Chris Pourteau - Tails of the Apocalypse

My principal partners in crime for producing this collection were contributors Todd Barselow and David Bruns. Todd took point on publishing the paperback through Auspicious Apparatus Press ( http://www.apparatuspress.com/), helming coordination of the audiobook and working his connections to help us garner as much support for launch day as possible. David stepped up and took the lead on marketing. The collection wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without them since I was head-down for most of the time editing the stories. And David was the one that came up with the inspired idea of teaming with Pets for Vets, Inc., and he couldn’t have found a better cause for Tails to support.

And speaking of Pets for Vets, Founder Clarissa Black, President of the Board of Directors Ann Black, and Houston Chapter Director Jessica Devitt, have all been amazing to work with. They not only helped us promote the anthology on their Facebook page, but Clarissa went on podcasts with us and, I hope, won over new supporters for Pets for Vets. The stories presented in Tails emphasize the inherent nobility, self-sacrifice, and unconditional love that animals so often show their human companions, so Pets for Vets’ mission of training and matching shelter dogs with military veterans suffering from emotional trauma (like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) was a perfect fit. If you haven’t already, please visit http://www.petsforvets.comand ask them how you can help this noble mission of mercy that finds a loving home for dogs who would otherwise be euthanized and a loving companion for those who need one most. And please “like” their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PetsforVetsInc?fref=ts.

E.J. Smith, a good friend and advisor for the Military Family Advisory Network ( http://www.militaryfamilyadvisorynetwork.org/), helped us get the word out nationwide to a number of organizations dedicated to supporting military families. This helped raise Pets for Vets’ profile across that network and helped our authors find readers they might never have otherwise reached.

Contributor Hank Garner opened up his Author Stories Podcast —which is carving out an ever-increasing niche for itself as the go-to place for authors to discuss how they do what they do—to help us promote Pets for Vets’ cause and Tails . Contributor Jennifer Ellis organized a rockin’ Facebook launch party, which (as usual) was a blast and a great way for readers and authors to come together and talk books, movies, and anything else they could think of. She also championed our cause on Goodreads and helmed the giveaway event we held there.

Adam Hall, our graphic designer, knocked his cover design out of the park with the first try, and all the ads, desktop backgrounds, etc., you might’ve seen in connection with Tails are a tribute to his talent. He also didn’t mind my going back to the well time and again with numerous “Can I get one of these now?” requests.

Joanna Hunt and Michelle Benoit, both friends of mine I also happen to work with at the day job, helped with the formatting and final proofreading, respectively. It was a great help to have them covering bases that left me time to focus on other last-minute things. And another friend and colleague, Michelle Hoelscher, lent her social media and media relations expertise to help us promote the collection and our benefiting Pets for Vets to the media and the world at large. Her contribution to our ability to get the word out cannot be overstated.

All of Team Tails would like to acknowledge our spouses, significant others, loved ones, and friends—not only for their support of this anthology, but for their continued support of this compulsion we all suffer from called “the need to create.” Their patience, alpha reading, and honest feedback (when what we write isn’t all we hoped it would be) are just some of the ways we writers experience our own version of unconditional love.

We also appreciate our advanced-review copy readers, who took on the responsibility of reading the anthology (under a tight deadline) in order for us to launch on November 20 with enough reviews to make a splash. Without them, we’d just be one more lonely, self-published Amazon e-book surrounded by the virtual equivalent of crickets in the marketplace.

And last—but certainly not least—thank you, dear reader, for spending your time reading the stories in this collection. Few things are as precious a gift as another person’s time, and we at Team Tails appreciate your sharing yours with us. We hope you enjoyed our stories.

Chris Pourteau, Author/Editor/Producer

Tails of the Apocalypse

November 2015

If you enjoyed Tails of the Apocalypse , we’d like to ask you for one small favor before you go. Please take a moment to review this collection at the venue where you purchased it (as well as on Goodreads if you’re a member).

As a reader of independent authors, you’re both our market and our marketing force. Reviews are a key factor in promoting a work’s visibility—to other readers, of course, but also to critics and booksellers, who use reviews to determine, for example, what books to feature in promotions.

But reviews also help other readers just like you decide if they should spend their money—and just as importantly, their time —on a published work. Providing a review is like presenting a public service announcement to your fellow readers, something you also benefit from when they do the same for you. Please recognize that by leaving a review, you’re making a real contribution to the world—and the quality—of independent publishing.

Thank you for that.

First Kindle Edition: November 2015

ISBN 978-0-9899813-7-8

Thank you for purchasing this ebook. It is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the authors.

Aspects of some of these stories are inspired by worlds created by their respective authors. Used with permission of the authors.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission. Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owners as identified herein.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Foreword by Mary Buckham, copyright © 2015 by Mary Buckham. Used by permission of the author.

“The Water Finder’s Shadow” by David Bruns, copyright © 2015 by David Bruns. Used by permission of the author.

“When You Open the Cages for Those Who Can’t” by Edward W. Robertson, copyright © 2015 by Edward W. Robertson. Used by permission of the author.

“Protector” by Stefan Bolz, copyright © 2015 by Stefan Bolz. Used by permission of the author.

“The Poetry of Santiago” by Jennifer Ellis, copyright © 2015 by Jennifer Ellis. Used by permission of the author.

“Demon and Emily” by David Adams, copyright © 2015 by David Adams. Used by permission of the author.

“Keena’s Lament” by Hank Garner, copyright © 2015 by Hank Garner. Used by permission of the author.

“Tomorrow Found” by Nick Cole, copyright © 2015 by Nick Cole. Used by permission of the author.

“Pet Shop” by Deirdre Gould, copyright © 2015 by Deirdre Gould. Used by permission of the author.