The first Mercury Retrograde of the year began in mid-January and wrapped up this February in what felt like another backward spin to the surreal times we all find ourselves living in. Like many of you, I’m learning to listen to the stars and apply patience as I take the next big step in my publishing career. Many of you have asked, “Are you still writing? What’s next on the writing horizon?” and I realize that I’ve taken my sweet time to answer. Let’s be honest, the last couple of years have been unfathomable, and I have to wonder if we’ve all been traveling in the same strange time warp back to our lives that have been completely altered. Maybe it just makes me feel better to imagine we are all experiencing this distorted slow dance back to life together.
To honor the re-entry process, I recently launched the initial series of episodes on a new and burgeoning publishing platform called Vella. Unlike any other platform I’ve ever used to share my work, Vella is episodic in nature and it offers a new kind of freedom and experience for writers and readers. Stories are published in 600 to 5,000-word segments and are scheduled in weekly bursts. With any of you experiencing the ‘Covid brain’ and a shrinking attention span, this kind of delivery seems to have its merits. It allows you to settle in to read in shorter chunks and gives you the control to decide if the story is worth the investment of your time. If it is, you give it the ‘like’ it deserves, and if not, you and the story part ways. I like to think of it as the Netflix serial platform for readers, and I’m super excited to share this adventure with all of you!
My recent science fiction adventure series, FIVE ON THE VINE is now available exclusively on Kindle Vella and subsequent episodes will be posted weekly every Saturday. If you’re looking for a great way to start the weekend with a cup of tea or coffee and a dip into a great read, give it a try. For those of you new to the Vella platform, the first three episodes are free! If you enjoy what you read, you give it a ‘Like’. After that, you decide on further investment with a token purchase option based on your interest. If I’ve done my job as the author, you are captivated and will want to read more. New readers to the platform get 200-500 free tokens to start, so you can expect to read 20.000-50,000 words before you will need to get more tokens. Once you purchase your first tokens, you will be permitted to mark one story a week as your favorite. This is the key to a story’s success in the Vella store, plus it’s a great way to support a story you love.
So, I invite you to be one of the first readers to join me on this crazy adventure into the unknown and meet me on the other side of the retrograde as we leave the shadows behind and look forward to the light that awaits us in a good story!
To start your Vella adventure and give this story a chance please visit: https://www.amazon.com/FIVE-ON-THE-VINE/dp/B09QMVKG or search for the story on your browser directly on the Kindle App.
I hope you enjoy the first episode and let me know what you think with a Like!
Visit my website for more information about my many other bookish adventures at https://sdhenke.com/
Please follow if you enjoy this content:
Recent Comments