The second story in the WOOL series is now available on the Kindle store, and people seem to be gobbling it up already. There’s a hint here of where the overall tale is heading, and let me tell you, it’s hard to stay mum about all that I have planned. Yes, I have a plan. A carefully constructed one. These are not going to be the stories you’re used to reading. There will be few happy endings. Things will occur the way they should, not the way we want them to. And I think you’ll enjoy the honesty of that.

They will also not be told in the manner you are used to. The publishing world is changing, mostly because the reading world is changing. People read more now than they ever have at any other time in human history (a professor at Stanford discovered this a few years back, contrary to what she set out to prove). The difference is, they are reading other stuff. Websites and text messages, forums and blogs, tweets and Facebook statuses.

Attention spans have shortened; the number of leisurely distractions have exploded; there is more to compete for an already shrinking attention span. While I always think there will be a place (and audience) for full-length works, and I will continue to write them, WOOL is a stab at something new. Well, really, something old again.

Serialized fiction has a long and storied history (pardon the loose pun, there). Especially in science fiction, where magazines would publish longer pieces in monthly installments. Think of WOOL as a comic, a magazine, or a TV show. Each episode will be self-contained, but move a much larger story forward. This gives me the space and time to be more creative, and keeps you engaged (rather than waiting a year between the actions of characters).

So, take this stroll with me. I think you’ll enjoy where it takes you.