Recombination (a novel by Slither)
Taking place in the Sindome Universe

I've written a book that takes place in the world of Sindome. I finished it in 2010, and have been editing it, sending query letters out, doing more editing, rewriting major parts based on feedback (from some of you! thanks everyone!) and sending out more query letters to agents. As a first time author it's not the easiest thing to get the attention of a literary agent and even harder to get published. When you do, it's up to the author to do their own marketing. It's not until you become a well known author (or catch a break) that a publishing house is going to offer much in the way of marketing.

So, after spending time trying to find an Agent and finding the process both time consuming and disheartening, I have taken matters into my own hands. I'm self publishing my book on Amazon. I will do my own marketing (I run a web design and marketing company anyway, so this isn't a huge stretch for me). That marketing starts here, with my dear fellow players.

I've always had plans for a long term marketing strategy for Sindome, and those plans always involved bringing more attention to our community in various ways. This is one of them.

The book is called Recombination, it is 29 chapters, roughly 90,000 words and is on sale for $4.99 on Amazon. It chronicles the early life of Seven Ecks, his first encounter with the Snakes, and the things that made him who he was when he arrived in Withmore. I would truly appreciate your support, both in buying the book and giving it a good rating (if you think it deserves it) and spreading the word (if you like the book). I will be donating a portion of the proceeds of each book sold, to The Sindome Group and for every non-Sindomer that buys and reads my book we get a chance to introduce someone new to our genre and to our city. Writing Recombination was a labor of love, the outpouring of support I've had over the years has been overwhelming at times. The book is dedicated to each and every one of you. Thank you for all the support.

Get the book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M0DV5IQ

Like the Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/chroniclesofwithmorecity

Love,

Slither

*bought it already*

Oh, and if a few more of you want to follow Wintermute's lead and write a one sentence review, I could actually really use those!

Wintermute (and anyone else who writes one) do I have your permission to use your micro review on the marketing materials for the book (web, press release, facebook, etc). Happy to use only first name and last initial, or your awesomely cyberpunk BGBB names.

Again, you guys are awesome and I really, truly, appreciate the support. And just so everyone knows, almost all my marketing material is also geared toward getting people to play SD as well.

I call that feeding two mixers with one chy.

S

Any of you that bought the book on Amazon, please rate/review it. It helps a ton! If you haven't bought the book yet, well, whatcha waiting for? ;)

S

I'm posting this because I want to ask for your help. If you've at some point purchased or downloaded by book while it was free, it would be incredibly, awesomely helpful to me as an author, if you would leave a review and rate the book on Amazon.

I'm not asking you to leave a 5 star 100% positive review if you didn't like the book or weren't completely utterly enthralled by it. Obviously if you are thinking of leaving a 1 star review and putting 'sux0rz' as the review, maybe like, forget you saw this post-- but for anyone else, it would be very very helpful.

Higher rates books, and books with more reviews are treated differently by Amazon and by consumers. Let me put it to you this way: you land on a book on Amazon you've never heard of but looks like it might be good. It costs 99 cents which isn't much but you aren't like, giving money away here, if the book has 5 or 10 reviews you can imagine it's not terrible and has gotten a bit of exposure but you aren't totally sold.

Now, imagine the same situation but the book as 30 or 40 or 100 reviews. Well, assuming they aren't all 1 star, you can make a safe bet that this is worth your time!

Help me and help Sindome (yes, plucking those Sindome heartstrings) by leaving a review of Recombination: http://www.amazon.com/Recombination-Seven-Novel-Chronicles-Withmore-ebook/dp/B00M0DV5IQ

Much love! <3

-- Slither

http://www.amazon.com/Recombination-Seven-Novel-Chronicles-Withmore-ebook/dp/B00M0DV5IQ

-- Slither

Simply search for Recombination if you have a lot of stuff here, but there should be an 'Update' button available for you. Click this and it will send the updated version of the book to your linked devices.

This at least works with the Kindle version, beyond that I can't offer much more help.

And because I yoinked it for free, I ran copy while reading it to make up for that! 😊

(Anybody but Slither can ignore the rest of this post)

I typed these up while I was reading so it goes like this:

--

(so you can Ctrl+F and fix everything quickly)

H

-- what -> that

...it's up to me to pass down judgment on the stupid mother fucker what couldn't just smile and nod...

-- Chapters 1, 7, and 17 have quotes that don't seem related to what's going on. Feels inconsistent and probably best removed now that there's a prologue and epilogue that does a better job at encapsulating the future.

-- brushing -> brush

"I understand," I said and nodded to him before starting to brushing some dirty clumps of black hair from my face.

-- ...but he did offer a parting gesture.

He raised a hand in parting. I raised my hand back and started down the path. The old man didn't offer any parting words or gestures, he just started walking again.

-- to -> too

They’re dead, and you will be to if you don’t stop acting like a baby.

-- Reads awkwardly. Consider splitting into two sentences.

Climbing into the bed, my stomach filled for the first time in a week felt good.

-- to -> too

"Could tell right away you was running from something. Won’t long ago I worked for people ended up wanting me dead an’ I had to make my escape to. Been moving ever since."

-- to -> too

I was to tough for that, at least.

-- Chapter 5 time break isn't centered

* * *

-- Is this still factual based on Xo5? (Year is 2090)

"Yeh, the best money can buy. Xo3 battlemesh.

-- Stray hyphen

To -the right of the door there were

-- Missing period. (also adding p.m. would help with the second sentence)

I lost sight of him quickly in the dimly lit dormitory I guessed it was about ten and most everyone was laid up in their bunks.

-- Stray quotation marks

badass, and let them approach me.”

-- ring -> wring

I was careful to ring as much water out of the fabric as possible when finished, to prevent the clothes from getting moldy before they were completely dry.

-- Seven is at most 17 at this point...

Do all eighteen-year-old kids have to deal with this kind of crap?

-- Lore technicality: I thought the Grid is old enough that only Withmore is still on it, and the rest of the world is on the Matrix?

We'd log on to the Grid and map out the different stops and costs.

(There's also mention earlier about a gridphone)

-- but they -> but when they

It took me a moment to find the words but they did come, it was in a rush.

-- EcoGear is one word if I recall (forget if Gear is capitalized)

I picked out a hunter green Eco Gear coat and slipped into it.

-- awhile -> a while (awhile is an adverb, a while is the noun phrase you're looking for)

Been awhile since I had a roommate."

-- awhile -> a while (ditto)

"I thought that guy was after me for awhile."

-- Missing period between sentences.

His verbal tirades against me hadn't let up in the slightest since I moved in with Zenigra but he had yet to mention my eavesdropping I supposed it was possible that he hadn't seen me or that he had, but hadn't realized what I was doing.

-- gridphone isn't hyphenated anywhere else

I said as I turned the grid-phone over in my hands.

-- this paragraph is tabbed out too far

"The only person you can trust in this world, is you," his words rang in my ears. He would understand.

-- Was the racism really necessary?

that Chink doc

-- Lore technicality: Neo York?

We'll be hitting New York soon, that's when we start making all the stops.

-- Was this supposed to be italicized?

Coward.

-- Was this supposed to be italicized?

Baka. How could you miss that?

-- Was this supposed to be italicized?

That was just your guilt convincing you, Sev.

-- Snakes -> Snakes'

It was a good bet I wouldn't be leaving this room without the Snakes blessing.

-- Was this supposed to be italicized?

Baka. This won't be the last you hear about this.

-- add something like "to get intoxicated" or "to feel a buzz" to the end of this sentence to make the meaning clearer

It was our first time drinking, and we had no idea how much it took.

-- He -> He's

“He smart, real smart.

-- obviously tough chummer -> obviously a tough chummer

Malak was obviously tough chummer, but I doubted he had ever dealt with someone like Lucas before.

-- Was this supposed to be italicized?

You aren't unbeatable. You aren't unkillable. You should remember that, Sev.

-- Was this supposed to be italicized?

You're making assumptions again.

-- This line reads weird. Consider rewriting.

Lately, it seemed like I was shoveling questions onto the things I need to know pile, and the things I already know pile, well that was someone just getting smaller.

-- Last comma should be a period.

I smiled at the merc, "So nice to see you again,"

-- Errant extra space before "turned"

The merc looked me over once, then apparently satisfied, turned and nodded back outside.

-- Errant extra space before "one"

-- Also, if the important parts are on the lower floors, why is the command center on the 40th?

Most of the important parts of the base, as Plex had called them, were on the lower floors. My room had been on the 8th floor, one of the lowest habitable floors. Most everything below was under water. Now we were walking up the stairs toward what Plex had called the Command Center. It was on the top floor. The 40th.

-- claustrophobics -> claustrophobe's

The elevator in my parents' apartment back in Miami had been a claustrophobics worst nightmare.

-- "Gangers" is capitalized here but nowhere else.

"I bet," I said, laughing, “There was a time not long ago that I wouldn’t have wanted to be on a train filled with Gangers either.”

-- maybe -> many

So many not that normal, but still.

-- Hyphenate well-hidden

If so, he kept it well hidden.

-- Was this supposed to be italicized?

It was a nice day out when you took a bullet to the heart, Sev.

-- Errant space after the quote

" Are we going to let that stand?

-- peak -> peek

I didn't dare peak my head around the side of the bookshelf

-- Errant extra line break here

My need for survival won out. "Hold on,"

-- Instead of a time break here (there's no additional time elapsed), consider making it a new chapter

Then, I realized what was about to happen and I knew we were all about to die.

-- Change first comma to period and split it into two sentences

-- to -> too

-- Italicize "Baka."?

I reached up and touched the side of my head gingerly, it to, was wet with blood.

Baka.

-- is -> was

Where is he?

-- Change period to comma and make it into one sentence.

He was everywhere. His strikes in and out...

-- hadn't of -> hadn't have (or hadn't've)

"You never would have been in that hallway if it hadn't of been for me, so I think we're even."

-- Is it Kain or Cain in this universe? 😅

Kain on his boss.

-- Add "who" after "out"

Thoughts of collecting enough money to somehow find out had ordered...

-- remove first "him"

If he comes knocking, we'll deal him with him.

-- surround with quotation marks

Mez says he'll be here in less than a minute. I'm ready when you are.

-- surround with quotation marks

I'll be on the roof.

-- Time break at the end isn't formatted like the rest (*** vs * * *), and really isn't necessary anyway, since the epilogue is next.

***