Most sites allow you to read the first six chapters, but if you have stumbled upon this site and have not already read Behind the Veil, I thought I’d introduce you.

Behind the Veil is the first book I self-published (Other than a parallel Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing, which is currently on Teacher Pay Teacher–I might eventually publish it.) Behind the Veil was a 15 year project. It wasn’t just learning to write a novel (and edit, beta read, and edit some more); I also had to learn the ins and outs of the publishing system, decide whether to traditionally publish or self-publish, sift through a myriad of publishing companies, query a few, wait, consider getting an agent, decide on an illustrator, etc.

I chose to publish with Draft2Digital when they were just starting to tiptoe into print from being a solely e-publishing industry. I was part of their Beta testing trial. Many of the rules now in place are actually because of me. (I ordered 100 copies of Behind the Veil, which arrived with a double barcode. When I proved it was their error and not mine, they had to provide me with another 100 for free…Now, if you don’t get a proof copy, they don’t replace them.) Despite all of those early maneuverings, they are still my favorite company to work with, and they have published all of my works so far.

The process with each book got substantially easier. Most now take around two years from start to finish. Hopefully, that may be an encouragement to some of you writers who feel the process is taking far too long. Hang in there!

So, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Behind the Veil. This is the prologue:

Prologue

Caleb closed his eyes, erasing the flames all around him.  He wished he could close his ears to shut out the screams, but those seemed destined to haunt the wee hours of the night.  He took a deep breath, choking on the ash that hung in the air like snowflakes.

“Pull yourself together, Caleb,” he muttered, trying to breathe evenly.

His eyes wandered to the cart where the three girls looked back with tortured eyes as others milled around trying to bring comfort.  He tried to smile, failed, and looked away.  He’d found them clutching each other in the deep recesses of the many barns people always sought for shelter. 

“Poor things,” he mused.  “Don’t they know it’s the first place soldiers look?”

“Talking to yourself again, Caleb?”  David joined him, surveying the scorching landscape.  “Another job finished, and a lot of new workers too.  Once we get them broken in, we’ll have the luxury we deserve.  Whatever you think of his methods, he’s effective.”

“Yes,” Caleb said, wondering if David’s statement revealed what he thought of the king’s methods. 

“We’re about to head out.”  David slapped his shoulder and walked towards the wagon, stopping to set in a small boy who was crying for his parents.

Caleb shook his head, watching David’s retreating back.  “How did I get here?”  He looked down at his hand, resting on the sword, the red stone shining bright.  Red, like the blood of so many townspeople whose deaths had left three girls huddled on a barn floor or a little boy crying for his parents.  He knew that feeling.  It had been him three short years ago.  Before he was “broken in.”  The smell of fire still woke him up in a cold sweat.

“You coming?”  David looked back and waited for him to catch up.

“Yes,” Caleb said again.  Did he have a choice? He ran his fingers over the hilt of his sword one last time before running to catch up with David.  “Where are we going next?”  With this king, there was always a next.

“Well, training the new captures will take some time, but word on the street is we’re going to start in a different region.  The scouts will be setting up a base camp in some small town in Missouri no one’s heard of.  Sappington, I think?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Like I said.”

“That’s good if you’re trying to lay low, but that’s never been his style.  What’s in Sappington?”  They had reached the rest of the army who were loading anything of value into the remaining wagons.

“Not sure,” David answered, shrugging.  “I just go where I’m told.”

“Me too,” Caleb said, hoping David didn’t recognize the bitterness in his voice.  Too bad a place isn’t even on the map before it’s about to get wiped off it.  Too bad indeed.   

Thank you for reading! If you’re interested in checking out more of Behind the Veil, you can click the link on the Series Page.