Royal Road offers the opportunity to submit already published stories over 90k words to Moonquill for publishing. I decided to submit this novel for that. I hope I get picked, but more than that I finally submitted my first Query letter. A big hurdle that I've been avoiding. I'm glad that I was able to do so, and don't forget that the story continues 2 chapters a month in the next book! https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/101309/the-smartphone-saga-book-2-a-place-to-belong-blueprints
Here's a sample:
Prologue
As mysterious as the oceans are, the earth beneath your feet is far more unknowable. Twenty-five miles of rock before you hit what, by all scientific theory, must be liquid stone. Deeper than any sea, darker than any surface shadow. Impenetrable in nature.
Still, in more sane realities there is little to threaten man beneath the ground. Mankind itself does not fear great tunneling beasts or ten-thousand ravenous scuttling things. Indeed, what we find most horrible is the anxious threat of collapse and our human incompatibility with tight spaces.
If you were a cat, you’d be fine. No problems with tight spaces, and no abstract theory to say that the ceiling might collapse at any time. No anxiety beyond the odd cucumber.
Speaking of cats and things that shake in the deep, Jasson Boar had a problem. You see, the furry little buggers were cute despite their massive size. Kittens beyond the event horizon of adorable. All that translated into more kitten to cuddle. Two entire armfuls of kitten. One Kitty to fill them all.
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But there were two kitties and not enough hands to love them all. One would mew and press against Jasson’s back whenever he turned his attention to the other.
“Clara!” Jasson hoped he was being just quiet enough to not spook the kittens. “Clara! Can you hear me?! Bring everybody around here!”
Jasson waited, rubbing the purring orange kitten with all of his limbs. Looks like she couldn’t hear them. Right.
Jasson pried himself away one limb at a time, trying to make his way back to the others, only to find the black and white cat waiting. It captured his freed limbs in rubbing affection and Jasson about cried from joy. He worked his way around the black and white kitten and pried his limbs away again, only to find the Orange kitten waiting for pats.
“Okay,” Jasson said, “I’ll make progress one cat at a time.”
He crossed the Not-ruins one fluffy stepping stone at a time. A journey of giddy bliss, careful not to spook the precious beans. A kitten he could hug and not hurt!
Eventually, Jasson arrived outside the entrance. Jasson managed to squeeze his head past the curtain and saw Clara and the others laughing.
“Hey,” Jasson said, “I have good news and bad news.”
“What's the bad news?” Petra said, shifting from chill to brusque in a moment.
“What's the good news?” Clara said.
“Why are you covered in fur?” Harriet said.
So many questions, Jasson thought as a kitten butted up against his back, one precious answer.
“I shall answer you all,” Jasson stood aside, letting a kitten butt past, “We have kittens now!”