I intended Chapter 1 to appear last night, but was late enough that I passed the moderators' bedtime. No big deal.
Chapter 2: Recruiting A Hero will be submitted as soon as I finish this note. In it Pēteris learns a little about Chaos and is tempted to go to Crossroads and learn more. This is a short chapter and one of the reasons I'm going to daily posting.
Here is a peek behind the voting curtain. Please understand this is not a complaint, but an explanation of why your vote is important (as are your comments and feedback.) I say behind the curtain, because authors can see voting results earlier than you can.
Shortly after Pēteris appeared there were 132 downloads and 4 votes. All were 7 or higher, but the score was 6.36. An hour later, there were 211 downloads with 8 votes. Again, all were above 7 or above, and the score was 7.68. I can see how many votes were for each rating, but that isn't important for you to understand what I'm trying to say. The score that you see is not an average, but a comparison to ratings for other stories.
I don't get a big ego boost from a particular score. Sure I like a high score, but, more to the point, I can use the score changes from one chapter to another to judge and adjust my approach and subject matter.
So folks, your votes are important to me and to others, particularly new writers. Please take the time at the end of each chapter, or at least each story to vote and give us yet another tool. Consider your vote to be an investment, not a payment...
One more thought: I could never have predicted how much fun I'd have writing these stories. Your enjoyment is almost a by-product. If any of you are tempted to jump in the author pool, I urge you to do it. It took me 68 years, and I glad I finally did.
As I wrap this up and proceed to sending Chapter 2, the statistics stand at 328 downloads, 19 votes, and an overall score of 7.78. Isn't technology interesting?
Looks like you folks are liking the story. Thanks!