Monday, June 25, 2012

Short story Chapter 4.


 Here's the latest addition to the story. Hope you like it. As always, you can find chapters 1-3 in my earlier posts 
Tech-nesh
4.

            Ben didn’t even have his dreams to himself anymore as he slept, reclining in his office chair. He was surrounded by articles and papers, strewn, haphazardly all around him. Ben didn’t even seem to take better care of the hacked record of Stacy’s foster care that he had worked tirelessly to acquire or the police file about the Black widow killer that had stretched his moral boundaries to the limit to obtain. The mess was nothing in comparison to the disorder this situation was growing in his mind. His latest search for answers had led him into a frantic almost visceral hunger. There had to be a connection, something that could unmask this murderer without incriminating himself, because after all, Ben had thought to himself, all criminals make mistakes.
            The alarm clock next to his cold bed erupted into its cumbersome ringing. Ben launched out of his chair, long arms flailing, heart pounding, papers sent drifting to the floor. Just then his watch joined in the disorienting noise too. He lifted his wrist to turn off the alarm, blinking the pleasant dreams about Stacy out of his head.  It was four o’clock. She would be off work soon; time to escort her home.
            He reached for his shoes under the desk and one of the fallen papers caught his attention. He had read it a few times before; it was an article about Stacy’s husband’s funeral. His death had been a big blow to the small community that they had lived in and most of the town came to the memorial service which was apparent in the photo that went along with the article. And then something jumped out at him that he hadn’t noticed before. Within the grieving crowd behind Stacy and the casket stood a man that he had seen recently. Ben’s eyes widened angrily; how had he not noticed before. How could this have escaped his meticulous searching? He had seen this man twice in the last month at Stacy’s office building. He had thought something was suspicious about the way he walked up to the entrance and then abruptly turned and returned to his car.
            Ben poured over this new discovery during his covert drive behind Stacy’s car as she made her way home in the evening traffic. He made room for the article in the passenger seat by tossing the bills he had gotten in today’s mail to the back of the car with the others. He didn’t have the money to pay for them anyway now that he no longer had time in his arduous new lifestyle for his job.
            Outside her apartment, he tucked into his usual parking spot behind a dumpster where he began his nightly watch. He had also just finished adding up all the variables in his head for the last time. The man in the picture, the man that Ben had seen outside Stacy’s work seemed to fit the profile. From the case file Ben learned that the Black Widow Killer is known to select his victims while attending their spouse’s funeral. The murderer then brutally kills the mourning widow within the week, but Stacy had moved suddenly and left everything behind to start a new life. This explained the strange, unfinished personal information Ben found imbedded in that returned computer so many months ago.
            It seemed like an eternity ago when he went about his meticulous, orderly life as if it made sense. And now all that mattered to him was preserving the life of the woman he loved; a woman who didn’t know he even exists. He wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt her; she was all that mattered. In his resolute train of thought Ben, ironically almost overlooked the shadowed figure walking down the sidewalk in front of Stacy’s apartment. He didn’t notice until the person walked up her steps and looked over the directory, underlined Stacy’s name with a finger, and pause suspiciously before descending the stairs again.
            Ben’s heart raced with anticipation as the person slowly walked under the street light and revealed his face. It was him; Ben knew it and with complete certainty. This is the man from the article picture, the man Ben saw at Stacy’s office; her intended murderer.
                                                            To be continued...

Thursday, June 14, 2012


My feature today is a blog that belongs to a dear friend of  mine.
                                                                                      
 Yes, you guessed it, Author Nik Barnabee!

Or, if you run in twitter circles, you can call her @GargoylePhan.

You won't find her out and about early in the day, because she runs with her pals Max and Jake.....at night and like Max and Jake, sleeps in until all hours of the afternoon. Yep, they are night owls. Or maybe night cats would be more suitable. :-)

I guess that's when Nikki hits her creative stride. When she gets on a roll, there is no stoping her.

Her short stories will intrigue you! Her latest is called "POOF!" It's about a four year old little girl..........to die for! And then there is "Becca" once a very sweet girl.....not so sweet any longer!

Well, you get the picture, don't you?

Nikki has a very unique voice and you will love the way she can spin a tale!

If you'd like to know more about Nik Barnabee, click here. Leave comments on her blog and she will actually answer you And while your at it, read the excerpt of her WIP...."NAILS" crime/thriller novel. Want to learn more about Max and Jake? Read her "CatWorld" page. You'll learn how Jake came about and how much Max misses Scully. Nope, I'm not saying another word....you'll have to read their story.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Living Soul by S.B. Niccum

Living Soul (Veiled Series) by S.B. Niccum

The first book of this series is Veiled,  one of those books you can't put down. Living Soul is the sequel and does not disappoint. But be ready to read because you aren't going to stop until you finish. This is a series you are going to get hooked on.  Niccum's style is enchanting, engaging and emotionally riveting.


Veiled from her previous existence as a gifted Angel, Tess is now a mere mortal growing up in foster care with her autistic foster brother, Dorian, and a twisted foster sister, Agatha—whose main goal in life is to torture them both.

Tess’ life has been dull and average at best; but all that changes with one look. When she inadvertently gazes into the eyes of the most popular guy in school—Alex Preston—Tess sees a glimpse of her previous existence.

Uncomprehending, Tess, wonders what those memories are and why she now feels like she knows Alex better than anyone in this world. More importantly, why is he haunting her dreams? Dreams so vivid, that they blur the lines of reality, awakening a slew of inexplicable paranormal abilities she didn’t know she possessed.

Frustrated and confused, Tess lives a double life… one where Alex has a girlfriend and Tess is a normal high school girl. And another, where spirits, visions, and dreams are true.

Is she going crazy or is she secretly dating Alex in her dreams?


Available on Amazon....Kindle and Paperback

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Short story/ Chapter 3

For Chapters 1 and 2 refer to my earlier posts. Enjoy!

Tech-nesh

3.

            Stacy sat in her usual shady spot out side her work, eating what appeared to Ben to be a tuna sandwich on wheat and baby carrots. A few days ago she ate in a different location and he had nearly called the police before he found her in her parked car. He knew he couldn’t just continue stalking her like this but he hadn’t worked out a better plan yet. His search for the name and whereabouts of the Black Widow Killer wasn’t going well, which still left Ben with no real evidence other than the self incriminating files in his apartment. He hoped it wouldn’t come to it but he wouldn’t let Stacy get murdered to keep him self out of jail. So for now he kept close tabs on her in the hopes of keeping her alive. Fortunately for him, she led a pretty predictable schedule.   
            She took her time, taking delicate bites, alternating between the two victuals; always setting the food down between bites.  He wondered if her eating behavior had anything to do with her excessive exercising. From what he could see from her partially opened drapes at her apartment, she spent nearly all her free time on her treadmill. 
            Ben’s interest in her complex character had only heightened in this last couple of weeks watching over her. She was beautiful and successful; carrying her self in a confident way that told most nerdy, lanky guys like him self to crawl in a hole and die rather than try to approach her. But Ben knew her better than that. Inside she was uncommonly kind, unsure of everything and generally lost.
            In his further study of her, he found a news paper article from her small home town near Butte. He learned that she was thrown into foster care after her parents and older brother, Mark were killed in a bear attack while camping in Montana. A toddler at the time she was being watched by a neighbor, which became her first of many short term homes. The credentials of her resume suggested to Ben that she pushed herself beyond her unfortunate upbringing. Ben often wondered why she couldn’t seem to see what an amazing accomplishment that is. Sometimes he wished someday, somehow he’d have a chance to tell her what an incredible person he has found her to be.
            As he watched her pack up her belongings through the screen on his phone; her soft brown hair brushing off her shoulder by a breeze, He forced himself to recognize that she was not the only one in danger. He was falling in love with her.    

To be continued...