre?)
The two main characters in Raven Memory have different, but related, memory problems (read the summary in Books menu.) Steve Reynolds uses notepads to help him keep things straight. His new employee, Julie Walsh, begins suffering black-outs, but out of order. Her kiss on Tuesday melts into a kiss the day before. A familiar medallion sparks a memory, and she begins seeing a wraith following her through time.
Back
The story asks some questions:
Steve and Julie offer their views.
Raven Memory is an urban science-fantasy taking place in Roseland, a modern city home to a species with ideas of their own. Recommended for mature readers. See the teaser page for a summary at www.RavenMemory.com.
You may sample or purchase Raven Memory at
Celebrating the release of this novel, it is available at 40% discount on Smashwords until September 5th. Use the code: VB68E. In addition, you may download Shadow Memories story collection for free using code: NE26E
While you are at Smashwords, check out Best of Friday Flash – Volume 1 edited by Jon M Strother of Mad Utopia. It includes my story, “Mother Dove” and 66 other great tales.
The contents page links work on the PDF and ePub including support for the contents feature in iBooks on the iPad. An interesting note: Raven Memory appears in the latest revision of Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker as a well-formatted ebook with working contents page, including screen shot. Thanks J. Dane Tyler (DarcKnyt) for the tip.
Roseland
Thanks
Thanks to the mystery readers. Without them, there would be no Raven Memory. Thanks to Mom for patience while I worked on editing and formatting this instead of writing the next story. And thanks to the readers.
Feel free to ask questions, leave comments, or share your thoughts. Enjoy the story. Thanks for stopping by.
~David G Shrock
iBooks on iPad Contents Screen Shot
Every once in a while, a person catches a glimpse. Out of the corner of an eye, or a fleeting glimmer, a person sees them. Not spirits, but what I call memory ghosts. From there when they pass through into our here and now.
Memory burns into the cosmos. Gazing at the stars is looking at memory. The light traveling across the galaxy spanning years transfers information reaching the observer forming new memories. From a painting of an artist, bits of information travel to the eyes speaking to the viewer. The dead continue their ghosts caught within the information. Everything passes through the fabric of the cosmos. Like fingerprints in the information, memories leave their mark.
I see her still, my little girl. In the passenger seat on the way to school, or sitting at her desk, studying, she fills my life with joy as I view the world through her eyes. Many memories cling like the beaming smile of a child opening her birthday present finding all her wishes, charms in life worth remembering. Even if the world forgets my little pumpkin, I see her memory ghost.
They say I never had a daughter. The world forgets. Her fingerprint is there, like everything else, caught within the information. But sometimes, memory changes.
From the moment a memory blossoms in the mind, the brain works connecting the patterns. Information not immediately connected to any known pattern dives into the abyss. Other details fade as more information flows linking related patterns together. Connections build a network of memories, blurring some details while reinforcing others. Memories change. Blue becomes gray, tall becomes average. And sometimes something out of the ordinary blazes like the sun floating above the other memories, an interpretation hiding other details, always there.
Does the tapestry of reality mutate altering memory?
Even if the tapestry changes, and only I see her, my girl is here. The information holds all the ghosts. One only needs to look, and interpret.
They never leave, these cosmic fingerprints.
~Steve Reynolds
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To learn more about Steve Reynolds and his memory ghosts, sample my novel, Raven Memory. Join me August 31 for the book release, a cosmic fingerprint.
Raven Memory ebook release day is Tuesday, August 31. Available on Smashwords and Amazon. Join me Tuesday.
You may view the teaser at www.RavenMemory.com or sample the first 7 chapters on Scribd.
Years in the making, this day finally arrives after much writing, editing, and decision making. I originally had no plans to publish this novel, but after several anonymous test readers demanded I publish it, I spent two years considering which direction to go while I edited the story. During this time, ebooks have finally gone mainstream, a perfect time to share my story with you.
To celebrate, I will give a promotional code for a free download of Raven Memory from Smashwords to all those that follow these simple steps:
I will send you the code via Twitter DM. The code is valid until September 7th. If you already have a copy of Raven Memory or choose to pay, you may use the code to give a copy to a friend. If you are under sixteen years of age, please ask your parents. Raven Memory is marked for mature readers on Smashwords.
Sample Raven Memory on Scribd covering the first seven chapters (about 25%) of the novel. At just over 29,000 words, it’s a good size read. Meet Steve Reynolds and Julie Walsh while learning about the issues they face. The seventh chapter is a good place for the sample to end. It reconnects with the opening while setting up the remainder of the story.
If you enjoy the sample, look for the ebook coming in the next few weeks.
I’ve started posting excerpts from the first chapter of Raven Memory on AudioBoo in 3-5 minute segments. Longer audio might be nicer for a novel excerpt, but 5 minutes is the maximum limit. There are 4 segments so far, and I will post 4 more over the next two weeks.
If you enjoy listening to my voice or prefer audio books, follow along at http://audioboo.fm/tag/raven%20memory
Thanks for listening, and tell me what you think. Do audio excerpts work?
For nearly a decade, I’ve been working on stories in Draco Torre’s world, or more accurately, translating stories as told by Torre and friends. Keeping the stories to myself seems selfish, so I decided to share them.
Draco Torre stories follow the lives of the last remaining survivors of a lost civilization crossing through time to discover their past and themselves. The stories include time travel, memory shifting, androids, and strange creatures.
Raven Memory Cover
The first novel in Draco Torre’s world is Raven Memory, a science-fantasy available late summer on Amazon and Smashwords. I finished this novel two years ago, and after some polishing it’s finally ready. You’ll find a brief summary under Books on the menu and repeated below. Visit www.RavenMemory.com or Draco Torre Books Fan Page on Facebook for information updated as the book release approaches.
On AudioBoo, I read a section from the first chapter each weekend. See http://audioboo.fm/Dracotorre to follow along. Keep an eye out for a written chapter sample, artwork, and more.
My second novel (which was originally going to be the first) is nearly completed. It’s a dark fantasy in a similar setting to 19th century America. My Friday Flash stories with Sebastian Rhemus are glimpses. If all goes well, this second novel will be ready next year.
Julie Walsh’s new employer, Steve Reynolds, is a professional killer with a memory problem. She wants to help him keep things straight, but her days mix up. A kiss on Tuesday melts into a kiss last Sunday. Next Thursday, a wraith frightens her out of her chair on the previous Monday. Realizing that only Steve remembers her favorite novel, she questions her own memories. Caught within the Raven Project, she searches for her identity. Julie Walsh is a construct wrapped in darkness, dripping the blood of a memory.