all my literary musings --for books and comedy.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Writer's Sanctuary: The Author's Memory Bank by Dellani Oakes
Writer's Sanctuary: The Author's Memory Bank by Dellani Oakes: Authors look at life from a unique angle. What seems like a regular day to anyone else, presents opportunities to an author. Each event s...
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
A SNEAK PEAK AT DEAD END BY GERALD DARNELL
A filthy mixture of snow, ice, Arkansas mud and blood filled my mouth
- the gritty mess was making it almost impossible to breathe. Eyes still closed, and trying not to choke, I
rolled my head to the left and spit the nauseating mixture onto the bright snow. Apparently my nose was broken, because after
relieving my mouth of the irritation, it quickly filled with the warm and sweet
taste of blood – my blood. Oddly,
despite the trauma of the last few minutes, my thoughts and head were
remarkably clear – making me wonder if I might be in the early stages of
shock. I’d never been there before.
Silence was everywhere, only disturbed by the sound of light snow
falling, and thankfully covering my dry lips. I licked at the welcome moisture
and slowly opened my eyes, not knowing what I might see.
A fuzzy gray sky, white falling snow and fading daylight stared back
at me - looking down at where I lay - in a dirty, wet ditch, somewhere in
Arkansas.
The human body is a smart and complex machine. When any of the five senses aren’t working
properly, it directs another to pick up the slack. Without sound or vision, my suffering nose
was receiving input about my current situation and relaying that information to
the brain, it didn’t like what it was hearing! The smells of burning rubber,
radiator fluid, raw gasoline and the heat associated with a crashed car engine
were reminding me of why I was in this ditch and why my mouth was full of
blood. The real world was coming back and it wasn’t pretty!
Our getaway was cut short by the wrong turn down a dead end road,
but pursuers had left us no choice. The dark, snowy, lonely roads of rural
Arkansas weren’t familiar to the driver, and what seemed like the perfect
opportunity for escape, quickly turned into disaster.
Straining to add vision to the messages from my nose, I looked to my
right and confirmed what I already knew. The car was resting nose down in the
ditch and only a few feet from where I lay. Steam rose from a broken radiator,
and its warm fluids dripped onto the snow; then the melted mess found its way
to the bottom of the filthy trench I was in.
The engine stopped running with impact, but somehow bent and crushed
headlights remained on - dimly shining against the ditch bank and tall grass.
Light reflecting back on the destroyed car, painted a surreal and bizarre
picture for my weak eyes.
An open passenger door was the reason I was in this ditch, and my
ejection spared me most of the shock from the crash. I knew my nose was broken,
and I certainly had other injured parts not discovered; but I was alive – for
now. Somehow I’d managed to avoid the bullets, and only escaped the violent
collision by choosing the peril of jumping from a moving vehicle. Unfortunately the driver wasn’t that lucky.
The head and face made a perfect imprint in the smashed windshield -
open and lifeless eyes staring at me through the bloody glass and asking for
help. I had none to offer. Impact from the sudden stop against the ditch bank
was enormous - however, I don’t suspect the body felt a thing. Moments before running out of road, a bullet
crashed through the driver’s side window; taking most of their head with it,
before slamming into the dashboard.
Even knowing it was useless, instinct told me to get up…get up and
go check on my friend, the one I had promised to protect. Whoever fired the
bullet that removed most of my friend’s head was probably only a few yards away
and already rushing over to finish their work.
Unfortunately, my .38 wasn’t in its holster where it belonged – I
knew that. During the short and speedy
chase I had managed to fire two rounds at our pursuer, neither one having much
effect on their aggressiveness. The gun was in my hand when I left the vehicle,
but it wasn’t there now – apparently separating itself from me somewhere in the
process.
Weapon or no weapon, I needed
to get out of this ditch and on my feet – stand up to run or stand up to
fight. Either way, I needed to stand up!
Putting my right arm against the soft ground, I rose slightly before
moving my left – the pain was deafening! I slumped back into the mud, cursing
myself for letting this happen. My left arm was useless, either broken when I
left the vehicle or from another bullet that I never felt.
Looking away from the carnage I closed my eyes to help tolerate the
pain and tried to recall recent events. Events that led me to a ‘one horse’
town in Arkansas, events that had killed my friend and events that put me in
this dirty snow filled ditch without the ability to get out.
It started only a few days ago, which now seemed like forever. A
client I was hired to protect - a simple task – had gone badly. Now, I have a dead friend, a dead client and
a task not so simple.
CARSON RENO
GERALDS LINKS
A SNEAK PEAK AT JAMAICA DEAD
https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Gone-Mad-Gerald-Darnell-ebook/dp/B01KFZ0KG8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471462995&sr=1-1&keywords=MYSTERY+GONE+MAD
 |
| JAMAICA DEADhttps://www.amazon.com/JAMAICA-DEAD-LAURA-GERRY-Book-ebook/dp/B0110L1HWM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471463125&sr=1-1&keywords=JAMAICA+DEAD
From Chapter 15
GAYLORD AND MARY
“Welcome aboard Mary”
Thank you but let’s just get the cards on the table and address the elephant on board.”
“What are you talking crazy for woman this is just thanks for a job well done. I hear he suffered horribly” This was a nonchalant act to fool the woman.
“Cut the BS Gaylord we both know you brought me here to feed me to the fish.”
“Lawd you are psychic aren’t you?”
“Yes and you’re still pitifully ugly.”
Gaylord laughed as he knew that was going to change really soon.
“So what’s it gonna be? A lethal cocktail, I’ll supply the hemlock.”
This woman was something else and he found that he kind of liked her spunk as well as being easy on the eyes.
I could just volunteer to jump ya know saves you the guilt of pushing but maybe you have no remorse for making me cast that horrible spell. I didn’t sleep at all last night I bet you slept just fine. You are morally depraved!”
“Stop, sit down and shut up. I want you to listen to what I have to say.”
Mary sat down and heard him out.
“I was told I had to kill you. I had fully intended to kill you.”
So what stopped you?”
I looked up what exactly the obeah of Eshu is and I was horrified that I had demanded that you cast that horrible spell. No wonder you didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Especially for Donovan who hadn’t committed a ghastly act.“
“So I am not gonna be chum for the whales?”
“Don’t look so disappointed.”
“What’s your boss going to do if he finds out you didn’t do the job?
I’m gonna make him think I did. Then you and I are going to hop a plane with new identification and go to Arizona. At the right time just before we leave I am going to anchor the boat in a deserted cove and blow her to smithereens and he will think I died too.”
“Brilliant idea. Why Arizona?”
“I am going for plastic surgery to correct the ugly mug.”
“Oh good it was starting to give me nightmares.”
MAMA MARY ALLEN
GAYLORD SIMMONS
|
THE ANGLER AND THE OWL
Before retiring France Hunter decides to go to the place where she found her first new
species of owl: The Amazon. Her group follows a well know angler, John Sinclair, and his team, along with a reporter who wants to do a story on Hunter.
species of owl: The Amazon. Her group follows a well know angler, John Sinclair, and his team, along with a reporter who wants to do a story on Hunter.
Once arriving at the site, Sinclair leaves to go further up the river. He has a show to record and is hoping to catch an even larger fish this time.
Hunter, and the group with her, run into a gruesome nightmare with the satellite phone
destroyed and one man fighting for life. Sinclair is not due to pick them up for another week.
destroyed and one man fighting for life. Sinclair is not due to pick them up for another week.
Will they survive?
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BOOK
By P.M. Thomas on April 4, 2014
Format: Paperback
A charming effective mixture of wild life and adventure that works to tell a page turning story that showcases the authors love for nature, especially owls,
A great tale which reminds me of the underrated 1984 Phillppe Mora movie starring Rutger Hauer, Powers Boothe and Kathleen Turner "A Breed Apart"
If you love adventure, nature and owls, you should check out this book, The Angler and the Owl by Viv Drewa
By Cold Coffee Cafe on June 5, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
If you love wild life, especially Owls you will enjoy reading The Angler and The Owl by Viv Drewa.
This fast paced, short story, action adventure will keep you on your toes as you travel with Ornithologist France Hunter and her team on her second trip down the Amazon River to look for rare, even new species of Owls.
Here is teaser from the book:
“Francine Hunter, who had been called France since her younger sister couldn’t say Francine, was sitting on a boulder, sipping a bottle of water. She’s enjoying the sun and eager to get to the place where she found her first new species of owl: the blue-ringed owl. She looked through the opening of this enormous canopy enjoying the lovely foliage and wishing she was already deep inside.
She fell in love with not only the rain forest, but the Amazon River. France also loves the chorus of the animals and birds that she heard here years ago, and still enjoys now. The Amazon reminded her of the stories she heard as a young girl, about foreign travelers and their adventures. And exotic birds and animals.”
She fell in love with not only the rain forest, but the Amazon River. France also loves the chorus of the animals and birds that she heard here years ago, and still enjoys now. The Amazon reminded her of the stories she heard as a young girl, about foreign travelers and their adventures. And exotic birds and animals.”
As you can imagine, there is danger and possibly a little romance.
Coffee Press/Café endorses ‘The Angler and The Owl’ by Viv Drewa. I need to stress that this book is a short story. I also enjoyed Viv's murder mystery titled ‘Midnight Owl’ (Joe Leverette Mystery Book One). Two other titles published by this author are ‘The Owl Of The Sipan Lord’ and ‘From The Pages Of Grandfather’s Life’. All her books can be found here on Amazon. I purchased this book on May 16, 2016. The review was completed on June 5, 2016.
By P.S. Winn on February 12, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition
Follow France Hunter on a trip down the Amazon to look for owls. France has along good friend Doc, who she met years ago along with Andy and Tony Bradley, who saved her from a bear. France meets a lot of new people on the expedition including one who may be a love interest. This book takes the reader away from life for a while and on a journey of friendship, danger and plenty of adventure. The book is a well written story with nature and life explored.
A 5 star review for TIMELESS HOPE!
I don't often write reviews. I am taking the time to write this one though because this book of shorts really resonated with me. I enjoyed all the stories, but one in particular stays with me. Little Red Shoes is a story of a widow, left to raise her young daughter after her husband served/died in Iraq. I don't often talk about this but my sister's husband who was in the military died just over two years ago, leaving her a widow with 3 smallchildren. Reading Little Red Shoes was like peering into my sister's life through a much different lense. I felt a little closer to understanding what my sister went through. The story also offered me hope that my sister and her kids will be okay, in time. Writing this review with tears in my eyes, I say grab a tissue or two, and sit down and read this book!
BUY ME
A FIVE STAR REVIEW FOR THE JOURNEY-
THE JOURNEY
By Amazon Customer on September 28, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This story is a gripping tale of a woman who is making an effort to get her life together with lots of roadblocks in her way. She seems to be getting it together when something drastic happens and she has to make a choice on whether to continue on with the life she was living or to truly make the changes she has dreamed of making.Will she make the right choice? Or will she let her family and friends down again? Read it and see for yourself! Jump for joy at her victories and cry over her tragedies!It will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time!
Monday, August 15, 2016
Owl Lady's Blog: Owl and Pussycat Promotions presents “Time by the ...
Owl Lady's Blog: Owl and Pussycat Promotions presents “Time by the ...: The Owl Lady Their day arrives in the dark, bringing realisation that the movements on a clock are irrelevant to the outcome of ...
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