A
galaxy under attack… youth out of control… extreme measures are
called for… until the citizens are faced with impossible choices.
Good
day and welcome to the release of Crèche Terrenium. This book was
written many years ago, when I was first starting out in my writing
career. I submitted it to Millennial Science Fiction and Fantasy
Magazine as a 5,000 word short story. This was during the days of
snail mail submissions and waiting months on end to hear back from
the editor in chief. To my surprise, I heard back rather quickly,
about six weeks. Figuring they’d laughed and sent me a letter
telling me that I should quit writing, I waited a couple of days
before reading the bad news. Well, it wasn’t a contract to have the
short story published in their magazine. What I did get was a letter
telling me that the then editor in chief loved the concept of my
short story and wanted me to develop it into a full book before
resubmitting.
The
full book was written, critiqued, edited, rewritten, etc. over a
period of six months of sleepless nights and fingernail chewing days.
I finally resubmitted the new story to the editor in chief per her
request, only to hear back nearly immediately. The thin envelope
pretty much told the story before I opened it.
Turns
out while I was breathing life into this novel, the editor in chief
had been replaced with someone else. That individual bluntly informed
me that they were no longer interested in teen sci-fi books, as
“teens didn’t read.” Who was I to argue? I knew the book was
good. All I had to do was wait for the right time and place to
present it to the world.
The
time is now. The place is here. Enjoy!
The
Melane Galaxy has a problem, one that threatens their very existence.
Led by a reporter, Susannah Tilotsen, the citizens demand a solution
to their children terrorizing people. Yet, when Chairman Marcus
Sterling institutes the Crèche system, Susannah feels deep shock and
dismay.
The
children will be taken from their parents and raised by a computer
designed to educate and monitor them. No adults will have interaction
with the youth of the galaxy. The overall goal is to create good
citizens of the youths rather than out of control hooligans.
Is
this solution good intentions by the leadership? What if a parent
protests the loss of their child? What choice do they have?
Blurb
Youth
out of control… Citizens demand a solution.
The
Edict…
A
law enacted to deal with recalcitrant children lays the blame on
their parents. Only a computer can properly change The Melane
Galaxy’s youth and turn them into good citizens. Chairman Sterling
must force people to realize that parents aren’t right for raising
children.
The
Reporter…
Susannah
Tilotsen discovers she’s being used by a government attempting to
parent children. She soon realizes no one is safe from this new law.
The loss of her beloved husband and her daughter being forcibly taken
to Crèche Terrenium drives her to organize a group determined to
stop this madness
The
Boy…
Ripped
from his loving home, Joey Dinaldo is taken to Crèche Terrenium
after government troops find him living with his parents. He works
hard to be a good citizen and obey the rules but soon discovers he
can’t support a system designed to turn children into uncaring
robots.
The
Computer…
Master,
the computer system that will raise these children, controls every
second of their lives. Yet, there is no one to maintain the machine.
The computer never thinks it needs to be repaired, even as the
control it exerts slowly erodes. It is perfect, and fights to keep
from being destroyed.
Rebels
refuse to stop fighting until they have closed down the Crèche
system and returned the children to their parents.
Or
find them a guardian. All of them are willing to do whatever it takes
to end this madness… but at what cost?
Excerpt
Black
words on the creamy parchment in her hand numbed Susannah Tilotsen.
Shivers racked her spine; fear deadened her fingertips. Her grip
loosened and the document fluttered to her feet. The forty-something
man in front of her caressed his silver-shot sable hair before
spreading his hands. She watched the public
façade take over
as
the benevolent leader of a fractious, crumbling galaxy smiled.
She knew better. His duplicitous expression
sent chills up her spine.
She
looked at the settlement she was reporting on to a galaxy awaiting a
solution for a growing problem. The gray on gray buildings depressed
her. The same hue was repeated in the walkways and latticed worked
fences enclosing the twelve living areas. The children who soon call
this place home would have no relief from the depressing shades of
grey.
About
K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s
had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry
traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains
of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly
a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren
along with many other activities.
A multi-genre
author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories.
Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab
notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear
nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and
watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often
given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but
wherever the characters demand they settle.
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