Offshoot Novella?

[willallen]

I agree with Dale. Not trying to suck up, but that story by itself would be terribly painful to read. Maybe something that incorporates that story into Billy meeting a girl in the Gwen-iverse that makes him revisit those feelings? Perhaps a woman who is a "null" with thoughts he cannot read by touch? Just a thought. And trying to heap more work on the author. Okay, more the second one. Plus, it would give us a different point of view to see how others really perceive Gwen even if it is from the perspective of her scary, crazy brother.

[RyanM]

[willallen]

I'm all excited at the idea of a new Gwen book. I went back and read these entries and got even more hyped.

[lenoirdenantes]

I have to admit that the idea of a novella leaves me cold. I don't like short stories at all and feel like I have been short changed. When Dale writes a shorter novel he is upfront about it and then I don't feel so bad. My favorite novels are in the range of 250 - 300 pages.

[RyanM]

So long as the novella is priced to match the length, I've never had a problem with them; not a big fan of them, but so long as they tell a compelling story, so be it. I'd prefer to see such things in an anthology though. For example, I'd love to see a series of short stories that explore supporting characters: Ginger, Fram, maybe some Trollenkeine or Shifters, the plethora of Infected and YA non-main characters, maybe some Ferdinand or Westmorland side story or even airship crew missions. There's quite literally a thousand possibilities to explore and expand the various universes without delving into a large story arc.

[Ronald Dukarski]

I, too, like an anthology to wrap up a series. Like Dale did for A Very Good Man. It ties up most of the loose ends and kind of puts the whole thing to bed. Can't think of a better way to wrap it all up. As far as novellas go, I think they run about 20000 to 30000 words which is not terrible (especially at a lower price) . It's the short stories that can cost like $2-$3 for as little as 15 pages that make me laugh. It could be a solution for world peace and I wouldn't know it - I never look.

[lenoirdenantes]

Looks like I opened a can of worms or at least a good discussion. Novellas don't even get a mouse click from me. I don't even want to look at them. I figure that if the author can't even write a full novel then they aren't even worth fooling with.
Maybe I am a snob but what can I say? I like an author that has something to say and says it well.

[Ronald Dukarski]

Hey Len, I can sort of see your point. But for the right price, I can be nudged into reading a short book if it's done well and serves a purpose. I've read several authors who sometimes explain what happens to characters between books or before books- mini-prequels sort of. The King Henry Diaries is a good example (which I highly recommend). Dale' s book to help wrap up The Very Good Man series is another. Of course, all novellas aren't like that, so you just have to be careful. By the way, I started revisiting the old Amazon forum, surprised to see it still there. I did notice there are fewer active topics, the most active being What to read while waiting... It was nice to find you still there. And holding your ground as well. Happy to see you here as well, and sort of a regular now. Great.

[RyanM]

Another good example is Imp: An Urban Fantasy Novella by Debra Dunbar. It's a good story that helps explain the main protagonists origins. It would have been nice if it were a complete book, but the novella was entertaining and only $2.

[lenoirdenantes]

When you are stuck in one place and the only thing you can do is play with the Kindle...I am more active on the internet. LOL