January 19th, 2020
Someone, somewhere out there might realize I've published the first book in the D-Evolution series before, back in 2011. And they'd be right. It was called Death Drop. It was a blast to write, my first novel. But it was all excitement at doing something I really loved for the first time, and not much technique. The result was a book that was a wee bit heavy-handed, let's say. Yes, that's a nice way to put it.
As of this post, I've spent the last thirteen years writing the rest of the series, and my writing has changed significantly from that first book. This is the main reason I re-wrote Death Drop as Deceit. Let me assure you the overall story hasn't changed. But if you are one of those intrepid souls who read the first version and wanted to continue on in the series by diving right into book two (bless your daring little soul), you'd end up scratching your head if you ever made it to the end of all the books. There are important details now in Deceit that didn't exist in its former life as Death Drop. I'd like to think the story has matured a bit, but I'll leave that up to you to decide.
I know someone who has read Death Drop is going to read Deceit, and they're going to absolutely loathe the re-write. I understand. I feel the same way about a number of digitally remastered albums (Ten was perfect, Pearl Jam). But book one is the gatekeeper to the rest of the story, so to speak. I want readers to enjoy the first book enough to read book two. And I want the style of writing similar enough they feel the books go together.
This story has meant a lot to me over the years. But it won't mean quite as much if I can't share it. And I want as many people as possible to ride the coaster all the way to the end. So buckle up and put your hands in the air. It's so much more fun that way. Unless you have to turn the page. Of course you're allowed to drop your hands for that. Otherwise, hands up. Just kidding. Your arms will fall asleep. Who reads a book with their hands in the air, anyway? Seriously.
-Sean