My guest today is writer/editor Dan Persinger, aka Jack Hardway. “Jack” is also the author of Jack Hardway’s ELEMENTS FOR FICTION WRITERS: The only writer’s guide recommended by GOD.

Time to get your copy of STORIES TO BE TOLD IN THE DARK, my dual-media ebook/audiobook anthology that's been stimulating neck hairs for a couple years now.

This collection, equal to similar commercial offerings in e-lit, has in the past been free because that's the way I wanted it. A couple of little web ebook outfits have asked me to let them have it and and maybe even make a couple bucks, and that was flattering but not what I wanted. This year, for the first time, I'm not giving it away. I'm releasing it as careware. What's careware? Well, it's pretty simple, and there's no PayPal involved. If you acquire the product and like it, just do something nice for somebody one time. Pick up somebody's dropped car keys. Let somebody merge into the traffic ahead of you. In connection with that, suck it up and smile when some jerk cuts you off. Just this one time. If you feel like it, you can always flip a bird at the next asshole who does it. That's the price. You buy my book with one good turn, and if you don't pay the cost karma will bite you on the ass. Or ought to, anyway.

You can get it here in 3 formats:

http://web.archive.org/web/20101026022803/http://stories.jackhardway.com:80/

Thanks, Jack, for the stories and for the concept. From now on, my free stories are no longer free–they’re Careware!

WRITING PROMPT: What act would your main character perform to pay for Careware?

MA