Serials (nearly as good as cereals)

“The roof came up short and tumbled down to a flat-topped building. Mellie sucked in a breath and tried to ignore the tightness clamping her chest and constricting her throat. A clammy finger of wind pulled at her ponytail then went limp. Around her, this London spread out in grays and blacks and browns. It was too quiet and too still, like it was somewhere between sleep and death. Mellie shivered in the chill and looked back down to the flat roof below. There was no time to think, just act. She jumped, and the weightless, gut-turning moment was every bit as horrible as the During, the time between worlds and wheres.”

That’s from the first part of a story I just submitted to JukePop Serials. It’s a world-jumping sci-fi where decisions create splinter realities and factions fight for control and access. Yes, different realities. Getting the “mechanics” right involved charts, graphs, using words like “standard deviation,” and input from my much-more-logical husband.

(Speaking of, I think he probably deserves some praise here. He brought up the idea of turning one of my short stories into a serial more than a year ago…and now look what’s popping up.)

Whether I’m in the JukePop launch or not, it’ll be interesting to watch the resurgence of serialization and see how it adapts.