The Silver Ring | Through the Guts of a Beggar
THE SILVER RING
(art courtesy of Wyatt Perko)
From the Introduction:
In 2000 I wrote a 22,000 word novella called The Silver Ring. I was eighteen. I submitted it to a major science fiction and fantasy magazine (I’m sure you can guess which one) and it was rightly rejected. In the rejection letter the editor said it was “ambitious.” He was being too kind. What was ambitious about it was the length. At the time it was the longest thing I had ever written. But it needed work, and I knew it, and so I put it away and didn’t think of it again until the spring of 2009 where I took it back out and rewrote the entire thing. Keeping the main storyline the same, I managed to cut out 4,000 words while adding in almost three times the amount of action.
Download this e-book:
- Smashwords (available for free download in the following formats: mobi, lrf, epub, pdb, rtf, pdf, html)
- Barnes & Noble (available for free download)
- Kindle Store (available for $1.99; includes the bonus short story “Blind Insight”)
Linkage:
Praise for The Silver Ring:
“Robert Swartwood’s The Silver Ring is a full-tilt no-holds-barred bobsled of a ride, absolutely engaging and a hundred percent fun. If this one doesn’t grab you, it’s time to up your Ritalin.”
— Joe Schreiber, author of Chasing the Dead and No Doors, No Windows
“In short, sharp chapters, Robert Swartwood’s The Silver Ring launches the reader into a high-flying, fast-paced cosmic adventure in which the fate of the universe rests in the hands of a seventeen-year-old movie clerk. Grounded in the emotional realities of an everyday family, Swartwood infuses his tall tale with the humanity of a young man navigating his way through the emotional minefields of everyday life while trying to be the best big-brother he can be. The Silver Ring delivers light in the heart of darkness, and simple truths from webs of mystery. Have fun!”
— Gerard Houarner, author of The Oz Suite and A Blood of Killers
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THROUGH THE GUTS OF A BEGGAR
(art courtesy of Wyatt Perko)
From the Introduction:
In high school I’d written a horror short story called “In the Tall Grass.” As is the case with almost all of my early work, it evolved through the years and was expanded into a 10,000-word novelette called “Through the Guts of a Beggar.” It was eventually accepted for the pulpy monster horror anthology Tooth & Claw, edited by J. F. Gonzalez and Garrett Peck. The response to the anthology was greater than the editors had at first anticipated, and so they decided to split the anthology into two volumes. The first was released in 2002, with the idea that the second volume—containing my novelette—would be released the next year.
Unfortunately, the publisher folded before the second volume could be released. At the time there was talk the second volume might see the light of day elsewhere, but then more years passed and it became clear my novelette was now homeless. And as I was working on other projects and placed the novelette on a backburner, it remained homeless until now, where I’m presenting it as a free e-book.
Download this e-book:
- Smashwords (available for free download in the following formats: mobi, lrf, epub, pdb, rtf, pdf, html)
- Smashwords Special Edition (available for $1.99; includes an alternate ending and two bonus short stories: “Dead Weight” and “Castle Hybrid”)
- Barnes & Noble (available for $1.99; includes an alternate ending and two bonus short stories: “Dead Weight” and “Castle Hybrid”)
- Kindle Store (available for $1.99; includes an alternate ending and two bonus short stories: “Dead Weight” and “Castle Hybrid”)
Linkage:
