It's Here!!!!

So, finally, it is finished!!!  Are you excited?  I know I am!!  Follow the link below or copy and paste it in your search field to head to Amazon and download my book!!  Then contact me either on Facebook @ A. E. Field, Author, or here on my BlogSpot, or even on Amazon in the customer reviews and let me know what you think!!  Happy reading everyone!!!


 http://www.amazon.com/Skyla-Ghost-Virus-Novel-ebook/dp/B00D3KRF70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369951095&sr=8-1&keywords=skyla+by+a+e+field


A

It's The Final Countdown!!

          Well, it's been a journey for sure and I've loved every minute of it!!  Sharing pieces of Skyla with you has been an awesome dream come true but now, it's time for it to end.  Ending seems like such a sad thing, but in this instance, the end is only the beginning.  Are you ready for the WHOLE book?!  I'm so excited to share it with you!!!  In fact, I'm dancing up and down like a little kid going to an amusement park right now (on the inside at least)!  The next time I post, it will be to tell you that my book is available for download.

           That being said, tonight's teaser is perfect.  It's actually the prologue to my book.  Since this is what you would first read if you downloaded a sample of my book, I figured it was only right to post it here.  So, sit back, relax and take a deep breath.  Here is the beginning of Skyla.   

 

           They say the world ended slowly, like a flower choked by weeds.  It wasn’t war or famine or even greed that destroyed it.  No, in the end it was a small infectious agent that brought the world to its knees, a microscopic assassin.  From the first moment the Ghost Virus touched humanity, ‘til the time the last survivors left earth, it ravaged the masses, killing millions in its wake.

 

          It started inconspicuously with a headache and fever, common symptoms for any virus, but nothing could have prepared the world for what happened next.  Victims would become confused, slipping into a semi-catatonic state, blissfully unaware as their fevers blossomed into full blown septic shock.  Somewhere amidst the swelling and vomiting, delirium would set in.  Victims teetered on the edge of insanity as the virus slowly disabled organs, shutting down their bodies one organ at a time.  

           

            Containment seemed possible until several months after the first outbreak.  Doctors worldwide watched in horror as the once blood borne virus mutated into an airborne one.  Like a trail of dominoes, it spread quickly, consuming everything it touched like a wildfire.  Whole cities vanished from existence.  Places that were once teeming with people were forced into quarantine to stop the spread of infection, but to no avail.  The virus’ lethal touch spread across the continents with no preference for race, sex, age or station, taking lives at its discretion.

            True to its name, the virus left the earth empty, only an apparition of its former self.

            In a desperate attempt to keep the human race from dying out, a highly trained team of government scientists and engineers collaborated and formed a plan of escape far away from the infected earth.  They simply called it The System.  

            Large sections, made entirely of sandstone, were cut from the Earth’s surface and then strategically placed at the very edge of the troposphere.  Suspended there by an advanced form of hover technology, the islands hung as if attached by some sort of invisible string in the sky.  Electric fields surrounded the cities, keeping the elements out, as well as converting the moisture in the thin air into oxygen.

            This sky world provided a temporary solution until a more permanent one could be developed. 

             Desperate and afraid, the last of the unaffected population left in droves, boarding large air ships, making a mass exodus into the sky.  Their hope laid within the promise of a better future, maybe not in this generation, but in the ones to come. 

~

            Three hundred years later, the Old World is but a whisper in our thoughts, a vague remembrance of fear and death and pain.  We call it The Nothing, because that is exactly what it left us with. 

            Now we wait. 

            Here in the sky. 

            Fearing the past, hoping the future holds more than this…

 

         Now how's that for a last teaser?  Thanks for following me these last weeks and I hope that you will enjoy Skyla as much as I enjoyed writing it!!  I'll post again soon once my book is up and available. 

 

A

Old School

        

         So, we're going old school tonight and by that, I mean back to the beginning.  Skyla was a kid once too and she experienced some pretty intense things in the System.  Here's an excerpt from a less than pleasant time in her life.

         

         I’m almost to the end of the hall when I hear them.  Noises…   

         They are soft at first, like whispers on the wind, tickling my ears curiously.  Drawn by their siren call, I tiptoe further down the hallway.  The sounds grow, becoming less like whispered secrets and more like hushed screams, stirring behind the door of the small room where we orphans study the Histories twice a day. 

         Cautiously, I peer through the cloudy glass that covers the top half of the door.  On the other side of the room stand two dark figures, one small, one large.  Who could that be?  Turning my head, I hold my ear just inches away from the glass.  Muffled voices filter through, making it difficult for me to decipher their identities, but within a few moments, I am sure the larger of the two is the Head Mistress. 

         The Head Mistress is a vicious woman; the kind you are sure is in league with the Devil.   She is tall, but not thin, like you’d expect.  Instead, her massive frame spills outward at the waist, running down the length of her body, making her look like a large misshapen tree.  And her eyes!  Even now, a shiver runs the length of my spine as I remember looking into them.  They are the very essence of evil, so dark they are almost black, holding no mercy within their shadowy depths.  She could kill with one look if she wanted to. 

         A small whimper draws my attention towards the other figure.  I think it must be…yes, it sounds like the small girl, the one with the yellow hair.  She recently transferred from one of the other cities.  Her bed is only three down from mine in the dorm.  Apparently, there had been behavioral issues.  At least, that’s what I was told, but you can’t always believe what you hear around here.   

         Sadness sweeps over me, her tiny voice drawing me in.  I don’t even know her name yet.  She hasn’t been at the orphanage long enough for me to find out and from the looks of it, she won’t be staying much longer either.    

         The girl’s figure looks wavy and distorted through the glass, like a warped mirror, but there is no doubt in my mind that she is cowering, completely terrified of the Head Mistress.  I know that fear, the shivering feeling that lingers throughout your body long after having left her presence.  My sneaky habits had earned me many first hand encounters.  I dealt with it the only way I could, by reversing the roles, picturing the old hag in my place while I whipped her. 

         A loud crack splits through the air.  Smack, smack, smack!  Hearing the rhythmic slap of the leather strips sends waves of hot pain through my body.  The scabs on my back itch in response, reminding me that I had been in the girl’s place not too long ago.  Cringing, I remember the feel of the material as it bites into your skin, grazes across your flesh, piercing like a thousand tiny knives.  An involuntary shudder runs through my body. 

 

         Hope you enjoyed this week's excerpt.  See you next week!!!

 

A

        

Follow me please...

           We met the Sips last week.  Now, let's meet one in particular, Lt. Walker.  He's cool, reserved and completely clueless as to how to handle his newest charge.  His first encounter with Skyla leaves him a bit discombobulated.  Oh, how I love it when Skyla whips out her sarcasm.  Here's a small excerpt from their first meeting.

 

           Dr. Smith opens the door into a long white hallway and motions for a nearby Sip to approach us.  “Lt. Walker, please escort Miss Deep to her room and make sure she knows the rules.”

            A boy clad in the Sip’s standard black uniform steps into view.  He looks young.  Like way too young to be a Sip.  Black hair frames his somewhat angular face but chocolate brown eyes soften the look.  His frame is shorter than Dr. Smith’s but he makes up for it in bulk, with wide shoulders and a body built for taking a beating. 

            Standing at attention, Lt. Walker salutes Dr. Smith before giving me a once over.  “Miss Deep.  This way please.” 

            Spinning on his heel, he heads down the hallway, not bothering to check if I’m following him or not.  I watch as his shaggy black hair shrinks into the distance.  Smirking to myself, I wonder how long it will take him to notice my absence.

            “Lt. Walker,” Dr. Smith yells.  He spins around, his dark eyes suddenly registering that I’m nowhere near him.  “I’m afraid that Miss Deep isn’t accustomed to obeying.  You’ll have to be a bit more…persuasive with her.” 

            I scowl at Dr. Smith. 

            Lt. Walker makes his way back down the hall, his face burning red with embarrassment.  “I apologize, Dr. Smith.  It won’t happen again, Sir.”  He forcefully grabs me by the back of the arm, his fingers digging into my skin as he pulls me forward.

            “Ouch,” I mumble, ripping my arm out of his grasp.  “I can walk on my own.”

            “Didn’t look like it a minute ago,” Lt. Walker observes.

            Now, I have to smile.  I can see it’s going to be a lot of fun messing with this guy.  “There’s a stark difference between wanting to and being able to, Lt. Walker.”

            The Lt. stops, an annoyed look crossing his face.  “Well, Miss Deep.  You can either want to walk there on your own accord, or I’ll be forced to carry you like a two year old child.  Either way, you will move.” 

         

          Oh, how I would love to be a fly on the wall during some of these scenes.  Get excited people!!  Release day is inching closer and closer!  Eeeeeekkkk!!! :)

 

A

The Sips are coming!!!

         

          Yay!!!   It's Tuesday!!   Welcome back.   Are you ready for some more of Skyla?   I know I am!   

          We've had a few feel good pieces but it's time to get back to some good old fashioned, heart pumping, gut wrenching action!   It's time to meet the Sips.   They're the Sky World's version of cops.  The biggest difference in this scenario is that the Sips are not necessarily the good guys.  Let's join Skyla and Ranger in one of their brief encounters with the 'boys in black'.

 

           Walls are shaking.  The air bursts with a familiar wailing sound – Sip sirens.  Something big is happening.        

            Barely awake, I scramble out of my hammock, rushing over to the window.  The sun beats down onto the dusty street, illuminating a massive black blob below.  I rub my eyes, thinking they must be playing tricks on me, but when I look back, my stomach drops.  Hundreds of Sips, clad in their dark uniforms, are marching down the street.  They stomp forward in unison, like a writhing black beast, their footsteps echoing ominously off the stone buildings that surround them. 

            “Ranger,” I cry, motioning for him to come.   

            He stumbles towards me, still half asleep, and surveys the scene below.  Cursing, he turns back into the room, leaving me alone at the window.  Somehow, I feel stuck, like I’m frozen as I watch small units breaking off from the main group.  Their shiny helmets bob up and down as they enter each building, crushing any obstacle in their way. 

            They are searching for outsiders like us.  We don’t have long.

            “Grab any credits you have,” Ranger barks already heading for his stash.

            “Wait, I’m not dressed,” I cry, finally pulling myself away from the window.  A loud bang sounds above the siren, stopping me in my tracks.  The sudden tang of fear swells in my mouth.

            “They’ve got guns,” Ranger says, his eyes widening. 

            Our eyes meet for a split second communicating what we both already know.  There isn’t time to get dressed.  Guns are only involved in extreme cases, otherwise they are banned.  Grabbing my coin purse, I forget about changing my clothes and head out the door behind Ranger. 

            We start down the stairs but it’s too late.  A crash shudders beneath us as the Sips break down the door, splintering it into a hundred pieces.  Loud shouts fill the air as they begin searching the bottom floor. 

         

         All I can say is I wouldn't want to be on the Sips' bad side!  See you next week for a new snippet!

 

A