EPILOGUE
David opened his eyes. The view was distorted. A white haze. The curve of glass. He was inside a tube. His eyes were adjusting, as if he were waking up from a deep sleep. He could see his body now. He was naked. His skin was smooth — too smooth. The chest and shoulder wounds were gone. As were the scars on his arms and chest, where the burning pieces of metal and rock from the collapsing buildings had dug into him so long ago.
The white fog was clearing now, and he looked out of the tube. To his left, a light shone into the vast chamber. It was the light from the corridor… the corridor where he had retreated and Dorian had shot him. Killed him. David strained to see. There he was. His limp body, lying there in a pool of blood. There was another body lying across him.
David looked away from the scene, trying to comprehend it. To his right, as far as he could see, up and down, right and left, were tubes. They were all asleep. Except for him. And there was one more. One more set of eyes scanning the distance beyond. Directly across from him. He wanted to lean closer to see them, but he couldn’t move. He waited. A cloud of mist passed, and he saw the eyes and the face in the other tube. Dorian Sloane.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Hello and thank you for reading. This is my first novel, and I truly hope you’ve enjoyed it. As a new author, I’m especially interested in getting your feedback, learning what you liked and didn’t, and growing professionally. Please feel free to email me: [email protected].
I’m writing this updated author’s note almost ten weeks after I uploaded The Atlantis Gene to Amazon, and I’d like to share some of my experience, mostly to let you know how important you, the reader, are to me and to other indie authors.
I spent two years researching and writing The Atlantis Gene. The idea of finally releasing it was nerve racking. I had a lot of time invested, and I couldn’t seem to stop working on it. My endless rounds of edits were simply making it different, not better. I knew it was the best novel I could write at the time and there was nothing left to do. In late March, I took the plunge and posted it to Amazon. At first, nothing happened (or almost nothing). Sales were slow and reviews were rare. I was a little discouraged, but I believed in the story, so I kept writing the sequel. Then I started hearing from readers and reading the reviews that trickled in. They weren’t all positive, but they were helpful: I learned a lot from them and it was inspiring to know that there were people out there who enjoyed my work.
In the weeks that followed, the reviews began to pour in, and The Atlantis Gene actually started to climb the bestsellers list. Only then did I realize how crucial reviews are to getting discovered on Amazon. Amazon provides an amazing opportunity for indie novelists (like your narrator) and debut novels (like the one you’re reading), but they want a novel to prove itself before they shine a spotlight on it. Reviews seem to be one of the biggest metrics they use to gauge a book’s relevance, so if you have time to write one — good, bad, or otherwise — I would really appreciate it. I will definitely read it, and hopefully it will help others decide if they would enjoy the book.
Click here to review The Atlantis Gene.
So what’s next for Kate Warner, David Vale, and Dorian Sloane?
The Atlantis Plague.
Find out more at: AtlantisGene.com/Next
Thanks again for reading,
-A.G.
PS: The web site also has a “Fact vs Fiction behind The Atlantis Gene” section that explores the science and history in the novel.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Where do I start?
At home, I suppose. To Anna, for everything. Specifically for reading my first draft and making invaluable suggestions. And generally for living with me for the past two years as I wondered whether I was drilling a dry well and why the bottle of Balvenie was always empty (it turns out it did not have a hairline crack). I love you.
I imagine every young man who writes a novel owes a huge thank you to his mother, but for me, it’s even more so. I’m very lucky. To have parents who always supported me and to have a mother who spent 20 years teaching eighth grade English (ah-hem, Language Arts now) at Crest Middle School in Shelby, North Carolina. Thanks Mom, for reading my manuscript, for performing outstanding editing work, and for always believing in your children, inside and outside of the classroom.
From here the list gets longer, and I risk leaving someone out. I don’t want to take that chance, so to everyone who has had a hand in this, my first novel, and helped me along the way, I say thank you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting and running internet companies before retiring to focus on his true passion: writing fiction. He lives in Durham, North Carolina and would love to hear from you: AGRiddle.com