From Ashe Vol. 7: From Ashe, #7

By Joshua Piedra

A new page has turned for Ashe and right when she is about to start the next step to achieving her dream, her life is derailed by an absolute nightmare. Facing this nightmare head-on, Ashe needs to overcome one of the biggest obstacles and challenges in her life; however, what awaits her on the other side is a lingering effect that haunts her to her very core. How will Ashe push past this and continue her journey to becoming a published author?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Piedra
• Release date: May 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223886389

Book preview

Contents

PREFACE

PAGE 44

PAGE 45

PAGE 46

PAGE 47

PAGE 48

PAGE 49

STORIES FROM ASHE

AFTERWORD

PREFACE

Welcome to the seventh volume of From Ashe! This promises to be a milestone in the series as this volume looks to wrap up the first major arc!

I took a lot of care planning out the character roadmaps for this series and while some are more in-depth than others, each character is going to get their time to shine. With this volume, we will see the conclusion to one of those story arcs as Ashe prepares to move on to the next chapter in her journey.

To think it took seven volumes to get here!

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the conclusion to the first story arc of From Ashe. There is plenty more to come after this so we’re not done by a long shot!

As always, I’ll see you on the other side of the book!

PAGE 43

IT’S NOT LESS DANGEROUS

The chill of the cold, winter air lessened each day, even if just by a little bit. March had arrived and as the saying typically goes, it came in like a lion for Ashe. Off the heels of winning her first and only writing competition, she had become inspired enough to turn Shadow Wing into a book series. With the first volume published and the initial feedback coming in from those she knew most, Ashe’s confidence began to grow as a writer. 

However, it did not mean that Ashe was a professional author just yet. She still had a lot to learn and experience. So far, she had flown by the seat of her pants and had made many impulsive decisions without much, if any, research. Every decision from turning her story into a book, the software she needed to format it, choosing a publisher, and so forth were all made rather hastily and while she did weigh some options along the way, she still could have taken a bit more time to make more informed decisions.

Be that as it may, Ashe still ended up with a physical copy of her work that she could hold in her hands, and hold it she did. Ever since she received her copy, she hadn’t let a day pass where she didn’t pick it up and hold it at least once. She had even decided to place the book on the small table by her bed next to her alarm clock. That way whenever she woke up in the morning, it would be right there to offer her a reminder of what she had accomplished. It also served as motivation to continue on with the second volume and make her dream come true of quitting her job and living off of her writing alone.

While the goal was certainly admirable, Ashe knew that it wasn’t going to happen by sitting around and wishing for it to come true. She knew that she was going to have to pour every fiber of her being into bringing this series to life and that’s exactly what she planned to do… right after she figured out the solution to another little issue.

Nobody knew about her book.

Outside of those she told on Novel Notes and the handful of friends and coworkers she kept close, not a single soul in the world knew that Shadow Wing existed. Relying on friends and family to spread the word wasn’t going to do the trick. There was only so much reach one could attain by using that method and Ashe would be shooting herself in the foot if she relied on that alone. She knew that she needed to find a way to get the word out so she decided to go to the one place she would most likely find the answers that she needed.

***

That Monday, Ashe arrived at work. She had spent some time over the weekend getting a jumpstart on the second volume of Shadow Wing and barring a slight interruption from her security system, it was quite the productive weekend; however, as she wrote, she began to wonder if it was futile. While it would be nice to have the second volume completed, the question of who she was going to sell it to weighed rather heavily on her mind.

Ashe took her seat at her desk and tapped her finger against her mousepad. She worked in a marketing department so she was trying to think of all of the things that she normally did for her job and tried to apply them to her current situation.

Hmm… Mark is in love with eblasts so I could do something like that but who am I going to send it out to? Our company has a huge mailing list versus someone like me who doesn’t even have a single mailable prospect. That’s not going to work but it is something I could do later on once I get a following. I know we also rent ads in magazines but some of those go for $5,000 or more! I probably could have done that had I not given away my winnings to Noah but it was for a good cause so I’m not totally regretting it. Sheesh… this is kind of hard…

As she sat there lost in thought, Saraya and Kaden came in and said good morning but Ashe was completely zoned out. When they didn’t receive a response, they gave a quick glance at one another as a smirk formed over Saraya’s face. Kaden stood back as he knew exactly what she was about to do.

Saraya tip-toed over to Ashe and readied herself, crouching down in a pre-pounce position. Almost like a cat, Saraya sprung up and wrapped her arms around Ashe’s neck from behind.

Yo-hoo! Going morning, space cowboy!

EEEEE!! screeched Ashe as her skin had become two shades whiter than it normally was.

Finally got your attention, did I? Going to tell us what you were so lost in thought about? Oh! Maybe you were thinking about watching us have another romp on the ol’ living room couch? That’s it, isn’t it?

Not really… I’m just trying to think of all the things we do to market our products.

Whoa!! she exclaimed before she placed her hand upon Ashe’s forehead. You don’t feel feverish so I know you’re not coming down with something so why are you so lost in thought about doing your job?

No. It’s not for work. It’s for my books. I need to get the word out so I was just trying to think of all the things we do so I could try and find something that works for me, too.

Ah. Gotcha. Why not just hijack one of our email lists and use it for yourself? We advertise to a ton of geeks so I’m sure a good portion of them watch anime. You might score a ton of sales by doing that.

"I don’t think that’s a good idea. Getting a random email from an even more random girl about a super random book won’t really fly. Besides, if I get caught stealing contacts, that’s the end of my career. What would you do if I wasn’t here to brighten your day up anymore?’

I’d probably just bug Kaden more than usual.

Gee, thanks.

Well, I know you just opened up your social media accounts so you don’t have many followers, but I have some. I can repost and like your ads and that’ll help a little. Plus, my follower base is growing because Kaden talked me into posting some of my artwork there rather than just confining it all to AberrantArt. A couple of targeted hashtags go a long way because I received around 500 new followers on Twipo in the last week. My jaw nearly hit the floor when that happened! If I keep getting new followers, I can keep retwipping your posts and that’ll get even more eyes on them!

You’d really do that for me?

Ashe… sweetie… I drew your characters. My name is on the book. It helps me, too because my followers can see my art and then see that it’s part of a published work so why wouldn’t I help you out? Even if that wasn’t the case, I’d still do it because we’re besties!

Thanks! Let’s give that a try, then! That might be what I need to help grow my reader base and then I can start thinking about higher forms of advertising!

Saraya pulled out her phone and made sure to get all of Ashe’s social media info. While she had some accounts on services Saraya didn’t have, it gave her something to think about. Perhaps if she made an account, she, too, could expand her reach. For now, Saraya stuck with Twipo and SocialBook. She retwipped and shared Ashe’s initial posts. All they could do now is sit back and wait to see if their efforts paid off.

***

After work, Ashe returned home and while Saraya’s offer was pretty generous, she knew that she still needed to find some alternative methods to try and get the word out. When she walked in through the front door, Renji was in his typical position fixing dinner. As he heard her footsteps inch ever closer, he braced himself for her usual attack from behind but instead, he heard her plop her keys down on the kitchen counter and take a seat, followed by a bit of a sigh.

It was quite out of character for her to not harass him straight after getting home from work. So much so that he stopped cooking and turned around to see her sitting there resting her head in the palm of her hand. As she stared off into space, he could only imagine that she had a bad day at the office. He decided to hold off poking the hornet’s nest for now and finished cooking the food. After plating it up, he sat next to her and began to dig in. Ashe took a bite and her face instantly lit up.

OMIGOD! These meatballs are so plump and delicious! Wait… is that cheese inside of them!?

Wait… you’re not having a bad day?

No. Why would you think that?

Renji could only blink a few times in response as his mind tried to find a way to answer that without pressing the issue.

I don’t know. You didn’t hug me from behind like usual so I thought…

Ah. I guess I did break away from the usual attack pattern, huh? I’m just trying to think of ways to promote my book. Saraya already said she would help me by sharing my social media posts but I need to do something more than that. I just don’t really want to spend a lot of money… or any if I can help it.

Well, paid advertisements are the only surefire way to get your book in front of people. Posting on social media is good but it only really works if you already have a following. Otherwise, when you use a hashtag, you’re throwing your post out into a sea of other people using the same hashtag and unless people are searching specifically for that, it’s a pretty low chance that it’ll ever show up in someone’s feed. If it does, there’s also a high chance that they’ll just scroll past it.

So, you’re saying that unless I spend a ton of money, I’m pretty much dead in the water, huh?

Not necessarily. There are other ways although it may still cost you some money. Like, you could order more author copies and sell them to The Swag Shack and see if they’ll stock them.

What the hell is The Swag Shack?

It’s a new store that opened up about two weeks ago. They sell comics, anime, manga, figures, Majik: The Congregation cards, and a whole bunch of other geek culture things. It may not get you worldwide fame but it could build a local fanbase.

That might be worth a try but… how do you know about this place?

While you were at work, I heard a noise at the front door. When I checked it out, some guy was walking away from the house. When I opened the door, an ad fell from the door jam. I guess it might have been the owner or someone who works for him going around and doing door-to-door advertising.

Do you still have the flier?

No, I threw it out because I didn’t think much of it. In hindsight, I’m thinking I probably should have kept it. Sorry.

It’s fine. At least you remembered the name. I can always check and see if they have a website or something. In fact, let me do that now.

Ashe got up from the counter and began to make her way over to her computer. Just as she was about to reach it, the power suddenly went out.

Or not… great…

I’ll go check the breaker. My phone is in my room so can I borrow yours for the flashlight?

Sure.

Ashe navigated to the flashlight app on her phone and turned it on. She handed the phone to Renji who went down into the basement where their breaker panel was. He reset all of the switches and flipped them back on. Upon doing so, the lights in the house returned; however, Ashe’s computer, which wasn’t plugged into a surge protector or battery backup, had to reboot which took a minute or two. Renji came back up and handed Ashe her phone back.

That was certainly strange.

Yeah, although it might be just some melting snow. Could have fallen off a tree branch and onto the wire causing a surge or something. That would be my best guess. It is starting to get a bit warmer after all.

Maybe you’re right. I guess while I wait for the PC to start, I can go back and finish putting your delicious balls in my mouth!

Even though Renji sighed at the comment, he was a bit surprised that it took Ashe this long to say something along those lines. 

After finishing off Renji’s balls, Ashe headed over and looked up The Swag Shack. Sure enough, they had a website up and running. When she checked it out, she discovered that the layout needed some work as it looked pretty low-budget. Nevertheless, Renji was right in the fact that they sold everything under the sun there when it came to geek culture. When she saw the address, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. Turns out, the store was just right down the road from the house.

Ashe lived on a side street off of a side street. One of the main roads, called Parker Ave, led into North River and had an intersection. Turning one way would lead you to the main highway where all of the businesses were. Going the other way took you into the woods. Heading that way brought you to a road that served as a pseudo main road for Ashe’s neighborhood called Sycamore St. There was a side street off of Sycamore called Rollins Rd. that came to a hard turn and Ashe’s house was on the edge of that turn. The road would continue down to where Renji’s old house was before making another turn and joining back up with Sycamore. It would then continue to rejoin Parker Ave.

Going down towards Renji’s old house and going straight across both Sycamore and Parker would bring you down a second road that led back to the main highway. It appeared The Swag Shack was halfway down on the right-hand side of that section of road. It was practically within walking distance from her house. She made a mental note of it and decided that she would probably swing by this weekend to meet the owner and see if there would be any interest in selling her books.

Ashe poked around the website for a bit and took notice of the things that they sold. As she did, she began to daydream about her books being among some of the items on the shelves. Before she knew it, the evening rolled in and she was feeling a bit mentally drained. She decided to call it a night and headed into her bedroom. As she walked in, she turned to the left and faced her bed and was about to take her shirt off when she stopped dead in her tracks and hit the floor. 

She slowly raised her head and looked at her window where she swore that she saw the silhouette of someone standing there but when her eyesight rose above her bed, nothing was in the window. Still, her heart began to race and her breathing picked up just a bit. She nervously crawled on her hands and knees over towards the window. Slowly she poked her head up and looked outside. She braced herself for the worst but when she peered out, there was nobody in sight. 

She quickly looked at the windows along the backside of the house but nobody was standing in front of any of them either. She quickly darted over and looked down at the ground but that, too, came up with nothing. Not leaving anything to chance, Ashe bolted out of the bedroom and began to look out every window in the house. The noise attracted Renji who wondered what was going on.

I could have sworn I saw someone outside my window!

Stay here.

Renji didn’t have to hear anymore. He made a beeline for the door and headed outside. Before Ashe could call out to him, he was already gone. Renji walked around to the side of the house but didn’t see anything. He took a quick look behind the house which was also empty. He looked at the ground as there was still some snow left but all of it looked undisturbed. Just to be safe, he made a lap around the house but the only footprints in the snow were his. Everything was clear. 

Even though it was obvious it was Renji, just seeing movement outside of the house made her heart skip a beat. Renji came back inside and locked the door behind him.

I honestly think it was your imagination. Nobody’s out there and I didn’t see any footprints in the snow. Everything was clear.

Really? I mean, it looked like a perfect shape of a human. Am I going crazy?

Maybe a shadow hit the window just right and you thought it was a person but in reality it was nothing. You did just walk in from a lit room into darkness so your eyes might have been adjusting and just processed a regular shadow incorrectly. I mean, I can go check again if you want me to.

No. I’ll take your word for it.

Okay. At the very least, I’ll turn the security system on. This way if someone really is out there, the motion sensors will catch them.

Renji went over to the master panel and activated the system. Even though that gave Ashe some more peace of mind, she was still a bit on edge. He sensed this and made the offer to spend the night with her. Ashe didn’t see any reason to pass up the offer so she accepted.

***

The next morning, everything seemed to be in order. Renji made breakfast for Ashe and as she ate it, he took one more look around outside to see if there were any additional footprints in the snow. With the sun out, it was easier to see but as he looked around, the only footprints present were his from the night before. Ashe had become convinced that Renji may have been right and that it was all in her head.

Ashe headed back to work and as soon as she arrived, she received a text message from Dennis. She was pretty miffed as she hadn’t even clocked in yet and here he was summoning her to his office. Before heading there, she made sure to enable the flow of money. After all, nothing was more important than her paycheck… not even Dennis.

When she popped inside, she had to do a double-take. Mark was already there sitting at Dennis’ conference table. The fact that it was still about thirty-five minutes before 8:30 AM nearly made her jaw hit the floor. 

Ashe! Pull up a chair. I’ve got some things I want to go over with you and Mark pertaining to this custom paint feature.

Ashe sat down and realized that she didn’t bring a notepad and pen with her. That was always something