[Edit: The cover has changed.] My dream of becoming a published novelist is on the verge of becoming a reality. At 124K words, The Longest Survivor has gone through three revisions, a line edit, and a copy edit. The cover art has been selected, which can be seen to the left. The book is ready for formatting, proofreading, and then uploading to Amazon, after which a copy will be proofed and then, if nothing needs fixing, the book will be ready for you to buy your own copy. It will be available in paperback and Kindle editions. Since it’s almost a given that GameLit / LitRPG books are registered in the Kindle Unlimited program, so it will be with this novel. Apologies to fans of other ebook outlets, but Kindle Unlimited requires exclusivity, and I have to sell where the majority of my audience expects to find ebooks in this genre.
I co-authored The Longest Survivor with Emila H Thicke, also known as Emilah Thicke (the first H is silent in either case, I’m told). The game aspect of the novel is based on a custom role playing game system devised by Emila and myself. This was to guarantee we had the rules crunch expected of a LitRPG novel. We created character sheets for all the main and secondary characters and maintained them as we progressed through the story, mirroring the advancement of the characters from one encounter to the next. On the other hand, we attempted to incorporate the game rules and character statistics in a way that doesn’t overly detract from the story line. Did we succeed? Our readers will be the judge.
So, what’s the story about? Strange creatures identified by floating banners and sporting HP status bars have invaded the real world. Immune to most weapons, including bullets, the invaders are laying waste to humanity. A special breed of warrior with special weaponry is needed to combat the invaders. But training is essential to the task, and to receive the needed training, potential warriors must send their subconscious selves into the game world of Khertaan. Join party MAD—Mithabel the Elf Tank, Amarynth the Viking Archer, Charli the Cowgirl Guide, Dylan the Polynesian Priestess of Scintilla the Sun Goddess, Rolag the Pseudo Code Dragon Winged Fighter, and Kaleisha the Jamaican AI—on a two-day trek through fields, forests, dreams, and their own headspaces, fighting mooks, Bosses, other parties, and themselves, as they endeavor to become the best of the best and protect one of their own from everyone else in the game world.
The Longest Survivor is Book One of a planned series, The Subconscious World. With the statistical and rules crunch to satisfy LitRPG enthusiasts, it’s part fantasy, part science fiction, and all GameLit. If you’re game for a story about survival, unusual monsters, bouts of insanity, a touch of romance, and a bit of sex, then The Longest Survivor is for you. I’ll make another blog post when the book is up for sale. Subscribe below to stay in the know.
