As you’ve noticed, I’m re-releasing Viral Dawn with an updated cover, and I anticipate releasing the sequel soon. I thought it might be a good time to start answering some of the questions readers have asked about Viral Dawn and other things. Here are some of the latest questions:
Answer: Hi there, and thanks for writing! I appreciate your question. I admit I had to think on this one a bit because it wasn’t my intention to end the book with a cliffhanger.
Viral Dawn was intended to work as a stand-alone story, so I wrote the ending hoping to convey a positive outcome while leaving the door open for future stories. So, the end of the last chapter, the ending (without giving away spoilers) is basically that the characters are where they are and are moving toward their stated goal. In the last few pages, I wanted to convey a sense of a positive outcome while leaving the story open to future possibilities, as many books do.
Later, when I began writing Viral Storm, I decided to go back to Viral Dawn and a sample of the first chapter of Viral Storm. My intention was to offer the first chapter of the work in progress to help readers decide if they want to read the next book.
You know what they say about intentions. (Grinning) I believe it’s that bonus chapter that you felt left you hanging. That wasn’t at all what I planned, and I really want my readers to have good experiences with my books. While writing Viral Storm, I was also studying the book, Immediate Fiction, by Jerry Cleaver. It focuses on developing skills that keep readers turning pages. So, it was with those techniques in mind that I drafted out the first part of Viral Storm. When I put it in at the end of Viral Dawn, I wasn’t thinking about anything but the story, which was a mistake.
The last thing I intended to do was disappoint anyone, and I’m so sorry you didn’t like it. For that reason, if you’re still interested, I’m sending you a free download for Viral Storm. I hope you like it, and thanks so much for caring enough to write.
Skyler Rankin 