Science Fiction was my first love. I discovered it in Miss Murray’s fifth grade class when reading a short story about alien contact with a twist that scrambled my brain. I waited until 2010 to attempt the publishing of my work. Thus far, everything is self-published, which is code for “no respectable agent or publishing company said ‘yes’. ”
The Well
Fifteen generations before, the horror of Surface chased Singer’s desperate ancestors into the vast underground bunker of the Well. During a moment of darkest despair, Singer unsuccessfully attempts to breach the long-obstructed hatch that leads outside – to certain death, as everyone knows. In punishment, he is cast down from the most privileged level of Seven into the hell of the Well’s lowest layer – the damp, crowded, and stinking Pit. Despite the bleak turn of events, Singer’s harsh new surroundings begin to open his eyes to the truth of the Well and of humanity, his revelations helped along by the wise old Tech and his too-forward, too-unconventional, too-maddening daughter.
Resigned to his prison far from Seven, Singer’s hope rekindles with the discovery of a means to climb the central shaft that leads back to Seven – and to the outer hatch. He joins uneasily with the Tech’s daughter in a lunatic plan to ascend the shaft and escape the Well. But can they dare hope to succeed? And if so, will they find a livable world outside on Surface? Or will the terror that propelled their ancestors underground have final dominion? These questions seem unanswerable, for no resident of the Well is equipped to imagine what lies above… not even Singer!
The Well 2 – Falling
After escaping the Well, the underground bunker that has sheltered his people for fifteen generations from the horrors of Surface, Singer and his three cohorts find themselves falling from the frying pan and into the fire! The world outside the Well could not be more hostile – a place of barren desolation and airless death. However, the blue and white orb hanging in a black sky beckons them toward the true path to Surface.
The escapees promptly run afoul of others that occupy the desolation, and land in confinement with death or return to the Well as the only viable options. Faced with the puzzle of finding a third option – one that takes him to Surface – Singer works to keep his small crew alive long enough to convince his captors to spare them. When the moment of epiphany occurs, Singer’s existence becomes more endangered still, for it requires a return to the Well – which has descended into madness. Even success of his plan may not save his life, let alone take him to mythical Surface. And even a journey to Surface to face the menacing mystery of The Darkness may result in certain death!
The Well 3 – Surface
On a post-apocalyptic Earth, a forbidden inter-tribal encounter between Jenn and Micah leads to a virtual death sentence for both. Bound wrist to wrist by a cable of ancient technology, the two must survive on the run for thirteen days with bands of tribal members vying for their capture in order to obtain a position of power at the next tribal parley. During their desperate flight across a fallen landscape, the pair encounters friend and foe alike, but none more unexpected than a group of new arrivals from a mythical place – the moon.
Jenn and Micah join the group and their reluctant leader, Singer, in a quest to find the mysterious Lucy on the far side of a barren salt plain, all the while hoping to escape tribal pursuit. The competing groups and missions come into violent collision, laying bare revelations concerning the fall of civilization and the ongoing threat of the Darkness, with ramifications that will forever alter the fate of humanity.
David’s Note: I had been thinking about this story (or something like it) since I first became hooked on post-apocalyptic stories as an adolescent. I finally got around to the writing of it, oh, 35 years later. Better late than never.
The Shore of Monsters
Seventeen-year-old Sky Calloway knows the basics of recent history. The world was a wonderful, peaceful place – until one hundred years earlier, when a horde of murderous monsters obliterated humanity, driving the few survivors to island refuges. With all newborn boys ruined in infancy by a monster-borne plague, strong-willed women maintain the human race through medical means and boundless determination. Words like ‘father’ and ‘romance’ have lost meaning. The secretive and restrictive Order guards the small, isolated community, burying the painful past in the process.
When Sky joins a perilous journey to the monster-infested shore to scavenge precious resources, she hopes for the freedom she has always craved. After a horrific monster attack shatters the expedition, Sky must survive alone amongst the evil creatures that roam the dark shore. Her hopeless situation alters wildly with unexpected aid from a very astonishing source. Sky’s subsequent journey leads her toward the answers for questions that have long plagued her. What are the monsters, and from where did they come? What really happens to baby boys? And what does a grown man look like? Mystery, action, and romance abound as Sky faces the most difficult question of all: what makes us human? The answer may hold the key to humanity’s ultimate survival!
The Shore of Monsters on Amazon.com
Fall of Darkness (Shore of Monsters 2)
In the exciting conclusion to The Shore of Monsters, Thomas is missing, having plunged into monster-infested wilderness after believing Sky to be dead, on a mission to ferry critical plague research to the faraway Saints in hopes that combined knowledge will produce a new cure. The abrupt arrival of a new foe, the technically advanced Reapers, drives Sky on a journey into the unknown to find Thomas and The Saints. Spared from the plague by isolation and quarantine, and armed with powerful weapons from Before, men and women of the fanatical Reapers are engaged in a mad suicide plan to exterminate infected humanity.
In the company of friends and former foes, Sky undertakes a perilous trek by land and sea to find and alert the women of The Saints before the Reapers arrive, and to reunite with Thomas if he still survives. Although Sky and her companions meet deadly challenges and near-disasters along the way, an inexplicable longing for the one she loves drives the girl forward. To reunite with Thomas and discover where their baffling, wondrous relationship will lead, Sky must overcome powerful new enemies, unexpected treachery, and the ever-present monsters that swarm the shore. Both her heart and the fate of humanity lie in the balance!
Fall of Darkness on Amazon.com
David’s Note: This represents my first series – albeit only two parts. What do you call that? A duology? Regardless, I found that I enjoyed writing strong female characters, which led me ultimately to writing historical romance.
Down the Dead Road
Sixteen-year-old “Cowboy” knows he will die soon – just not when or how. Death is stalking him, making repeated attempts on his life. The boy is an easy target, having lived on the streets nearly all his life with no memory of his real name or origin, cared for by Emma, the homeless woman who found him as an abandoned toddler. Now a brutal street gang wants to kill him, unwittingly joining forces with Death itself. Fortunately, Cowboy has a powerful ally – a mysterious figure Emma calls The Highwayman – who appears intent on thwarting Death’s plan.
Cowboy’s dark fate appears to change with his rescue of a wealthy teen girl and the unexpected feelings that blossoms between them. This frustratingly wonderful relationship inspires Cowboy to seek the truth of his past, despite the ongoing tug-of-war between Death and The Highwayman. Then suddenly, in the midst of the mayhem, the door to Cowboy’s past cracks open – but the unbelievable truth may not be enough to save him!
Down the Dead Road on Amazon.com
David’s Note: This is my first novel that I felt worthy of publishing. I hope my writing skills have improved since then. That said, I still like the story for the wild twists and turns.