Everyone was sick in those days, sick and dying. Even me.
Especially me.
Long Island is in the first throes of a deadly outbreak, but for six-year-old Cassie Stemple, the world is much smaller. Her family has been recently shattered by the tragic loss of her baby brother, and her parents are struggling to stay together. As they struggle to protect Cassie from the terrifying disease swiftly overtaking them, they fail to recognize the infection already killing them from within. After Cassie's beloved pet rabbit suddenly dies and her health begins to fail, her parents make one last desperate attempt to escape the island. But Cassie refuses to leave her rabbit behind. She knows she can still save him; she just needs more time. A long, long time. Because that's how nursery magic works.
It's been twelve years since the outbreak. It's time for Cassie to grow up.
A part of the dystopic world of S.W. Tanpepper's GAMELAND series, Velveteen may be read as a standalone novelette.
For readers age 14 and older.
If you haven't already read the series' first season, you can get a sense of it in the included short excerpt where Jessie encounters Cassie shortly after entering Gameland (Episode 4: Sunder the Hollow Ones). (For those who might be wondering about Shinji: Yes, he does make an appearance in Velveteen, but only in a supporting role. The focus of this story is Cassie and, of course, her rabbit.
Also included are brief excerpts of two upcoming novels from the same world: Jessie's Game, a continuation of the GAMELAND saga (due out fall 2013), and A Dark and Sure Descent, a bridge between the original series and Velveteen. Descent tells the story of the Long Island outbreak and the role which Cassie's parents, as animal researchers at the controversial Laroda Island animal research laboratory, play in it (due out winter 2013).
Total book length with excerpts: 17,600 words.
About the Author: Saul writes in several speculative fiction genres, including horror, cyberpunk, biopunk, and straight science fiction. A former Army medic and trauma specialist, he earned a PhD in molecular biology and genetics; his works are heavily informed by these past experiences. Saul spent his formative years in a century-old house overlooking the Erie Canal in Upstate New York. He shared an attic room with all manner of creatures, not all, he is convinced, flesh and blood. After several years spent overseas and working his way to executive positions in biotech, he returned to his true passion of storytelling. He now writes full time from his home in the San Francisco Bay Area. He continues to be haunted by a variety of creatures, including a wife, kids, three dogs, three cats, twenty chickens, a wayward rooster, and one very grumpy possum. They are all flesh and blood. Except for the possum, which he's sure is the reincarnated spirit of Jack Torrance. Visit him at tanpepperwrites.com Subscribe to be notified of new releases and exclusive deals at tinyletter.com/SWTanpepper
