tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35925259588482887932024-03-13T09:48:59.794-07:00Driven PressAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304493308032596243noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-14276113664380370462017-07-16T08:11:00.000-07:002017-07-16T08:11:11.261-07:00Infractus . . . Get ready for it!<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We are very excited to reveal the cover for upcoming Dystopian Fantasy <b><i>Infractus</i></b> and welcome its author, Sarah L. Johnson, to Driven Press. This amazing story will be released October 1, 2017.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">The end of the world begins with a baby.</span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">Abandoned as a newborn, a boy grows up in an orphanage. </span><span lang="EN-US">No one knows who he is or where he came from . . . except </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">for an invisible presence that steals his sleep and gobbles his dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">The boy roams the city, a mouse on the streets of Vancouver, living by his own rules under the wing of a charismatic grifter. When a terrorist attack destroys the global supply chain, it turns cities into wastelands. Society bleeds into anarchy, and to survive, his rules need to change.</span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">The assassin is used to being alone--</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">prefers it actually--</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">after all, he’s </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">been a very bad man, but somehow along the way he’s accumulated a bunch of misfits he’s started to care about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In the shadows, the presence has bided its time, armed with a secret. A name that will invite a reckoning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Infractus</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> . . . available for pre-order soon. Stay tuned!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;">More info:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/infractus" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">www.drivenpress.net</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Goodreads</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Sarah L. Johnson lives in Calgary with her noisy family and two bewildered cats. She runs ultra marathons, does daily battle with curly hair, and writes fiction that pokes its nose into a variety of genres: literary, sci-fi, fantasy, noir, horror, and once a romantic comedy that was so very terrible it shall be blasted from the obelisks of recorded history. Her work has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies including <i>Room Magazine</i>, <i>Shock Totem</i>, the Bram Stoker nominated <i>Dark Visions 1 </i>(Grey Matter Press), and <i>Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2</i> (Comet Press). Her short story collection <i>Suicide Stitch</i> was released in 2016 by EMP Publishing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Find Sarah on twitter </span><a href="https://twitter.com/leadlinedalias" target="_blank">@leadlinedalias</a><span lang="EN-US" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> or at</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.sarahljohnson.com/">www.sarahljohnson.com</a></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-2931806231470908982017-03-21T05:21:00.000-07:002017-03-21T05:21:22.339-07:00WORKING STIFFS . . . Out today!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; text-align: justify;"><i>Release day:</i></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: justify;">Driven Press </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: justify;">is excited to welcome </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: justify;">Scott Bell </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: justify;">and his latest novel</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: '"courier new"', '"courier"', monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Working Stiffs</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="text-align: justify;">. . . available now. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier;">At a time when civil liberties have been eroded and unemployment has
exceeded Great Depression levels, nanotechnology provides the ability to
reanimate the recently dead. Far from zombies, but nothing like their former
selves, “Revivants” are a ready source of cheap labor able to perform simple,
routine tasks. Great news for some sectors, but for many, the economic and
social impact is devastating.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier;">Enter Joe Warren—an unemployed college dropout, who is self-absorbed
and disinterested in the world’s problems. All Joe wants is a job, food on his
table, and a cure for his girlfriend’s lingering illness. What Joe gets is a
stint in jail with a bunch of self-proclaimed freedom fighters, and coerced to
become an informant by federal government agents.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier;">Joe
is forced to examine his me-first attitude, and in the process learns that some
things just might be worth fighting—or dying—for.</span><!--EndFragment-->
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;"><i>Exclusive excerpt:</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Corpus Interruptus</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“How
far do you think he’ll get?” Homeland Agent Maravich used his pinkie to circle
the inside of his nostril.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Across
the street from the Huateng Tower, in what was once the Magnificent Mile
Marriott but was now a deserted hulk harboring junkies, alkies, and lice,
Agents Ramirez and Maravich followed Joseph Warren’s antics on a portable vid
screen. Scratchy audio buzzed from tiny speakers. An inset window indicated the
subject’s position in real-time and read out his vital stats in a tiny scroll
at the bottom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Far
enough to hang himself.” Ramirez leaned over the monitor, set up on what was
once the circular bar in the Marriott’s lobby. He refused to let any part of
his body other than the soles of his shoes touch any surface in the derelict
building. Water dripped and things skittered in the dark corners of the open
space, long since stripped of fixtures and covered in a layer of filth deep as
cake icing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A
team of six TAC officers in full gear held position near the boarded-up
entrance. A chain hung from a hole in the plywood, its lock a thing of distant
memory. The glut of street people lurking in the lobby had slunk away like
feral dogs when Ramirez and his fellow agents shoved open the damp and rotting
barrier and flashed lights around the interior. Ramirez perceived them hovering
in the shadows the way a ship’s captain sensed bad weather over the horizon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“So
what is it about this dingleberry?” Maravich studied the small screen, his
Eastern European ancestry evident in the flat planes and angles of his face.
“This Warren guy, he ain’t much.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“He’s
going to get us in.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“You
think?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Warren
is the only person I’ve ever seen get close to MacCauley who wasn’t one of her
fanatics.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“And
you think that’s enough?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On
the screen, Warren accessed the security door and the camera view switched to
inside the room. Ramirez smirked as their subject tapped his way through the
building’s security features.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“There’s
more to Warren than meets the eye,” he told Maravich. “He’s a survivor. I get a
lever on him; he’ll do what we need.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“You
say so.” Maravich shrugged. He snorted and spat across the bar. “I think the
guy’s a chump.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“He
is. But he’s our chump. He’ll get us in, and we’ll run down these terrorist
fucks once and for all. These assholes think they can tear down the foundation
of this country and destroy the United States government. I will not, under any
circumstances, allow that to happen. If I have to sacrifice a hundred Joseph
Warrens, it’ll be a small price to pay.”</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Scott Bell holds a degree in criminal justice from North Texas State University and has enjoyed careers in both asset protection as well as sales. With the kids grown and time on his hands, Scott turned back to his first love—writing. His short stories have been published in <em>The Western Online</em>, <em>Cast of Wonders</em>, and in the anthology, <em>Desolation</em>. <em>Yeager's Law</em>, published in 2015, was his first novel, with its sequel, <em>Yeager's Mission</em>, published in 2016. <em>April's Fool</em> was also published in 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When he’s not writing, Scott is on the eternal quest to answer the question: What would John Wayne do?</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-58395129919383380452017-02-28T15:42:00.001-08:002017-02-28T15:42:31.200-08:00White with Fish, Red with Murder available now.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Release day:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-size: large;">White with Fish, Red with Murder</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">by <b>Harley Mazuk</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">available now.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fGt7fRFpzCg/WD6tzI6yBEI/AAAAAAAAM8E/ql1wqZE5-fkLDFfDFMStZ68wWrVFr-WDgCPcB/s1600/WhiteFish_RedMurder%2BRGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fGt7fRFpzCg/WD6tzI6yBEI/AAAAAAAAM8E/ql1wqZE5-fkLDFfDFMStZ68wWrVFr-WDgCPcB/s400/WhiteFish_RedMurder%2BRGB.jpg" width="250" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Blurb</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">San Francisco, 1948. Frank Swiver is a down and out private eye with a taste for wine and women, not necessarily in that order. Frank readily accepts an unexpected job offer from well-known wine connoisseur General Lloyd F. Thursby to find the murderer of his very good friend, Rusty O’Callaghan. Invited to attend an exclusive wine tasting on Thursby’s private rail car, Frank takes along his secretary-<i>cum</i>-lover Vera Peregrino to complete his cover. Thursby entices his guests with the promise of a taste of a rare California wine: the Ravensridge Blackbird Noir. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">All does not go to plan, though, when General Thursby is murdered before the wine tasting has even begun. Frank is caught up in the allure of his former lover, Cicilia, who also happens to be the dead Rusty O’Callaghan’s widow. Locked into the private carriage until the passengers reach their destination, the guests proceed to pull some corks and theorize who among them could be the killer.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">When Vera is arrested for Thursby’s murder, Frank must change his perceptions and find the real killer, or lose both Cici and Vera . . . and maybe even his life.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Exclusive excerpt</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<h1>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Chapter 2: </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">Night of the Honeysuckles</span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 135%;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 135%;">V</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">era rose and announced she wanted
to go to her room. That gave me an opportunity to get out of there and compose
myself before talking to Cici, so I offered to escort her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You’re in number seven, Miss
Peregrino,” said Fenwick. “And you’re in one,” he told me. The first cabin we
came to had a 9 under a half-moon of three stars. I assumed that would be
Thursby’s. We passed eight, and I dropped Vera at her room, telling her I’d
come for her at seven.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Nineteen hundred hours.” She
saluted, mocking the general’s voice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At the far end of the car, from the
galley and the lounge, were a toilet and shower room and cabin number one. It
had a sitting area, which could be converted into a single bed. There was a
good-sized window, covered by venetian blinds, closed, and burgundy curtains,
drawn open. It had a connecting door on the side of compartment two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">An envelope on the bed had my name
on it. I unpacked my duffel, opened the blinds, and sat down watching the
backyards of Oakland glide by while I slit the envelope flap.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It was from Thursby. Inside was a
check made out to Old Vine Detective Agency for $150, signed by Nick Fenwick,
and a note from the general. I recognized his handwriting from the note that
accompanied my invitation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Swiver,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Thanks for coming. Enclosed is a check for your retainer. Let
me know when that runs out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Two things—first, there are some tensions among the guests. I
can still take care of myself, but I wouldn’t mind having someone I can depend
on to watch my back. And second, the police are doing nothing in the
O’Callaghan killing. They closed the case as an accidental poisoning. I’m sure
it’s murder, but I need some kind of proof. I want you to find it. Rusty
O’Callaghan was my friend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I suggest you commence your investigation with the widow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Thursby<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My stomach knotted up, and a dull
garnet haze came between my eyes and the paper after I read the words “<i>killing . . .
murder</i>.” I hadn’t known Rusty O’Callaghan, but I knew of him, and I thought
he was a lucky guy who had it all. He had money, good looks, and wit. He had
Cici.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And I had Vera. A few hours ago,
we’d met in the office on Post Street to go to the train in Oakland together.
We had a couple of glasses of cabernet together, and one thing led to another,
as it often did for us. And after we’d made love, she whispered in my ear, “I
love you, Frank.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“It’ll be exciting to go along as
an op, not just a secretary,” she said. Vera’s scarlet cocktail dress was
folded neatly over the back of one of my client chairs; my suit was hung up,
but the rest of my clothes were all over the floor, and we both lounged naked,
face-to-face, legs intertwined, on the old leather davenport that I had
alongside one wall. Not entirely naked, she still wore her red, high-heeled
shoes, and I had my fedora on the back of my head. The light coming through the
office window fell on the downy yellow hair on her upper thighs. Vera was about
five eight. Her height and long legs made her appear slender and elegant, like
a fashion model or a rich girl. Yet from another angle or in a different outfit
she might look like an athlete who rode a bike to work, or a sinewy, but
healthy, farmer’s daughter. She had golden brown hair that fell across her
shoulders just far enough to cover her breasts if she ever decided to do a Lady
Godiva act. But now her hair had fallen back to the sides and she lay there,
breasts revealed, in all her wanton beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I wanted to say, “I love you too,
Vera,” but for some reason, I didn’t. I couldn’t because something felt
different from that time I had been in love, in love with Cici.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 135%;">I</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> splashed a little water on my face at the washbasin, and started to
shave.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I remembered when Rusty O’Callaghan
had died. I’d even clipped the story from the <i>Examiner </i>at the time. It
was only a couple of months ago. He’d died at home one morning, the apparent
victim of a bizarre poisoning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Then, in the mirror over the sink,
I saw the connecting door to compartment two start to open. I thought I’d
checked the lock, but maybe not—someone was coming in. Everything was close in
the small train cabin. I turned and was about to shoulder the door hard, but a
whiff of scent in the air made me stop myself. Cicilia O’Callaghan came into
the compartment quickly and closed the door behind her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Hello, Frank.” Her voice was deep,
with a dry whispery note. It was the kind of voice that an actress might use
for a passionate love scene. It was the kind of voice that would make the actor
play the sap for her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Hi ya, doll. Still using the same
perfume as the old days?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Night of the Honeysuckles, Frank.
It’s been a long time. I’m surprised you remembered.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There are some things a man doesn’t
forget, like the feeling I had when you threw me over for Rusty. “Yeah, it
brings back old times.” My voice sounded hollow to me. Cici had slipped into my
room without shoes. Minus her high heels, she was about five feet four inches—of
trouble. Of all the compartments in the general’s private varnish, she had to
have the one next to mine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Thank God you’re here tonight,
Frank. I need help.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I didn’t know what to say to that.
So I said nothing and drank in Cicilia with my eyes. After fourteen years, they
were thirsty eyes and she was as refreshing as a splash of Vouvray, and more
intoxicating too. Her skin had a healthy golden-olive glow, as if she’d been in
the sun. Her black dress was simple and elegant, but un-widow-like. The low cut
only emphasized her ripe and voluptuous breasts. With my height advantage in
the small compartment, I was practically forced to eyeball her cleavage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">She followed my gaze. “You like
what you see, Frank?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You know I always did, Cici. Who
wouldn’t?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Rusty, for one. He couldn’t have
cared less.” She sighed. “It’s nice to be noticed again.” The train rocked, and
Cici bounced against me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Oh, yeah. Rusty O’Callaghan. Tough
break about your husband. A poison mushroom omelet? You were there, weren’t
you?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Yeah. I’d thought they were
chanterelles.” She blinked her eyes. “Well, at least it didn’t happen at the
restaurant.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I can see how that might be bad
for business, poisoning the diners.” Rusty O’Callaghan had opened the popular
restaurant, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Chez Cici</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, where he’d installed Cicilia, his new wife, as
chef.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You say you need help, doll?”
Night of the Honeysuckles seemed to be entangled in the waves of her hair, just
under my nose. My mind drifted back to those nights fourteen years ago, when
Cici would finish her waitressing shift at John’s Grill and we’d leave together
and hurry over to my single room.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 135%;">I</span></b><span lang="EN-US">n ‘33, I was a recent Berkeley grad, trying to crack into a teaching
job. I happened into John’s one night, wondering if I could afford a sandwich
and a beer. The beer was only a nickel, but I paid with a piece of my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Cicilia Ricci had been a waitress
there. She was about eighteen then, maybe seventeen and a half, when I met her,
and she was the stuff young men dream about. Petite, with dark-brown, almost
ebony hair, she had emerald eyes. You know the color of the sea off Monterey
sometimes when the sunlight angles across it? Her eyes were that kind of
sparkling green that had their own light, and when I gazed into them, they
lured me deep into their sea-green abyss. I’d kept coming</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070bf; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">back to John’s, to sit
at one of Cicilia’s tables, but I wasn’t coming back for the food. I watched
Cici move around the tables, we talked, she winked at me, or licked her lips,
and a burning would start deep down inside me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Ronald “Rusty” O’Callaghan had been
a rumrunner in southern California in the 1920s who had blown into town late in
1933 when Repeal dried things up for him. He started showing up at John’s
Grill. O’Callaghan would dig into a twenty-four-ounce T-bone and drink a half-pint
of Scotch whisky. He gave Cicilia rides in his Packard. He told her tales of
gun-battles off the Catalina coast, of punching a shark in the nose while
clinging to a floating wooden crate of gin, and of paying off the LA cops,
while outsmarting the G-men. He carried a thick roll of banknotes and laughed
loudly. Rusty O’Callaghan, a man of action who had an air of danger about him,
brought excitement</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070bf; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">into
the restaurant. Cicilia Ricci must have felt that excitement, and felt it was
all for her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I’d despised Rusty O’Callaghan when
he took Cicilia out of John’s, and I’d envied him when he married her. That was
in ‘34, the last time I’d seen either of them, and the first time I had that
empty ache inside. Rusty O’Callaghan sure was a lucky guy, and I’d drawn a
losing hand. Now O’Callaghan was dead. A police spokesman had termed the death
“suspicious, but presumably accidental.” And I’d lived to read about it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I was bitter about being dumped,
but that passion I’d felt for Cicilia never quit burning inside me. There’s
been a little pilot light on these last fourteen years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US">“</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 135%;">I</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> need money, Frank,” she said. “I’m
a poor widow now, you know. Thursby owes me, but he won’t pay up.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Poor? I hear <i>Chez Cici</i> does
good business.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Sure, Chez Cici does good, but
doing good in the restaurant business just pays the bills. Owning one
restaurant means working fifty-two weeks a year, and if you’re good, it’s a
living, but that’s about all. It’s not enough. What I’ve got to do is expand. I
want to open a branch in Sausalito.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“So how’s the general owe you,
doll? Did he run up a tab?” I breathed in the scent of honeysuckles warmed by
body heat, maybe a little garlic and oil too, from all those hours in the
kitchen, and a definite, undeniable undercurrent of muskiness, rising up from
her center. It was making my head spin, but I sucked it in like a man
struggling in the water takes air when he’s at the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Hardly,” she said. “Look, I found
these in Rusty’s desk.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Cicilia carried a little black bag
on a thin strap over her shoulder, and she reached in and extracted a fistful
of papers, half sheets, and some even smaller—the size of currency. She handed
them to me as she spoke. “Gambling debts, Frank. They’re promissory notes for
gambling debts.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I flipped through them. Five hundred
here, $1000 on another, $700, $2400. The same scrawl at the bottom of each one
might have been “Lloyd Thursby.” It might have been the same hand that had
signed the notes I’d received.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Cici kept talking, filling me in as
I glanced through the IOUs. “Rusty used to go over to Thursby’s place four or
five nights a week, around ten or eleven, and sit with the general and play
cards for hours.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Looks like Rusty was a lucky guy.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Hah! Lucky?” She turned, sauntered
over to the window, and peered out. “You couldn’t prove it by me. I never even
knew he was winning, Frank. The soft-headed bum never brought home a nickel. He
just took the general’s paper.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You show these to Thursby?” I
followed her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Not yet. I just found them. But
you can show them to Thursby. You can make him pay me. Thursby threatened me
and had his goon throw me out.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“His goon?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Fenwick.” Cici turned back to me.
“That hairy wine-steward.” Fenwick—I didn’t like the picture in my mind of him
with his paws on Cici, giving her the bum’s rush. Something told me the apeman
and I weren’t going to get along.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I felt a tug at my trousers. I’d
been reviewing the notes Cici had given me and musing over Fenwick. When I
glanced at her again, I saw her black dress on the floor in a circle around her
feet. She was squatting down in front of me, her butt on the seat, while her
fingers worked at my fly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Jesus, doll. What do you think
you’re doing?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Oh, Frank. I can’t help it. It’s
been so long, Frank. I’m so hot. I want you to make me feel like a woman again.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It’d been a long time all right.
Fourteen years is a long time. Did Cicilia think she could just walk out of my
life without so much as a fare-thee-well, then sashay back in fourteen years
later and pick up where she’d left off? Now she rose to her feet, her green
eyes flashing and locked on mine. Reaching behind her back, Cici undid the
clasp on her black bra. She slipped it off, tossed it across the compartment,
and shook her shoulders. The IOUs wafted to the floor as I cupped each breast
with a hand and plunged my face down into their softness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 135%;">M</span></b><span lang="EN-US">aybe you’ve walked with danger and laughed and said, “Let’s go; you
can’t beat me.” Maybe you know what it’s like to go without something for
years, like maybe you were a boozer who lived through Prohibition without
getting a drink. Then all of a sudden after all those years you can have it
again, and it’s better than ever. If so, I guess I don’t have to tell you what
I felt, lying with Cici across the Pullman bed of my compartment. And if you
haven’t done anything like that, maybe you wouldn’t understand the feeling I’m
talking about anyhow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I checked my watch, and it was
almost seven. It’s not that I didn’t know where the time had gone. It’s more
like I didn’t know where <i>I </i>had been. Wherever it was, I liked it there,
and I didn’t want to come back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Okay, Cici, I’ll take your case.
I’ll talk to Thursby.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Be careful, Frank. He’s
dangerous.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I laugh at danger.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I knew I could count on you. I’ll
give you ten percent of whatever you collect.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Twenty-five dollars a day, doll.
Plus expenses.” She knew she could count on me. Hell, Cici could have seduced
Mohandas Gandhi into donning a suit and tie, and he would have eaten filet
mignon to please her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Right now, we’ve got to get
dressed,” I said. “It’s seven o’clock.” I yanked her off the bed to her feet
and reeling her in, planted a long kiss on her lips. “There’s wine out there to
taste.” I sent her on her way to her compartment with a smack on the butt. That
bitterness from fourteen years ago—it wasn’t completely gone, but Cici had
sweetened me up a little.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I had two clients, and two jobs to
do. I needed the work bad, but could I give Cici what she wanted and help
Thursby too?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><i><b>White with Fish, Red with Murder </b>e-book<b> </b></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">is available now</span><span style="font-family: "courier";">:</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Author</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; padding: 0cm;">Harley Mazuk was born in Cleveland, the son of a blue-collar worker, and majored in English literature at Hiram College in Ohio and Elphinstone College, Bombay U.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: justify;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; padding: 0cm;">Harley worked as a record salesman (vinyl) and later toiled for the US Government in computer programming and in communications, where he honed his writing style as an editor and content provider for official web sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: justify;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; padding: 0cm;">He began writing the Frank Swiver series of private eye stories in 2010 and has published four stories in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine</i>. His novelettes and flash fiction have appeared in Dead Guns Press and Shotgun Honey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; padding: 0cm;">Harley’s passions are writing, reading, his family, peace, Italian cars, and California wine. He and his wife Anastasia live in Maryland, where they have raised two children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; padding: 0cm;">Find </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Harley at:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><a href="http://www.harleymazuk.com/"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">www.harleymazuk.com</span></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-61750034836312963202017-02-22T04:34:00.001-08:002017-02-22T04:34:30.560-08:00Pre-order WORKING STIFFS for only $3.99 now!<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i>Working Stiffs</i></b> is now available at the special pre-order-only price of <b>$3.99</b> until its release March 21, 2017. Don't miss this great deal and be ready to read <b><i>Working Stiffs</i></b> when it is sent to your device.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwKKzEcdujw/WI8Ma-p8QYI/AAAAAAAANSQ/JtKcQB1bymAla_VAAwhlH3YLgJ85zt7VACLcB/s1600/Working%2BStiffs%2B600x900%2BRGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwKKzEcdujw/WI8Ma-p8QYI/AAAAAAAANSQ/JtKcQB1bymAla_VAAwhlH3YLgJ85zt7VACLcB/s640/Working%2BStiffs%2B600x900%2BRGB.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><u>Blurb</u></span></b></div>
</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At a time when civil liberties have been eroded and unemployment has exceeded Great Depression levels, nanotechnology provides the ability to reanimate the recently dead. Far from zombies, but nothing like their former selves, “Revivants” are a ready source of cheap labor able to perform simple, routine tasks. Great news for some sectors, but for many, the economic and social impact is devastating.</span></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Enter Joe Warren—an unemployed college dropout, who is self-absorbed and disinterested in the world’s problems. All Joe wants is a job, food on his table, and a cure for his girlfriend’s lingering illness. What Joe gets is a stint in jail with a bunch of self-proclaimed freedom fighters, and coerced to become an informant by federal government agents.</span></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Joe is forced to examine his me-first attitude, and in the process learns that some things just might be worth fighting—or dying—for.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Working Stiffs</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> . . . available for pre-order now!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>$3.99</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">[Regular price $5.99]</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Buy links:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WGVL2SJ?ref_=pe_2427780_160035660" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br />
<a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/uk/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/B06WGVL2SJ" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br />
<a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/ca/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/B06WGVL2SJ" target="_blank">Amazon CA</a><br />
<a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/au/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/B06WGVL2SJ" target="_blank">Amazon AU</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1208343077" target="_blank">iBooks</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/working-stiffs-8" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
B&N<br />
GooglePlay<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;">More info:</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/working-stiffs" target="_blank">www.drivenpress.net</a><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;">and Goodreads:</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><u>Excerpt</u></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
three dead guys on the freight elevator had a personal odor reminiscent of
vomit with an undertone of road kill.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You
freaks need to stand in the rain, you know that? Take a shower.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My
formerly living companions swayed with the motion of the elevator but kept
their thoughts on hygiene to themselves. One of three, his name tag read
“Larry,” belched—an editorial comment or random gas bubble? Hard to say.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Sixty-seven
more floors of asphyxiation. Why their owner didn’t wash down his Revivants was
a mystery. They didn’t decay like regular dead people; if they did, body parts
would be strewn around the city like the remnants of a jihadi bomb factory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Take shallow breaths.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
adjusted my stolen waiter’s jacket to hide Grandpa’s old bullet-firing pistol.
The weapon made my pants sag. Since I quit eating anything more solid than
tomato soup prepared from ketchup packets, everything—including a sudden change
in barometric pressure—made my pants slide down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dampness
blotched the jacket’s red sleeve from the cold sweat off my forehead.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> C’mon, Joe, pull it together</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Two
of the Revvies rode in silence. Larry, the talker, vaguely resembled a classic
comedian from the early 2000s. The hell was his name? A funny guy, I’d caught
some of his stuff in all the old bootleg videos Grandpa made me watch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Jay Leno.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Unlike
Jay, Larry knew only one joke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
dead comedian leered over my shoulder and, in a zombie voice, moaned,
“B-b-b-brainssss!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“That
wasn’t funny the last six times you said it. You’re not a zombie.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Larry
laughed, a sound like an old gas-powered car trying to start on a cold day. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hhnh-hhnh-hhnh</i>.” He wore a unisex
coverall, once brilliant red, now faded to Pepto Bismol pink. The nametag
curled, unstuck at one corner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Keep
your day job,” I grumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
elevator shuddered and clanked to a stop—the damned thing was older than
Grandpa Warren’s firearm—and the doors ground open. Larry, hit of the graveyard
comedy tour, stayed aboard and bared his gummy teeth in a grin. Since Revvies
didn’t eat, I refused to speculate on what might be stuck in his incisors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
two silent dead guys scuffed away in their worn shoes, heads canted to one side
in that odd zombie-walk favored by the revived. Larry stayed with me on the
empty elevator.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Me
and the Walking Dud.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hhnh-hhnh-hhnh</i>. Braaaiinnnss.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Whoever
programmed your nanos for comedy needs to be punched in the throat.” I hit the
up button and focused on the groaning doors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
gun poked my testicles. Grimacing, I resettled it, finger most definitely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">off</i> the trigger. The gun hadn’t been
fired since the second Ms. Clinton administration, but now was not the time to
test it. Wish I’d thought of that before I left Ding’s apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Soon,
though.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Thirty
more floors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
tugged at the damp collar of my white dress shirt with its built-in bow tie.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hhnh-hhnh-hhnh</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Shut
up.” I stalked over and stabbed a finger in Larry’s chest. “Just shut up, okay?
Every time I look at one of you, you know what I see? I see failure, asshole.”
I poked the gaping Revivant again. “I never would have been put in this spot if
it wasn’t for you!” I shoved Larry, and he swayed in place but didn’t fall.
“Fuck it. Why am I even talkin’ to you?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Larry
grinned, his keyboard teeth spackled with mortar. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hhnh-hhnh-hhnh</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Yeah,
very funny. You don’t have to eat, don’t have to sleep . . .
just work all day long without even a piss-break. You make people sick with
your germs, give them fucking brain tumors . . . steal their
lives.” My mouth snapped shut.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And how stupid am I lecturing a corpse?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
elevator shuddered to a stop, the P button flickering on the panel. The
penthouse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Showtime.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
adjusted the pistol and waited for the doors to part. They chunked open,
showing a dingy white service corridor. Another pink-suited Rev waited by the
doors, placid as a cow, carrying a black plastic trash bag in one immobile
hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Tah-rash,”
it said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
newcomer handed Larry the bag as I stepped around them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Tah-rash,”
Larry repeated. He leered at me, churned out another creepy laugh. The doors
closed on his grinning pumpkin face, shutting Larry away. Gears clanked, a
spark flared, machinery whirred, and the elevator started down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
remaining undead janitor wasn’t as chatty as Larry. He rotated in an old-man
shuffle and tottered toward the door at the far end of the service corridor,
his coverall yellowing under third-rate LEDs lighting the corridor. Who used
LEDs anymore? Spared every expense, these guys.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Which is a good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
financial straits of modern America in the year 2051 should work in my favor.
For once.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;">Please.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Two
doors flanked the service corridor on either side. One bore the label <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mantenimiento</i>. The other read: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seguridad. </i>Security. Spanish language
labels in Chinese-owned buildings. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¡Bienvenidos
a los Estados Unidos!</i> Foreign spices seasoned the melting pot, sometimes
creating a tasty stew, sometimes a bellyache.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Well,
let’s find out if this works.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
fished the preprinted finger cot—it resembled a short condom—from my waistcoat
pocket and slipped it over my thumb. Gingerly. Tearing it now would be bad. I
had lifted the molded fingerprint from a Revivant in Moline, the former
security chief of the Huateng Tower. Programmed to pick tomatoes, he kept
trying to get back to the field, becoming more anxious the longer I held him
down in the back of my van.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Which
sounded pretty freaking sick, right?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When
I let him go, he hustled off in jerky little steps, head cocked to the side,
like the actor in the latest V-Real remake of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rain Man III.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Thanks,
Chief. I hope you’re enjoying the afterlife.” I placed my covered thumb against
the biometric and held my breath. “All right, guys. Did you reprogram the
locks, or were you having a sloppy day?” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buzzz</i>-click.
“Yes, baby! Score one for cheap and lazy.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I
palmed the door to the security room, one hand on the pistol in my waistband.
If they left a human guard to watch the cameras . . . “Nope. Too
cheap for that. Heh-heh.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Monitors
glowed. Light flickered. Computers hummed. Air circulated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anti-climax
exhaled.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
main display fluttered to life when I pressed my fake thumb against the reader
on the desk. Locking down the passenger elevators sucked up thirty seconds.
Deactivating and memory-wiping the surveillance nodes took only a few minutes.
The remaining building security devices went down one-by-one. Activating the
signal-damping field required a little more time, but everything seemed simple
enough. Tap-tap. Done.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Easy
as pie. My comp sci minor, aborted upon my departure from college, would serve
some use. At least I could find my way around a server.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Time
to get a little payback,” I murmured, dragging the antique pistol from my
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The
damned thing was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">heavy</i>. Steel and
lead and grim death, all in a hand-sized package. Bright nickel finish, wood
handle adorned by a stylized S&W medallion. A revolver, grandpa said when
he showed me how it worked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Showtime!</span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU4yFn6eZAA/WI8NdTdqgPI/AAAAAAAANSc/kPOemvXqNHgdeHYIwJYrWETRMFXFyZhtACLcB/s1600/Scott%2BBell%2BPicture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU4yFn6eZAA/WI8NdTdqgPI/AAAAAAAANSc/kPOemvXqNHgdeHYIwJYrWETRMFXFyZhtACLcB/s200/Scott%2BBell%2BPicture.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Scott Bell holds a degree in Criminal Justice from North Texas State University, and has enjoyed careers in both asset protection as well as sales. With the kids grown and time on his hands, Scott turned back to his first love—writing. His short stories have been published in The Western Online, Cast of Wonders, and in the anthology, Desolation. Yeager's Law, published in 2015, was his first novel, with its sequel, Yeager's Mission, published in 2016. April's Fool was also published in 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When he’s not writing, Scott is on the eternal quest to answer the question: What would John Wayne do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Scott at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://snapshooter4hire.com/" target="_blank">www.snapshooter4hire.com</a></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-61952127563241959092017-02-10T21:35:00.001-08:002017-02-10T21:36:23.454-08:00Working Stiffs - Scott Bell - Cover Reveal<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Today we welcome author Scott Bell to Driven Press. Scott's latest novel is <b><i>Working Stiffs</i></b>. We are happy to reveal the cover art for this wonderfully unique sci-fi story to be released March 21, 2017.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At a time when civil liberties have been eroded and unemployment has exceeded Great Depression levels, nanotechnology provides the ability to reanimate the recently dead. Far from zombies, but nothing like their former selves, “Revivants” are a ready source of cheap labor able to perform simple, routine tasks. Great news for some sectors, but for many, the economic and social impact is devastating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Enter Joe Warren—an unemployed college dropout, who is self-absorbed and disinterested in the world’s problems. All Joe wants is a job, food on his table, and a cure for his girlfriend’s lingering illness. What Joe gets is a stint in jail with a bunch of self-proclaimed freedom fighters, and coerced to become an informant by federal government agents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Joe is forced to examine his me-first attitude, and in the process learns that some things just might be worth fighting—or dying—for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Working Stiffs</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> . . . available for pre-order soon. Stay tuned!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">More info:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/working-stiffs" target="_blank">www.drivenpress.net</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;">and Goodreads:</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34221741-working-stiffs" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Working Stiffs" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><u>Author</u></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU4yFn6eZAA/WI8NdTdqgPI/AAAAAAAANSc/kPOemvXqNHgdeHYIwJYrWETRMFXFyZhtACLcB/s1600/Scott%2BBell%2BPicture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU4yFn6eZAA/WI8NdTdqgPI/AAAAAAAANSc/kPOemvXqNHgdeHYIwJYrWETRMFXFyZhtACLcB/s200/Scott%2BBell%2BPicture.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Scott Bell holds a degree in Criminal Justice from North Texas State University, and has enjoyed careers in both asset protection as well as sales. With the kids grown and time on his hands, Scott turned back to his first love—writing. His short stories have been published in The Western Online, Cast of Wonders, and in the anthology, Desolation. Yeager's Law, published in 2015, was his first novel, with its sequel, Yeager's Mission, published in 2016. April's Fool was also published in 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When he’s not writing, Scott is on the eternal quest to answer the question: What would John Wayne do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Scott at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://snapshooter4hire.com/" target="_blank">www.snapshooter4hire.com</a></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-57195604311456189682017-02-01T04:00:00.000-08:002017-02-01T04:23:56.337-08:00White with Fish, Red with Murder . . . available now for pre-order.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Driven Press would like to announce that our
upcoming noir mystery novel</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">White with Fish, Red with Murder</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">by <b>Harley Mazuk</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">to be released on 28 February 2017, is now
available for pre-order.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fGt7fRFpzCg/WD6tzI6yBEI/AAAAAAAAM8E/ql1wqZE5-fkLDFfDFMStZ68wWrVFr-WDgCPcB/s1600/WhiteFish_RedMurder%2BRGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fGt7fRFpzCg/WD6tzI6yBEI/AAAAAAAAM8E/ql1wqZE5-fkLDFfDFMStZ68wWrVFr-WDgCPcB/s400/WhiteFish_RedMurder%2BRGB.jpg" width="250" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>PRE-ORDER SALE SPECIAL OF $3.99 for the e-book </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Blurb</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 115%;">San Francisco, 1948.
Frank Swiver is a down and out private eye with a taste for wine and women, not
necessarily in that order. Frank readily accepts an unexpected job offer from
well-known wine connoisseur General Lloyd F. Thursby to find the murderer of
his very good friend, Rusty O’Callaghan. Invited to attend an exclusive wine
tasting on Thursby’s private rail car, Frank takes along his
secretary-<i>cum</i>-lover Vera Peregrino to complete his cover. Thursby entices
his guests with the promise of a taste of a rare California wine: the
Ravensridge Blackbird Noir. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 115%;">All does not go to
plan, though, when General Thursby is murdered before the wine tasting has even
begun. Frank is caught up in the allure of his former lover, Cicilia, who also
happens to be the dead Rusty O’Callaghan’s widow. Locked into the private
carriage until the passengers reach their destination, the guests proceed to
pull some corks and theorize who among them could be the killer.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 115%;">When Vera is arrested
for Thursby’s murder, Frank must change his perceptions and find the real
killer, or lose both Cici and Vera . . . and maybe even his life.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">T</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">here’s promise in
the air when you approach a passenger train from the platform. You can imagine
it’s carrying everyone you ever wanted to meet and the baggage cars are hauling
your dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Steam coursed through the pipes along the undersides of the
cars, like blood through veins. Vera Peregrino and I strolled along the side of
the Southern Pacific Cascade on a foggy, damp April afternoon in Oakland until
we came to the last car. She pointed a lacquered red fingernail at <i>Vieux Désirs
</i>lettered in gold paint on its side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">The invitation in my pocket read: <i>General Lloyd F. Thursby,
(U.S. Army, Ret.), requests the pleasure of your company, 1630 hours, 2 April,
1948, aboard his private railway car, </i>Vieux Désirs<i>. </i>Thursby’s
private varnish had a canopy over an open rear platform, marking it as a coach
from an older era, but it appeared spic-and-span, with a fresh olive-green
paint job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Vera was my secretary at Old Vine Detective Agency. She was
more than just my employee; we were friends, and I wanted to let her know I
cared. I bought Vera some calla lilies from a flower vendor alongside the
tracks. Her grateful smile showed straight white teeth between apple-red lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I paused alongside the track and with my thumbnail, slit the
cellophane on a new deck of Pall Malls. I prefer Camels, but the Pall Mall
package bears a Latin motto: <i>In hoc signo vinces.</i> My Latin’s a little
rusty—for all I know, it could have meant “Sign in here, Vince,” but whenever I
start a new case I buy Pall Malls and read the motto for good luck. I shook two
out, cupped my hands, lit them, and passed one to Vera, who was gazing at me
with a Mona Lisa grin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">The Southern Pacific conductor climbed down from the side door
of <i>Vieux Désirs</i> as we lingered a bit. He had a wad of tobacco in his jaw
and must have been waiting to spit while he’d been in the private car because
he let out a stream that sluiced between the train and the platform. He saw us
and touched his cap as he passed by, and I gave him a friendly nod. After he passed
me, he climbed back on board the train at the next door. From that I deduced
that the doors between <i>Vieux Désirs </i>and the rest of the train were
locked, which I understood to be common practice among the railroads when they
were hauling private cars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">My gear for the weekend was packed in a duffel bag slung over
my shoulder. I tossed it up on the landing and then held Vera’s bag and gave
her a hand up. Her cocktail dress was short enough that when she raised a knee
to climb the steps, she revealed some thigh up around her garter. As many times
as I saw it, it was inspiring, a thigh of beauty, and I gave her a wolf
whistle. She held the lilies across her legs with her right hand, and used her
left to grab the rail in the stairwell. When she got to the top step, she
winked at me as I climbed on board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">The door into the coach off the steel landing opened into a
galley. We’d gone in the service entrance. A stainless gas range dominated the
layout, nestled in between shiny cabinets like a king between two rooks. Pots,
pans, and cooking utensils dangled from hooks. Everything about the kitchen
spoke of efficiency and careful planning. It seemed as though we could count on
a good meal later tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">We passed through a swinging door onto a spiffy hardwood floor,
mostly covered by a large and plush Persian rug. I’m no expert on Oriental
carpets, but I think it was the Ardabil mosque pattern, done in dark red and a
close, tight weave. It didn’t take an expert to tell it was genuine, old, and
expensive. There was that unmistakable <i>je ne sais quoi</i> in the way my
damp, dirty brogues skimmed across the pile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">A few lights were on in the lounge; I could see burgundy
wallpaper with dark wood trim. To my right were two dining tables, each with
four seats, and on the left an upright piano with a light oak finish. Beyond
that, a group of folks sat in the far end of the car. I led Vera partway down,
until the man facing us spoke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Ah, you must be Frank Swiver,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“I am, and this is Vera Peregrino.” There were nods and greetings,
and the man who had spoken rose. I strode across to shake his hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Lloyd Thursby,” he said. He was an older gent with gray hair
and clear, alert blue eyes. He wore a camel hair topcoat draped on his
shoulders like a cape, over a dark brown, well-cut suit. He stood a couple of
inches taller than me, maybe six foot two, and he carried himself ramrod
straight, so he appeared even taller. I had the idea he was fit and powerful
for his age. “This is my majordomo,” he gestured at a man standing near the rear
corridor of the train car, “Fenwick.” He was younger and three or four inches
shorter than Thursby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Fenwick stepped forward. “I’ll take your bags, sir.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I gave him my duffel and Vera’s suitcase, and when he reached
out his arms to take them, his sleeves slid up, revealing thick, dark hair on
the backs of his wrists and hands. He carried the luggage into the corridor,
and his wrists stayed down out of his sleeves making his arms appear long and
apelike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">General Thursby held out his left hand toward a dame in a chair
on my right. “This is Sally DeBains.” She was well dressed and well coiffed,
fiftyish, and blond—though I suspected the hair color came out of a bottle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“How do you do?” she said. She had plenty of ice on her
fingers, and I clasped the hand she extended and gave it a light kiss. I
thought about biting one of the rings, but she didn’t strike me as a big Three
Stooges fan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“I’m well, thanks,” I replied. “How do you do?” More jewelry
drooped around her neck, and she obviously had gained a couple of pounds as she
aged. She may have been shaking her maracas a bit lower than she used to, but
she had probably been a hot number twenty years ago. For my money, she was
still hot enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Thursby stepped back toward his chair and extended his right
hand. “Over here, allow me to present Marcus Aurelius Wolff, our philosopher,
and a fellow collector.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Wolff was a huge, fat man, whose bulk blocked much of the light
from the window behind him. His three-piece charcoal pinstriped suit oozed
polish and quality, and he held a pearl-gray hat in his lap. Although it was
cool, and I still had my trench coat on, the fat man was perspiring. He beamed
and drew a silk hanky out of his breast pocket, then wiped his bald head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“An honor, sir, an honor to meet you,” said Wolff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I assured him the honor was all mine. “A collector of what?” I
asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Why wine, Swiver, wine, of course.” Thursby laughed. “That’s
what brings our little group together, you know. We taste wine, we savor it, we
debate about it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“And what do you do, sir?” Wolff asked me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“I drink it.” I gave him a grin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Thursby stepped in. “Frank is a writer working on my
biography.” Writer was as good as anything. General Thursby had enclosed a
hand-written note with his invitation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Swiver,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 22.7pt; margin-right: 22.7pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">I
hear you know a little about wine, but that’s not the only reason I’m inviting
you to my tasting. I’d like to hire you. I’ll brief you about the job on the
train. You can bring another operative if you like. Make it look as if you’re
along for the party—I don’t want to tip my hand. Whether you take the</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"> <i>case or not, I’ll pay you for your
time and you’ll get to taste some good wines.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Thursby<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">That was all I knew; it wasn’t much, but it was enough to get
me there. I hadn’t had a case for weeks, other than the contract work at the hotel,
and I needed the money. He didn’t want to tip his hand. I would play along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Miss Peregrino is my research assistant,” I said. Vera smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">And so we circulated around the room and met the guests, and
Vera and I shook hands like a couple of politicians at the Orange County Fair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">And then as the introductions were coming to an end, I saw her,
to my left, by the piano. A short black dress, low cut, raven-dark hair,
emerald eyes that almost glowed, over robust cheekbones—it was Cicilia Ricci,
girl of my dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“And last, this is Cicilia O’Callaghan,” the general went on.
“Cicilia—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“We’ve met.” A chill ran up my spine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Hello, Frank. It’s been a while.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Fourteen years. You look good, Cicilia.” The widow
O’Callaghan, formerly Cicilia Ricci. Her hair was cut a little shorter than
when I knew her—wavy on top, parted in the middle, and falling down to her
shoulder blades in curls. Her dark eyebrows curved high over her big eyes in
graceful roman arches. She’d been seventeen when I met her; she’d be thirty-two
now. No longer a budding teenager but a woman in her prime, and more ravishing
than ever, if that was possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“You look well too, Frank.” Her voice was deep, smoky,
seductive. It was Cici’s normal voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I shook another Pall Mall out of the pack and fumbled with a
box of wooden matches like a nine-year-old trying to light up in the
schoolyard. “Having a little trouble, Frank?” Vera noticed. She tilted her head
down and to her right, and angled an eye up at me, amused. She relieved me of
the matches, struck one and held it out, steadying my hand as I lit up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">C’mon, Swiver, get a grip on yourself. You’re on a case</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">. I clenched and unclenched my fists, and
turned away from Cicilia to face the general.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Vera stepped forward and sunk down onto the settee. I chose the
chair on the aisle by Cicilia. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome,” said
Thursby, returning to his seat. “It’s nearly 1700 hours, and the Cascade will
be departing soon. On time, I’m assured. Our tasting this evening will begin at
1900.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Fenwick had deposited our bags, crossed back through the lounge
and was now coming out with a tray, which he put on the low table in front of
Vera. “But for now, we have coffee, tea, and Fenwick will be opening some
sparkling wine—Cava,” Thursby continued.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">I knew Cava from my years in Catalonia. A cork popped over my
right shoulder, and Fenwick came around with glasses and a thick green bottle.
I took some bubbly, as did three other guests. Thursby and Vera had tea; Cici
drank coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Thursby continued, “Tonight my friends, I’ll be pouring a
selection of wines for your enjoyment. Our theme will be comparing California
wines and French wines. I have chosen the best from old world and new, and I
leave it to you to decide: is one better than the other? Or are they simply
different styles?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“I’m sure it will soon be clear enough which is better,” said
John McQuade. He was a sour-looking gent next to Sally, who hadn’t said much to
me but leered at Vera during the introductions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Yes?” said Thursby. “Well, we’ll see, won’t we? Perhaps there
will be some surprises. At any rate, I hope you’ll find them all worthwhile.
We’ll be serving the wines blind, so you’ll be judging them based on your
impressions of what’s in the glass, but without further knowledge of who made
them, or where.” He sipped his tea. “And for the highlight of the evening, I’m
pleased to be able to pour from a magnum of the latest vintage of Ravensridge
Wines Blackbird.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“That would be the ‘45?” asked Wolff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Yes, Marcus, the 1945 vintage. Many of you know the Blackbird
is the rarest of California wines, bottled only in magnums—one and a half liter
bottles—and I’m one of the fortunate few to whom it’s allocated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“We thank our friend, Joe Damas, the distributor, for that.” He
raised his teacup in a little salute to Joe, on the settee next to Vera. Joe
raised his champagne saucer in reply, as smoke trailed up from the cigarette in
his mouth toward his half-closed eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Pardon me, General,” Vera said, “the Blackbird you’re talking
about, is that from the vineyard out on River Road in Sonoma?” Fenwick was just
pouring for McQuade and arched an eyebrow at Vera.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">General Thursby hesitated. “Yes, it is, Miss Peregrino. Do you
know the wine?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Well, no,” she answered. “I’ve never had the wine, but the
vineyard was part of the old Fenucchi spread, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Thursby blinked his blue eyes. “Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“It’s adjacent to my dad’s ranch,” said Vera with a natural
smile. “I grew up next door, practically in the shadow of Blackbird Hill.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“My God. It’s a small world.” Thursby’s eyes were fixed on Vera
now. Vera was a tall attractive woman with golden-brown hair. She was an eyeful
in that red dress, but Thursby wasn’t ogling her the way most men do. He was
studying her, concentrating on taking her in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“I even know the legend of the Blackbird,” Vera said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">McQuade rolled his eyes, but Wolff said, “Oh, do tell it, Miss
Peregrino.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Well, I used to hear about it as a little girl.
I remember one time I was out there in the west block with Pop. I was about
nine, so it was during Prohibition. ‘Vera,’ he says, ‘look up there.’ He
pointed to an eastern-facing slope on the Fenucchi land.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Vera raised her eyes to the ceiling of the car,
as if she were gazing at a distant slope. “Pop showed me a hillside field of
thick, gnarly vines, what the old timers called <i>nero misto</i>, mixed black
grapes. It was nearly the middle of the day, but the slope was so steep, the
vines still cast shadows, twisted shadows like an old witch’s fingers. ‘Vito
Fenucchi planted that vineyard, around 1890,’ Pop said. Mr. Fenucchi was our
neighbor. I used to play with their son, Niccolò.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Vera paused recalling her childhood. Then,
raising a dramatic finger to point at the ceiling as if it were the vineyard,
“Pop told me to look up on top of the hill. I saw a tall eucalyptus tree. I waited
for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight and the distance, and when they did, in
the top of the tree I saw it, and it was thrilling—a huge blackbird!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Vera was just telling it in her friendly
down-home way, but she had cast a spell over the room. Except for Cici—I saw
her eyes were on me when I stole a glance her way. She had crossed her legs,
and her short black dress was sliding up past her knee. I turned away and
yanked on an earlobe. When was the last time I had gazed at those gams? 1934?
Fourteen years later, I remembered every inch, every sinuous curve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Yes,” said Thursby,
“it’s a great black falcon. That’s where the Blackbird vineyard gets its name.
Fog protects those old vines from the morning sun, and when the fog burns off,
you’ll see that black falcon watching over the vineyard, watching in silence,
perched in that eucalyptus tree, high on the top of the hill above the vines.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“And no one knows where the blackbird comes from.” Vera glanced
my way now. Maybe she wondered what was wrong with my ear. I let go of my
earlobe and released a deep breath. “No one knows what year it first appeared.
But the grapes it watches over are the best in California, year after year.
Zinfandel, petite sirah, Alicante, carignane—that’s <i>nero misto</i>, you
know? The fruit ripens slowly and late, and it is so rich, so concentrated, so
dark, and so good.” The room was quiet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Well,” I interjected, breaking the spell, “if it’s that good,
we’re in for a treat tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">McQuade snorted as if he didn’t believe it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, keep an open mind, Mr. McQuade,” said Wolff. “A wonderful
story the way you tell it, Miss Peregrino. How exciting to grow up in such a
legendary place.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“And that same bird is there, every year, every day, from bud
break in the spring until the last bunches are harvested—sometimes in October,”
said Vera. “It’s true. I used to see the black falcon up there all the time
when I was a little girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">True or not, it was the sort of story that you’d want to spread
around if you owned the vineyard—a legend like that could inspire the
imagination, maybe drive up the price.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">Then the Cascade chugged out of the station, and even though it
was smooth, almost imperceptible at first, it seemed enough to shake Thursby
out of his reverie. Fenwick cleared his throat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">“Well,”
said the general, “I foresee a late night for us, and I’m not as young as I
used to be. I’m going to my cabin to rest a bit. I invite you all to make
yourselves comfortable in your rooms, or avail yourselves of more tea. Thank
you for joining me tonight, and I’ll see you in a couple hours.” He picked up a
leather dispatch case that rested against his chair, turned, and headed up the
corridor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #292a1a; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">---<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b><i>White with Fish, Red with Murder e-book </i></b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">is available for pre-order</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier";">from the following vendors:</span></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/white-with-fish-red-with-murder" target="_blank"><span style="color: #420178;">Driven Press</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9X3RZ7?ref_=pe_2427780_160035660" target="_blank"><span style="color: #103cc0; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier;">Amazon US</span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #103cc0; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier;"><a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/uk/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/B01N9X3RZ7" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Amazon UK</span></a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/au/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/B01N9X3RZ7" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Amazon AU</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #103cc0;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1200319101" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Apple</span></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="color: #103cc0; mso-bidi-font-family: Courier;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/white-with-fish-red-with-murder-harley-mazuk/1125579267;jsessionid=3FCD6AE9D2DB2135FC4DA89EACE268F1.prodny_store01-atgap02?ean=2940154206379" target="_blank">B&N</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #103cc0; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Harley_Mazuk_White_with_Fish_Red_with_Murder?id=VskFDgAAQBAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">GogglePlay</a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/white-with-fish-red-with-murder" style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;" target="_blank">Kobo</a></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Print copies will be available at booksellers' online stores soon.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Author</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">Harley Mazuk was born in Cleveland, the son of a blue-collar
worker, and majored in English literature at Hiram College in Ohio and
Elphinstone College, Bombay U.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">Harley worked as a record salesman (vinyl) and later toiled for
the US Government in computer programming and in communications, where he honed
his writing style as an editor and content provider for official web sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">He began writing the Frank Swiver series of private eye stories in
2010 and has published four stories in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ellery
Queen Mystery Magazine</i>. His novelettes and flash fiction have appeared in
Dead Guns Press and Shotgun Honey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">Harley’s passions are writing, reading, his family, peace, Italian
cars, and California wine. He and his wife Anastasia live in Maryland, where
they have raised two children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">Find
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Harley at:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.harleymazuk.com/"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">www.harleymazuk.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier"; font-size: 15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-64164832738440278592016-12-15T05:10:00.001-08:002016-12-15T05:10:19.581-08:00Ash and Cinders in print . . . and The Gabriel Church Tales soon as an e-book boxset.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The final book in <b>The Gabriel Church Tales</b> available today in paperback: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;">Ash and Cinders</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EH7d4CqPF10/WFKTYk7s5gI/AAAAAAAANHM/ypAAJn-G2ggGxoC_hvPCdmv2Gz2M3775wCLcB/s1600/Ash%2Band%2BCinders%2Bpaperback-ebook%2Bp%2Bno%2Bbackground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EH7d4CqPF10/WFKTYk7s5gI/AAAAAAAANHM/ypAAJn-G2ggGxoC_hvPCdmv2Gz2M3775wCLcB/s400/Ash%2Band%2BCinders%2Bpaperback-ebook%2Bp%2Bno%2Bbackground.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In this nail-biting conclusion to the tales of serial killer Gabriel Church, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">the stakes are higher than ever before now that Gabe put himself in the </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">cross-hairs to protect his lover at the conclusion of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Torn and Frayed.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">BLURB</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“It’s just the devil’s share. When life evens itself out and every bad guy gets what’s coming to em’ . . . it’s one of the few balancing things life really offers.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Gabriel Church has done a bad, bad thing . . . and normally that doesn’t bother him too much. But everything changed when he met Christian Maxwell. Chris became his unholy grail. The thing he sought more than any other treasure, yet still a priceless pearl beyond his reach. Nothing he does seems to solidify any prospect of them being able to remain together, to live that happily-ever-after story. Even if he were to make a promise to stop his killing in the name of God, it would still only be a salty futility to wet and tempt his lips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Christian Maxwell discovered a damaged soul inside Church, with a goodness plumbed somewhere below the visible surface. He saw pain shadowing his killer like some trailing footprint left moist in the sand. But he failed to recognize each victim, or the costs of every action the fugitive took for granted. He simply pushed those faceless victims to the dark recesses of his mind, hiding them from plain view as if they were discarded things, recollections intentionally forgotten.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The one thing Church knows with certainty is the writer is the only person who really knows him, and the only man other than himself who possibly understands where they are both headed. But life is about to get more twisted and dangerous. It begins with a back woods Deputy Sheriff and that same ill-fated chance that always prevented him from slowing down his pace or finding a peaceful place to rest with Chris Maxwell by his side.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfPlAHLJWMA/WEVz2Wz2vrI/AAAAAAAANBU/w4ifduaSVqk8dXthi2JCKYk_Q6_X7DVTgCLcB/s1600/Promo%2BGraphic%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfPlAHLJWMA/WEVz2Wz2vrI/AAAAAAAANBU/w4ifduaSVqk8dXthi2JCKYk_Q6_X7DVTgCLcB/s400/Promo%2BGraphic%2B1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Ash and Cinders</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">$5.99 e-book</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">$15.99 paperback</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Rubble and the Wreckage $4.99</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Torn and Frayed $4.99</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">BUY LINKS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Print:</span></div>
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<a href="http://ow.ly/Y9EM306OKEr" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Driven Bookshop</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ash-Cinders-Gabriel-Church-Tale/dp/1925296369/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ash-Cinders-Gabriel-Church-Tale/dp/1925296369/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480929625&sr=8-10" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> |</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ash-and-cinders-rodd-clark/1125124520?ean=9781925296365" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;" target="_blank">B&N</a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> | <a href="http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/ash-and-cinders-the-final-gabriel-church-tale-rodd-clark/p/9781925296365" target="_blank">Angus and Roberston (AU)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And e-book:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><a href="http://ow.ly/Y9EM306OKEr" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Driven Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><a href="http://ow.ly/c7mR3064xNr">Amazon US</a> | </span><a href="http://ow.ly/k3od306OL0Q" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Amazon UK</a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> | </span><a href="http://ow.ly/SVCn3064vxH" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">iTunes</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;"><a href="http://ow.ly/joeH3064vfB">Kobo</a></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> | </span><a href="http://ow.ly/bPwT30665EA" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">B&N</a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> | </span><a href="http://ow.ly/B92B306OEvQ" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">All Romance</a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> | </span><a href="http://ow.ly/sOIQ306OEIw" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Omnilit</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: start;">And get ready for <b>The Gabriel Church Tales</b> all together in one place. E-book boxset available January 5, 2017. Details soon . . .</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-12677445607615847242016-12-05T06:10:00.000-08:002016-12-05T06:10:17.735-08:00HAPPY RELEASE DAY! Ash and Cinders by Rodd Clark<div style="text-align: center;">
Driven Press is proud to release Rodd Clark's final book in the Gabriel Church Tales: </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Ash and Cinders</span></div>
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In this nail-biting conclusion to the tales of serial killer Gabriel Church, </div>
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the stakes are higher than ever before now that Gabe put himself in the </div>
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cross-hairs to protect his lover at the conclusion of <i>Torn and Frayed.</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">BLURB</span></div>
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<i>“It’s just the devil’s share. When life evens itself out and every bad guy gets what’s coming to em’ . . . it’s one of the few balancing things life really offers.”</i></div>
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Gabriel Church has done a bad, bad thing . . . and normally that doesn’t bother him too much. But everything changed when he met Christian Maxwell. Chris became his unholy grail. The thing he sought more than any other treasure, yet still a priceless pearl beyond his reach. Nothing he does seems to solidify any prospect of them being able to remain together, to live that happily-ever-after story. Even if he were to make a promise to stop his killing in the name of God, it would still only be a salty futility to wet and tempt his lips.<br />
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Christian Maxwell discovered a damaged soul inside Church, with a goodness plumbed somewhere below the visible surface. He saw pain shadowing his killer like some trailing footprint left moist in the sand. But he failed to recognize each victim, or the costs of every action the fugitive took for granted. He simply pushed those faceless victims to the dark recesses of his mind, hiding them from plain view as if they were discarded things, recollections intentionally forgotten.<br />
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The one thing Church knows with certainty is the writer is the only person who really knows him, and the only man other than himself who possibly understands where they are both headed. But life is about to get more twisted and dangerous. It begins with a back woods Deputy Sheriff and that same ill-fated chance that always prevented him from slowing down his pace or finding a peaceful place to rest with Chris Maxwell by his side.<br />
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“HEAVEN WOULDN’T KNOW what to make of you anyway.”<br />
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The words that had been flung at him had come out harsher than were intended, but he knew they were an accurate assessment of his life. There hadn’t been a retort Gabe could even come back with; it was simple truth staring back at him through hard and squinting eyes, and he knew it. Initially Chris had been resigned to the fact when he told him he was leaving to protect him again, but then he’d rounded on him when the truth had sunk in. Instead of trying to explain himself, he had hung his head like a shamed puppy cowering near a piss-stained rug, until he’d said, rather meekly, “You’re right of course, it wouldn’t.”<br />
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“All those fucked up parallels with a God you’ve never seen, one you’ve personally never seen evidence of anyway!”<br />
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Gabriel couldn’t fight the clearly obvious disapproval thrown in his face. Chris was dead-on correct in his appraisal of him, and he’d been too tired to fight with the man. He’d simply accepted the harsh assessment and hung his head in shame, because he recognized he’d let another person down in his life. And it was one he’d never dreamed he could have. So he’d left anyway, telling himself it was to protect the other man, when really it was to protect himself.<br />
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Gabriel Church was a wanted man, in more ways than other fugitives who might be running from the law. He’d landed in Sonora, California, but it was just the first stop in his journey from Washington State. He’d been forced to stop there after the copious miles and endless blacktop nearly made him road blind, and far too weary to continue driving. However, it was only a brief respite, and he knew it wasn’t a place he’d ever call home.<br />
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Sonora was a ridiculously small town in comparison to Seattle, but it had a particular quaintness very akin to those upper northwestern states he’d traveled through before. It was a town that had first grown from the glorious days of the California gold rush, originally settled by migrant Mexican miners who went searching for a better life for them and their families. Once the glittery veins were all but extracted, the town was forced to turn to the vast tree lines and a fast lumber industry was born. It sprang from the deep woods and left a multitude of sawmills, as the skies became smoky dark with new trade and commerce.<br />
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But all that remained today was leftover beauty, and since no one could push a fantastic view across the dinner table to feed their family, tourism had become the only thread holding Sonora’s tenuous fabric intact. But beautifully picturesque it was indeed. Tourists flocked through the tiny community, flashing photographs from car windows and spending their out of town dollars in shops and restaurants, buying postcards and memorabilia before continuing their journey out of the tiny hamlet.<br />
It had charming qualities to boast about, with its tiny red painted churches mixed alongside homes of every architectural style and size. It sat snuggly nestled into the rolling hillside and the raw, untainted splendor of everything surrounding it. Appearing a city out of sync with the rest of the world, it made one feel everything ran a few ticks slower on the clock and gave the sense you had just stepped outside of time. For Gabe it meant a safe place to make a brief rest stop and take a needed breather during his journey to nowhere in particular.<br />
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The conversations with Chris, which had been replaying in his mind, were the only distractions from the pull of the highway. But as he drove through town, he too became mesmerized with the humble, tiny community called Sonora. It quelled the conversations that had been playing in a continuous loop inside his brain for hours as he drove along Highway 108, commonly known as the Sonora Pass Road. Gabriel passed carloads of people. They appeared to be families on vacation by each wide-eyed face he passed along the scenic highway that connected the Sierras and National Parks. It was the summer months and every tree was in full bloom. Had it been winter those same roads would’ve been marked as inaccessible, due to snowfalls and dangers of avalanche. But it was an idyllic setting for camping, horseback riding, and hiking in small groups, and was an iconic vacation spot for anyone wanting to escape the dingy streets of East Los Angeles or avoid heading to one of the national parks like Yosemite or Stanislaus. However, Gabe wasn’t on vacation; he was driving with no particular fixed point on the horizon line. And he was driving alone.<br />
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Gabriel never used to mind being alone in the cab of his Dodge. He was accustomed to the loneliness and being his own company for as many years as he could recall. But that’d been before meeting Christian Maxwell. Now it reminded him of the cold isolation of a prison cell with him in solitary. Absentmindedly his palm rubbed at the bulge in his side pocket where he’d shoved his new mobile phone. It hadn’t rung once since he left Seattle, and his fingers ached with desire to feel it vibrate through his jeans. He had told himself he wouldn’t use it until he had better news to offer, but he still couldn’t help wanting it to ring. He needed to hear Chris on the other end. His familiar, comforting voice; that beacon in the dark he felt trapped inside; a thing that might break apart the banter playing in his head.<br />
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He was exhausted with it all, and every conversation the two men had ever shared seemed to drone through his head like a recorder on playback. He found himself tearing apart each word and rummaging through its meaning, as if trying to comprehend all that occurred back in Seattle. His normally inquisitive mind was working overtime, and he knew he was edging to the obsessive and compulsive sides of his nature. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop the discussions from playing endlessly as he drove in silence.<br />
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It was a maddening thing. He felt that he needed to pull the truck off the black asphalt road and jump out so that he might be able to scream and yell to the heavens without looking like a fool to those cars passing him on the highway. He wanted to express his rage and could only pray his shrieking demands would be heard and somehow stop the parade of images in his head. Because they were leaving him broken and scrutinizing every detail and emotion that remained. It was nothing, if not draining. Had he not looked up and seen the Sonora exit signs in his path and chosen to take it, he might have found himself doing just that.<br />
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He’d been hammered by some heavy blows of late, and losing his lover was only one out of many in that series of events plaguing him. He had to question his mission with this second loss of Christian Maxwell in such a short time. Wasn’t a heavenly soldier with his conviction intact supposed to be permitted some mercy he wondered? A loving God couldn’t have created anything as wicked as him on purpose and not promised him a reward for his efforts. It felt as if God was questioning his faith like those stories of Job he’d heard from that pedophilic priest back in Tennessee. He had used the parables of the “Book of Job” during his sermons many times. He recalled the priest reading from the scriptures and saying, “. . . and it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up.”<br />
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For the boy of ten who seemed spellbound with the story, his words sounded like music to his ears and were instantly carved deep into his young psyche. They became the words he would carry in his head for years to follow.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-5604133929482872772016-12-01T03:37:00.000-08:002016-12-01T03:37:42.600-08:00Cover Reveal - White with Fish, Red with Murder<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Driven Press is excited to reveal the cover for Harley Mazuk's first novel-length book: </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;">White with Fish, Red with Murder</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: left;">Fans of Harley's writing will already recognize private dick Frank Swiver from several short stories published in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: center;"><i>Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine</i>. In this, his first full-length story, Frank is caught between his two great loves—</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: center;">wine and women</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: center;">—</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: center;">while on the clock to solve</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: center;"> a case.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">San Francisco, 1948.
Frank Swiver is a down and out private eye with a taste for wine and women, not
necessarily in that order. Frank readily accepts an unexpected job offer from
well-known wine connoisseur General Lloyd F. Thursby to find the murderer of
his very good friend, Rusty O’Callaghan. Invited to attend an exclusive wine
tasting on Thursby’s private rail car, Frank takes along his
secretary-come-lover Vera Peregrino<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> to complete his
cover. Thursby entices his guests with the promise of a taste of a rare
California wine: the Ravensridge Blackbird Noir. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">All does not go to
plan, though, when General Thursby is murdered before the wine tasting has even
begun. Frank is caught up in the allure of his former lover, Cicilia, who also
happens to be the dead Rusty O’Callaghan’s widow. Locked into the private
carriage until the passengers reach their destination, the guests proceed to
pull some corks and theorize who among them could be the killer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When Vera is arrested
for Thursby’s murder, Frank must change his perceptions and find the real
killer, or lose both Cici and Vera . . . and maybe even his life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>White with Fish, Red with Murder</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> will be available for pre-order soon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Stay tuned!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Harley Mazuk was born in Cleveland, the last year the Indians won the world series. After growing up in Shaker Heights, he attended Hiram College and spent his junior year at Elphinstone College, Bombay University. His B.A. is in English lit, and now that he’s gainfully retired from work, he’s a full-time writer. Harley, his wife, and two children live in Maryland. His passions are writing, reading, and he shares his character P.I. Frank Swiver's love of California wine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Harley at:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://www.harleymazuk.com/" target="_blank">www.harleymazuk.com</a></span></span></div>
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</style>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-39393425893804825492016-10-22T19:50:00.000-07:002016-10-22T19:50:26.759-07:00#samplesunday - THE MADDEST KIND OF LOVE<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;">If you missed our recent release of Christine Hillingdon's<span style="font-size: small;"> novel </span><i><b>The Maddest Kind of Love</b></i> then we're pleased to present it today as part of this week's #samplesunday.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When Carissa and Jaye fell in love, it wasn’t their time. She was planning a wedding and he was already married. Now, twenty years later, they find each other again, but he is planning a funeral and she is married. Cyberspace becomes a confidant to Carissa and Jaye’s staggeringly honest emails about themselves. Things they’ve never shared with anybody. And despite everything, Carissa falls for Jaye all over again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Their affair is renewed, fraught with guilt and the dangers of being caught. This time it’s so different. Cancer, menopausal sex, and getting to know each other is frustrating, exciting, and exhausting, both mentally and physically. Life is more complicated. Is this the right time?</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Excerpt</span></b></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">From: Jaye</span></b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><b>Subject: Emailing</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Thank you for your kind
words, Carissa. Yes, I have support from friends and family and you now. Thanks
so much for that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></em></div>
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<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anne is mostly confined to a
chair, and she needs help with trips to the loo and in the bathroom. She has
had several operations to help prolong her quality of life. What with that and
the medication she is on for pain, she appears to be coping okay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I guess at the moment I am
stuck in a strange place, somewhere between wanting to be creative and living a
real life again—and being completely disabled by Anne’s disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At times I do feel sorry for
myself, but I allow that without wallowing in it. I find myself leaving my
supports waiting in the wings because, paradoxically, I mainly want to be left
alone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></em></div>
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<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Are you still into gardening?
What sort of books do you read nowadays? I have drifted into Epic Fantasy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I too have written Dark
Poems. I have thought about sharing them. What do you think? Are they too
personal? Best forgotten? Is it a too morbid idea?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></em></div>
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<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I’ll sign off now and close
this email with lots of love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></em></div>
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<em><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><em><i><span lang="EN-GB">GK.</span></i></em><span style="line-height: 125%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<em><span style="line-height: 135%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">GK? What does
that mean? It sounds familiar, but my memory is hazy. Chemo Brain hit in a big
way. That and menopause. I’ll have to ask Jaye for the answer in due course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I know a
little of what Jaye must be experiencing right away. That wanting/needing
support versus wanting/needing to be left alone. Nathan was wonderful, picking
me up from chemotherapy, taking me to and from radiotherapy everyday for the
duration, yet I shifted away, pushed him out—often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He even
suggested he shave his head as an acknowledgement of what I was going through.
God forbid! I told him if he did I would never speak to him again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The constant
ringing of the telephone drove me crazy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Leave me
alone!” I would scream and run from the room leaving Nathan to answer it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">From the
solace of my bedroom I would hear Nathan telling the friend or family member
that I was doing okay. Playing it all down. When deep inside I was falling
apart at the seams. In meltdown mode. Unable to cope with the enormity of my
diagnosis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="EmailSender">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">From: Carissa<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></div>
<div class="EmailSubject">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Subject: Dark Poetry</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So glad we
managed to connect. Yes, I am happy to send you my dark poetry, at least one or
two of them and see how you cope with that. They are all extremely dark. I would like to read yours too. Perhaps
they will give me an impression of normality?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As far as
gardening goes, well the house we have now has quite a small garden, which is
all I wanted. Nathan, as you may remember, isn’t into gardening at all, so I
was able to design it to suit myself, once again, using ideas inspired by our
overseas holidays.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The previous
house had a wonderfully established cottage garden by the time we sold it. But
so labour intensive. I couldn’t keep up with it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Add to that,
five minutes after we settled into the present house, the Government brought in
strict water restrictions, so a different style of garden was definitely called
for. I have planned for the unknown future in that area.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Since we were
last in contact, Nathan and I have done such a lot of travelling and I have
fallen in love with the Mediterranean style. So that is the type of garden and
house we have now.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The back garden
is a paved courtyard. It has lots of hardy oleanders, citrus trees, a couple of
palms, and a water feature up against one of the rendered brick boundary walls.
There is also a shaded paved area, with a small outdoor setting and a row of
potted plants up against the rendered brick house.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The front
garden is even smaller still but made colourful with standard bougainvilleas
and dwarf oleanders. I even grow succulents. Remember how I used to detest
them? I certainly don’t now that I’ve seen Southern Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Regarding
books, I’m into British Crime (yes, I am still in
love with that country) and I also like reading crime novels from other
countries that I have been to.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Carissa.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">PS: What does
GK stand for?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">T<span style="line-height: 135%;">HE <i>DARK</i> </span>poems are in my poetry file. I don’t re-read
them. Tears will form if I do. The titles alone are enough to enable me to pick
them out and hit the send button.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">God! How
will Jaye cope with them? What will he make of lines like <span style="text-indent: 0cm;">“The knife slices
through fat, taking the woman in me.” And “Femininity dumped on a theatre
tray.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Jokingly I
suggest co-publishing a book. <i>Poems to
read while contemplating suicide</i>. Or <i>Poems
to read while bleeding out </i>. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The answer
to the GK initials is in Jaye’s return email: Gentle Knight. The title I once
bestowed on him. How could I forget?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And with
that back comes so many memories . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The Botanic
Gardens in full flower, drinking mead, candlelit baths. All those stolen,
illicit hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They were wonderful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And at work.
Trying to be oh-so discreet, yet merely being in the same room with Jaye was
enough to make the air seem alive with the love we had shared. It never ceased
to amaze me how our co-workers couldn’t simply <i>sense </i>it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="EmailSender">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">From: Jaye<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></div>
<div class="EmailSubject">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Subject: Dark Poetry</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Your poems are
certainly powerful, gripping, and scary too. You poor soul. Your words touched
me deeply.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I have sent
mine though the post. Computer problems my end. Don’t ask. I’m besieged with
them all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>I consider I
can’t bemoan my fate to friends because there’s nothing they can say or do to
help, and there is always the danger of boring people rigid. Did/do you
experience that too? It’s strange how—</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<em><i><span style="line-height: 125%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></i></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The telephone
rings, all but yanking me out of my chair. Nathan’s voice from somewhere down
the end of a rather long tunnel, announcing he is on his way home—and did I
need anything from the shops?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I forget to
ask for milk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My head is
elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Yes, I know
about not being able to talk for long periods to people. A few of my friends I
don’t dare to even broach the subject with. They remain stationary before me,
closed off. A “don’t even go there” gaze in their eyes. Too hard for them to
handle. They can only swallow so much and sometimes even less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I have felt
so alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">T<span style="line-height: 135%;">HE POEMS </span>from Jaye (now
renamed GK) arrive the next day. I race back from the letterbox to the kitchen,
tearing the envelope in my haste to read them. I hold the poems in one hand,
the other absently stirring spicy pork on the stovetop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Tears flood
my eyes, but I brush them away, wanting to read right up until the end. How can
life be so cruel, I wonder? GK wrote of, “Why do I have the impression of
weight, of this nonsense called life? Where has hope and happiness gone?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But, there
is a lovely surprise waiting in my email box. A happier poem from GK titled
“Recollections.” It lists his favourite childhood memories, and goes on to the
memories of what he calls <i>us</i>. As I
read an amused expression forms slowly on my face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They bring
back so many memories of my own. I can’t wait to reel them off. Send them back,
but it must be done when I am alone. I know I will have to wait for the time
needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It will
come—later . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">N<span style="line-height: 135%;">ATHAN AND </span>I are watching a
British whodunnit. I lose the plot. Can’t concentrate. What is going on here? GK
is in my head<i> all the time.</i> I
remember this sensation from before, but didn’t expect it to happen again. Not
now. Now twenty odd years later. When I am <i>how</i>
old, for God’s sake?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I emailed GK
and told him my thoughts about being on rock bottom. How we could at most go
upwards from where we both are at present. GK’s last dark poem was dated a few
months earlier, so maybe he is on the up and up journey at present? But,
somehow I doubt it. Not with Anne the way she is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nathan hits
the pause button.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Time for a
pee and cheese and crackers,” he announces, hauling himself to his feet. I wish
he wouldn’t. He is so overweight. “Humongous Incredibelious,” is how he refers
to himself in a joking matter. But it’s no joke. It annoys me, embarrasses me
at times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One of our
friends has started referring to him as “Big N,” and although it’s done in a
friendly way, I hate it. Where is the man I married?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I consider
my own bodily changes and GK’s. He has made mention of his own “muffin top.”
But he always went on about that, I remember. Well, he should try implants and
menopause!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nathan returns with a dinner plate laden with
three different chunks of cheeses and a pile of crackers. His brown wavy hair
is falling over one of his large brown eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I’m really
enjoying this mystery. It has a plot that keeps on twisting. Don’t you reckon?”
It is set in England and the scenery, as always with these programmes, is
simply stunning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Yes, it’s
great. It has a good cast of actors as well . . .” I say and go
back inside my head as we both settle back on the couch. The cracker and cheese
Nathan places in my hand glues itself to the roof of my mouth. No appetite for
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">GK’s poems
pop back up. He wrote of being alone, but life as I know it <i>is</i> a solo experience. It doesn’t matter
whom I choose to share it with. When it comes to the crunch it’s <i>you</i> that has to deal with <i>you.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Years ago I
fell in love. That love so deep, so dangerously deep. One hundred per cent of <i>me</i> offered up on a plate. Not a good
idea. I know that now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Never again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The secret,
I’ve discovered, is to keep back ten per cent of myself. Never give my all. A
safety net, there for falling back on if the need should ever arise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It’s a hard
thing to do. Re-enforcements needed from time to time. Mental reminders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ten per cent
of <i>me</i> safe from the world. From life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A<span style="line-height: 135%;">S SOON </span>as Nathan has left
for work the next day, I fire up my computer. Twenty odd years ago I bought a
thunder egg expertly cut into two halves. The next time I knew I was seeing GK
I had taken it with me to the Botanic Gardens and showed it to him—before
giving him half. The <i>sole other half </i>that
exactly matches my half. Has he kept it, I wonder?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I ask one
other question that has been constantly in my thoughts. Anne, does she know of
the emails? Does she use the same computer? I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t
want to hurt Nathan either. He is a good man. The most grounded person I have
ever known. But, at times so grounded I feel like plugging his finger into a
light socket and switching him on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nathan knows
Jaye and I are emailing, swapping poems, discussing books and films, but he
doesn’t know anymore than that. He doesn’t know GK is in my head <i>all the time</i>. Doesn’t know I am reliving
all those secret illicit hours GK and I spent together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>The Lake House</i> springs to mind. A beautiful, romantic film
about two people existing minutes outside of the same time frame. Has he seen
it, I ask?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">GK replies.
Tells me Anne, too, is aware we are in contact—but nothing more. The fact that
he writes “nothing more” tells me he too is reliving our past times together. I
can sense it between his lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">GK loved <i>The Lake House</i>. I plan to send him a
copy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And yes, he
still has his half of the thunder egg!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">GK goes on
to tell me something I am totally unaware of. The affair we had together twenty
odd years ago didn’t die a natural death from his perspective at all. He
admitted to having a kind of mental breakdown and being unable to cope with the
two co-existing lives he was living.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He chose to
let me go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He <i>had</i> to for his own sanity. He had been deeply
in love with me at the time and it was not an easy decision to make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I am
gobsmacked. I had no idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I ask him <i>again</i> about time out from the carer’s
role. I have asked him before, but he has never really answered the question.
Now he does. He manages a few hours a week—his sole respite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This is not
good news. He will burn out. He could become ill himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I feel
frustrated. I want to help. But how?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Music is the
one thing in the world that keeps <i>me </i>sane.
It is one hundred per cent reliable. Always there when I need it, in all its
glorious forms, to suit or change the mood I am in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It’s my
lifeboat. My religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But, I know
GK doesn’t have this in his life. He never did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He suggests
a phone call during one of his respite periods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I say yes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363723; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">---</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The Maddest Kind of Love</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">is available</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Christine_Hillingdon_The_Maddest_Kind_of_Love?id=WPnQDAAAQBAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">GogglePlay</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-maddest-kind-of-love" target="_blank">Kobo</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Still only</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(e-book only)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Author</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Christine Hillingdon was born in England and migrated with her family to Adelaide, South Australia in 1963.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">She has been writing since school days and received a highly commended prize for a short story in her final year of high school. Since then she has had many short stories and poems published in a variety of literary magazines on and offline. Christine has won a few competitions along the way, including Poems for Passengers. This was a joint initiative between TransAdelaide and the Department for the Arts and Cultural Development, South Australia.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In 2011 Christine self-published a book through Peacock Publications about her twenty-seven years working as a psychiatric nurse at Hillcrest Hospital, South Australia. In May 2016, her children’s book titled </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">The Girl From Far Away</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> was published through Gnome On Pig Productions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Her first novel of women’s fiction, </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">The Maddest Kind of Love</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, is through Driven Press.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Christine at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://www.christinehillingdon.com/" target="_blank">www.christinehillingdon.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Christine-Hillingdon-1088801324510603/posts" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-35186968459315866042016-09-25T01:33:00.000-07:002016-09-25T01:33:00.269-07:00#samplesunday - TIMED OUT<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;">Our #samplesunday at Driven Press today features </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Barbara Lorna Hudson's women's literary fiction novel, </span><i style="text-indent: 0cm;">Timed Out</i><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">.</span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Timed Out<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Jane Lambert thinks she may have made a mistake putting her work ahead of love and family for so long. She’s left wondering what to do with her life now that she has retired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Taking note of the sentiment from one of her retirement cards⎯Retirement is NOT the end. It’s a NEW BEGINNING⎯she decides it’s about time she looked for love again, and places a lonely hearts advertisement. Jane embarks on her new life, suffering disappointments and learning hard truths about herself, while never losing her gift for self mockery or her eye for the absurd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Timed Out is a contemporary “coming-of-age” novel about different kinds of love and the search for a meaningful life.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Praise for <i>Timed Out</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Lovely lucid fiction, poignant and bittersweet. A story of late life romance told with honesty and wit.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">—Adam Foulds, author of ManBooker shortlisted <i>The Quickening Maze</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>The important question of how we should live the last decades of our life is timely. Timed Out explores this question in a poignant and truthful manner.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">—Michelle Spring, Cambridge novelist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Please enjoy this sample chapter from the book . . .</b></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">Chapter Four<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">____________<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: small;">To Venice with Maria. The first Madonna<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Back in Cambridge, still nervous and indecisive, I
explored the Internet dating sites and studied the lonely-hearts columns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But all thoughts of dating were thrust from my mind
when Maria rang. She came quickly to the point. “Jane, what I have to tell you
is going to come as a shock, I’m afraid.” She sounded apologetic. “I’m just
back from the hospital. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Before the news had sunk in, I blurted out desperate
questions. “Are they going to operate? Will it be soon?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“No. It’s inoperable.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Will you need chemotherapy? Or do they give you
radiotherapy for that?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“They can offer chemotherapy. But after they’d
explained the prognosis I refused. No point.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Is there anything I can do?” Pleading to be allowed
to help—it’s conventional, and it makes us feel better. And I was too much of a
coward to ask what she meant about the prognosis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Perhaps you could come with me next time I have to
see the doctor? It’s kind of lonely in the waiting room on your own.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Throughout the rest of the summer, I accompanied Maria
to her hospital appointments. I noticed that she looked paler and thinner, but
we rarely spoke directly of her illness. The first time, on the bus back from
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, I asked if she wanted to tell me more about it. “After
all, you’ve listened to my troubles often enough. Now it’s my turn to listen.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Our bus was passing the Catholic church, and she
gestured towards it. “I’ve got my priest—and God, of course—for that sort of
conversation. I can tell those two how angry and miserable I am and they have
to listen—it’s their job. <i>Your</i> job, Jane, is to help me enjoy the time I
have left.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">But she and I talked often about tragedy and anger in
the lives of others: heart-rending child abuse cases, hate-fuelled riots in UK
cities, the release of two youths who murdered a child when they were children
themselves. In September came the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York.
Whilst I saw evidence here for the noxious effects of religion, Maria spoke
sadly about other reasons for the crime, and blamed, not the perpetrators’
religion but</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">
misrepresentation of its teaching and the man-made unfairness of our world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One day in October, when we had come back to her flat
from the hospital, Maria said, “Time’s running out for me, I’m afraid. Could
you go with me, Jane? I’d like to see Venice again, before—”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I interrupted her. “I’ve never been to Venice. You’ve
lived there and you speak Italian. So this is my God-given opportunity to see
Venice with the perfect guide.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maria laughed. “I’m not sure about ‘God-given’—that’s
a funny word for <i>you</i> to choose, Jane. And I’m not sure about the
‘perfect guide’ either. But I’m so glad you want to come. Just leave the
arrangements to me.” She took some books on Venice from her shelves. “Have a
look at these.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Though she confessed to tiring easily, she insisted
she felt perfectly well, and we prepared cheerfully for our holiday. I mugged
up on the art and architecture. Though I try not to show it, I’m quite a
philistine. Italian Renaissance painting doesn’t appeal to me: pinkish, fleshy
adults, unattractive infants and weird scenes from the Bible or of Greeks and
Romans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And I don’t enjoy traipsing round a lot of churches.
Even if the building and the pictures make me catch my breath, I think those
candles are a waste of money and I loathe the smell of incense. A major
difference between us was that Maria was a devout Catholic and I a
non-believer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 135%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">- o -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We arrived in Venice by water. I was unprepared for
the breathtaking panorama of the Venetian Lagoon and I kept saying “Oh, my!”
till Maria corrected me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“‘Wow’ is what you should say nowadays. We senior
citizens have to move with the times, Jane.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Wow!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maria beamed and looked repeatedly out over the lagoon
and back at me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I’m so happy you have come,” she said. “I’m here to
say goodbye to one of the loveliest places this world has to offer, but showing
it to you makes the goodbye easier, somehow—like passing on a legacy.” When I
failed to answer, unable to find words to tell her what I felt, she went on,
“Don’t worry, I won’t talk like this any more, but thank you for being with
me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We disembarked at St Mark’s Square. The great graceful
cathedral and the tall Campanile di San Marco were familiar from a thousand
images in books and postcards—pleased recognition after the glorious surprise
when I first saw the lagoon. We walked to our hotel through the arcades, past
glittering shop windows filled with glass trinkets and disturbing ornamental
masks. The hotel, just off the square, overlooked a gondola park. Lots of
gondolas were moored there, and since it was December, none were plying their
trade. Under their blue tarpaulins, they bobbed fretfully on the rippling
greenish water. That first evening it snowed and the snow stayed. A rare
occurrence in Venice, this made headlines. When I awoke I rushed to my window
to check if the gondolas were still there as if they might have escaped during
the night. Their tarpaulins were hidden under blankets of snow. That day, the
snow stopped falling, the sky turned bright blue, and the waters sparkled. The
city gleamed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We crossed the lagoon to the island of Torcello and
crunched through the snow along the empty track beside the canal. There was
nobody about in the piazza except a ginger cat basking in a patch of sunlight
outside the cathedral. Inside, we encountered Christ blessing us, but not
looking very benign, the Last Judgement threatening, and the Virgin immensely
tall and solemn. Even the Blessed Saved from the Fire did not look happy. I
didn’t make jokes though—I couldn’t help feeling awed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">On our way back to the ferry, we stopped at Torcello’s
only hotel and drank cappuccinos and toasted our feet beside an open fire. “It
would be lovely to come to Venice again and stay in this hotel,” I said. Maria
looked a little sad and said nothing, and I wished I could take back my words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">On Burano, “The Painted Island,” Maria hurried us past
houses of ochre and blue and cream and yellow and terracotta, till we came to a
vivid pink trattoria. She had booked a table there, and we ate pasta with a
sauce of baby aubergines. “Oh Maria, this is my favourite vegetable. And the
restaurant’s my favourite colour.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maria smiled. “Wasn’t it clever of me to find it?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We visited every shop, spurning the cheaper souvenirs
we could afford and admiring the exquisite lace and beads that were beyond our
means. We laughed a lot and pointed things out to each other unnecessarily, as
happy, excited tourists are prone to do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">B</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">ack in the city, during the four days we had left, we
travelled up and down the Grand Canal on the waterbus and walked for miles,
exploring the lanes, the little street markets, their stalls piled high with
gleaming aubergines and peppers that glowed like jewels, and the campi with
their ancient decorated well heads. We saw the Rialto, the Doge’s Palace, and
the Accademia. My memory of these is blurred. All I can clearly remember is
Maria saying</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"> “The
Council of Ten for torture, the Council of Three for death</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">,</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">” as we walked
through the palace, and pointing out the three pink columns that commemorate
some dreadful political disaster. And we visited many churches, of course. I
felt uncomfortable when I saw Maria genuflect and kept my distance as she
prayed. On the Sunday, I went shopping for a silk scarf while Maria attended
mass.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maria’s face often looked grey and strained. On our
way back from the Doge’s Palace, I asked what was wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“It’s all the walking, and my feet are cold.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Shall we have a rest?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“No, Jane, there’s so much more I want to show you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Sometimes I wonder if you’re in pain. You would tell me,
wouldn’t you?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">“Just a bit of backache.”</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 135%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">- o -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A sweet face, luminous almost, lips curved gently in a
hint of a smile. A blue robe. A blue such as you hardly ever see except in
special flowers—massed bluebells, perhaps. A small painting, hanging by itself
on a pale, plain wall in a humble church. It made me want to cry and, unusually
for me, I sat for a long time, just looking. Maria waited beside me; we did not
speak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">Outside, Venice was quiet under the snow. A few
chattering local ladies out shopping in their furs and high rubber boots</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"> Here and there a
burst of noise from a gaggle of tourists.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maria led the way along the alleys, crossing little
bridges over narrow canals. We were no longer talking much. Somehow our visit
to that church had put a stop to our unneeded commentary of “Oh look!” and
“Isn’t that beautiful?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">This was our last day. By afternoon the snow was
turning to slush and a heavy mist descended on the city. The special loveliness
of Venice under snow was almost gone. As the light faded, we bought limoncello,
gathered up our luggage, and sadly rode the waterbus to the airport.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 135%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">- o -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maria’s pains were not just a bit of backache. The
cancer had invaded her bones. I went to see her in hospital every day until
Christmas Eve. I spent the two-day holiday with my mother in Wales and then
hurried back to Cambridge, full of anxiety. I went straight from the station to
the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Maria was sitting up in bed. “I hope you didn’t rush
back because of me, Jane. I’m doing well. They’re controlling the pain, and I’m
going to be discharged. I’ll be all right once I get home.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But she was not all right. The pain returned and the
outreach services of the hospice proved insufficient. Within a fortnight she
was brought back to hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Now heavily medicated, she had days when she was
unable to talk. On other days she seemed to rally a little. After she’d had a
session with a beauty therapist, I found her smiling into a mirror. “See what a
lot of good she’s done me,” she said. Her lips and cheeks were pink, and green
eye-shadow and thick mascara emphasised her warm brown eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You’re looking better.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Don’t be fooled, Jane.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">While I tried to find the right words, she continued,
“I can’t help feeling rather annoyed with God. I thought I’d have longer, and I
didn’t expect this much pain. But He knows best . . . I can
guess what you’re thinking, Jane. I can see it in your face.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Oh God, Maria!”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Exactly.”</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">About Barbara Lorna Hudson</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A farmer’s daughter from Cornwall, Barbara Lorna Hudson studied at Newnham College, Cambridge. She started out as a psychiatric social worker before becoming an Oxford tutor. She is an Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After many publications in social work, psychiatry, and psychology, she has re-invented herself as a fiction writer over the last few years. Barbara has published over twenty short stories and been listed in several short story competitions. The first draft of Timed Out (written during a University of East Anglia Certificate Course) won first prize in the Writers’ Village Novel Competition and it was on the short list for the Exeter Novel Prize.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Barbara belongs to a writers’ group run by Blackwell’s Bookshop and The Oxford Editors, and she is also a regular performer at a story-telling club.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-24432376625118388092016-08-21T02:06:00.003-07:002016-08-21T02:06:48.997-07:00#samplesunday - A Keeper's Truth<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;">It's #samplesunday at Driven Press today, and</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;"> we're showcasing literary romance <i>A Keeper's Truth</i> by Dee Willson.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Every one of us has a soul.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Some are new, some old, and a few, the dangerous, are lost.</i></span></div>
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But only twelve know why we have a soul at all.</div>
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Only twelve remember mankind’s forbidden past.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tess thinks she’s going crazy when only she sees the naked man in the crowded café, comatose woman in his arms. The nightmares, the visions: something’s not right. But Tess is entitled to moments of insanity. She’s the daughter of mental illness, suicide, and her husband was just killed in a car accident, leaving her an inept single mom at twenty-six.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then Tess meets Bryce, Carlisle’s illusive bachelor who spins tales from ancient mythology with knowledge beyond his years. His truths intrigue Tess, pull her from the depths, and might just be what she needs to survive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Compulsively readable, A Keeper’s Truth is an emotionally charged tale of fate, belief, and the power of the human mind. A story that will have you questioning everything you know about the history of mankind, and wondering if somewhere, deep inside, you knew the truth all along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Please enjoy this sample chapter from the book . . .</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><b>COPING</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; text-align: justify;">M</b><span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; text-align: justify;">y name is Tess. I’m the daughter of a liar. And unhinged.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Tess is the name on the sticker stuck to my shirt above my right boob. I wonder why it says that, no one uses my name anymore. It should read: Oh, I’m sorry. Or the extended version: Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I’m greeted with pouty lips and sad eyes. Instant reminders . . . as if I need to be reminded my husband is dead. Meyer has been gone five months, two days, sixteen hours, and twenty-two minutes. The last two minutes only slightly better than the first.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I’m standing in my daughter’s classroom, waiting for my turn to meet her kindergarten teacher, Ms. Bubbly. Actually, her name is Ms. Rainer, but since she wears no sticker herself, I’ve taken the liberty to provide her with an appropriate title, one with more verve. I hover in the back corner, pretending to be enthralled with drawings of horses stapled to the bulletin board. Well, I think they’re horses, or ponies, or some sort of animal with four legs; they really aren’t all that easy to decipher. I’m grateful for the distraction. I’m a shell, a remnant, a shadow of my former self.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I catch a glimpse of affection, a naturally intimate gesture between lovers. His hand on her waist, her leaning into his shoulder while whispering in his ear. I draw a mouthful of air, the word widow encasing me like a tomb, and scan the crowd again, hoping to see Thomas. He’s the only other single parent I know of. He’s not here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">It must be my turn to speak to Ms. Bubbly. She reaches out and with a strained voice says, “So sorry to learn about your loss.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Great, just what I wanted to hear. I look at my nametag and tighten my arms into their usual position, holding my insides, inside. I realize my lack of finesse a moment too late, and Ms. Bubbly drops her hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“So . . . Abby . . .” I can’t think of anything more to say. My mind is mush.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Ms. Bubbly briefs me on her first weeks with my daughter, nothing I don’t already know. Abby is quiet. Abby’s working on her printing skills, her b’s and d’s are backwards. Abby likes to play with Thomas’s daughter, Sofia, her best friend from junior kindergarten. Ms. Bubbly ends with, “Abby seems to be coping,” and I stare at my shoes, the word coping caught in my throat. “Yes, under the circumstances, Abby is doing well,” Mrs. Bubbly says, her animation dwindling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I realize she’s striving for sincerity, but I can’t help but wonder which circumstance she’s referring to: Abby being fatherless or my inability to raise her alone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Good,” I say, because it’s Tuesday, opposite day according to the blackboard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Ms. Bubbly’s attention wanders, and I consider revoking her title as I mumble goodbye, head for the door, and tear the name tag from my shirt. Head down, I smack my forehead into something solid, then recoil, instinct requiring an assessment of the battle wound.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">It hurts already. Life just won’t toss me a break.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“My apologies, Tess,” says an unfamiliar voice. A rich, masculine voice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">My eyes follow the six feet four inches of triple-threat black—boots, jeans, leather jacket—to land on two-day stubble and a large hand rubbing the contours of a chiseled chin. Apparently life can get worse. I’ve collided with Adonis, the kind that stops your heart from beating just long enough to make you forget all the ones who came before, offering nothing but hollow promises and seasoned moves. Been there, done that, burned the shirt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">It dawns on me he said my name, no condolences.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Do I know you?” I ask, my gaze rising from his chin to his eyes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Wow. His gray eyes and dark lashes are . . . mesmerizing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“I doubt we’ve met. Tess, it’s the name on your sticker,” he says, pointing to the name tag now on the floor. His hair, dark and cropped, is windblown and off kilter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I grab the closest chair, attempting to overcome the strangest sensation, like I’m a feather, floating.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“You all right?” His European accent has an almost liquid quality, at odds with his rugged appearance. “Allow me.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Relocating his motorcycle helmet from one hip to the other and balancing it under his forearm, he bends to collect my sticker from the floor. Something shimmers, my vision suddenly malfunctioning, and for a split second he’s draped in a luxurious white fur, a blanket of sorts, reaching for a bright colored scarf at his feet, big and bare. His movements are gentle and deliberate, but fast, as if I am watching in fast-forward. With the conclusion of one blink he’s back to normal, leather clad arm outstretched toward me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I stand stock-still, holding the chair for support, trying to bring my eyes into focus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“You okay?” He thrusts the sticker at me a second time, I think.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I survey body parts, grateful gravity has kept me intact.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“I’ve been better.” I squeeze my eyes tight, trying to recall what I’d seen, but it’s gone, as if wiped from memory, leaving just a weird sense of déjà vu. Man, I’ve fallen apart since Meyer’s been gone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“You have,” he says, and my eyes pop open to stare. He’s smiling, amused. “Too much caffeine maybe.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Have I met this guy before? He doesn’t look like anyone I know, but there is something about him, something familiar. It’s not a good feeling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Right, caffeine,” I say, lying. I gave up caffeine when I was pregnant with Abby and never looked back.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">He grins like a hyena. “Your eyes playing tricks?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">My mother, in one of her moods, would’ve wiped that smirk away with a kiss. And he’d have let her, stranger or not. She was intoxicating. But I’m not my mother, and my brief lapse in sanity doesn’t require justification. I’m a twenty-six-year-old widow with no idea how to pull it together, so I ignore his question and settle for diversion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Are you a teacher here?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Not here,” he says. “I promised my niece I’d stop by to meet hers.” He takes my hand. “Bryce, Bryce Waters,” he says, planting a soft kiss on the back of my fingers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Stunned, I search his face for the slightest hint of perversion, a reason to club him, but I see nothing but a gentleman in wolf’s clothing. Still, I pull my hand away.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“I’m not the teacher.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">He tilts his head. “You’re Tess.” My name drips from his lips like melted butter and warning bells sound in my head, loud and clear. “You’ll need ice for that bruise.” He points to my head. “Take care of yourself.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">A gritty moan vibrates my teeth when I touch my forehead and discover a bump the size of Mount St. Helens. It throbs, making me take note of the headache creeping in. Somewhere under the surface I’m mortified I plowed into this guy without an apology or concern for his chin. I can’t bring myself to grasp the emotion, so I draw a deep breath and say, “Always do,” as I </span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">shuffle past and without another word, walk straight out the door.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><b>Luckily, I live</b> close, and within minutes I’m home. Other than the entryway lamp, the lights are all out and the place is quiet. A glass of water sits on the bottom stair. Grams greets me at the door, sighing, her gaze aimed at my damaged forehead. Its days like today it hurts to look at her. Meyer’s eyes. His lips. She’s uncharacteristically mute as she pats the gift she’d given me earlier, along with a lecture, setting it beside the cup on the bottom stair. The lecture, I suppose, was necessary. Apparently there is no such thing as a woman’s sexual prime, and it’s important to recognize the body has needs at all ages, under any circumstance. Grams would know, she spent thirty-six years as a leading sex therapist and a decade specializing in women’s sexual health. BOB is the gift tucked neatly in an unassuming tote bag, ready for travel, which is ironic considering he’ll never leave my night table drawer. BOB stands for Battery Operated Boyfriend, and is, hands down, the most unusual gift anyone has ever received from their dead husband’s grandmother.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">But who am I to say: I never had a grandmother of my own.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Grams leans in and up onto her toes to kiss my forehead. “Good night.” She takes hold of her loud flower-power purse and gently closes the door, leaving me alone with BOB and the weight of the world. There was a time the quiet soothed me like a hug. I was born Tess Reit, daughter of Celeste Reit, father unknown, and my mother suffered from severe depression and was bipolar, an endless roller coaster of maxed-out credit card highs and Titanic-worthy lows. When my mother would lock herself in her bedroom, lights out, begging for silence, I gave her what she needed. I’d have given her anything in those moments, those days, and the quiet did as much for me as it did for her. Maybe more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Minutes wear on while I gather the energy to drag myself up the stairs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">As I approach Abby’s room, I pause to listen to her incoherent chatter. I ease the door open and meander in to contemplate the sliver of light from between the curtains as it illuminates her face, an angel in slumber. I feel my way through the peppering of toys and books to tuck the blanket around her tiny form. While relishing her sweet smell, I catch a stray tear tickling my chin. I can’t help but think of all the moments, all the momentous occasions this little girl will experience without a father.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Just like me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">This wasn’t the plan. Other than being knocked-up and twenty, the reason I married Meyer was because he was stable, reliable, here. He was five years older than me and knew what he wanted, a family. He’d be the father I’d never known. Hell, he’d be the mother I never had. For five years he was all that and more to Abby.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“She takes my breath away,” he used to whisper, watching her sleep. He’d rest his hand on her belly to feel her breathing, and she’d smile the content smile of a newborn while I watched in awe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Tears gather as I try to collect myself from this all-consuming hallucination: my world before the car accident.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Mama,” slips from Abby’s pink lips, and I panic to think she’s caught me lingering, crying, again. It’s a fleeting worry, stifled by her rousing grumble and diminished when she rolls over, kicking the covers, mumbling, “Push me higher, Mama.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I will, I swear I will.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Taking the cue, I blindly make my way through the onslaught of toys, shuffling out and into my bedroom to tug on baggy flannels. Hiding BOB in a drawer along with unwanted thoughts of Adonis, I pick another stray hair off my shoulder. I used to have beautiful hair, rich chocolate brown, long, thick, and bone straight. Shortly after the funeral the luster disappeared and my clothes and hairbrush were covered in hairs jumping ship. Doc said stress can do many things to our bodies, and my hair took a beating. I wash my face and lean over the sink to get a closer look at my head. The collision at the teacher open house has left a plum-size purple bruise above my right eye, and between the bruise and the hair, I look about as good as I feel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Get a grip, says the woman in the mirror. She’s someone unrecognizable.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">An unruly laugh escapes me. I laugh again, intentionally this time, trying to mimic the noise, but it sounds fabricated, so I give up the charade. Popping a Tylenol, I turn off the light and shimmy into bed, determined to start afresh in the morning, no more tears.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I need to accept Meyer’s gone, that I’m alone, again. I need to move on with my life. For my sanity. For Abby. I suck in a deep breath. I can do this. I’ve survived on my own my whole life, through some pretty bad shit. What’s another twenty years of motherhood?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I drift into sleep, in search of thoughts vastly dislocated from my current life. Who am I fooling is my last conscious thought.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><b>“Meyer, slow down.”</b> Buildings are flying by, colors blurring. “You’re gonna hit something.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Meyer flashes me an as-if grin. His sandy-blond hair blows in the wind. His face, usually clean shaven, shows signs of his mad-dash to the office for some forgotten report that couldn’t wait until Monday. He’s in a rush, on an adrenaline high. Today is Abby’s birthday party, her fifth, and he’s late.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">My stomach does somersaults. “Slow down, please . . .”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">My voice fades into the distance, and the car seems to dissolve. Suddenly I’m cold and the view from the window has come to a complete halt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Lady, shut it and drive.” The voice is rough, male, not Meyer’s.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Heavy breathing pounds my right ear. My head is pinned against the headrest, and if I move, the knife against my throat will surely hurt me, so I look straight ahead, watching the rain hit pavement then pounce into the night air. My heart skips time with the idling of the engine. A lack of oxygen distorts the view.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Drive,” he says.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out. I’m far from home, I think. My headlights are the only fragments of light, the only sign of life. I catch a glimpse of a rain-blackened sign through the half open window, and a fresh wave of panic overtakes me. Nothing good happens in a junkyard at this hour.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“You’re a pretty one,” he says.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Bitter air gnaws my skin. He’s opened my blouse to run his fingers along my collarbone, his touch like shards of ice. I grip the wheel, knuckles white. I can feel the knife cutting thin slices into my neck as the car tires fill potholes. My head pounds, stomach churns. Warmth drips down my chest, the smell of blood and sweat flaring my nostrils.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Drive round back.” His eyes glow a turbulent shade of indigo, inhuman and wild.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">When I stop he’s going to kill me. I know it to my core. Fear consumes me, and the car accelerates.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Claw-like fingers dig into my shoulder. “I’ll make this hurt,” he warns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">He will. This is how I die. This is how I always die.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Bile burns my throat, stomach muscles tense. Something tugs me from the inside, and I panic, the car picking up speed. “Please let me go.” My voice is shaky and wrong. “Let me go,” I yell, and the knife slices farther into my neck, the pain unreal. Blood oozes through my bra, spreading over my thighs, gathering on my lap.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">His sneer glowers in the rearview mirror, a look I recognize with dread.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Fear consumes me, and I yank the wheel. The car veers to the right, stopping abruptly when I hammer the brake, and the front-end hits the guardrail with a vibrating crash that sounds of grating metal. A pop pierces my ears, the seatbelt rips into my chest, my eyes burn. I slump back into the seat and regard the white bag hanging from the steering wheel.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">A wave of numbness blankets me, disconnecting senses, leaving my oblivious mind to tally injuries with little help. My arms and hands are grossly inflamed, several fingers out of shape. I no longer feel the knife on my neck, which is a relief until I see it in my chest. The white ivory handle is spotted with blood. It doesn’t hurt, I don’t feel anything. It points. I follow its aim, and there, outside the car, is Meyer, standing beside the twisted metal, watching me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Wake up.” His voice is quiet and calm, as if he’s sitting beside me and not standing in the rain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">Confused, I close my eyes. You left me is all I can think.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">“Now!” his voice booms.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">I spring upright, gasping for air. It takes a moment to digest my surroundings. The moon peeks through the blinds, the crumpled down comforter at my feet. I peer over the bed at the sheets and pillows abandoned on the floor. Tears have left sticky stains down my face and neck on their way to soak the collar of my pajamas. I lower my face into trembling hands.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">What the hell is happening to me? I’ve had nightmares before, but lately they’ve been brutal. Meyer’s car accident makes sense. I can’t help but think I should’ve been there, stopped it from happening, held his hand while he died, but why can’t I have nice dreams with happy endings? Why are my nightmares filled with strange, murderous men? Should it have been me to die that day?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">If I believed in fate . . .</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">A shiver runs through me. I gather my stuff from the floor and climb back into bed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.25px;">There is no such thing as fate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">$5.99</span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><b>(e-book)</b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b style="color: #990000; font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">$15.99</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">About Dee Willson</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Dee Willson felt the writer’s call at fifteen, when she penned her first novel and received her first rejection letter to go with it. Over twenty years later, with two successful businesses under her belt (both with Canada’s largest book retailer, Indigo Books), Dee Willson rekindled her passion for novels. She joined a hard-core book club, published short stories and interviews, contributed to blogs, and wrote the novel A Keeper’s Truth, followed by GOT (Gift of Travel). Dee is presently working on the second instalment in the Keeper’s series, and Meant 2 B, a crazy ghost story riddled with fate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Dee and her husband currently reside in Burlington, Ontario. They are building their dream home on the shore of Lake Ontario, where they expect to watch their daughters frolic in the lake, and possibly grow four heads.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Visit her online at www.deewillson.com or on Twitter @denisewillson</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-25143932785819883162016-08-16T04:27:00.000-07:002016-08-16T04:27:39.475-07:00For the hell of it SALE.<div class="so-global-h2" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #363636; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 34px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 1.5; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-46488285038911370992016-08-14T01:41:00.001-07:002016-08-14T01:41:19.170-07:00New Release! THE MADDEST KIND OF LOVE<div style="text-align: center;">
<h2>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">The Maddest Kind of Love</b></h2>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;">by <b>Christine Hillingdon</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;">is available today.</span><br />
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<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When Carissa and Jaye fell in love, it wasn’t their time. She was planning a wedding and he was already married. Now, twenty years later, they find each other again, but he is planning a funeral and she is married. Cyberspace becomes a confidant to Carissa and Jaye’s staggeringly honest emails about themselves. Things they’ve never shared with anybody. And despite everything, Carissa falls for Jaye all over again.</span></span></div>
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<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.4em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Their affair is renewed, fraught with guilt and the dangers of being caught. This time it’s so different. Cancer, menopausal sex, and getting to know each other is frustrating, exciting, and exhausting, both mentally and physically. Life is more complicated. Is this the right time?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Excerpt</span></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">T</span><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 135%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">UESDAY IS COLD</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> for an
approaching autumn, but I like the cold. It keeps the hot flushes away. As I
arrive home from our local Westfield Shopping Centre in a taxi with the usual
pile of groceries, I am pleased to see mail stuffed into the sandstone
letterbox.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I pay the
driver, thank him kindly for placing my overflowing bags on the doorstep, and
shove the mail into one of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Home! The
Mediterranean styled house that Nathan and I built six years ago. I love it. It
is open, easy to maintain and modern as opposed to the old worldly fussiness of
the previous house we shared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Carrying the
bags inside and dumping them next to the kitchen bench, I curse as the one with
the mail tumbles over onto the tiled floor. I leave it there and pack the
freezer items away, switch the kettle on and check the landline phone for
messages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">There are none.
Good. My precious solitude isn’t threatened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Sipping my
tea I check through the mail and it is then I notice a hand-written envelope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It’s from
Jaye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Inside is a
hand-written letter thanking me for the book. My book ends with “D
Day”—Diagnosis Day—and he is writing to enquire how I am. At the same time he
tells me his own life has taken a change for the worse. Anne, his wife, is
terminally ill. But, I knew of this through the writers’ grapevine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I understand
his pain and connect it immediately with my own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">He describes
his life as a “crock of shit” and how it has been that way for about five years
now. Anne is dying from an autoimmune disorder that is “killing her slowly,
painfully, and cruelly.” Her vital organs have begun collapsing, enlarging, or
malfunctioning. At present she is in need of constant care, and Jaye is
providing this in the best way he can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">He has
become Anne’s carer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">There is no
email address included for me to reply. But reply I must. I want to. So I place
it aside until I have the privacy and the time needed to do this. In the
meantime there is the rest of the groceries to stash away, washing to collect
from the line outside, and dinner to prepare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Thank God
Nathan and I decided to opt out of having children. It hadn’t been something
either of us wanted. No spare time, no freedom, not to mention all that
responsibility. I have a hard enough time caring for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i>, never mind children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And so I
write, telling Jaye how my own life is. All the wallow and self-pity is chucked
in for him to read. I don’t care. I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">need</i>
to tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I also ask
Jaye questions, the details that he has carefully left out of his letter. Free
time for him, the support of family and friends, and how disabled Anne is at
this present stage?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And Anne,
I’ve never met her, but my heart goes out to her for what inevitably lies ahead
and what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">her</i> life has become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It could so
easily be Nathan and I in that same situation. But I tell Jaye I have different
plans if that should ever be the case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I leave
those details out on purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Meanwhile, I
offer my shoulder and give him my email address and phone number, in case he
should feel the need to use it. To whinge, rant, or simply ring up and
talk—about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anything.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Poems</i> I wrote while undergoing
chemotherapy that helped see me through. I tell Jaye of these as well.
Extremely therapeutic. Although they make me cry on re-reading them, even now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And
emailing. I email friends everyday. They too help, and I enjoy the online
company. My choice when to read, when to send or simply delete. So neat. So
convenient.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">My days
simply fly by since retiring from my job as a part-time, freelance journalist.
Not enough hours. It has always been this way. Don’t know how I found the time
to work—and I certainly don’t miss it. The in-house politics did my head in
week after week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Nathan, who
works within the political side of journalism, handles that sort of thing much
better than I ever could or did. He rarely loses his cool at the can-print,
can’t-print meetings when something hot is going down and the editor in chief
is insisting this and that. Me, I would hold my ground and fight for my
opinions and often end up off side for a while because of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I tell Jaye
about the book club I belong to and the courses I have signed up for over the
last few years: Zumba, yoga, and next on the list belly dance—aging body
permitting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Signing off,
I tell him to give Anne a big hug from me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Woman to
woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And I mean
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">T</span><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 135%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">HE NEXT </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">day I post it while
picking up groceries at the local supermarket. These are the ones I couldn’t
find on Tuesday—and the ones I forgot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I am
convinced Mr. Coles emails Mr. Woolworths every week announcing what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">his</i> specials will be, and Mr. Woolworths
replies, agreeing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he</i> will not stock
those items for the interim. In return, Mr. Woolworths sends Mr. Coles <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">his</i> list of Specials, and Mr. Coles
agrees to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Once home
again, there is cooking to be done and placed in the freezer for Mum and Dad.
They are both eighty odd and standing at the stove is often too much for Mum’s
arthritic hip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I don’t mind
this—mostly. I love cooking as a rule. But it wasn’t really what I had in mind
for when I retired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The day
after that I log on to check my emails.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">There is one
from Jaye.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363723;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363723;"></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The Maddest Kind of Love</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: "\22 courier new\22 " , "\22 courier\22 " , monospace; font-size: small; text-align: left;">is available</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Author</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whgOza9I4nU/V5TUbJHtoSI/AAAAAAAAL_I/AeViOeLWAcIGILEC9MRUhRTFLNgddFoWACPcB/s1600/Christine%2BBio%2Bpic%2Badj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whgOza9I4nU/V5TUbJHtoSI/AAAAAAAAL_I/AeViOeLWAcIGILEC9MRUhRTFLNgddFoWACPcB/s320/Christine%2BBio%2Bpic%2Badj.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Christine Hillingdon was born in England and migrated with her family to Adelaide, South Australia in 1963.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">She has been writing since school days and received a highly commended prize for a short story in her final year of high school. Since then she has had many short stories and poems published in a variety of literary magazines on and offline. Christine has won a few competitions along the way, including Poems for Passengers. This was a joint initiative between TransAdelaide and the Department for the Arts and Cultural Development, South Australia.</span></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In 2011 Christine self-published a book through Peacock Publications about her twenty-seven years working as a psychiatric nurse at Hillcrest Hospital, South Australia. In May 2016, her children’s book titled <i>The Girl From Far Away</i> was published through Gnome On Pig Productions.</span></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Her first novel of women’s fiction, <i>The Maddest Kind of Love</i>, is through Driven Press.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Christine at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Christine-Hillingdon-1088801324510603/posts" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-63787529698222279072016-08-10T06:21:00.001-07:002016-08-10T06:38:10.275-07:00THE MADDEST KIND OF LOVE is available for preorder today!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;">Driven Press would like to announce that our upcoming release</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><b>The Maddest Kind of Love</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;">by <b>Christine Hillingdon</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;">to be released on 14 August 2016, is now available for pre-order.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', 돋움, dotum, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When Carissa and Jaye fell in love, it wasn’t their time. She was planning a wedding and he was already married. Now, twenty years later, they find each other again, but he is planning a funeral and she is married. Cyberspace becomes a confidant to Carissa and Jaye’s staggeringly honest emails about themselves. Things they’ve never shared with anybody. And despite everything, Carissa falls for Jaye all over again.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', 돋움, dotum, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', 돋움, dotum, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Their affair is renewed, fraught with guilt and the dangers of being caught. This time it’s so different. Cancer, menopausal sex, and getting to know each other is frustrating, exciting, and exhausting, both mentally and physically. Life is more complicated. Is this the right time?</span></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace; font-size: 15px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Excerpt</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace; font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">A</span><span style="line-height: 135%;">S I QUEUE</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> in line at the
post office with half a dozen precious copies of my newly published book, I
begin to reflect over the last few years ... </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">So much has
changed in my life. The most significant is being diagnosed with breast cancer
in 2010. Add to that a marriage that has by one means or another dwindled down
to the mere sharing of a house, maintaining a social life, and travelling
together. The latter providing the inspiration for my published work of
non-fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It has been
many years since intimacy has had any part to play in my life. I don’t mind
this. Don’t want to encourage reconciliation with Nathan in that area at all.
We sleep in separate rooms. Nothing wrong with that. So many couples do, it
seems. I have violent night sweats; he snores. I am a light sleeper; Nathan
sleeps through thunderstorms and nearby house alarms going off!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">There is
nothing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bad</i> in this marriage. More<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> sad</i> really; sameness and complacency. I
experience nothing sexual towards Nathan these days. I love him in every sense
of the word—but that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">To sum it up
in one-line: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There is nothing there
anymore.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Add to that
my self-loathing for what now lays under my clothes. My plasticized, deformed
numbness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I am almost
at the post office counter. Two more people in the queue, and then I’ll be
there. I check for the umpteenth time that the books are sealed properly inside
their padded bags, the addresses are all correct, and that my details are on
the back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is
particularly important in the case of Jaye’s copy. Twenty odd years ago we were
madly in love, having a wonderfully romantic affair. I had already begun living
with Nathan at the time when Jaye first entered my life. Yet, things felt
simple, straightforward, in spite of beginning an affair. Yes, I felt a bit
guilty, but the two men in my life were both so easygoing and totally
unconnected to each other. Life as it was at the time flowed along. My wedding
plans with Nathan were not immediate. It was something we were planning a
little way down the line. All very low-key stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Eventually
the affair with Jaye ended in an uncomplicated way. It simply died a natural
death, and I moved on. No dramas, no pain, no worries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Jaye, a
fellow writer, was lucky enough to have a book published during our time
together. His free copy, presented to me carefully signed, resides on my wooden
bookshelf at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Now, I am
sending him a copy of mine. A gift in return for receiving one of his all those
years ago. What was between Jaye and I is long gone. I hold no regrets and no
lingering impressions. My book is simply a gift to a man I once knew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363723;"></span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363723;">---</span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<div style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, freemono, monospace;">
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The Maddest Kind of Love</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: "\22 courier new\22 " , "\22 courier\22 " , monospace; font-size: small; text-align: left;">is available for pre-order</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "\22 courier new\22 " , "\22 courier\22 " , monospace; font-size: small; text-align: left;">from the following vendors:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "\22 courier new\22 " , "\22 courier\22 " , monospace; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> </span> </span></div>
<a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/#!the-maddest-kind-of-love/earji" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Driven Press</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kobo</span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://ow.ly/vd6P302gwp0&source=gmail&ust=1468720785328000&usg=AFQjCNGCgShO0qdYzGpGzDvQfrmiUTg4Iw" href="http://ow.ly/gBbf3036tzr" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Omnilit</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Pre-order special </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace;">
<b style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">$3.99</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;">Limited time - ebook only.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Author</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="font_7">
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Christine Hillingdon was born in England and migrated with her family to Adelaide, South Australia in 1963.<br /><br />She has been writing since school days and received a highly commended prize for a short story in her final year of high school. Since then she has had many short stories and poems published in a variety of literary magazines on and offline. Christine has won a few competitions along the way, including Poems for Passengers. This was a joint initiative between TransAdelaide and the Department for the Arts and Cultural Development, South Australia.</span></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In 2011 Christine self-published a book through Peacock Publications about her twenty-seven years working as a psychiatric nurse at Hillcrest Hospital, South Australia. In May 2016, her children’s book titled The Girl From Far Away was published through Gnome On Pig Productions.</span></div>
<div style="color: #4d4d4d; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Her first novel of women’s fiction, The Maddest Kind of Love, is through Driven Press.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Christine at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Christine-Hillingdon-1088801324510603/posts" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-15109815235769737272016-08-07T03:01:00.001-07:002016-08-07T03:01:45.301-07:00#samplesunday - THE DOLL HARVEST<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;">It's #samplesunday at Driven Press today, and</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;"> we're showcasing our latest release: suspense novel </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 15px;">The Doll Harvest</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 15px;"> by Ron Savage.</span><br />
<i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 15px;"><br /></i>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCy7SO1HHvs/VuycMRRgSeI/AAAAAAAAK5s/5WEuI0reQNEmBeGvKR7SJRp8fzqJcufLQCPcB/s1600/The%2BDoll%2BHarvest%2BFront%2BCover%2BDraft%2BSB-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCy7SO1HHvs/VuycMRRgSeI/AAAAAAAAK5s/5WEuI0reQNEmBeGvKR7SJRp8fzqJcufLQCPcB/s320/The%2BDoll%2BHarvest%2BFront%2BCover%2BDraft%2BSB-2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<em style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The twins say I’m perfect and rare. “We had to look very hard to find someone like you." I am admired.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">On the steps of her quiet brownstone, Nettie Harnell smells the sickly sweet scent of chloroform moments before she is abducted. When she awakens she’s in a dark basement chained to a post with nothing but memories of her mother and Paris to keep her company while she awaits her fate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There is a shortage of medical donors in Philly, not that Carl and Vern Wachoski consider it a problem—it’s another business opportunity. Taking without permission has turned out to be incredibly lucrative, especially with Carl’s motto being “waste not, want not.” But Carl’s arrogance could cost them everything if they don’t watch out.</span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dutch Harnell is no stranger to depression since the tragic and violent death of his wife and son thirteen years before. Now it’s time for Dutch to pull himself together to save his one remaining family member, Nettie. With the help of Kapil Talpur, a young graduate student who witnessed the abduction, he finds himself drawn deeper into a world of greed and intrigue, where they can trust no one but themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>Please enjoy this sample chapter from the book . . .</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">March 2016</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Center City,
Philadelphia<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 135%;">N</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">ettie first met her friend Kapil Talpur three years
ago, just after her return from Paris. He’d collapsed in an alleyway next to
her home in Center City, Philly. The young man looked emaciated. She had taken
him to a restaurant and bought him a meal; the gesture turned into an enduring
friendship. Nettie was walking toward her Locust Street brownstone now and
thinking about this sweet, thoughtful guy, his gratitude for that long ago
dinner . . .<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Thank you a
thousand times,” he’d told her. So Kapil.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Once is plenty,”
she had said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kapil Talpur was
from Mumbai and had just lost his fellowship then, while in the third year of a
doctorate program at the University of Pennsylvania, something to do with
particle physics. Financial assistance had been promised in the “not too
distant” future, and he’d started a new job at a nearby convenience store to
make ends meet until he could go back to school. Three years later and Kapil
was still working in the same store.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Sometimes Nettie
would see her friend on her way home, though not tonight, apparently. She hoped
he was doing well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The young man
always asked how her father was getting along. Kapil didn’t understand why the
reverend was living in a retirement community at such an early age.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Paris didn’t
help him,” she’d said. It sounded flippant, uncaring. Nettie had wanted to say,
“I feel completely helpless and I don’t know how to dig him out of his terrible
sadness.” But she thought that would be too much for any friend to hear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nettie turned and
crossed Locust, climbing the four concrete steps to the front door of the
brownstone. That was when someone behind her cupped her nose and mouth with a
wet cloth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The cloth smelled
sweet. It had the sort of smell that left her feeling nauseous. Like any moment
she could get a serious case of the hurls. God she hated throwing up. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chloroform</i>, that was her thought. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How long do I have? When does this shit
knock me out? What’re they gonna do, rape me? </i>Her mom’s story: the two boys
down by the Schuylkill River.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Like mom, like
daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nettie kept
trying to break free, kicking her legs into the cold night air. The man holding
her was amazingly strong for his size. She’d gotten a glimpse of him, the guy
and his weird friend. They were frail looking men—tall but very frail.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And no, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> his friend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">How could Nettie
have thought friend? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brothers</i>—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">yes, of course. More than that, the two of
them are twins. Or I’m seeing double? They’re</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">like</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tweedle Dee and Tweedle
Dum</i>. But they weren’t fat like the Tweedles. These guys were skinny, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> skinny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Her legs had
started going weak, and her brain felt as if it was floating inside her skull.
She felt a sharp quick sting in the crook of her arm. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A needle</i>, that was her thought. The needle stayed in her arm for
five or ten seconds. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He’s stealing my</i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">blood?</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who in the hell takes somebody on the steps of her own home and steals
her blood?</i> Nettie was twenty-six and lived alone. She knew a person needed
to be careful in Philly, especially Center City. A subcompact Beretta Px4 was
in her leather handbag. Now the handbag lay on the step. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How priceless, so much for being prepared</i>. Her bag had dropped when
the man grabbed her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Don’t bruise
anything,” one twin said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Does she look
bruised?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“It doesn’t show
immediately.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Shut up, Carl.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Hey, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">no</i> names. Jesus.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Relax. She won’t
be taking out an ad.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Before one of the
twins had pressed the cloth over Nettie’s nose and mouth, she’d been thinking
about making a cup of dark chocolate coco and watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Maltese Falcon</i> on TCM with her beloved Mr. Muggles, the most
spoiled cat in the Delaware Valley. She thought a movie about a bird would keep
him interested.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The two men
shoved her into the back of a Chrysler Town & Country station wagon. She
noticed a rusted left front fender. The wagon had a pea green top and hood. The
sides were a phony mahogany wood. She saw the thing during her last moments of
consciousness. The wagon smelled like week old laundry and stale fries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Who drives this, anymore?</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> she thought. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Late 80s’ crap, ’88, ’89.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nettie knew her
cars. It was genetic or what-have-you; she got it from her dad who could’ve
told you the date and make of any car on God’s highway. Crazy what a person
thinks. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh shit, gypsies, </i>that was
what she thought. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’ve been captured by
gypsies.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">About Ron Savage</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Ron Savage was a senior staff psychologist at a state mental health facility in Virginia and also had a private practice. Ron is the author of seven novels and two volumes of short stories, and has published more than 125 stories worldwide. He is the recipient of the Editor’s Circle Award in Best New Writing and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Ron is a member of PEN America and has also been a guest fiction editor for <i>Crazyhorse</i>. Some of his publications can be found in <i>Film Comment</i>, the <i>North American Review</i>, <i>Shenandoah</i>, the <i>Baltimore Review</i>, and the <i>Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ronsavage.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">http://www.ronsavage.net</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/ron.savage2" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/ron.<wbr></wbr>savage2</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/novelboy.ron.savage" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">http://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>novelboy.ron.savage</span></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">@DoctorRonz</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "\22 courier new\22 " , "\22 courier\22 " , monospace; font-size: 15px;">#samplesunday is a great opportunity for you to get a look at our books. Make sure to follow us on Twitter to get notice of when: </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/DrivenPress" style="font-family: '"courier new"', '"courier"', monospace;">@DrivenPress</a></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-69217415081280621622016-07-31T02:13:00.000-07:002016-07-31T02:13:34.001-07:00THE DOLL HARVEST - Release Day.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Doll Harvest</b></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace; font-size: 15px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;">Driven Press welcomes suspense novel<i> The Doll Harvest</i> by Ron Savage to our catalogue. It is available </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-indent: 0cm;">in paperback and e-book formats world-wide today.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The twins say I’m perfect and rare. “We had to look very hard to find </span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">someone like you.” </span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I am admired.</span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">On the steps of her quiet brownstone, Nettie Harnell smells the sickly sweet scent of chloroform moments before she is abducted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she awakens she’s in a dark basement chained to a post with nothing but memories of her mother and Paris to keep her company while she awaits her fate.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There is a shortage of medical donors in Philly, not that Carl and Vern Wachoski consider it a problem--it’s another business opportunity. Taking without permission has turned out to be incredibly lucrative, especially with Carl’s motto being “waste not, want not.” But Carl’s arrogance could cost them everything if they don’t watch out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dutch Harnell is no stranger to depression since the tragic and violent death of his wife and son eleven years before. Now it’s time for Dutch to pull himself together to save his one remaining family member, Nettie. With the help of Kapil Talpur, a young graduate student who witnessed the abduction, he finds himself drawn deeper into a world of greed and intrigue, where they can trust no one but themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Excerpt</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In less than<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>two
weeks it would be the eleventh anniversary of the shooting at John Parmentar
Elementary. On April 2, 2005, a thirteen-year-old boy had walked into a West Philly
elementary school with his dad’s submachine gun and five 30-round magazines. Dutch’s
daughter was a kid then, two years older than what’s-his-face with the semi-automatic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When Gunboy finished,
he’d killed eleven students, two teachers, and himself. Blood was on everything:
the polished gray floors, the mint-green walls. Blood flew onto the students
and the teachers who were hiding under desks and behind doors. Later the hiders
screamed and dug at the blood on their skin that wasn’t their blood. Later, two
of the hiders killed themselves. They were ashamed they had hidden and lived. People
who saw Gunboy said he was an overweight kid with scrubbed-pink skin and wild hair.
He had on those Woody Allen type of glasses. Black-framed, over-sized. He’d worn
an old gray sweatshirt and a pressed pair of chinos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Reverend Harnell
had an activist ministry. Even before the Parmentar attack, he would pack the
church bus with parishioners and drive to any incidents that had firearms and
damaged children. He wanted stronger regulations and a better way to treat
mentally ill kids. Dutch wasn’t one to think every gun owner was going to shoot
up the local bar or an elementary school. He didn’t want to change the
Constitution, or stop people from protecting themselves and their families. He <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> think America had a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lot</i> of people, and buried in all those
people were the fearful and the angry, and a lot of them were armed and looking
for the great dark reason.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">That</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> he believed with all his heart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">. . . Gunboy</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">, the reverend’s
thought. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That’s the name he deserves—just
Gunboy</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Such a quiet, well-behaved
kid—the stuff Dutch had heard. Nettie knew him, played a few video games with
him, especially the one where you could steal cars and shoot up the town. People
on the TV loved to blame video games for violence—that and movies. His daughter
didn’t get it. The TV people liked to grab the easiest things, the things that
didn’t get too personal. Oh. And drugs, too. Smoking that J, hittin’ that pipe.
God, the horror of The Weed. Nettie had said she didn’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">get</i> Gunboy, either. She played the same games and saw the same summer
movies, too—all the tough guys and comic book violence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They were just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">games</i>. They were just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">movies</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Nettie had told Dutch
how she was like Gunboy, how her hair wouldn’t go right, just like him. And
like him, kids made fun of her, too. She had a bad leg that was two and a half
inches shorter than the other. The official name was LLD, Leg Length
Discrepancy. Certain obtuse people in her class liked to tell “gimp” jokes. They
found her deformity amusing. So, yeah, she got how fed up a guy could become, the
way your average person could develop a “hey, suck on this” attitude. What she didn’t
get was the last part, where you took a gun to school.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">How did you leap from
here to there?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Some adults and kids
said Gunboy talked to himself as he shot people. There were children lying in
the halls. Long smears of blood where kids had tried to drag themselves to
safer places, but no places like that existed. Gunboy kept saying the same
words over and over as he switched almost empty magazines for full ones.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Double points,”
he was reported saying. “Pow, got you! Got you! Got you! Double points.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 135%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He was shooting
at everything, people told the police—walls, overhead lights, closed glass and
wooden doors. He shot kids and teachers who didn’t move. He shot kids and
teachers who ran from him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 135%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One of the
teachers Gunboy killed was the reverend’s wife, Bess Harnell. One of the
students was the reverend’s eight-year-old son, Saul.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Here's an opportunity to win a paperback copy of <i>The Doll Harvest</i> on Goodreads. Enter here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31144383"><img alt="The Doll Harvest by Ron Savage" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1468844376l/31144383.jpg" title="The Doll Harvest by Ron Savage" width="100" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31144383">The Doll Harvest</a>
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by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1864057.Ron_Savage" style="text-decoration: none;">Ron Savage</a>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Giveaway ends August 06, 2016.
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/196950" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
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<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">About Ron Savage</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Ron Savage was a senior staff psychologist at a state mental health facility in Virginia and also had a private practice. Ron is the author of seven novels and two volumes of short stories, and has published more than 125 stories worldwide. He is the recipient of the Editor’s Circle Award in Best New Writing and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Ron is a member of PEN America and has also been a guest fiction editor for <i>Crazyhorse</i>. Some of his publications can be found in <i>Film Comment</i>, the <i>North American Review</i>, <i>Shenandoah</i>, the <i>Baltimore Review</i>, and the <i>Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Ron Savage at:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ronsavage.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">http://www.ronsavage.net</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Facebook:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/ron.savage2" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/ron.<wbr></wbr>savage2</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/novelboy.ron.savage" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">http://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>novelboy.ron.savage</span></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Twitter:</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">@DoctorRonz</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-78473692383551301992016-07-26T04:11:00.000-07:002016-07-26T04:11:06.834-07:00Cover reveal . . . The Maddest Kind of Love<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Driven Press is excited to reveal the cover for our latest upcoming release</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>The Maddest Kind of Love</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>The Maddest Kind of Love</i>, from Australian author Christine Hillingdon<i>,</i> available 14</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">August 2016.</span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When Carissa and
Jaye fell in love, it wasn’t their time. She was planning a wedding and he was
already married. Now, twenty years later, they find each other again, but he is
planning a funeral and she is married. Cyberspace becomes a confidant to
Carissa and Jaye’s staggeringly honest emails about themselves. Things they’ve
never shared with anybody. And despite everything, Carissa falls for Jaye all
over again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Their affair is
renewed, fraught with guilt and the dangers of being caught. This time it’s so
different. Cancer, menopausal sex, and getting to know each other is
frustrating, exciting, and exhausting, both mentally and physically. Life is
more complicated. Is this the right time?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The Maddest Kind of Love</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> will be available for pre-order soon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Stay tuned!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Author</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Christine Hillingdon was born in England and migrated with her family to Adelaide, South Australia in 1963.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace;">She has been writing since school days and received a highly commended prize for a short story in her final year of high school. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace;">Since then she has had many short stories and poems published in a variety of literary magazines on and offline. Christine has won a few competitions along the way, including Poems for Passengers. This was a joint initiative between TransAdelaide and the Department for the Arts and Cultural Development, South Australia.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace;">In 2011 Christine self-published a book through Peacock Publications about her twenty-seven years working as a psychiatric nurse at Hillcrest Hospital, South Australia. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace;">In May 2016, her children’s book titled <span style="font-style: italic;">The Girl From Far Away</span> was published through Gnome On Pig Productions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace;">Her first</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace;"> novel of women’s fiction, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Maddest Kind of Love,</span> is through Driven Press.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Christine at:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Christine-Hillingdon-1088801324510603/posts" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-36479206155457297972016-07-16T17:22:00.000-07:002016-07-16T17:22:01.364-07:00Available for pre-order . . . THE DOLL HARVEST<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px;">Driven Press would like to announce that our upcoming release</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The Doll Harvest</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace; font-size: 15px;">by <b>Ron Savage</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace; font-size: 15px;">to be released on 31 July 2016, is now available for pre-order.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The twins say I’m perfect and rare. “We had to look very hard to find </span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">someone like you.” </span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I am admired.</span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">On the steps of her quiet brownstone, Nettie Harnell smells the sickly sweet scent of chloroform moments before she is abducted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she awakens she’s in a dark basement chained to a post with nothing but memories of her mother and Paris to keep her company while she awaits her fate.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There is a shortage of medical donors in Philly, not that Carl and Vern Wachoski consider it a problem--it’s another business opportunity. Taking without permission has turned out to be incredibly lucrative, especially with Carl’s motto being “waste not, want not.” But Carl’s arrogance could cost them everything if they don’t watch out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Dutch Harnell is no stranger to depression since the tragic and violent death of his wife and son eleven years before. Now it’s time for Dutch to pull himself together to save his one remaining family member, Nettie. With the help of Kapil Talpur, a young graduate student who witnessed the abduction, he finds himself drawn deeper into a world of greed and intrigue, where they can trust no one but themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #363723; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The reverend liked sitting in the leather chair by his bedroom window with a paper cup of Glenkinchie 1991 neat—not that the staff at Pastureland Retreat would approve. Right now he watched the snow cover the tan meadow and the dark branches of trees, sipping his Scotch. Lots of oak and maple in Buck’s County. A horse pulled carriage was passing along the road by the mailbox, steam wafting up from the animal’s nostrils. Reverend Dutch Harnell had been thinking about his home in Philadelphia, a four-bedroom Mt. Airy town house he’d let go to live here. He was picturing his baby girl beneath her red and blue swing set after a warm rain. He and Bess had given their daughter the set many birthdays ago. The child had a thing for playing with the wet clay under the swings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363723;">“Nettie doesn’t make mud pies,” Dutch remembered saying to his wife, looking out the kitchen window at their girl in the backyard. “You know, the way children do? Never does that. She works on shaping people. Whatever you call it, sculpting people. Did it right from the start. Perfect little people, little legs, little arms. Six years old, mind you, a peanut.”</span></span></div>
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“She’s a child playing in the dirt,” Bess would say. The reverend’s wife had curly black hair. Nettie had that same hair, her mom’s plump body too. The reverend thought his wife had the look of a red-cheeked pastry chef in some book he might have once read to the kids. Bess said, </div>
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He loved that. Rev.</div>
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She’d wanted to keep her daughter normal, Dutch guessed. “Don’t make her too special,” had been his wife’s message. Who was he to argue? Bess was an educator, a terrific teacher. She knew kids.</div>
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The reverend cherished these memories of his family. Pastureland Retreat was a blessing. To sit in his leather chair and look out the window at the fine snow drifting down on the meadow and think about his life—his Bess, his daughter and son—what could be better? Considering the circumstances . . . nothing, absolutely nothing. He was the youngest person at Pastureland. Fifty-seven last October, a youngster compared to the retreat’s majority of seventy- and eighty-year-olds. Then there was Mr. Vasquez—a hundred and two and still flirting with the ladies and using the treadmill every morning.</div>
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Dutch Harnell looked down at the small bandage on the backside of his wrist.</div>
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He started to pick at the adhesive. God, how many times do I need to see the thing? This was the fifth time in two days he’d peeled off the white gauze to have a look. There were some things you needed to look at and look at again. A man had to be sure some things were really, really there. This was Mage Dalton’s work, the woman who lived in the room at the end of his hallway. Seventy-six years old, still one of the greats. She’d shown him her arms, her back, the calves of her legs. Like walking through an art gallery. The old gal carried her resume with her. Dutch had not stopped examining his wrist. The area was red and swollen, but it was there. A beauty, the work of a true artist. On the reverend’s right wrist was the fresh tattoo of a heart.</div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The Doll Harvest</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: "\22 courier new\22 " , "\22 courier\22 " , monospace; font-size: small; text-align: left;">is available for pre-order</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/#!the-doll-harvest/j06hn"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Driven Press</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ron Savage was a senior staff psychologist at a state mental health facility in Virginia and also had a private practice. Ron is the author of seven novels and two volumes of short stories, and has published more than 125 stories worldwide. He is the recipient of the Editor’s Circle Award in Best New Writing and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Ron is a member of PEN America and has also been a guest fiction editor for <span style="font-style: italic;">Crazyhorse</span>. Some of his publications can be found in <span style="font-style: italic;">Film Comment</span>, the <span style="font-style: italic;">North American Review</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Shenandoah</span>, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Baltimore Review</span>, and the <span style="font-style: italic;">Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction</span>.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ronsavage.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">http://www.ronsavage.net</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/ron.savage2" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/ron.<wbr></wbr>savage2</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/novelboy.ron.savage" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">http://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>novelboy.ron.savage</span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-48221001439911607182016-06-12T01:09:00.000-07:002016-06-12T01:09:19.474-07:00#samplesunday for #pride2016 - TORN & FRAYED<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 15px;">It's Driven Press's turn to do #samplesunday with a twist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 15px;">June is Pride Month, so we are featuring only #LGBTQ books this month for our #samplesundays at both Driven Press and BDP, as well as offering them at a discount.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #d6d6d6;"></span><span style="font-size: 15px;">Remember that #samplesunday is a great opportunity for you to get a look at our books. Make sure to follow us on Twitter to get notice of when: </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/DrivenPress">@DrivenPress</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 15px;">Today we're previewing MM Erotic Thriller <i>Torn and Frayed</i> by Rodd Clark.<i> </i><i>Torn and Frayed</i> is Book 2 of the Gabriel Church Tales series.</span><i style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></i></span><br />
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Conscience isn’t something all people are born with...”</span><span style="border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gabriel Church is a portrait in contrast. It would be easy to get lost in his pale-blue eyes, ache with the need to feel the strength of his masculine frame. He appears to be nothing but animal and instinct. The only people who know the full depth of that truth are dead, murdered, or two thousand miles away. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gabe is a serial killer. For the first time in his life, he has more on his mind than his own survival. This time he is running from Seattle to protect the only person he thinks innocent in his laundry list of crime and murder: Christian Maxwell, his biographer and unexpected lover. Drawn to a place he never thought to return, Gabe finds new and different realities. Realities that insist he let go of his tragic past, those incredible perceptions of God, and his own divinity. He must open his eyes to what the love of a good man can do to heal a broken soul. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But when the killer is confronted by his own willingness to love and sacrifice, he is forced to ultimately ask the question: Just how far will he go to save a life . . . when all he’s ever done is take them?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Please enjoy this sample chapter from the book . . .</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">CHAPTER TWO</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">E</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">VEN THOUGH IT </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">was a
state-governed office, there was nothing sterile or briskly efficient inside
the halls of the Criminal Investigative Division for the Washington State
Police. As Detective Scott Keen could attest, it was nothing more than peeling
paint and cracked linoleum, where an inescapable odor of testosterone and stale
brewed coffee wafted out of every office he passed along his route to reach his
desk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">He couldn’t help but imagine
it as pledging a fraternity, where listless Sunday mornings each man paid a
toll for a previous night’s party or where feet were dragged and men stumbled
through their morning routines like recovering freshmen hauling their bodies
through a.m. classes. The type of men who only appeared revitalized whenever an
opportunity arose where they might goad or bait another weaker, unsuspecting
colleague.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Hey, Autumn
Boy . . .” someone yelled behind his back as he passed, “are you
making headway on the Schoolgirl Murders yet?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Like most detectives, Keen
had been given a nickname. His moniker of<i> </i>Autumn Boy<i> </i>was a double
reference. <i>Autumn</i> was a subset category of cases applied to those with
little chance of resolution or arrest. The seasonal terminology was the
description of a cold-case file, one where a hard freeze was all but imminent.
A simple cop’s idiom to show an investigation had reached its highest pinnacle
for success or that there was little hope for a suspect’s arrest or that the
file would ever get presented to the DA’s office. The word <i>Boy</i> had been
intended as an insult because of Keen’s baby-faced features, though it’d been
years since he graduated from the academy and was about the same general age as
nearly all his associates.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Certainly more than you
could, Simmons . . . so screw ya!” he shouted over his shoulder
without slowing down or glancing back to even acknowledge his detractor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Keen didn’t mind the
childish taunts from his coworkers. He did, however, require their respect.
He’d worked hard to achieve the status he’d attained, and his reputation for
solving cold cases had become a trait that few could question. He did the
necessary legwork and viewed every suspect with fresh and critical eyes, and
more often than not he brought life back to his dead or dying files. But for
him it was more than just satisfaction of bringing closure to victim’s
families. It was winding up a case where others before had failed the task. It
became the primary reason for his tenacious efforts and why he used every
available resource at his disposal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And when he was successful
and the potentiality of arrest whispered just above the horizon, he’d walk the
corridors in the Belltown Station like a king who sported a crown of gold. He
was always smugly confident when he headed to his captain’s office, clutching a
once dead file that now breached with surprisingly new life. He counted every
triumph as a personal achievement above his associates, which may not have made
him the most highly regarded among his peers but certainly a man worthy of
recognition. And that became the coin that Keen treasured above all others as
he shuffled through his daily grind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One of his open cases was
fast becoming known around the station as “The Schoolgirl Murders.” It was
justifiably big news at the moment and the subject of great interest to
families, reporters, and the politicians currently soapboxing on that very
issue. It had begun with the abduction of two young girls who’d been taken in
broad daylight and on a public street. Regrettably the term <i>Schoolgirl
Murders</i> had been coined by a beat officer then sadly picked up later in the
papers. Keen particularly hated the practice of giving nicknames to a killer or
their victims. He knew it might be easier to categorize when working in closed
groups, such as investigators, but it minimized the tragedy when “cute” monikers
were given to unsubs or their act or even as in this case, the victim profile.
Keen knew how widespread it was, particularly with male serial killers. The
public had been doing that since before there was even a term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">serial killer</i>, remembering that time in
the mid-eighteen hundreds when the public titled Edward Rulloff, <i>The
Educated Murderer.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Keen had been given the case
only after the girls’ bodies were recovered in a field in the city’s industrial
section of town. With almost no physical evidence and an absence of
eyewitnesses, it was proving to be a difficult case for Keen. Being as his
former partner had been recently reassigned, it meant he would be working
alone. With the double homicide drawing public scrutiny, Keen was juggling more
than he’d have liked. He used to tell his wife, Carol, that by the time he got
a case, most of the witnesses had died, moved out of state, or were currently
incarcerated for other unrelated charges. It was typically the type of problem
he enjoyed tackling. He had only recently transferred from Homicide to the
Criminal Investigative Division, or CID, and even though his solve rate had
dipped during the interim, he was finally catching his footing. That was until
he was bestowed the more noteworthy double homicide to close.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Keen knew he had the general
perception of being an amiable enough fellow around the water cooler, but his
often-brusque exterior and single-minded focus could be a tad off-putting to
some detectives. It was another reason his diminutive title came into being
then later stuck after others saw how much their newcomer loathed it. In part,
it had been their way of drawing him and even welcoming him into their
collective, while simultaneously and subtly reminding him that it wasn’t his
age that bothered them but his lack of tenure in the group. Keen understood all
that, though in his mind he could’ve hoped to get a cooler nickname. Autumn Boy
seemed so haphazard in his mind. But like jet fighter pilots, no one gets to
choose their call sign, and around the station Keen was simply Autumn Boy. It
was a handle he hoped to grow out of as quickly as he could.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“There you are, Scott. Been
looking for you,” a female detective said when she encountered him in the
hallway.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Where Keen’s baby-faced
features may have instilled his most hated epithet, it was just as much an
equal draw for the women in his office. All of them knew Keen had a wife. Some
had met Carol, and on occasion, she had even charmed one or two. But that
didn’t stop them from looking, or coquettishly batting their long lashes in his
direction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“What’s up, Erin?” Keen
asked cordially. “Did you need me downstairs?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Erin Franks was a second-tier
Lieutenant, currently assigned to the high-tech unit of the CID. Besides being
attractive, smart, and flirtatious, she was an excellent contact for Keen and
had become invaluable as a resource whenever he needed record searches or IP
traces. He’d allowed her artful advances and, oftentimes, over-the-edge teasing
to get slightly out of hand, but he knew the importance of balancing a
favorable connection with someone in her skillset. Though, out of all the
detectives on site, Erin was the one he wouldn’t have liked Carol to meet or
become acquainted with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Well, not yet,” she said
with a suggestive lilt in her words. “I just have that vehicle records printout
you requested. Of course, Scott, you’ll need to drop by and get it at your
leisure, since I don’t carry it around on the hopes I’ll just bump into you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Laughing to shatter the
mood, Keen said, “Sure thing, detective. I’ll stop by later when I can.” Then
as quickly as she’d met him casually in the hall she was gone, with a trail of
soft perfume trailing in her wake. She smiled briefly before she sauntered off,
her shoes clicking across the tile. Erin’s reputation always preceded her
wherever she went, mainly because she was one of the few females on the force
who had the chutzpah to wear fashionable, yet inappropriate heels to work. And
much like all the male detectives at the station, Keen saw her as one highly attractive
woman. Though in his head he had to wonder how she thought her choice in
footwear might enable her to race after a fleeing suspect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Keen was an old-school
detective. He still utilized a murder board even in these technical times. His
familiar whiteboard, with its green and blue pen-scrawled notes, represented
every possible suspect and timetable relating to each crime. He only erased the
board completely after he’d presented a suspect to the pretty law grad in the
DA office. Her name was Connie, and she saw every file prior to submitting it
to the District Attorney or his associate attorneys.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Keen had only just sat down
at this desk when his captain popped his head around the corner and knocked on
his open door. “Hey there, detective. Can you squeeze in one more cold
case . . . maybe sometime before your next public appearance?”
His captain was gruff as he dropped the sheet assignment on his desk and walked
out, not waiting for his answer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Keen knew he was referring
to the media for the Schoolgirl Murders that he’d been tasked to solve. His
superiors didn’t like giving away the types of cases that brought the most
notoriety to the precinct. At least, not until they were personally involved in
the outcome and could stand center stage during a press announcement or
generally take their sizeable chunks of credit for everything the detectives
had finished prior to an arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The sheet the captain had
given him was informational. It coded to a particular banker’s box held in
storage, where every box consisted of old investigative notes and minor
evidence packets. Each cardboard box comprised the sum of a particularly stale
homicide that hadn’t been closed to date. It was Detective Keen’s primary claim
to fame, and his most stalwart commission inside the CID.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After retrieving the
evidence box and skimming the contents, Keen learned it was the murder of a
young woman who’d lived in a run-down apartment in a less than reputable
quarter of Seattle. Her name was Shea Baltimore, he read. Her lifeless corpse
had been discovered in her own residence, and the attached crime scene photos
displayed her limp and frail figure positioned on a bright-red sofa, which he
presumed had to be the victim’s.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Immediately, Keen was seized
by the way her tiny frame was placed in the photos. Even though her head was
slumped awkwardly to the right, in her final moments of death, she could’ve
almost appeared as if she were sitting on her couch comfortably. Keen suspected
she’d been positioned in that manner and possibly situated there post mortem.
That suggested another possibility, one where she might’ve been killed at
another location and then moved there. But whoever sat her upright in her
seated position, with her back against the pillows, had done so with seemingly
kind and gentle hands. Or maybe it was just a gesture to show a killer’s
remorse. And if true, that would speak volumes about her assailant. Even
without knowing any of the particulars of the investigation, Keen was already
defining his suspect pool. One he knew would chiefly consist of all the
victim’s friends, family members, and lovers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The young woman’s death was
initially thought to be a sexual attack gone awry. But that was just <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">supposition</span> first responders had
suggested to officers after seeing no telltale clues to suggest otherwise. It
wasn’t a robbery, they’d said, and there hadn’t been any sign of a break in,
with nothing disturbed at the scene as far as anyone could ascertain. Sexual
assault was just as quickly discarded from their line of possible inquiry when
the medical examiner’s office found no evidence of rape. Miss Baltimore’s
remains were absent the necessary DNA that might’ve resolved the case more
quickly, and there were no physical signs of assault still lingering on her
body. This was why the case had gone tragically cold, Keen figured—first
responders weren’t detectives. Even those seasoned investigators previously
assigned to the case had, in Keen’s opinion, failed their victim. He wouldn’t
be burning through his afternoon, elbow deep and buried in a cold case evidence
box, if they hadn’t. He also wouldn’t be trying to decipher through the
hen-scratched notes of their early investigation with reports strewn across his
desk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Shea Baltimore’s grisly
resolution had yet to be transcribed onto a new murder board, but it appeared
it would be necessary. Sometimes seeing a photograph of a victim taken by CSI
could spark an outrage that worked to skewer the case directly into a
detective’s head. But looking at a candid photo of the victim had always worked
best for Keen. It served as his motivation by keeping the outcome of that
nearing finish line somewhere within his reach. He knew what most investigators
knew: that it was hard to not find yourself motivated whenever the victim’s
face couldn’t be shaken from your mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Such was the case with his
latest acquisition still perched on the corner of his desk. So he flipped his
whiteboard over to the clean side and begrudgingly put the Schoolgirl Murders
on a temporary hold. The detective began scotch taping photographs to the top
of the board, and with a marker he jotted down the highlights of the known
analysis under a double underlined title that he’d written in capital letters: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">THE SHEA BALTIMORE
HOMICIDE</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">. Next to that declaration he included the date and time of death he’d
found listed in the ME’s report.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sometimes family presented
law enforcement with a photograph of the deceased to use during their
investigations, because it wasn’t just detectives who understood what the sight
of a fresh face smiling bright with vitality could do to drive and inspire. It
was the very first connection, which more often than not became forged between
a family in grief and the champions they turned to in their search for their
loved one’s killers. But Keen couldn’t find any real photos of Shea Baltimore
when he rifled through his evidentiary contents. He did find an old high school
picture buried inside near the bottom of the box, which for his purposes was
fairly useless, but he found nothing more recent that he could use on his
murder board, making him strangely curious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Skimming through the
investigative notes, Keen read Miss Baltimore had already lost her mother and
was survived by her only living relative, her father. From the scrawled
assessment the investigating detective had made of DeWayne Baltimore inside the
margin edges of his notepad, their first meeting had been less than promising.
He’d already been informed of his daughter’s death by the black and white’s
who’d first entered the apartment. Keen wondered right off the bat why it’d
been police officers who made the death notice visit and not the investigative
agents who arrived next. His question wasn’t addressed in the notes he
currently possessed, so he quickly decided to investigate that anomaly the
following morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The first of many
discrepancies he wanted to address. The notes went on to describe the father as
being a heavy drinker by the sight of empty, crushed aluminum cans surrounding
his chair when they stopped by for their initial visit. It was protocol to meet
the family to establish their relationship and learn anything they could about
the victim, while surreptitiously asking about their own alibis, under a guise
of concern and compassion in those heartbreaking, worst of moments. Keen knew
as well that he too would be introducing himself to DeWayne Baltimore in the
very near future, because he wanted to know why the man hadn’t given police a
photo of his daughter that wasn’t years before she’d been murdered. It was
nothing more than a question but the first of many in a long line of puzzling
incongruities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">His concentration was broken
when Detective Gilroy peaked around the corner to ask, “Hey there,
Scott . . . whatcha doing?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Just messing around with
photos of dead folks,” Keen replied over his shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Well, do you have to do
that now?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“Well, when I do it at the
park, people stare,” Keen said with a light chuckle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then Gilroy chimed back.
“No, buddy, I mean the captain wishes to see you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Putting his murder board
aside, Keen turned to the big man and asked, “So now you’re a messenger for
him? Well congratulations on the promotion, Dennis. Let’s hope with the small
pay increase you can finally afford the stomach staples.” His smile was warm
yet cutting as he patted the man’s belly. Then he whisked up his suit jacket
and headed down the hall for his meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">T</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">HE PALMETTO </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Inn was visible
from the highway, leaving Gabe to pull through the parking lot to gauge each
access road in and out of the motel. His instinct turned to second-nature, and
he wasn’t always even aware he was performing the tasks that might one day save
his life. He was always checking for exits whenever he entered somewhere new.
And whether conscious of it or not, it became a habit he’d taken for granted
for far too long. When he was satisfied with the layout, he parked his truck
and grabbed the duffle he kept behind the seat. After pulling out a phony ID,
he headed inside to rent his room.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The desk clerk was of Indian
descent. He spoke a funny version of English, and being as Gabe had grown up in
both the hills of Kentucky and the sticks of Tennessee, it couldn’t have been
any more awkward an exchange. He was as white bread as was possible to bake.
The exchange was awkward, and with some effort, he made it more so in his
attempt to distract the clerk from inspecting the phony ID for flaws. Even a
hillbilly such as himself had his own charms, and he dazzled with every feigned
miscommunication. Not that the clerk seemed to care if his papers were
legitimate or not.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Gabe convinced him to accept
cash but left a copy of his stolen credit card to ensure the deposit. He’d
asked for a room to the rear of the parking lot, and he chose to back into a
space before heading off to locate his room.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">He found it surprisingly
spotless, bright and airy, at least as far as cheap motels along the highway
tended to be. Tossing his duffle on the bed, he closed the curtains and
immediately began undressing. It had been two days since his last hot shower,
and he figured he was going to take full advantage of one immediately. Ever
since he’d left Seattle, showers and clean linens had become a luxury he
couldn’t always afford. But the memories of that drew him back to his time at
that fancy-schmancy Mayflower Park Hotel, where Chris and he had stayed. Maybe
it was the weird sensation he felt holding the same tiny bar of Ivory soap or
the clean tiles under his bare feet, but he felt yanked backward in time to
where the two of them had spent all their time fucking and drinking and
discussing Gabe’s childhood back in Tennessee. He remembered always waking up
slower than usual, naked and still wrapped around Christian like a cocoon. His
whole adult life had been comprised of wasted, empty moments of time—those long
strings of nothingness stretching through his days and the thing he worked
diligently to kill before it’d take his mind. But that time with the writer had
felt different; it had somehow had purpose without a purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For the first time in his
life all that freedom felt more like he was relaxing on a beach somewhere
without any care in the world. But prior to meeting Christian, it had been
nearly unbearable as an existence. The sluggish periods between the killings
had felt endless, as if he were actually sleepwalking through his days like a
zombie. The weighted gaps of days were like stones tied around his neck,
dragging him down and burying him in that black, empty abyss. Gabe knew how
real people lived. Some would probably be envious of his life, no ties or
responsibilities to hold him down or imprison him, but he knew better. He had
lived that life and knew the consequences of that freedom. Some might be
envious or think it would be emancipation, but for him it was different. It
could just as easily steal your mind and make you seriously insane.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It was different with Chris.
He knew that to acquire that transformation all he had to pay him was his time.
In exchange for feeling whole again, he’d only have to suffer through the
spilling of his details and the examination of his soul. Though at times it
felt exhausting, having to dissect his childhood and expose its weaknesses, in
the end he didn’t mind. He liked watching Chris as he excitedly wrote down his
notes, forgetting he was naked and still sitting on the floor, the bottle of 90
proof sitting beside him, which they both were sharing. He’d stacked his little
notes like firewood and eagerly begged for more. And even when it felt
invasive, like he’d been strip-searched, his cavities explored, it was still to
him a bargain. He was beginning to realize how much he would have traded just
to keep those moments flowing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Even though he’d set out to
have his story told, there were times when he regretted it. It was embarrassing
having to relive parts of his childhood and damned near impossible to explain
his motivation. He knew there were those who he sought to tell who’d only stare
back at him with astonishment, their eyes frozen wide in fright and disgust, and
merely just sit there perplexed and blank as the horrors of his life were
spilling off his tongue. But Christian had urged him forward, and he could see
how the writer tried not to judge him as he scrawled out notes, which as it
occurred to him, he’d never gotten to read after it was all said and done.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“I could use a drink,” he’d
said one afternoon, crawling out of the hotel bed they shared. He’d given a
resounding slap to Christian’s bare ass cheek before plodding off naked into
the front room to find the bottle of bourbon the writer had brought with him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">“And I would support that
notion,” Christian muttered as he left the room. It was his way of asking for a
cocktail, he presumed, and Gabe found himself smiling his faint half-grin as
he’d walked away. He liked that man.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At the time, maybe neither
of them knew just how truly those emotions had been ingrained into his life. It
was in the small gestures, the ones the other man didn’t see, that cemented
their attraction. Like the secret pleasure Gabe felt every time the writer said
something astute or clever. But real men didn’t talk about their feelings like
pre-pubescent schoolgirls. They were just there and remained as something
unsaid and somehow understood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Standing in the tiny shower
at the Palmetto Inn Motel, as Gabriel rubbed a soapy washcloth over his hairy
frame, he suspected if anyone ever wrote out his obituary, Christian’s name
would surely have to be there. Then he became morose at the prospect the only
person who could write his obit<i> was </i>Christian<i>, </i>and he doubted
that he’d ever see the writer again, despite the fact he wanted to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Leaning back and allowing
the spray to hit his chest and face, he rested against the tile and wallowed in
the hot mist. Not that he deserved that much relaxation. But it did help him to
forget. He had considered a nap before clubbing but thought also about hitting
a gym for an hour or so and working out his kinks. He knew San Antonio wasn’t
that big and saw how eventually all roads led to Mecca. If you wanted sex you
headed to the bars, to the gyms, or to the baths. With so few places to choose
from, and in a town with a decidedly closeted military presence, Gabe presumed
he knew their blueprint well. They would labor under the pretense of pumping
iron, as seductions began with long, lingering glances from across the floor.
They’d nod and smile when they noticed one another in the locker room heading
to and fro the showers, with the steam and sweat making slick mirrors along
their muscular builds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They’d strut around like
proud fighting cocks with towels draped around oversized necks, wearing only
olive drab military-issued boxers, or nothing at all. Their privates bouncing
erotic and free under the white cotton fabric in a hint of promise of grander
things to come. Time would seemingly stand still then; the males loitering
uneasily as they slowly changed into, and out of, their street clothes. And whether
straight or gay, it didn’t matter to most, as long as each man drowned in that
sea of overstuffed jocks, perfectly round cherry tomato asses, and testosterone
sinew stretched across overworked frames. It was a game of understanding, even
with contrived and methodic gestures as they meticulously shaved or primped
their hair. There was always finite comprehension to an endgame they both
shared. Both knew to gap the minutes from one departure and the next. But each
knew they’d end up in the parking lot where a better introduction would
culminate in them sharing a bed somewhere for an afternoon of furious
bare-assed fucking as their reward. It would be over just as quickly as it
began, but at least they carried their salacious memories with them as they headed
back to their jobs and offices.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Before he stepped out from
under the showerhead, he’d already decided the best defense against old
memories was to make newer ones. First a nap, then he was determined to hit the
nearest club or dive bar and order a tall drink, then many others to follow. He
felt reasonably confident there would be someone that’d strike his fancy
wherever he ended up. And whoever got the lucky nod would be dragged back to
his room at the Palmetto, because Gabe was certain he’d get his wick wet sooner
than later, and residents in the adjoining rooms would be hearing his raucous
fucking and tasting the bitterness of envy on their salivating tongues.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 15px;"><b>Pride Month 2016 special price:</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>$2.99</b></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 15px;">(ebook only)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></i></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 15px;">Torn and Frayed</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> is available in e-book and print from all major sellers. Details for </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 15px;">Torn and Frayed</span></i></b>, including </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">sellers' links, are at</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/#!torn-and-frayed/gd32c" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Driven Press</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Torn-Frayed-Gabriel-Church-Tale-ebook/dp/B018HGNN20/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452331931&sr=8-1&keywords=torn+and+frayed+rodd+clark" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://ow.ly/W8J4B" target="_blank">Apple</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://ow.ly/W8Jsa" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rodd_Clark_Rubble_and_the_Wreckage?id=Q4N0BgAAQBAJ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GooglePlay</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://ow.ly/WPeHc" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Kobo</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.omnilit.com/product-rubbleandthewreckage-1739168-148.html" target="_blank">OmniLit</a></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-45180598816537442152016-05-22T04:26:00.001-07:002016-05-22T04:26:51.576-07:00#samplesunday - RUBBLE AND THE WRECKAGE<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Here we are again for #samplesunday. We look forward to highlighting our books on Sundays to come. Make sure to follow us on Twitter to get notice of when we post: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/DrivenPress" target="_blank">@DrivenPress</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Today we have <i>Rubble and the Wreckage</i> by Rodd Clark.</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Rubble and the Wreckage</i> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">is Book 1 of the Gabriel Church Tales series.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Blurb</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gabriel Church knows you can’t take a life without first understanding just how feeble life is, how tentative and weak it stands alone. If you desire murder, you hold a life in your hand. Whether you release it to grant life or grip tighter to end it, it is at your command and discretion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gabriel is a serial killer with a story he wants told.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Christian Maxwell studied abnormal psychology in college but chose instead to focus on a career in writing. His background comes in handy when he thinks of writing about a serial killer. He can’t think of anyone more qualified to write the story of Gabriel Lee Church, and do so in the murderer’s own words. It’s been done before, but never with a killer who has yet to be captured or convicted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , , , , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There was never anything more than a gentleman’s understanding between the two men that Christian would record Gabriel’s life story. The killer did not ask for his complicity in any crimes, nor did he ever ask for his silence. Christian’s interest in the man, though, is fast becoming something more than academic. When the writer and his subject become unexpected friends and then lovers, the question remains: What is Gabriel’s endgame . . . and why does he want his story told?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Please enjoy this sample chapter from the book . . .</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">CHAPTER SIX</span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“I’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">VE BEEN CAREFUL</span><span lang="EN-US"> not to ask before now, but how many would you say you’ve killed?”
It had already whispered in his brain. There were ramifications to the answer
that he didn’t really want to explore. But how could Christian complete his
manuscript without knowing the answer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“An actual accounting? I suppose I
can understand why that number might be important to you, but people who become
victims are not necessarily just numbers in my eyes. Think of it as a journey,
and they’re not people . . . but mile markers.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">With that cold, analytical retort,
Church had once again slipped into another persona. His grin faded with every
flash of memory he was forced to relive. His posture seemed guarded and closed
at first, but as he reclined back into the salon chair with his naked chest
exposed and the writer’s eyes darting uncomfortably back and forth, another
unseen personality found its way to the surface. This one wanted nothing more
than to unbalance Christian and gain some sadistic enjoyment in watching him
squirm under all that unspoken pressure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Church rested his head inside the
crux of his massive intertwined palms and set out to witness Christian dance
under his manipulations. Church reminded him of an old tomcat he once had that
loved to catch mice but when he caught one, spent almost an hour batting the
poor thing from paw to paw while the rodent breathed its heavily labored final
breaths from its many failed attempts to escape death. Eventually that old barn
cat would tire of his own game and pull the mouse’s head off with a single bite
before dragging it off to the shadows, presumably to eat. It was just like the
game Church enjoyed playing with him. And as it went . . . was
proving effective. Christian didn’t like being in Church’s company when both
were relaxed, when both could shed the professionalism of their relationship
and become friendly. He also did not like the distraction of such a tantalizing
figure sitting so close to him. He expected by now he would’ve been more
composed and calm, and given it all, it was rather amazing just how collected
he appeared, given that Church was still just a few feet away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It had only been a couple of hours.
The tea pitcher was draining and the sandwiches were growing stale. He’d hoped
by then he would have gotten used to being in the killer’s company, and that
he’d be accustomed to the sensual way Church would bite his bottom lip when he
remembered something painful, or that he didn’t get a tad panic-stricken when
the man would brush past him or reach over him to grab another quarter-cut club
sandwich from the tray. But time refused to alter his nervous state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“I think the readers would like to
know if there had ever been time for romance during all the killings?”
Christian carried the pretense of writing and never raised his head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Yes. I’m sure the<i> readers</i>
want to know that . . . but I would have to tell them I never
had much interest in what you call romance. I got laid. I found occasion to
blow my jizz wherever I wanted, yes. But ‘romance’ is for fourteen-year-old
schoolgirls, don’t you think?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“So, during the height of the
murders, or before, there was never any person who you were involved with? No
one who might have altered your . . . err . . .
homicidal course at any time?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Church stared over the rim of his
glass of tea at Christian. There was an unfamiliar look in his eyes. He seemed
to be both exploring the man’s question and considering for the first time the
possibility that someone he might have loved could have changed his destiny,
for the better. But the black cloud reassembled somewhere on his face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“I was never in love, so the point
is moot I suppose. Since I have never loved another <i>person</i>, then I guess
my destiny was, as they say, pre-ordained. I didn’t become a better man because
no one ever mattered enough to me. Then again, that works on the assumption
that I’m not a good man, even currently . . . doesn’t it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">“Do you consider yourself a good
man?” Christian decided, rather resolutely, that he wouldn’t get answers to all
of his questions, but he traveled the path forward and trained his eyes on the
killer to await a reply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“<i>Good</i> is a relative term. I’m
good at what I do, I don’t hurt the ones I kill <i>unnecessarily</i> . . .
so I suppose it’s up for debate.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“I beg to consider that the families
of your victims may not agree with you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Unbiased are we? You speak of
morality now, but your question wasn’t whether I consider myself moral or not;
you asked if I was good.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Semantics . . .”
Christian folded his hands on the notepad he placed in his lap and leaned back
to allow the discussion to reach its apex.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Morality is reserved for stupid men
of the cloth. It doesn’t suit the rest of us, those who crawled out of the mud,
then learned to climb trees, all until we could stand upright, to fashion tools
or weapons.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“You said in the beginning you
believed in God.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Incorrect. I asked you if you
believed in God. I said it may prove somewhat providential as our talks
continued.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Then we are back to square one. Do
you, Gabriel Church, believe in an almighty God?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“If there was a
God . . . you wouldn’t need to be having this conversation with
me now<i>. I would simply not exist</i>.” Church curled his lip in a barely
noticeable sneer. It was his rebuke against the whole point of it. He believed
he had indeed become the singularity that disproved a greater god. For
Christian, he was truly mad. Being a man with a rapidly failing faith, the
writer could only stare blankly at the killer across the room. He was
dumbstruck how maniacal the man was becoming while right in front of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“So there is no God, and Gabriel
Church exists . . . then what is his purpose? Why does he
exist?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“I answer to a calling. In truth I
don’t know if it is God’s or the Devil’s or some alien
influence . . . but I am here, and my purpose is to answer the
white light commands. Beyond that, I don’t know my purpose.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">“So you, like the rest of us, still
wrestle with the big picture issues . . . interesting.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">“I’m a murderer in your definition.
I am not inhuman.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">There was little reason to travel
that road further; it might nullify their unspoken contract and most assuredly
get the killer riled-up. Christian placed the pad on the table and grabbed his
pen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">“I’d like to go back a ways and look
at your influences. Do you mind?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Your dime,” was all Church said as
he repositioned his body for a longer discussion. But even though he
acquiesced, it didn’t appear that he enjoyed where that might lead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“You began with your father, Bennett.
Was he the first influence? Were there others you’d like to share?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">G</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">ABE CONTEMPLATED </span><span lang="EN-US">slowly before speaking, pulling back images from a past he didn’t
enjoy discussing. His feelings for Bennett Church had been laden with
revulsion, and there were many stories that he had yet to bring to light where
Bennett might appear even less a savory character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">He began telling Maxwell of a time
when he was only eight years old. It was a period of confusion for him. The boy
was beginning to recognize how dangerous a man his father truly was. He had
been a lonely child, he didn’t have many friends, so therefore didn’t go to
their homes for sleepovers or camp in their backyards in pup tents while
telling ghost stories. Because he didn’t have those companionships, he equally
didn’t see how other boys reacted to their own fathers, or how their fathers
were supposed to act with them. But there had been one time he remembered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">It was during the annual street
carnival aptly named The Spring Fiesta. The community he lived in operated the
carnival each year as a fundraising event for the local charities. There were
church booths and tiny rides, cotton candy and sodas. There was a dunking
booth, where a popular minister might be placed on a pad and positioned above a
tank of four or five feet of water. Youthful sinners might rejoice in tossing
softballs at the bulls-eye ring just to submerge their favorite pastor in the
smallest bit of water. There was laughter and bliss for the religious; one
would never find a person of ill-repute running a booth or a ride. There were
never any drugs or drinking allowed. It was good wholesome fun. At least until
the year Gabe was eight and ran excitedly to the carnival hoping to ride the
tilt-a-whirl ride. He assured himself he would ride it over and over, even if
he puked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">The boy had raced ahead of his
sister, leaving his mother trailing both of them. When he hit the midway, he
saw the tossing games. He spotted the brightly colored booths with the
over-stuffed, plush neon animals tied up with string at the top of booths set
with basketballs and straw buckets, rings over bottle tops, and bean bags and
bulls-eye paddles to throw against. He was delighted. But in less than a
quarter hour, while he was running around like any eight year old released
inside a carnival, he then ran smack dab into his father who had shown up
unexpectedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">He first noticed the stench of
bourbon, then his father’s hand as he grabbed the boy by the hair just to
steady him from falling when he bounded into his old man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">“Whoa there little camper,” he said
as his big hand palmed the boy’s scalp. From a distance it might have appeared
sweet, in a traditional sense, but then again you needed to be standing close
enough to smell the booze, as Gabe had been, and to have known how mean his
father could be when drunk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span lang="EN-US">Bennett had never attended the
carnival before, even though it was close enough to their house that one could
walk there. He did allow Sissy to take the children each year, and each year
she would return with two exhausted kids, only to find Bennett drinking bourbon
or beer from his comfy chair in the den. Whenever she found him there and
realized he’d been drinking for hours, she’d back-step into the kitchen and
then quietly herd her children off to their rooms to sleep. She would do
exactly the same by seeking refuge under the covers of their marital bed and
lie there in anticipation of his changing mood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span lang="EN-US">To see his father at the carnival
was shocking, to run into him headlong was unfortunate. Bennett crouched down and
gripped his son tight in his arms. By the casual appearance of any passerby, it
seemed he was happy to run into his boy, excited to see him happy and so full
of life. But Bennett Church was a master of deception.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">He smiled as he leaned and whispered
to his son, inaudible to anyone close, “You’re one little fucker who should be
in bed by now. You know, son, this is a big carnival . . . a
little boy could end up hurt, or even dead here, and nobody would be the
wiser.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">Gabe’s face drained of any color,
and he stopped his squeal of delight instantly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">“What do you think people would say
if they found a dead little boy crammed into the mechanics of one of these fun
little rides? Ya think anyone would be shocked at the dead little boy?” Bennett
chuckled sadistically under his breath but never once lost his smile or the
tight way his arms encircled his boy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
“I’m going home now. I expect to see
you and your sister in bed by the time I get home. If you’re not
there . . . the preacher’s gonna be giving me some pretty
condolences for my recently dead baby boy. You understand?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">His voice was cold and matter of
fact, he meant business, and even though Gabe had never gotten a chance to win
a toy, or ride the tilt-a-whirl, he raced home, past his mother and even past
his sister, then crawled under the covers in his room and cried himself to
sleep. The next morning Bennett was sober, albeit grumpy. He never acknowledged
threatening his son, never once apologized, and although the boy never told his
mother, he knew . . . somehow she knew. He never went back to
the carnival again and vowed then that one day he’d kill his father.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">T</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">HERE WERE </span><span lang="EN-US">other stories Church shared with Christian, some worse than others,
but each one was sad and pitiful. Christian wrote silently as he told each
story. He knew Church wasn’t asking for understanding, and he wasn’t requiring
his sympathy. He was fulfilling his part of the contract by telling his account
exactly as it was, unvarnished and open like an oozing sore. Christian wasn’t
going to pity him. It was what it was, a factor in the development of a
sociopath, and it was as expected as any segment making up the whole. It was
simply a fragment of that shattered psyche that was Gabriel Lee Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US">It was getting later in the day,
both men felt a little weary from either writing steadily or sitting for too
long in one position. Church suggested they take a break, and Christian agreed.
When the killer stood up, he stretched his back muscles and raised his arms
high, pulling at each elbow to ease the tension in his shoulders. Christian was
struck silent by what he saw—a true sense of a masculine authority that was the
figure standing before him. He looked up to see Church had caught his gaze. The
man was smiling, as if the two shared a common secret . . . and
it was delicious. As Church finally pulled the shirt over his head, he mumbled
something about getting a drink at a bar on the street. He said he could use a
stiff one, and his smile reappeared from over the neck of his pullover. The game
was becoming old, yet somehow, every time, it still grasped Christian’s heart
and held it tight inside an icy grip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b style="font-size: 15px;"><i>Rubble and the Wreckage</i></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> is available in e-book and print from all major sellers. Details</span><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">, including </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">sellers' links, are at</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rodd_Clark_Rubble_and_the_Wreckage?id=Q4N0BgAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Find Rodd Clark at:</span><br />
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Twitter:</span></span></div>
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/RODDCLARK" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.twitter.com/RODDCLARK</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">---</span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you loved <i>Rubble and the Wreckage</i> you won't want to miss Book 2 - <i><b>Torn and Frayed</b></i></span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><br /></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Details here:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.drivenpress.net/#!torn-and-frayed/gd32c" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Driven Press/Torn and Frayed</span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-636724447334870752016-05-11T05:37:00.002-07:002016-05-11T05:37:51.280-07:00Inaugural #WritingTips Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43lIq19Yzjg/Vy80phZBSFI/AAAAAAAALP4/4S6Axm4EkCwtjvHNEZo2MyHcjK3aIkO8QCLcB/s1600/Writing%2BTips%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43lIq19Yzjg/Vy80phZBSFI/AAAAAAAALP4/4S6Axm4EkCwtjvHNEZo2MyHcjK3aIkO8QCLcB/s640/Writing%2BTips%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida sans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida sans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">—Ernest Hemingway</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida sans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida sans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Scene Setting – Part 1 – Talking
Heads<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Hello, and welcome to our first blog
feature providing writing and editing tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we're going to be talking about something we see quite
frequently while editing—“talking heads.” Talking heads takes place in a
manuscript when there is a great conversation going on, usually a long
conversation or scene, where there is no setting or actions for what is
happening around the characters. Sometimes it’s not obvious straight up as the
dialogue is riveting, but then the reader starts to wonder things: Where are they?
Are they just standing there and not moving while they are talking?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Example:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Eve slapped his face, hard, and then took
off. Adam needed to talk to her about what happened. Letting her go was not an
option.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“Hey, Eve,” he shouted. “Slow down, baby, I
just need you to listen to me.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Eve’s steps faltered, and his heart soared
that she might let him make it up to her.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“I don’t want to talk to you.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Eve was crying hard when he found her. Adam’s
heart wrenched at the sight, knowing he’d caused her pain.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it when I said that
your bottom looked big in that leaf.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iRnPn_X2PEA/Vy9Otks-tLI/AAAAAAAALQY/Q6IXrwQvFqwIWUSqq84bkHE_zs8w-nKJwCLcB/s1600/Floating%2Bheads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iRnPn_X2PEA/Vy9Otks-tLI/AAAAAAAALQY/Q6IXrwQvFqwIWUSqq84bkHE_zs8w-nKJwCLcB/s320/Floating%2Bheads.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Let’s
identify the problems in this short scene:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Where is this scene taking
place, and what does it look like?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Where did Eve go?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">How did Adam get to her?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">What were their bodies doing
during the scene, or were their hands by their sides the whole time after the
initial slap?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Setting
the scene:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Eve slapped his face, hard, and then took
off <u>from their encampment</u>. <u>Adam chased after her, surprised at how fast
she was running. </u>He needed to talk to her about what happened. Letting
her go was not an option. <u>The Garden of Eden was overgrown, though, lush
with all manner of flowering shrubs and long grass, and he soon lost sight of
her among the dense foliage.<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“Hey, Eve,” he shouted. “Slow down, baby, I
just need you to listen to me.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Eve’s steps faltered, and his heart soared
that she might let him make it up to her.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“I don’t want to talk to you.” <u>Eve’s
voice filtered back at him from the wall of green, still out of sight.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u><span lang="EN-US">Adam put on a burst of speed, and as he
rounded the large willow tree on the banks of the stream that ran through the
garden, he caught sight of her. She was sitting on a log on the very edge of
the garden; her head was bowed down, and she was sobbing into her hands</span></u><span lang="EN-US">. His heart wrenched at the sight, knowing he’d caused her pain.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u><span lang="EN-US">He slowed down as he trod over the
uneven ground that separated them and then knelt in front of her, taking her
hands in his. She tried to pull away, but he held her fingers a little tighter</span></u><span lang="EN-US">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it when I said that
your bottom looked big in that leaf.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As shown in the example solution above,
it’s not necessary to laboriously detail the surroundings as if you are
describing them for a travel program. For example:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>The Garden of Eden was the home of Adam and
Eve. The first thing to greet you on entering the Garden of Eden was the
flowering Ash. It was a tall tree with lots of branches and flowering foliage.
As you moved through the garden there were low and high bushes that sometimes
flowered in springtime. Next was the middle of the garden . . .<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When setting the scene, incorporate what
you can naturally in the narrative or dialogue rather than provide a breakdown
of what a character sees. In the example, the location is set by where Eve ran
from (the encampment) and then more detail by way of why Adam lost sight of Eve
so quickly (the G of E was overgrown and lush with foliage). Adam & Eve’s movements
are added naturally (Eve runs, Adam chases her and finds her sitting on a log
with her head in her hands, which he then takes into his hands to plead his
case).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Adam and Eve are no longer talking heads.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8T9Ohd4W8qA/Vy9LF-ZJDbI/AAAAAAAALQM/DYDVt8PfcWgAURoWIjnndarYo_QcNA-ZwCLcB/s1600/AdobeStock_41460196.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8T9Ohd4W8qA/Vy9LF-ZJDbI/AAAAAAAALQM/DYDVt8PfcWgAURoWIjnndarYo_QcNA-ZwCLcB/s400/AdobeStock_41460196.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Look out for a future writing tip: <b>Setting
the Scene – Part 2 – Floating objects</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-46229609352921948452016-05-01T05:34:00.000-07:002016-05-01T05:34:53.471-07:00#samplesunday - COALESCENCE<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Welcome to the first #samplesunday for Driven Press. We look forward to highlighting our books on Sundays to come. Make sure to follow us on Twitter to get notice of when we post: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/DrivenPress" target="_blank">@DrivenPress</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Today we begin with <i>Coalescence</i> from Gary Starta.</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Coalescence</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">is book 1 of the Camden Investigation series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHGH4xInbrU/VxsXFd1nY0I/AAAAAAAALLw/Y32oz0Ic7oksPrhoqN-pZXzeP9yPVGbrQCLcB/s1600/Coalescence%2Be-book%2B200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHGH4xInbrU/VxsXFd1nY0I/AAAAAAAALLw/Y32oz0Ic7oksPrhoqN-pZXzeP9yPVGbrQCLcB/s1600/Coalescence%2Be-book%2B200x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.709999084472656px; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.709999084472656px; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;">Iris Camden thought she knew who her family was even if they weren’t always forthcoming. Her half sister is a medium reeling from the loss of her biological mother. Her estranged father is an obsessed government worker who cannot reveal what he does. When an artifact appears in a ghost hunting expedition, Iris is the last person who wants to believe in aliens.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace; font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;">Iris is angered by the claims of a ghost who warns of an outer-space threat. She turns to a UFO chasing scientist for answers, and Mitchell becomes convinced an alien plague in the form of light will cause a rapid evolution making humans susceptible to enemy suggestion. He is also certain her father may be part of a huge conspiracy and should not be made aware of the artifact.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , "freemono" , monospace; font-size: 15px;"></span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;">The dark secrets of her family’s past begin to unravel, and Iris will be forced to consider fantasy as reality and take the ultimate risk to save those she loves.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Please enjoy this sample chapter from the book . . .</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div align="center" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.709999084472656px; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Chapter One<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .3pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">I</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">RIS</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;"> C</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">AMDEN, LEAD</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;"> investigator of Colorado Ghost Hunters, resisted the
urge to shield herself with her hands. It would only serve to spook her team.
Besides, it was only a paperback book that had been hurled down the stairway.
Nothing too heavy, it splayed open, careening harmlessly against a wall before
sliding down a banister. Missed her by a paranormal mile—<i>this time</i>—but
what if the next projectile was less scholarly and a whole lot pointier?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">In her gut, Iris felt the book had not been merely
levitating despite the poor aim of the poltergeist. The book came from the
upstairs of the client’s home. The intent was clear. Someone wanted the
investigators out of the house. But who? She was certain her team was in
danger. The thudding of the book on wood flooring did nothing to alleviate the
pounding of her heart, which she imagined expanding in size and revealing her
fear to the team. Iris felt her heart knocking against her ribcage, paralyzing
her with fear, and cutting the tether that kept the ghost hunters glued to
reality. She was in charge, but she felt just barely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Reality was debatable. But Iris <i>liked</i> to think
reality divided the partition between the living and the spirit world. Iris
existed only in the alive, real world. Her mentor, Ron, had drilled this notion
into her ad nauseam for not only her safety but also the investigators of her
future team. Now in charge of that future team, three years after leaving Ron
and the paranormal society that educated her, she believed maintaining a grip
on that tether was paramount. It was the imaginary rope that kept her sided
with reality, joined with rationality. It was also her responsibility. Her team
depended on her. Yet, as if she were an astronaut floating precariously close
to a cold, undefined abyss of space, Iris struggled, imagining the invisible
tether becoming more and slippery and her hold of it weakening by the second.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The question screamed. <i>What should we do? </i>Her team
did not verbalize this. Yet Iris knew they were asking it. The team remained a
step behind Iris, as if awaiting her instructions. She half turned to view
them. Kassidy, at twenty-six, one year Iris’s junior, who continued to aim her
camera up the stairway, ready to record. Her curly blonde locks bounced,
tension and excitement conspiring to keep a shaky hold of her recorder. Iris
believed the digital equipment had the ability to compensate for Kassidy’s
gyrations. She wasn’t about to reprimand her. Not when her team had never
experienced a poltergeist scenario prior, and especially not when she had only
one—<i>count that one</i>—firsthand experience with an unruly spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">A glint of sun fading in late afternoon twilight
illuminated Rachel’s face briefly. Enough so Iris could recognize Rachel’s
expression as one she might have worn three years prior. The young woman, thin
as a bone, who wore her hair in a simple bob, struggled to maintain a brave
face in the wake of body consuming emotion—feelings unruly as the misbehaving
spirit, feelings tugging from within, forcing themselves to the exterior, until
the corners of Rachel’s mouth twitched, as Iris imagined her own face had once
done. At twenty-three, she was the same age as when Iris encountered her first
poltergeist. The gleam of youth kept Rachel baby-faced, invoking an image of
innocence. Guilt pangs competed with Iris’s other unwanted emotions. It was a
cacophony of internal chatter bound to force Iris to make a mistake. In this
situation, one mistake could cost a life. She already felt guilty enough about
her younger sister, the absent fourth member of the Colorado Ghost Hunters. She
couldn’t allow self-doubt to hurt her team because she was lost in a guilt fog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris willed the poltergeist to keep the projectiles aimed
at her. Foolishly, she’d opted to wear glasses today instead of contacts.
Glasses with frames so damned big they might have been fashioned in the 80s. No
matter. She would let the next object smack her in the face, smashing her
lenses, impairing her eyesight, if it meant keeping Kassidy and Rachel from
harm. Okay. Now she felt as if she were a leader. Leaders made sacrifices.
Besides, Iris never imagined herself to be a beauty. She had the kind of eyes
boys would love to drown in, Kassidy often joked. She liked to think boys, at
least one boy, might want to know her for her mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Ron, her mentor, and a man she once had a crush on, had
led her and a team of inexperienced investigators into the Stanley Hotel, the
Estes Park haunt that inspired the infamous Stephen King novel. Ron epitomized
leadership never letting his voice waver or doubt nag his confidence. Not even
when the team confronted child-sized apparitions who lobbed spheres of red
glowing light their way. Ron allowed one of those translucent red objects to
penetrate his body, keeping his team shielded in the process. The Society never
quite figured out what the red ball of light contained, but it changed Ron, a
once confident investigator who soon fell into a stupor, too inhibited to make
a mark in either the conventional world and most definitely not as a paranormal
investigator. It forever altered people’s conceptions of him. His refusal to
ever talk about the encounter led Iris and many others to conclude Ron was mad
at himself for allowing the translucent orb to shatter his confidence. He not
only sequestered himself away from ghost hunting but from Iris. Iris wished he
had opened up. Maybe he couldn’t. Maybe he had been demonized. Just what could
a ball of light do to a person? It seemed insane to even ask this question. But
the event forced Iris to bury her feelings for Ron and move on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris couldn’t blame anyone for the predicament she was
in. She came into it voluntarily. If some other object or projectile would
strike her, violate her, she would allow it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">But was this sacrifice forged from bravery or nagging
waves of guilt?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .3pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“W</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">E’RE NOT </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">here to harm you. The owners of this home <i>do
not</i> want to harm you.” The words rang oddly in Iris’s head. Sure, they
weren’t here to harm, especially since they were the ones on the receiving side
of the spirit’s angst. A break in its restlessness allowed Iris time to say
those words for her team’s benefit. Reinforcement to keep the team believing
they could reckon with the force that set things in flight one floor above
them. They had a chance to negotiate with it because it was intelligent. It had
maneuvered the Morses out of the home, and it was doing a pretty good job at
keeping the ghost hunters at bay. All were crouched low in the small foyer
located between the front door and the upstairs staircase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Their proximity to safety tempted Iris to give Kassidy
and Rachel her permission to escape through the front door. That door, Iris
reminded herself, was their path to reality. The staircase, eerily swathed in
shadow and light, led to what the ghost falsely perceived to be <i>its</i>
reality. The ghost had no business trying to live in the upstairs of a
three-bedroom, two-bath, single family home. It was supposed to live in the
confines of a dimension reserved for souls who crossed over. It was all pretty
simple, really. Iris just had to convince it to leave—to crossover. Things
would be a whole lot easier if they could establish a dialogue, but they didn’t
have the means any more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris’s younger sister DJ, a medium, had left the team
some months ago. She had a valid reason. Iris could not dismiss her sister’s
profound sadness because it affected her almost just as much. The very fact it
didn’t quite affect Iris <i>as much </i>as it did DJ was the whole problem in
itself. Guilt washed over her each time she replayed the events leading up to
the tragedy. As a psychic she should have been given a warning, but possessing
supernatural abilities didn’t mean you always had an unfair advantage. This
realization hovered over Iris as if a shadow from the forthcoming night. It
blanketed her with continuous doubt. She could only sense a presence in the
client’s home. Knowledge veiled just like it was prior to DJ’s accident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Who was this ghost? She had no clue. No advantage. The
homeowners were the original occupants. No one had ever died here. She had no
idea what the spirit wanted. There was one straw to grasp at, however.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 1.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The teen boy of the home had purportedly found an object
on the roadside. Curiosity and inexperience conspired to leave the boy no
choice but to claim it as a bedroom trophy. It could very well be the reason
the ghost had appeared simultaneously with the advent of the unidentified
object. “Is the object the reason for your presence?” Iris asked. She would
have to wait for technology to bring her an answer. If the ghost did answer,
its voice would be recorded on the team’s digital recorder as an EVP,
electronic voice phenomena. Iris balled her fist in frustration. She needed
real-time answers. She needed her sister’s ability. She needed DJ back on her
team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The arrival of this unknown dial-like thing and the ghost
were too coincidental to dismiss. Iris wouldn’t wait for answers. She believed
finding out what the dial-like thing was—something she could only label as The
Object—would give pretty good clues. She would ascend the stairs and take it
from the home for the safety of her clients. As if the ghost was reading her
mind, the dial-like object appeared, paranormally, hovering. It swooped and
rose, left and to the right, in the hall just above the stairs. It swooped like
it had intelligence. Was this an illusion? Possibly the ghost was simply moving
the dial with its intent. And maybe this was all about intimidation. <i>Okay,
so you know what we came for? Question is: are you going to let us take it
peacefully, or will we have to battle you? </i>Iris wondered if the ghost was
in her head. She had just presented one very unfavorable option. Would the
poltergeist choose war over peace? The likelihood was probable. Why else would
it have terrified the Morses? It might be protecting the object as if it owned
it. It might perceive the teen as a thief. But if so, why just scare the
family? Why not bloody them? For that matter, why not do the same to the ghost
hunters? There had to be a missing piece to this puzzle. Iris resolved she
would confiscate the dial-like object for study.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris raised a hand to signal Rachel. Screw trepidation.
“Rachel, please retrieve a blanket, duffel bag, and lacrosse stick from my
trunk.” She fumbled keys from her pocket and handed them to her wide-eyed
colleague. “We’re going to take the dial forcibly. I suspect we’ll have to do
it unconventionally.” Rachel nodded as if a child lost in a snowstorm. Iris concluded
the young ghost hunter comprehended her instructions but was failing to
register them as reality. Iris had to admit chasing a flying object with a
lacrosse stick smacked of desperation, but it was a plan. Iris wondered many
times if she had taken action three years ago, could she have spared Ron?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris had failed to save Ron, her sister, or her
stepmother for that matter. She had two women at her side at the moment. Women
she valued more than just mere colleagues. She had to give them an option.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Guys, I wouldn’t think any less of you for leaving right
now. We’ve possibly bitten off a lot more than we can chew.” The crunch of
splintered wood from above interrupted. “You can leave the supplies at the door
for me . . .”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Kassidy mouthed the word “no” from behind her camera.
Rachel placed her hand on Kassidy’s shoulder, conveying a gesture of
solidarity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The dial had left their scope of vision. They would have
to hunt for it—as a unit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Okay, then we march those stairs as one. Rachel, we’ll
wait right here for you. Please hurry.” Rachel nodded and skidded herself
backwards, knees as skis on the wooden flooring. In a second, she was out the
door. Now came the waiting. Seconds dripped by as slow as coffee seems to drip
from the brewer when you need a caffeine hit. And Iris needed time to move
quicker. She needed to make a move before she let the same fear that now
engulfed her sister take charge of her as well. She couldn’t let her reality be
taken from her. But up above, away from the terror in the home, a glowering
orange ball of light escaped her notice. She was lost in a time fog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">A </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">SLAM OF</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;"> the door from behind signaled Rachel’s
return. But things had changed in those slow-moving minutes. Items were still
being hurled; books were replaced by a hair dryer, a soccer ball, and a box of
Kleenex. But it was the temperature changes and the way Iris perceived time
moving differently that forced her to think outside of the paranormal box. The
conditions were not the norm for any kind of a haunting, even one that involved
a poltergeist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Kassidy scratched at her neck with a free hand, the other
still filming. “You feel it too, don’t you?” Iris asked Kassidy in slow
monosyllables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Feel what?” Rachel asked. She paused. “Oh, this is
weird. I’m sweating. We should be feeling cold right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“This <i>is </i>weird,” Iris answered. As soon as she
moved her eyes from a handheld device back up the stairs, the situation
intensified from weird to weirder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“What’s going on?” Kassidy asked, almost as if she were
pleading with her camera to tell her what was transpiring. A bottle slipped
through a wall. A back scrubber danced in mid-air. Weird became weirder as
Kassidy continued to record what a realist might dub the impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Are you getting this?” Iris asked. Jaw dropped. Salon
products continued dancing through one wall and into another, and Iris wondered
how much longer one of them wouldn’t be injured by this activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris felt her brows scrunch closer together. As far as
Iris Camden knew, no ghost hunter had ever reported such an event. Sure,
apparitions seemingly shifted through walls and doors. But these objects were
not apparitions. They were bottles of Pantene and VO5, simple concoctions of
botanicals and chemicals. Not ever considered alive. Especially not in their
present state, bottled in plastic . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Watch yourself!” Iris screamed. A stray bottle decided
not to follow the crowd, adhering to the laws of gravity instead and bouncing
down the stairs as if a beach ball. Spinning end over end, the bottle missed
Rachel’s head by an inch. It careened off the door behind her; its lid
compromised, white conditioner spewed onto the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The women all stared at it for a nanosecond. Iris was
sure they were thinking the same thought. What if this is somehow alive? But
they didn’t have time to analyze. Next, another shower friendly product joined
the flotation parade. <i>Who would have thought a shower bar would ever become
a threat? </i>But it had. The steel, spring action, rod came as easily through
the walls as the bottles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">It clanked off one wall, then the other. Maybe this time
the poltergeist believed it to be more fun to keep walls on the solid side.
Iris had had enough of the poltergeist’s <i>fun</i>. She sprang from her crouch
to take action. Hurtling herself up the stairs, she was determined to catch the
rod before it became a harmful projectile to her colleagues. She cast her right
hand forward, the other occupied with equipment. It wasn’t her natural catching
hand. She was a lefty. This often gave her advantages and disadvantages on the
lacrosse field back in school. Right now, it was a clear disadvantage. She
missed the rod, which continued bounding down the stairs, hitting her foot,
causing her boot to slip ever so slightly. Enough to make her lose balance and
come crashing toward her team as the rod had threatened. She rolled backward
into Kassidy, who lost the grip on her camcorder upon impact. All the women
bore the same expressions of shock. “The camera, check the camera,” Iris
demanded, sprawled across Rachel’s lap in the resemblance of a scarecrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“I’m trying,” Rachel said through clenched teeth. It was
as if she were willing her arm to grow, the cam mere inches from her grasp. The
weight of Iris on her wasn’t helping matters. She had no flexibility to reach
over Iris. As if mocking them, the shower rod lay resting on the bottom stair,
lifeless and now harmless. Its mission of destruction completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Oh sh—” Iris didn’t have to finish her thought. The
question was answered by the camera. Its view screen was a mesh of static.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris scrambled to her knees, retrieved the device, and
handed it to Rachel. “Bag it in the duffel. We’ll see if we can salvage it
later.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Rachel was busy inspecting the EMF meter and the digital
recorder Iris had dropped during her tumble. “They’re not working either.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The team traded glances. Evidence of the paranormal
activity, the <i>extreme </i>paranormal activity they just witnessed, might be
eviscerated. They had seen it. But who would believe the passing of objects
through walls? And besides the loss of visual documentation, the failure of the
recording device might very well spell an end to any thought of communication
between them and the poltergeist. Furthermore, it would be impossible to get
any electromagnetic readings from the strange object—if they should still be
able to confiscate it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The setback angered Iris. Her team seemed to feed on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Rachel and Kassidy chimed in unison, “Let’s take that
dial.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“But guys,” Iris warned, “there’s no need for you to come
with. Without the equipment, you don’t need . . .”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Kassidy interrupted. “Excuse us, but you still need us to
bag the dial. You didn’t exactly fare so great with the shower rod.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris would have smiled if the situation weren’t so
serious. She couldn’t. “Okay. I admit I could use a hand.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Besides,” Rachel added, “this is the <i>shit. </i>I’m
not leaving.” This time Rachel’s innocence and determination forced a grin from
Iris.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Yeah, Rachel, this is the shit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">A stray glance up the stairs caught the dial again
hovering before them at the top of the stairs, as if sent there by an
intelligence that could read their minds and was toying with them. Iris had to
infer this was indeed a game, maybe one with no more intent than to humiliate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Give me that stick, Rachel.” Iris retrieved the shower
rod the ghost had thrown at them and headed up the stairs, the team in tow. She
grumbled, “No more games.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">D</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">ESPITE THE </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">team’s determination, the ghost opted for
nothing less than mischief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">After ascending the stairs in calculated chess-like
maneuvers to avoid some more objects being hurled their way—among them a fan, a
wig, and a jar of makeup remover, the ghost hunters found the teen’s bedroom to
their right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The object, some strange, round obsidian dial with
protruding points reminiscent of hands on a clock—but with arrows—seemed too
foreign to be mistaken for a toy. Iris wondered what grasping onto any one of
the protruding arrows might produce. Toys were technical marvels in this day
and age, but this thing was something else. Any fleeting thought that this was
all a hoax evaporated upon brief inspection because as soon as she maneuvered
her stick, it hopped. Bug like. It gave the women fits as each time Iris laid
the stick’s wicket over it, it rolled and bounded away. The cat and mouse game
continued bringing the women up and down the hallway from the teen’s bedroom to
the master bed several times. Finally, Iris managed to catch the dial in mid
air, but in the process the butt end of her stick caught Rachel in the stomach,
knocking both the wind and final bout of energy from the young investigator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Scooping it from blanket into bag was less remarkable.
The dial put up no fight. It seemed as if the ghost wanted the dial taken from
the premises. Yet it all made little sense. The poltergeist appeared in tandem
with the artifact as if it were pursuing it. So what was the point of allowing
it to be taken, especially after behaving so badly?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris allowed the team no time to ponder, practically
shoving each woman out the door. They contained the dial in the trunk where
they waited for several minutes in observation. They had no means to record
electromagnetic activity. Iris cautioned it could be emitting radiation and
they should resist any further urges to inspect it. That was easier said than
done. There were so many questions. They entered the car without further
incident from their trunk’s cargo. Pulling away, Iris’s mind ever occupied in
thought, she and her team failed to notice yet another anomaly. An orange-white
light danced directly above the client’s home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">T</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">O QUIET </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">the voices in their heads, the team pursued
less otherworldly undertakings, namely alcoholic drinks at their favorite
tavern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Rachel frowned after downing a shot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Ah, a little too much whiskey for you, Rache?” Kassidy
teased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“It’s my watch. It’s not synched with the bar clock.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“So,” Kassidy said, “we all know bar time is fast. They
want to get the patrons out before the actual closing time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“No,” Iris said. “It’s not that. My watch is off too.
Wait a minute.” Iris asked a patron what time was on his Smartphone. When he
flashed it to her, she grimaced. “We’ve lost time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Kassidy grunted. “You mean like in those alien shows?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Iris didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She didn’t believe in
beings that could change the reality of her world. Science was science. There
was no time bending. No time halting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Yet the other unexplained events of the night competed
against her obstinacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Most haunts left a house chilled. Yet the team sweated as
if it weren’t early spring but summer. Objects levitated through walls. A
complete breach of gravity, or whatever, kept walls from dematerializing.
Clocks had somehow stopped and restarted, despite being dropped to the floor.
And what about that damned dial? It appeared so alien. Iris flashed back to
Kassidy’s face, which had reflected on the dial as they bagged it. It remained
obsidian despite its reflecting capability. What need would a ghost have for
such an object? And it did seem, without too much conjecture from her team, the
entire haunting generated from its existence. Drinks quieted Iris’s mind a bit,
until the ever-inquisitive Kassidy began demanding an explanation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Kassidy probed Iris, perhaps a little too doggedly—thanks
to two mixed drinks—for answers to this unexplained phenomena.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Guys, I really don’t know what we just dealt with. I think
we have to consider this might not be a haunting in the strict sense of the
word.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“What does that exactly mean?” Kassidy said. An
alcohol-induced smile plastered on her lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“It means we still have a ghost in a home who can explain
the purpose of this dial. What is it for? How did a child come to find it? The
mechanical breakdowns, the heated temperature inside the
home . . . I hate to say it, but our artifact appears to have
come from outer space.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Kassidy poked her arm. “You never believed in the little
green men theory.” Kassidy broke her gaze with Iris after a staring contest.
“You’re not kidding are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“You’re sloshed, Kassidy,” Rachel reprimanded. “And Iris
quit shitting us. I know we’ve had a few, but it’s no time to be playing with
us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“No, Rachel, I’m not playing. I’m just realizing this
investigation is beyond our capabilities. Maybe this thing is just space
debris, maybe it isn’t. But either way we’re going to need to consult someone
who is familiar with UFOs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The slim bartender, who earlier had been towel-drying
glasses behind the bar, startled them as he suddenly appeared at the women’s
table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Talk about unidentified,” Kassidy squawked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Rachel tugged Kassidy’s sleeve and mouthed, “Be quiet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“It’s okay, guys,” Iris said. “We have nothing to hide.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Hey, I’m Jim,” the bartender announced. “That’s what I’m
here for, bar psychologist for the tipsy. So having ‘nothing to hide’ isn’t
really new for me. But I will admit I did eavesdrop . . . a
little.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Kassidy barked more than laughed. “So, you double as the
bar’s soccer mom?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">Jim rolled his eyes at Kassidy, then stared straight at
Iris. “Now, what can I help you with?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“Oh, probably nothing,” Iris answered. “We’re ghost
hunters, and we came across some unusual circumstances this evening. It seems
we need the opinion of someone who fancies UFOs. But I suppose you wouldn’t
know anyone . . .”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">“You’re in luck.” Jim fished a cell from his pocket and
scrolled his contact list. “Yeah, this is the guy, Mitchell. He was in here a
few months back asking everybody about a report of lights in the sky. Nobody
here knew anything, but he left his number with me just in case. Anyway, he
says all reports are confidential. I guess most of his informants fear they’re
going to be taken away in nets or something.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #00000a;">The vision of the
lacrosse stick corralling the dial, or whatever this artifact might be, flashed
in Iris’s mind. Just how long could she contain this thing? In desperation, she
scrawled Mitchell’s number onto a napkin. Although she was perplexed and probably
dealing with something harmful, a small part of Iris felt as if she had come
alive again. For so long she had lived as a ghost, in the past, wallowing in
regret about DJ and Ron. For the first time, in a long time, Iris Camden felt
as if she was living in the here and now.</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3592525958848288793" name="_Chapter_Two"></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 15px;"><i>Coalescence</i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 11pt;"> is available in e-book and print from all major sellers. Details for </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 15px;"><i>Coalescence</i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">, including </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">sellers' links, are at</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">:</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-18228127072982539182016-04-16T02:31:00.000-07:002016-04-16T02:31:10.203-07:00Timed Out... RELEASE DAY!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-indent: 0cm;">Driven Press is excited to announce the release of Barbara Lorna Hudson's women's literary fiction novel, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-indent: 0cm;">Timed Out,</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-indent: 0cm;"> in paperback and e-book formats world-wide today.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Timed Out<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Jane Lambert thinks she may have made a mistake putting her work ahead of love and family for so long. She’s left wondering what to do with her life now that she has retired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Taking note of the sentiment from one of her retirement cards⎯Retirement is NOT the end. It’s a NEW BEGINNING⎯she decides it’s about time she looked for love again, and places a lonely hearts advertisement. Jane embarks on her new life, suffering disappointments and learning hard truths about herself, while never losing her gift for self mockery or her eye for the absurd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Timed Out is a contemporary “coming-of-age” novel about different kinds of love and the search for a meaningful life.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Praise for <i>Timed Out</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Lovely lucid fiction, poignant and bittersweet. A story of late life romance told with honesty and wit.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">—Adam Foulds, author of ManBooker shortlisted <i>The Quickening Maze</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>The important question of how we should live the last decades of our life is timely. Timed Out explores this question in a poignant and truthful manner.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">—Michelle Spring, Cambridge novelist.</span></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 21.4667px;">Excerpt</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A good way to exercise your brain and meet new people
is to sign up for continuing education. During those first weeks of retirement,
I attended a course on the English Civil War.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">Lecture number three focused on King Charles I and his
family. As the audience was assembling, I caught sight of a once</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">-</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">familiar figure
taking his seat a few rows forward from me. I guessed he’d retired to
Cambridge. It wasn’t unusual to come upon people I’d known when we were
students, people who somehow found their way back to Cambridge in later years,
like homing pigeons released from cages far away. This man’s hair was white and
his face was lined and fallen, and I noticed with sadness that he walked with a
stick. He turned and scanned the lecture hall. His gaze rested on me briefly,
and he turned away. I glanced down at my notebook, examined the liver spots on
my hands, and then looked furtively up again and saw that he was studying me,
puzzled, half-recognising me, perhaps.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">His name? It was strange to have forgotten, for he was
important to me once, an early Cambridge romance. We’d spent a few steamy,
strenuous afternoons in bed in his college room. The name came to me at last:
Peter . . . Richards or Richardson. His favourite song was “<i>Dites</i>
<i>moi</i> <i>pourquoi</i> <i>la</i> <i>vie</i> <i>est</i> <i>belle?</i> <i>Dites</i>
<i>moi</i> <i>pourquoi</i> <i>la</i> <i>vie</i> <i>est</i> <i>gai?</i>” And, it
is true, our lives were beautiful and merry in those days. Two years ahead of
me, he had left to work overseas, and we soon lost touch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The lecture began. We were shown photos of the statues
of King Charles and Queen Henrietta Maria, both of them flattered, glossy in
bronze, gazing at one another from opposite sides of the quad in St John’s
College Oxford. The lecturer pointed out that though they looked a handsome
couple, in reality the King was very short and the Queen had a twisted spine
and sticking-out teeth. Charles was a faithful, adoring husband. The royal
couple commemorated their reunion after the Battle of Edgehill with a special coin.
While the court was in Oxford, they spent their afternoons together; the King
came out of Christchurch to the Queen’s rooms in Merton College through the
small gateway they say was made specially for him. He rode at her side all the
way from Oxford to Abingdon, where they parted for the last time, and she
fainted when they had to say goodbye. As I looked up at the portraits of
Charles and Henrietta Maria on the screen, I felt—ridiculous though it was—I
felt envious. How could anyone envy a long-dead, failed, beheaded king and the
sorrowing queen he left behind? Yet I couldn’t help but admire Charles and
Henrietta Maria for their enduring love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After the lecture, in order to avoid coming face to
face with Peter Richards or Richardson, I hurried to the exit, carrying away
those faint but pleasant memories, wanting to keep what was left of them
intact. And not wanting him to see me in close-up, elderly and changed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">About Barbara Lorna Hudson</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A farmer’s daughter from Cornwall, Barbara Lorna Hudson studied at Newnham College, Cambridge. She started out as a psychiatric social worker before becoming an Oxford tutor. She is an Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After many publications in social work, psychiatry, and psychology, she has re-invented herself as a fiction writer over the last few years. Barbara has published over twenty short stories and been listed in several short story competitions. The first draft of Timed Out (written during a University of East Anglia Certificate Course) won first prize in the Writers’ Village Novel Competition and it was on the short list for the Exeter Novel Prize.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Barbara belongs to a writers’ group run by Blackwell’s Bookshop and The Oxford Editors, and she is also a regular performer at a story-telling club.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438540878335599925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592525958848288793.post-21302486020330226242016-04-01T09:11:00.001-07:002016-04-02T19:48:37.589-07:00Release Day! A Keeper's Truth by Dee Willson<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Driven Press is very happy to announce the release of literary romance <i>A Keeper’s Truth</i> in paperback and e-book formats world-wide today. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;">A Keeper’s Truth<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Every one of us has a soul.<br />Some are new, some old, and a few, the dangerous, are lost.<br />But only twelve know why we have a soul at all.<br />Only twelve remember mankind’s forbidden past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Tess thinks she’s going crazy when only she sees the naked man in the crowded café, comatose woman in his arms. The nightmares, the visions: something’s not right. But Tess is entitled to moments of insanity. She’s the daughter of mental illness, suicide, and her husband was just killed in a car accident, leaving her an inept single mom at twenty-six.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">Then Tess meets Bryce, Carlisle’s illusive bachelor who spins tales from ancient mythology with knowledge beyond his years. His truths intrigue Tess, pull her from the depths, and might just be what she needs to survive.</span><span style="background-color: #edeff0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">Compulsively readable, A Keeper’s Truth is an emotionally charged tale of fate, belief, and the power of the human mind. A story that will have you questioning everything you know about the history of mankind, and wondering if somewhere, deep inside, you knew the truth all along.</span><span style="background-color: #edeff0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 21.4667px;">Excerpt</span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My name is Tess. I’m the daughter of a liar. And unhinged.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Tess is the name on the sticker stuck to my shirt above my right boob. I wonder why it says that, no one uses my name anymore. It should read: Oh, I’m sorry. Or the extended version: Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I’m greeted with pouty lips and sad eyes. Instant reminders . . . as if I need to be reminded my husband is dead. Meyer has been gone five months, two days, sixteen hours, and twenty-two minutes. The last two minutes only slightly better than the first.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I’m standing in my daughter’s classroom, waiting for my turn to meet her kindergarten teacher, Ms. Bubbly. Actually, her name is Ms. Rainer, but since she wears no sticker herself, I’ve taken the liberty to provide her with an appropriate title, one with more verve. I hover in the back corner, pretending to be enthralled with drawings of horses stapled to the bulletin board. Well, I think they’re horses, or ponies, or some sort of animal with four legs; they really aren’t all that easy to decipher. I’m grateful for the distraction. I’m a shell, a remnant, a shadow of my former self.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I catch a glimpse of affection, a naturally intimate gesture between lovers. His hand on her waist, her leaning into his shoulder while whispering in his ear. I draw a mouthful of air, the word widow encasing me like a tomb, and scan the crowd again, hoping to see Thomas. He’s the only other single parent I know of. He’s not here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It must be my turn to speak to Ms. Bubbly. She reaches out and with a strained voice says, “So sorry to learn about your loss.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Great, just what I wanted to hear. I look at my nametag and tighten my arms into their usual position, holding my insides, inside. I realize my lack of finesse a moment too late, and Ms. Bubbly drops her hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“So . . . Abby . . .” I can’t think of anything more to say. My mind is mush.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ms. Bubbly briefs me on her first weeks with my daughter, nothing I don’t already know. Abby is quiet. Abby’s working on her printing skills, her b’s and d’s are backwards. Abby likes to play with Thomas’s daughter, Sofia, her best friend from junior kindergarten. Ms. Bubbly ends with, “Abby seems to be coping,” and I stare at my shoes, the word coping caught in my throat. “Yes, under the circumstances, Abby is doing well,” Mrs. Bubbly says, her animation dwindling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I realize she’s striving for sincerity, but I can’t help but wonder which circumstance she’s referring to: Abby being fatherless or my inability to raise her alone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Good,” I say, because it’s Tuesday, opposite day according to the blackboard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ms. Bubbly’s attention wanders, and I consider revoking her title as I mumble goodbye, head for the door, and tear the name tag from my shirt. Head down, I smack my forehead into something solid, then recoil, instinct requiring an assessment of the battle wound.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It hurts already. Life just won’t toss me a break.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“My apologies, Tess,” says an unfamiliar voice. A rich, masculine voice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My eyes follow the six feet four inches of triple-threat black—boots, jeans, leather jacket—to land on two-day stubble and a large hand rubbing the contours of a chiseled chin. Apparently life can get worse. I’ve collided with Adonis, the kind that stops your heart from beating just long enough to make you forget all the ones who came before, offering nothing but hollow promises and seasoned moves. Been there, done that, burned the shirt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It dawns on me he said my name, no condolences.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Do I know you?” I ask, my gaze rising from his chin to his eyes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Wow. His gray eyes and dark lashes are . . . mesmerizing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I doubt we’ve met. Tess, it’s the name on your sticker,” he says, pointing to the name tag now on the floor. His hair, dark and cropped, is windblown and off kilter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I grab the closest chair, attempting to overcome the strangest sensation, like I’m a feather, floating.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You all right?” His European accent has an almost liquid quality, at odds with his rugged appearance. “Allow me.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Relocating his motorcycle helmet from one hip to the other and balancing it under his forearm, he bends to collect my sticker from the floor. Something shimmers, my vision suddenly malfunctioning, and for a split second he’s draped in a luxurious white fur, a blanket of sorts, reaching for a bright colored scarf at his feet, big and bare. His movements are gentle and deliberate, but fast, as if I am watching in fast-forward. With the conclusion of one blink he’s back to normal, leather clad arm outstretched toward me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I stand stock-still, holding the chair for support, trying to bring my eyes into focus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You okay?” He thrusts the sticker at me a second time, I think.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I survey body parts, grateful gravity has kept me intact.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I’ve been better.” I squeeze my eyes tight, trying to recall what I’d seen, but it’s gone, as if wiped from memory, leaving just a weird sense of déjà vu. Man, I’ve fallen apart since Meyer’s been gone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“You have,” he says, and my eyes pop open to stare. He’s smiling, amused. “Too much caffeine maybe.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Have I met this guy before? He doesn’t look like anyone I know, but there is something about him, something familiar. It’s not a good feeling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Right, caffeine,” I say, lying. I gave up caffeine when I was pregnant with Abby and never looked back.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He grins like a hyena. “Your eyes playing tricks?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My mother, in one of her moods, would’ve wiped that smirk away with a kiss. And he’d have let her, stranger or not. She was intoxicating. But I’m not my mother, and my brief lapse in sanity doesn’t require justification. I’m a twenty-six-year-old widow with no idea how to pull it together, so I ignore his question and settle for diversion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Are you a teacher here?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“Not here,” he says. “I promised my niece I’d stop by to meet hers.” He takes my hand. “Bryce, Bryce Waters,” he says, planting a soft kiss on the back of my fingers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Stunned, I search his face for the slightest hint of perversion, a reason to club him, but I see nothing but a gentleman in wolf’s clothing. Still, I pull my hand away.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">“I’m not the teacher.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He tilts his head. “You’re Tess.” My name drips from his lips like melted butter and warning bells sound in my head, loud and clear. “You’ll need ice for that bruise.” He points to my head. “Take care of yourself.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A gritty moan vibrates my teeth when I touch my forehead and discover a bump the size of Mount St. Helens. It throbs, making me take note of the headache creeping in. Somewhere under the surface I’m mortified I plowed into this guy without an apology or concern for his chin. I can’t bring myself to grasp the emotion, so I draw a deep breath and say, “Always do,” as I shuffle past and without another word, walk straight out the door.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">About Dee Willson</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Dee Willson felt the writer’s call at fifteen, when she penned her first novel and received her first rejection to go with it. Over twenty years later, Dee Willson has </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">published short stories, interviews, contributed to blogs, </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">and wrote the novel <i>A Keeper’s Truth</i>, followed by <i>GOT</i> (<i>Gift of Travel</i>). </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">She currently resides in Burlington, Ontario, with her husband and their two daughters. Visit her online at </span><a href="http://www.deewillson.com/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">www.deewillson.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> and on Twitter @denisewillson</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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