AMBER
SKY is the first prequel novella preceding the adventurous steampunk horror
tale CRIMSON SKY, and tells the story of Nash before he joined the Dauntless Wanderer when his only means
of survival was to fight to the death, and how he was forced to make a choice
that would change his life forever…
Press-ganged into servitude by a ruthless band of
marauders who survived the devastating Storm, Nash has grown tired of his
career– the young, undefeated champion of the Stray Dog fighting pits. All
he longs for is a place to live where his family is not his enemy.
When his captain gives him an assignment to embed him
deeper into the crew, Nash attempts to refuse, until the life of his friend is
threatened. Determined to save her, Nash embarks on the mission to subjugate
and control a supplier. But the supplier has other clients, one of which could
be the son of the most feared pirate captain in all of Westraven.
And if Nash plays his cards right, the key to his
deeply desired freedom, if he can live with the consequences of his choice…
Set two years before the events of CRIMSON SKY, this
prequel novella tells the story of how Nash and Sawyer crossed paths– and
fists. While best enjoyed before reading CRIMSON SKY, this bonus story can be
read at any time or enjoyed as a standalone.
Buy it here:
AMBER
SKY is set two years before the first novel in the DARK SKY series, CRIMSON
SKY, and is told from the perspective of the Dauntless Wanderer’s quartermaster, Nash. It delves into his life
when he was a pit-fighter for Ryland, the ruthless leader of the Stray Dogs,
and tells the strange story of how he met Sawyer, his future friend and
captain. Their friendship was forged out of hard-won battles and trust, both
young men taking risks and fighting for something greater and more meaningful.
I’m a huge fan of novellas
that take place in between or before the events of full length novels. I like
reading new perspectives from characters who are fan favorites, but not
necessarily key to the story or the plot. I love the Dark Sky world and wanted to tell more about it, but I didn’t want
to write a story between Midnight Sky and
the final Dark Sky novel, scheduled
for February 2017. After the finale of Midnight
Sky, I knew I couldn’t just leave readers hanging, so I decided to tell the
stories of two side characters– Nash and Gemma.
In Midnight Sky, there are events that hint at Nash’s past. The more I
wrote it, the more interested I became. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the
full length novel, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to tell more of it in Amber Sky, the prequel novella. I worked
on a simple, straightforward plot that was true to Nash’s character and
expanded on his time with the ruthless Stray Dog Clan, steadily bringing Sawyer
into the picture.
I have to say, that was my
favorite part of writing this novella. Nash and Sawyer have a pretty easygoing
relationship (as long as Sawyer isn’t feeling moody), but their banter always
made me smile. Their friendship is unexpected for both of them, and forms out
of a truly dark place.
As happy as I was to complete
Amber Sky, there were of course steps
to take to ensure it’s publication. The story was too short to send to print,
so I chose to offer it as an ebook only. I like this exclusive, because it
gives me a chance to offer something free to my newsletter subscribers. I had
the manuscript edited by a Beta reader, who had great insights, and an editor
who’s helped me with the Dark Sky series
before.
After that came the
absolutely stellar cover. Deranged Doctor Design always does amazing work, but
this truly blew my mind. I was so happy with the end result that I approved the
first draft. No nitpicking for this one!
The biggest challenge then
came with promotion. I’m still learning the tricks of the independent
publishing world, and tried my hand at creating my promotion without the use of
a blog tour service. I’ll likely return to that for the final Dark Sky novel, but I wanted to try my
own hand at it. I’m pretty impressed with the final result, and have nothing
but gratitude for the reviewers and bloggers who have been kind enough to host
me. Offering a free short story for newsletter subscribers is great, but I
couldn’t have done this at all without the people I’ve listed above.
Writing Amber Sky has been a fun little challenge that I’m grateful I
undertook. I feel it added to the experience and depth of the Dark Sky novels, and can’t wait for
other readers to enjoy this new perspective.
Q & A: Amy Braun and Amber Sky– MINOR SPOILERS BELOW.
Q: What inspired you to write Amber Sky?
A: I’ve
always been a fan of Nash, and wanted to tell the story of how he and Sawyer
came to meet. They have a good relationship in Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky
but it wasn’t always like that. They endured mistrust and battles the same as
all sturdy friendships do, even trading blows a couple times. It was a lot of
fun to not only tell their story, but to expand on an element of Midnight Sky that I enjoyed–– the crew’s
journey to the Barren.
Q: Why
did you chose to tell the story from Nash’s perspective?
A: In the
novels, Nash is a pretty quiet character. He’s often the voice of calm and
reason, the one who knows how to relax Sawyer and Gemma. Ironic, since he’s
heavily built and muscular. Readers who are familiar with him are likely used
to his steady demeanor, and know little of the violence he used to be capable
of. He’s a lot more complex than you would realize reading Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky,
and after I hinted at his past in Midnight
Sky, I knew I had to tell his story through his eyes.
Q: Did you find it easier to write a shorter story?
Did you prefer it to writing a full length novel?
A: Easier?
Yes. Definitely. My word count as just over 30,000, less than half of what a
typical Dark Sky novel will run. I
had a simple story line, a “simple problem” for the characters to solve, and no
need to tie up a hundred different plot holes. But, if we’re talking about
preference, I actually enjoy writing full length novels more. As an independent
author, I’m not hindered by word counts and will write until the story is done.
This means that I can experiment and add new elements to a story that I don’t
usually get to do in a novella. That definitely doesn’t mean I’ll stick to
novels my entire career– every big series I write will likely have at
least two or three novellas attached to them– but they are definitely my
comfort and creative zone.
Q: There was a serious lack of Gemma in Amber Sky. Where is she?
A: Ah, yes.
Gemma. Readers of the novels will know that she’s Nash’s other half, the moon
to his stars, the heat to his fire. They will also know that she is most
definitely not in Amber Sky. When I
planned to write some novellas after Midnight
Sky, I definitely had a plan about what those two stories would be about.
Nash’s story comes first, because the second novella, Smoke Sky, is all about how Gemma entered the lives of the crew.
Her story is one of my absolute favorites, and I knew that her romance with
Nash would be a key element. So while she’s not in the picture for Amber Sky, she’ll be entering it soon.
Q: What can you tell us about the next novella and
novel in the Dark Sky series?
A: Smoke Sky,
which will be released December 2016, will be told from Gemma’s perspective and
tell the tale of how she first met Sawyer and fell in love with Nash, and the
wild adventures they had before she was accepted to the crew. There will also
be a short story told from Sawyer’s perspective called Engineered Deceit, which will be featured in Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires from Mocha Memoirs Press, as well as
my collection for short stories called The
Shadow Omnibus by the same publisher. Both will be released in the next few
months, before Smoke Sky. The final
novel in the series will be released in February 2017, and is titled Obsidian Sky. It’s perhaps my top
favorite in the entire Dark Sky saga,
as it’s full of action and told from both Claire and Sawyer’s perspectives. I
went wild with the world in the third and final chapter of this series, and
can’t wait for readers to experience the last adventures of the Dauntless Wanderer.
Amy
is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around
monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens,
and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters
and intense action. She is the recipient of April Moon Books Editor Award
for “author voice, world-building and general bad-assery,” and the One Book Two
Standout Award in 2015 for her Cursed trilogy. She
has been featured on various author blogs and publishing websites, and is an
active member of the Writing GIAM and Weekend Writing Warrior communities. When
she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, and
struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction.
Her short stories
published by independent houses like Mocha Memoirs Press and April Moon Books,
and she has independently published a collection of standalone and series
novels including Storm Born, Path of the
Horseman, and the Cursed and Dark Sky series. Many of her short
stories have been featured in anthologies such as Amok!, Avast, Ye Airships!,
and That Hoodoo, Voodoo, That You Do, and
Stomping Grounds.
More From Amy Braun
CURSED
DARK SKY
CRIMSON SKY | MIDNIGHT SKY
STANDALONE NOVELS AND NOVELLAS
STORM BORN
PATH OF THE HORSEMAN
NEEDFIRE
THE SHADOW OMNIBUS
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