Some quick help please: short story or novella?

These stories exist for your enjoyment, but I need help. Only three people responded last year, and each one chose a different answer. No clear favourite. Please take a second to click your choice. Thanks in advance.

The story “Extraction” contains about 11,000 words, or almost four times the normal length of my other short stories. My first reaction was to publish it as a novella (Book 2.5 of the Emily & Hilda series). It started life as part of the novel that became Rule Number One. It’s short for a novella and long for a short story.

Would you prefer to read it here as a blog post or as a separate book?

Before Emily met Hilda: interested?

For than five years, the short stories in my three series (Emily & HIlda, Lockhart, and one-off stories) have been coming out every other week. Unfortunately, if you click a category to read a particular series, you get them in the reverse order that I posted them. I am thinking of taking a while to publish the entire string in chronological order, starting next week. The series begins before Europeans came to southern Africa and continues to that fateful day when Hilda rescues Emily on a lonely highway in Kansas.

Some quick help please: short story or novella?

Most of the my short stories run about 3000 words, give or take a thousand. However, I have a tale that is currently at 11,000 words, or almost four times the normal length. My first reaction was to publish it as a novella (Book 2.5 of the Emily & Hilda series). It started life as part of the story that became Rule Number One. It’s short for a novella and long for a short story.

Would you prefer to read it here as a blog post or as a separate book?

Book Two ready for pre-order

The second book is each series is in pre-print production now. As we complete the publishing steps, look here for free sample chapters before the release date.

Effective immediately, you can pre-order the eBook in any format from Smashwords or from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple or your favorite retailer. Retail price for either eBook is only USD 4.99. The print version will be ready for pre-order two-three weeks before the release date.

Rule Number One.

When you don’t know who your enemies are, how do you defeat them?

Emily Hampstead is a teenage phenom on the American bicycle road racing circuit, and a first-year student at the University of Virginia. Emily’s mother, Katherine, has become a popular teacher at the university in her first full year on board. They hope that Emily’s adventures touring in Canada the summer before are behind them, but there are still enemies out there…

After a terrorist bombing decimates the USA under-twenty-three racing team, Emily takes a year from school to determine her future. Meanwhile, Katherine survives an assassination attempt and joins her daughter traveling off the grid. They hope to give the FBI time to find and arrest the man behind the violence over the last two years. If they can stay alive that long…

Rule Number One, the sequel to Emily & Hilda, will be released on 23 December 2021. 

And…

Enemies.

As political violence continues to roil Italy and racial violence continues in the USA, Sandra and Joe settle into their college lives in Washington DC and Charlottesville, Virginia. Joe’s mother, a famous executive in Italy, becomes the target of a vicious public hate campaign, which escalates into assassination attempts. Joe has troubles of his own, trying to adapt to American culture, having grown up in Italy. Sandra uncovers an international art forgery scheme. Maybe life will calm down after Joe’s mother comes back to the United States, if they can stay alive that long…

Enemies, the sequel to Lockhart, will be released on 31 January 2022.