All about "Never To Sleep"

[First a note: The Soul Screamers omnibus, Volume One, came out yesterday and I'm holding two contests for the release. The first is here. The second is for members of my discussion group only. To join and enter, click here.]

Yes, I got pre-empted AGAIN. For those who haven't seen yet, most e-retailers posted the preorder forms--including the official blurb--for "Never To Sleep" yesterday. I was asked to wait to post the plot description and cover until next week. So...more crossed wires. It's no one's fault. There are a lot of wires in publishing, and they often get crossed. But, as I am an optimist at heart (I can almost hear my CP cackling hysterically), I must point out that the cover is still mine to post. Next week.

Obviously, there's no need to eliminate any more possible narrators, so all I can really do now is show off the plot description. Here goes:

Don't Close Your Eyes.

Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream—and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever.

Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family...?

Yes, Sophie is the narrator. I know what you're probably thinking.

Sophie? Why her? I don't want to read a story from the POV of a snobby, whining little [expletive].

I know, I know, I had the same thought at first. The idea to write this story from Sophie's perspective came from Harlequin Teen, and at first, I'll admit I was hesitant. No one really likes Sophie. You're not supposed to. She's the mean girl archetype.

That's when I realized that this story is A CHALLENGE! And we all know how much I like A CHALLENGE!

So I started thinking about it and realized that I had a golden opportunity with this story. No one's been with Kaylee and her issues longer than Sophie. They grew up together. Sophie has a unique perspective on her cousin and she knows back story no one else has ever heard. And as those of you who've read If I Die know, because of how that book ended (do you see me deftly avoiding spoilers!!!), Sophie now knows about the Netherworld. But we didn't actually get to see her reaction to finding out about the things that go bump in the Nether.

Also...there's a new character in the Soul Screamers universe. His name's Luca and he plays a prominent part in Before I Wake. But thanks to the "Never To Sleep" novella, I had an opportunity to introduce him early. To give readers a better look at him than Kaylee will have a chance to do from her own POV in Before I Wake. He was actually there during If I Die, but Kaylee was a bit distracted, so she didn't notice him.

But Sophie did.

And I have to admit, in the end, writing the Netherworld from Sophie's POV was just plain fun. She's still Sophie. She's still one of Kaylee's foils. She still views the world from a self-built pedestal, through snob-colored glasses. But she can't ignore what's right in front of her. So I put the Netherworld right in front of her. Here's a little taste, now that I don't have to worry about revealing the narrator through the excerpt:

“In there?” I glanced at the closet, which was too dark to see into. “You want me to walk into a dark hole in the wall, where some horrible Netherworld creature is probably waiting to eat me alive. Obviously you’ve mistaken me for Lara Croft.”

Luca’s brows rose, and I couldn’t tell whether he was irritated or amused. “Apologies, Your Highness, I meant to mistake you for someone who wants to survive.” When I only crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to come to his senses, Luca exhaled in frustration. “Look, if anything in there wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already.”

Yet somehow, that thought didn’t comfort me as I stared into the dark closet, on the lookout for glowing eyes and menacing fangs. “Then why don’t you crawl into the cave of untold horrors and let me take care of the protective gear?” Whatever that meant.

“Sure.” Luca said, and I turned to find him naked from the waist up. Holding his T-shirt in both hands. Baring a smooth, well-defined chest to the whole world. The Netherworld, anyway. “I just didn’t think you’d want to strip for the cause.”

I can't tell you what's actually going on in that scene, but I can tell you that by the end of the story, I was proud of Sophie. She grew up, in her own way.

Now to answer the inevitable questions.

Yes, "Never To Sleep" will be available only in electronic format. I don't know if it will ever be printed.
No, you don't have to have an ereader to read an ebook. Most can be bought in PDF, which is readable on any personal computer and most smart phones.
No, I don't know when/if "Never To Sleep" or any of my other e-format only stories will be available in other countries. That availability is not up to me. Not at ALL. If it were up to me, all my books would be available all over the world, in every possible format. But that's a complicated issue concerning foreign rights territories and legalities. All I can do is ask my overseas readers to PLEASE not pirate this (or any other ebooks ) just because they're not currently available legally in your country. I'm sorry for the frustration and I admire your patience. Truly. (Also, take notice of the note at the end of this post, please!)

That said, though the book stores appear to be selling "Never To Sleep" for $2.99 (USD) at the moment, it should be free on release day and for a limited period afterward, and I think that means that you won't actually be charged for it, even if you preorder it now.

Note: With the previous e-novellas, I was allowed to post the PDF on my site as a free read as well, and if I'm allowed to do that again, it will be available on my site for readers in any country, without restriction. I'll have to check on that and will post again once I know for sure.