The Collectors (Karma Police Book 3)
Page 9
“What?”
“I think they put me in a coma. And I’m not alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a whole room of people just like me, all of them in these chambers. And I heard — ”
She’s gone again.
Shit!
Who the hell took her? Why? And why do they have a room full of people in comas? Why is this happening to her? What did she ever do to deserve this?
I remember the static in the hospital.
Am I picking up on how The Collectors communicate?
Were they looking for Chelsea? And if so, why?
I don’t remember the assassin saying The Collectors used vans. This is something different.
But what?
I need to find out where she is.
I need to find her.
I need to save her.
Suddenly, she’s back, in the front seat now, clearer than before.
She looks at me as if she can see me better, too.
I can see that she’s crying.
“Did you hear me?” she asks.
“You cut out. What did you say?”
“I heard them saying your name, Ella.”
“What?”
“I think these are the people looking for you. And they’ve got me, Ella. I’m scared.”
My mind is filled with a helpless panic. I want to save her, but how? I feel blinded by the things I don’t know. I look down as if my hands in my lap will hold some answers.
“I’ll figure something out,” I promise, even though I don’t have the first clue how I can fulfill that vow. “You hear me, Chelsea? I will find you.”
But she doesn’t answer.
She’s gone.
THE END
The story continues in Deviant - turn the page to find out more.
WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
One more day in a body that doesn’t belong to me. Another day further from a life I can't remember.
I am a Jumper. Waking up in a new body almost every day. A traveler, learning the rules as I go.
But this time things are different as I’m hurled into the body of a young girl, running for her life. A girl who not only knows that I’m inside her, but exactly who I am.
As days pass, I’m waking in bodies with strange powers, and the men and women who are chasing them — a secret organization spearheaded by an evil genius who may hold the keys to revealing my past.
But not without a cost.
THE SERIES CONTINUES IN BOOK FOUR:
Click here to get DEVIANT
AUTHOR’S NOTE
It’s been a crazy few months!
As I’m (Dave) sitting here writing (March 20, 2016), we’re nearing publication of this book that you’re holding in your hands.
We weren’t sure what the response would be like to these Karma Police novellas.
Sean is usually optimistic. While I’m always in fear that nobody will like anything I write.
So I was pleasantly surprised — actually blown away — by the response to Karma Police so far.
We wrote this story as standalone series books for a couple of reasons. One, we wanted to write the sort of fast, furious fiction we did back in 2012 when we were writing an episode of serialized fiction per week (I still don’t know how we did that!) Two, we didn’t want to commit to another ongoing serial without knowing there was an audience to support it.
In the world of publishing, time is money. And time spent writing a series that doesn’t sell is time you COULD be writing something more to your market.
Karma Police was experimental, a risk.
It wasn’t in the genre we’ve had our most success (post-apocalyptic), and the books were shorter (another tough selling point for a lot of reasons too boring to get into here). So there was a very real chance that we could write three books that few people would buy.
I’m glad that Sean was right this time.
While we haven’t hit Number One on the charts yet, the reader response has been amazing!
The reviews have been among our best. And the emails you send me have left me humbled, and grateful to know you’re connecting to this story as much as we are.
And not just this story, but these characters.
One of the things I’m hearing a lot is how real the characters that Ella jumps into feel. How involved you’re getting in their lives.
I’m hoping that this third book has the same feel.
I think we’ve all heard a number of real-life horror stories of kids, teens, and college students bullied by peers, particularly with social media. The victims were in such dark places, with no light to lead them through, thinking the only way out was suicide — leaving behind devastated friends, loved ones who wished they could’ve seen the signs or done something to save them. It’s a tragedy of many layers.
I wanted to write something that spoke to that in some way.
I was fortunate to grow up in a time before bullies had social media at their disposal. I got my ass kicked the old fashioned way, in person. And while I never felt lucky back then, I can’t imagine surviving the immense pressure today’s kids feel with the relentless social media pressure.
I’m also lucky that I had my writing to (somewhat) insulate me from my bullies. I sat in the back of class, dreaming of the day I’d write for an audience, connecting with you, sharing my worlds and characters.
That was my light to hold on to.
SO, WHAT’S NEXT?
As we move forward to the next three books in the series, coming later this summer, we’re looking at the length of each book.
Many readers love the smaller size, as it’s easier to pick up and dive into. But then we also hear from people who wish the books were longer. If you’re like me, you love short stories because they’re easy to get into, but once you’re into a good one, you want it to be a full-length novel!
Sean and I talked a lot about the book length for the first three books. Sean thought they should be longer. But I couldn’t find a way to do so without feeling like I was padding the story with artificial length.
And I think that would’ve detracted from the strength of the story.
One of the questions we get from a lot of new writers is: how long should a story be?
And my answer is usually: as long as it takes to tell a story.
I don’t mean to be dismissive or flippant, but there’s truth in my response. We’ve all read books that seemed to go on forever — I say this hoping that I’ve not actually been guilty of that particular crime — but whenever I’m writing a story, I trust the characters to dictate the length of the story.
I hope I’m right more often than wrong.
That being said, I think the next three books in the series SHOULD be longer.
I’m not sure exactly how much longer, but as we dive deeper into Ella’s mystery, explore The Collectors, and get peeks into Ella’s past, there’s a LOT of stuff to reveal. And that, of course, will take time to do right.
And I REALLY want to get this story right.
Because what’s coming in the next three books might be the best storytelling we’ve done yet — including a stunner of a plot twist you will NEVER see coming.
In case the capital letters didn’t make it clear, I’m pretty freaking excited by what we’ve got in store for you.
I look forward to seeing you again later this summer when Ella’s story continues.
In the meantime, we’d love it if you told a friend about the series, or maybe leave a review, so we can get as many people as possible reading Karma when we return this summer!
As always, thank you for reading,
Dave (and Sean)
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THANK YOU FOR READING!
Sean Platt & David W. Wright
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sean Platt is the bestselling co-author of over 60 books, including breakout post-apocalyptic horror serial Yesterday’s Gone, literary mind-bender Axis of Aaron, and the blockbuster sci-fi series, Invasion. Never one for staying inside a single box for long, he also writes smart stories for children under the pen name Guy Incognito, and laugh out loud comedies which are absolutely not for children.
He is also the founder of the Sterling & Stone Story Studio and along with partners Johnny B. Truant and David W. Wright hosts the weekly Self-Publishing Podcast, openly sharing his journey as an author-entrepreneur and publisher.
Sean is often spotted taking long walks, eating brisket with his fingers, or watching movies with his family in Austin, Texas. You can find him at sean@sterlingandstone.net.
David W Wright is the co-author of several horror series, including the bestselling Yesterday’s Gone and WhiteSpace, as well as the disturbing standalone books, 12 and Crash.
Dave is also the curmudgeon co-host of the weekly Self-Publishing Podcast, he invites listeners along on his journey toward better health on the strikingly personal The Walking Dave podcast, and regularly rants about his many pet-peeves on the ridiculous podcast Worst. Show. Ever. (which should never be listened to by anyone, ever).
Dave is an accomplished and intermittent cartoonist who lives in [LOCATION REDACTED] with his wife and son [NAMES REDACTED]. Dave cultivates the perfect level of paranoia and always carries a decoy wallet in case he gets mugged. You can stalk him at dave@sterlingandstone.net or visit his personal blog at www.davidwwright.com.
For any questions about Sterling & Stone books or products, or help with anything at all, please send an email to help@sterlingandstone.net, or contact us at sterlingandstone.net/contact. Thank you for reading.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Collectors
Dedication & Copyright
The Collectors
Prologue
 Chapter 1
 Chapter 2
 Chapter 3
 Chapter 4
 Chapter 5
 Chapter 6
 Chapter 7
 Chapter 8
Epilogue
Want to Know What Happens Next?
Author's Note
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About the Authors