Free Redheads! (With One Small Catch)

Stephen King has this great bit in Danse Macabre how much he hates readers who "turn to the last three pages to see how it turned out." What King would love to do someday, he says, is publish a novel with the last 30 pages missing. The reader would only receive those chapters by mail if, and only if, he/she submits a summary of what happened up until that point in the book.

That gave me an idea.

As I've mentioned before, I've written a novella, "Redhead," that was included in the paperback version of The Blonde. It's not a stand-alone; it's very much a short sequel. I wrote it as a thank-you to the readers who dug The Blonde, and maybe wanted to see what happened next.

What I don't want is a new reader to pick up "Redhead" first, and then toss it to the side when it makes little sense to him/her.

So...

Here's the deal. I'll email you a .pdf of "Redhead," absolutely free of charge, if you can prove to me that you've read The Blonde.

Nothing crazy—a sentence or two will work. You can tell me the ending. Something that happens late in the book. Or a choice bit of dialogue. No purchase necessary; if you borrowed The Blonde from a library, or a friend, you're still eligible.

Just email me at duane.swier AT verizon.net with the subject line "Send Me a Redhead" and your proof of readership. And within a few hours, a "Redhead" will be delivered to your inbox. Consider it a literary version of a Mail Order Bride, only without the awkward language barriers.

Operators* are standing by.

(*That's a reference to something in The Blonde. See how easy this is? Only you can't use that now. Think of something else.)