Threadsinger

A story of bodies, hungers, and alien minds

Written by Mary Jenkins. 71k words, fantasy / science fiction, CW: body horror

The last thing Sky remembered was the creature doing something to his head. His face. He had been mourning for Melrim, weeping because he was about to become… what? The creature had wanted him to do something. Become something. It had changed him and made him into a hybrid copy of itself.

A monster. He had been made into a monster.

Ked is a half-human shapeshifter tasked to travel the world to hunt humans, steal their minds, and deliver them to a monster deep in the blighted wilderness. When an injury awakens the archive of his original human mind, Tabyz Sky, Ked's work becomes a fight for survival.

Sky, trapped within Ked's body, must find a way to regain control, stop Ked, end the blight, and save his love… all while fighting alien instincts, keeping hidden from Ked, and staying human.

Feedback

This is a rough draft. It needs editing, including line edits, but first I am seeking general story feedback.

If you can, I would ask you to log "ABCDE" moments. These are moments that are:

• Awesome
• Boring
• Confusing (phrasing or communication failure)
• Don't seem plausible (character motives not working, or "that's not how ___ works" e.g. sailing, sword fighting)
• Exciting (when you make story predictions and anticipate future events)

If you are not in a position to write anything down, or don't want to, that's fine, too. I'd still love to hear what you think of the story overall when you're done. At least, I'd like to hear that you finished it.

Reach me at marycjenkinsart@gmail.com

Read

These are draft v2.2, but note that the audiobook and the physical copies are draft v2.0.

PDF

Typeset like a mass-market paperback, to be read as two-page spreads.

EPUB

Designed for modern ebook readers. Note that the book includes load-bearing "small caps," which don't always come through. Check the first line of chapter two for the words "TWO YEARS LATER" to make sure you are seeing small caps. These words should at least be bold, which is fallback styling.

Physical book

If you prefer to read a physical book, a few have been manufactured at mass-market paperback size. If you know me in person, I am happy to lend you one (or you can buy one at cost for $10).

Listen

Read by me, just under 8 hours long. It's read at a rate of 9k words an hour, which is industry standard, but slow IMO. You may want to listen in an audiobook reader that allows you to speed it up.

MP3s (ZIP)

Individual MP3s split into section breaks and chapters.

M4B

An all-in-one audio file with chapter metadata. Might be easier to manage on a phone.

How to Listen

Android: I like Smart AudioBook Player, which is $2.50 for the pro version. It lets you try pro features (like changing the playback speed) free for a month. Put the audio file(s) into a folder named "Threadsinger" wherever the app wants to look for audiobooks on your device. (Manage the root folder in the app settings.)

iOS: To listen with Apple Books, you'll have to import the file(s) on a Mac and have it sync to your iOS device. Instead, I recommend BookPlayer, which is free and has comprehensive features, including the ability to import files from the Downloads folder on your device.

Desktop: A good cross-platform option is Bookava, a player built for web browsers. No app download needed. Note you'll have to use the ZIP of MP3s for this one, and you'll have to reupload the ZIP every time the window is reloaded.