Where to Find the Exclusive Story "Watchers"!
A Vaporous Realms snippet on Havok Publishing!
Happy Day-After Thanksgiving!
I sure am thankful for y'all. I mean it. This Substack community has helped keep me writing for most of this past fifteen months, when I had my pick of good reasons to tap out.
One of my top three writerly moments for 2023 was finding out that Havok Publishing accepted my short story "Watchers." [Update: I’ve now republished it here on our site, for paid and complimentary subscribers.] This thousand-word story gives you a peek into the story-world future of Egwae, Len's grumpy guardian angel from Dustsong: Len the Wanderer.
You've heard me mention this exclusive Havok snippet at every opportunity this last couple months—and now the day has arrived. "Watchers" is free for everyone, today only! I'll respect your time by keeping it simple:
If you have a few minutes to spare today, please visit Havok Publishing's homepage (https://gohavok.com).
Read the story. And enjoy it, I hope! After all, that’s the point.
Comment on the story if you'd like. Seriously, please comment—it doesn’t have to be long or complicated. I'd love to hear what you think, simply put. And your comments help get the story more attention, too.
Consider joining the Havok Horde. Memberships are cheap (as little as $4.99/year, or $1.99 for 90 days), and the daily stories are high-quality entertainment. I've been reading them almost every day since I joined.
If you decide to subscribe to Havok, or are already a member, please consider rating "Watchers" (one to three stars—and any stars are good). Votes help promote the story, too.
Every read-through, comment, and vote means a lot to me and the team!
Havok's best stories are collected in seasonal anthologies and frequently make appearances at the Realm Awards. I'll keep you updated on those fronts, if "Watchers" finds life beyond Black Friday. (Incidentally, Havok members can access their story archives anytime.)
Thank you, bless you, and enjoy your weekend!
—M. B. Heywood
I forgot about time zones—oops! Havok is not on Eastern or Central time, it seems, so please check after 3 a.m. Eastern / midnight Pacific.