Progeny (The Children of the White Lions)
Read Progeny (The Children of the White Lions) Online
Authors: R.T. Kaelin
©2010, 2011, 2012, R.T. Kaelin
All Rights Reserved.
www.rtkaelin.com
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from the author.
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-615-42103-2
Cover Design by R.T. Kaelin
This is an edited edition, updated from the original released in February 2011.
Visit www.rtkaelin.com for short stories in the world of Terrene. The Terrene Chronicles are a collection of prequel short stories available for you to enjoy.
Columbus, Ohio
www.terrene.info
www.rtkaelin.com
I can think of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other things I would have thought I might do in my life before writing acknowledgements for a book I had written. Nevertheless, here I am.
I would like to thank my wife for supporting me through this effort. I cannot imagine what she thought when I told her one day, “Hey, I’m going to write a book.” Lisa, you are a terrific wife and wonderful mother.
Thank you to my two children, whose spirit and love inspire me every day. As you grow older (and learn to read), I hope you enjoy the story you helped contribute to without knowing.
To my first editor who must have gone through quite a few red pens to kill my love affair with semicolons—especially in the beginning—thanks, Mom.
Thank you to all the friends and family members who took the time to read some early versions for their feedback and encouragement.
Thank you to a pair of sisters, Diane Kistner and Donna Overall, for hearing my call for help and being infinitely patient with their advice and guidance.
Thank you to anyone reading this book. I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I did writing it. Let us see where our travels go.
Thank you to all of the wonderful readers who have embraced my work. Thank you for the encouragement and kind words. I love writing the stories as much as you do reading them.
Thank you to the numerous authors I've met in the past year. You have all been invaluable to my evolution as a writer.
Thank you to a trio of readers who have been wonderful in their support and proof-reading services. Chris, Caleb, Nate, Lee, Uriah, Jim…thanks
Visit www.rtkaelin.com for the Terrene Chronicles and news on the upcoming sequel to Progeny.
The book you are about to read is different from the version that was first published in December of 2010. Much different. You might wonder what prompted me to rewrite an already published book. Let me explain.
If life is a journey, my life as an author has been a meandering one full of wrong exits, unintended pit-stops, and wrong turns. I should have bought a map.
Progeny was my debut effort as a novelist. When I first released it as an indie author, I believed I had created a wonderful tale worthy of sharing with the world. To this day, that belief holds true. However, my ability to weave a story far outpaced my skill as a writer. I might have told a good story, but I had not written a good book.
Close to a year after I published, a series of events opened my eyes to many of my shortcomings as a writer and helped spur me to improve.
In November of 2011, I had a wonderful opportunity presented to me. Someone in the traditional publishing industry wanted to read Progeny. Someone who could make things happen for this book. Naturally, I was quite excited and off the manuscript went.
All through the holiday season, I anxiously awaited a reply. And in mid-December, I received one: a polite ‘No, thank you.’
The individual and two of his readers had read the book and had a list of concerns. While they liked much of what was there, the criticisms offered were more than legitimate. They were spot on. Things about story structure. Things about character arcs. Things about trying to jam too much into one book.
Criticism, even when it is honest and good, stings. However, I did not get angry. I trusted what they had to say.
They
know the business.
They
know what sells. And Progeny, as it was in that form, would not advance beyond the group of loyal readers I had garnered. I wanted more.
I chose to treat the rejection as another opportunity. Few writers get such great feedback from experts this early in their career. So, I thanked the person for the constructive criticism and I shared that I was planning to do a true re-evaluation and rewrite of Progeny. Not just a touch-up, but a true rip-it-apart-into-tiny-pieces-and-put-it-back-together rewrite. I would axe chunks that did not work and write new ones that did. I would fix what I needed to fix.
I sent off the email without expecting to hear a response, so I was quiet surprised when I received one. The individual sent me all of the notes taken on the book and asked to read the rewrite once done, cautioning me that this was not something typically done in the industry. Gracious, I thanked them and got to work.
Which brings me to now.
The book you are holding is my rewrite.
Massive
changes have been made to the book. While the guts of the plot remain the same, much of the book is very, very different. Readers of the original will certainly notice the changes—some might be jarring at first—but I promise this: I have not changed what so many of you have told me you loved. In fact, I have added a bit more of that while extracting what bogged down the story.
The original 40 chapters, 308k words is now 72 chapters, but at 264k words. Chapters are shorter, crisper chunks. I ended cutting about 70k of fluff, but added about 25k of new scenes to allow better character development. I do not miss what is gone and love what is there now. There are even five new chapters sprinkled throughout the tale.
Now…why am I writing this here?
Well, I want this letter to be a ‘thank you’ to the readers who have been on this journey with me from the beginning, and I want to promise you that the new version of Progeny is every bit the book you enjoyed the first go around, and more. To new readers…well, consider this a nice “behind the curtains” look at an indie author’s journey as he tries to make a name for himself.
While I am having the book professionally edited before I resubmit, I wanted the new edition—in its current state—available to the public now. Too much has changed for me to leave the old out there. A few trusted readers have re-read it this edition for me, proofing as they went, and feel comfortable with what I have now. So, here it is.
One last note before you start your journey. As I was editing the re-write, I happened to glance back at the acknowledgements I wrote in the original edition. When I read the last few lines, I chuckled aloud, amazed at the prophetic nature of my words.
“Thank you to anyone reading this book. I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I did writing it. Let us see where our travels go.”
I am still traveling. Thanks for coming with me.
Good days ahead.
-R.T. Kaelin
Volume 1 in The Children of the White Lions
The roar of the Lions will drive back the spawn,
And the lines of men, strong once again, will be redrawn.
Yet that which drives man’s soul will fray at the seams,
While the strength of the Lions will fade as do last night’s dreams.
Torn apart by deceit and distrust,
One will perish and One will be lost.
One will leave, while Another will stay.
And Two shall find each Other one day.
Against his will, one must fight,
While it falls upon the Half-man to unite.
Chaos will rise again, unraveling what has been made,
With Strife, Pain, and Deception in tow, lending aid.
Hidden, then found,
Willingly come around,
The Progeny must rise to lead the fight,
Along with new and old, seek to make it right.
– As recorded by High Priest en’Sul, First of Indrida
3rd day of the Turn of Lamoth, 4639
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