From the Indie Side

No part of this work may be reproduced or
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Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owners as
identified herein.

The stories in this book are fiction. Any
resemblance to any person, living or dead; to any place, past or
present; or to any thing, animal, vegetable, or mineral; is purely
coincidental.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Foreword: Indie and Proud copyright © 2013 by
Hugh Howey. Used by permission of the author.

“The Winter Lands” by Jason Gurley. Copyright
© 2013 by Jason Gurley. Used by permission of the author.

“Going Gray” by Brian Spangler. Copyright ©
2013 by Brian Spangler. Used by permission of the author.

“Queen Joanna” by Kate Danley. Copyright ©
2013 by Kate Danley. Used by permission of the author.

“Mouth Breathers” by Hugh Howey. Copyright ©
2013 by Hugh Howey. Used by permission of the author.

“The Man With Two Legs” by Ernie Lindsey.
Copyright © 2013 by Ernie Lindsey. Used by permission of the
author.

“Cipher” by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2013 by
Sara Foster. Used by permission of the author.

“Made of Stars” by Anne Frasier/Theresa Weir.
Copyright © 2012 by Theresa Weir. First published by Theresa Weir
in 2013. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Gyre~Witchery” by Kev Heritage. Copyright ©
2013 by Kev Heritage. Used by permission of the author.

“The War Veteran” by Susan May. Copyright ©
2013 by Susan May. Used by permission of the author.

“The Greater Good” by Mel Hearse. Copyright ©
2013 by Mel Hearse. Used by permission of the author.

“REDOUBT” by Michael Bunker. Copyright © 2013
by Michael Bunker. Used by permission of the author.

“The Man Who Remembered Today” by Peter
Cawdron. Copyright © 2013 by Peter Cawdron. Used by permission of
the author.

Edited by David Gatewood (
www.lonetrout.com
)

Cover art and design by Jason Gurley
(
www.jasongurley.com
)

Print and ebook formatting by Stewart Stonger
(
www.nourishingdays.com/contact/hire-us/
)

From The Indie
Side

SUSAN MAY

Copyright © 2013 by Susan
May

Smashwords Edition

To all who chart their own
paths,

Make time to pursue their
dreams,

And let nothing stand in their
way

STORY SYNOPSES

The Winter Lands
 (Jason Gurley)
[United States]

Jonathan Froestt lives alone in a retirement
home. His family is gone. His friends are all dead. For over sixty
years, he has been writing a novel, the pages collecting in his
apartment in stacks. Nobody has ever read it. Until today.

Going Gray
 (Brian Spangler)
[United States]

When their community is engulfed by a deadly,
caustic fog, sixteen-year-old Emily and her family decide to escape
to the one building they can think of that might be able to
withstand the fog’s corrosive force: the shopping mall. But a trip
to the mall has never been so desperate, or so terrifying.

Queen Joanna
 (Kate Danley) [United
States]

Thrust into a loveless marriage of state,
Queen Joanna soon discovers her new palace is home to many dark
secrets. And when a face in the mirror confronts her with a dire
warning, she realizes her life is at risk. Has she awakened a
curse—or been struck by madness? “Queen Joanna” presents a haunting
twist on the legend of Bloody Mary.

Mouth Breathers
 (Hugh Howey)
[United States]

Moving to a new town, starting off at a new
school, meeting new kids... it's never easy. And it only gets
harder when the new town and the new school and the new kids are on
a different planet. But sometimes, something happens that makes it
worth all the trouble.

The Man
With Two Legs
 (Ernie Lindsey) [United States]

Many winters ago, the man with two legs
managed to escape the oppressive maiming rituals of Tritan’s
government. Now he stands on a hillside overlooking the city, a
bomb in his rucksack, determined to bring about two impossible
results: his mother’s rescue and freedom for his people.

Cipher
 (Sara Foster)
[Australia]

When Beatrice
leaves her family behind to visit her father, she never imagines
she might not see them again. But then a bomb goes off close to
home, and Beatrice must rely on a stranger’s help to find out
what’s happened—and whether or not her husband and children have
survived.

Made
of Stars
 (Anne Frasier) [United States]

A genius vampire named Sinclair creates an
alternate world where vampires can experience a traditional human
life of love, marriage, and children. Sixteen-year-old Gabriel is
Sinclair’s beta tester and volunteers to fall in love with a
coffee-shop girl. But when the pain of love becomes overwhelming,
Gabriel questions his decision. “It’s too real,” he tells Sinclair.
“You made it too real.”

Gyre-Witchery
 (Kev Heritage) [United
Kingdom]

All Tam
wanted was to be loved.
Was that so hard?
Made outcast because of her green eyes—the sign of
witchery—Tamina, a well-meaning simpleton, is shunned by a
superstitious people who blame her for the ills that have overtaken
their small island. It was not her fault that she put on weight
while the others starved, or that wild animals slunk at her side,
or that men and women both desired and despised her. But change was
coming, brought upon the back of a terrifying squall…

The
War Veteran
 (Susan May) [Australia]

For seventy years, World War II veteran Jack
Baker has endured vivid flashbacks to that horrific June day on
Omaha Beach. But tonight, the flashback will be terrifyingly
different. Tonight it becomes real. Tonight, Jack’s
seventy-year-old secret will come back to claim him.

The Greater Good
 (Mel Hearse)
[Australia]

When Lanie wakes up in a hospital bed with no
idea how she got there, she tries desperately to work out why she
was on the old loop road that’s been all but abandoned by the
locals. Thinking there must be an obvious answer, Lanie leaves no
stone unturned in her quest for an explanation. But when all is
revealed, she is left with only one question—and no good
answers.

REDOUBT
 (Michael Bunker) [United States]

Phillip is a militia commander who has
planned for a decade to defend the pacifist Vallenses of Central
Texas with his army if ever the world tips over and goes to hell.
He never thought he’d be on a skiing trip to New Mexico when the
end comes.

The Man Who Remembered Today
(Peter Cawdron) [Australia]

Kareem wakes with a headache. A bloody
bandage wrapped around his head tells him this isn’t just another
day in the Big Apple. The problem is, he can’t remember what
happened to him. He can’t recall anything from yesterday. The only
memories he has are from events that are about to unfold today, and
today is no ordinary day.

Foreword

The
Winter Lands
 (Jason Gurley)

Going
Gray
 (Brian Spangler)

Queen
Joanna
 (Kate Danley)

Mouth Breathers
 (Hugh Howey)

The Man
With Two Legs
 (Ernie Lindsey)

Cipher
 (Sara Foster)

Made
of Stars
 (Anne Frasier)

Gyre~Witchery
 (Kev Heritage)

The
War Veteran
 (Susan May)

The
Greater Good
 (Mel Hearse)

REDOUBT
 (Michael Bunker)

The Man Who Remembered Today
 (Peter
Cawdron)

A Word From
The Editor

Q&A

Author
Websites

I am an indie author. I am a self-publisher.
I create my own books.

Just a few years ago, these words might’ve
been uttered as sheepish admission. Today, they are just as likely
to be spoken with pride. With the advent of e-books and the rise of
print-on-demand technology, the cost of producing and distributing
the written word has plummeted practically to zero. This has
brought about a revolution in the book industry and has given rise
to self-publishing as a viable option for aspiring authors. I feel
extremely lucky to have been writing at this moment in history. Not
since Gutenberg’s refinement of the printing press has the
publishing industry undergone such swift and sweeping change. It
has overturned what it once meant to be an independent author.

Other artistic mediums have long welcomed
their indie counterparts. In the film and music industries, the
indie is often lionized. Indie bands and indie labels take risks
and bend the rules; they push the boundaries of acceptance and
create new and exciting sounds. It’s the same with indie
filmmakers, who create small-budget masterpieces that win awards at
the most important film festivals. There is often a sense of
disappointment among fans when these musicians and filmmakers move
on to larger labels and studios, where the hiss and crackle of
authenticity gives way to house style, and creative risk-taking is
discouraged in lieu of “safe” investments.