Welcome to At Sea: A Prepublication Serialization of the Seventh Ann Kinnear Suspense Novel
They say that dead men tell no tales. They don’t know Ann Kinnear.
For almost fifteen years, since I began work on the first Ann Kinnear Suspense Novel, The Sense of Death, I’ve been following a spirit senser whose pursuit of answers—for the living and the dead alike—keeps drawing her into danger. There are six novels in the series so far (plus a collection of short stories).
With the seventh novel, I’m trying something new.
Starting on June 6, I’ll be serializing the seventh Ann Kinnear Suspense Novel on Substack, one chapter at a time, every day for about six weeks. Supporters will read the book in real time, before it’s available anywhere else. Each daily post includes the chapter, an image tied to the scene, and an author’s note. From time to time I’ll post longer reflections.
I want to bring you inside the writing process while the book can benefit from your involvement. Your comments—what’s working, what’s confusing, which character you can’t get enough of, which scene runs long—will inform the story’s final form. I can’t promise that every suggestion will land in the published version, but your reactions will shape what the book becomes.
This is also a way to give the readers who care most about this series something they can’t get anywhere else: an early look, a behind-the-scenes view, and a role in the book’s creation.
How it works
$10/month for the duration of the campaign (about six weeks).
One chapter per day, delivered to your inbox or the Substack app. The first seven chapters are free; after that, posts are for paying supporters.
An audiobook edition of the Ann Kinnear Suspense Short “Sea of Troubles,” which, like Ann Kinnear Book 7, is set on a cruise ship.
An ebook of the finished book, sent to all paying supporters when the book publishes.
And, for those who support the book through at least two billing cycles:
A listing on the dedicated supporter page in the published book, supporters’ names appearing in the order they joined.
A discount for a signed print copy (US shipping only).
NOTE: Substack requires creators to offer an annual plan, even for a campaign that runs less than a year (this campaign will run for two months), so the monthly plan will be right for almost everyone. However, for anyone who would like to be a super supporter of “At Sea” at the $100 level, I will send you a signed print copy of Ann Kinnear Book 7 when it publishes as a thank you for this extraordinary level of support.
Here’s a summary of the tiers and benefits:
After the final post, the campaign closes, and no one is charged after that. Existing supporters keep access to the archive—every chapter, every note—for as long as they remain subscribed.
(Note that there will be a gap of several weeks to a couple of months between the final chapter and the book’s publication while I work in your feedback and prepare the final files. The ebook and discount offering go out when the book launches, not when the campaign closes.)
New to Ann Kinnear?
If you’re new to the series, welcome! You don’t have to have read the earlier books to enjoy the serialization of the seventh novel, but if you’d like to start at the beginning, Book 1: The Sense of Death is Ann’s origin story—how she discovered what she could do, and what it cost her. Books 2 through 6 can be read in any order. All are available in ebook, print, and audio at all the usual online retailers, and your favorite local bookstores can obtain print copies from Ingram. (Consider buying the ebook on Curios, where creators keep 100% of the list price!)
A word about joining
This is an offering for readers who want to be close to the work, to be part of the conversation, to see a book come alive in real time. If that sounds like you, I’d love to have you along.
Joining early matters: the perks for sustained supporters—your name in the book and the discount on a signed print copy—go to readers who’ve been with the campaign for at least two billing cycles. The earliest supporters also get the first spots in the published supporter list.
Subscribe below, and I’ll see you on June 6.
— Matty Dalrymple
