It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week we left Lucas and Jason McDonnell (his Lawyer) just as Lucas asked the question, “I’m in trouble huh?” His lawyer wisely begged for a moment before he answered the question. Let’s go back and see what the lawyer has to say.
“Okay, Lucas. I have another question for you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you know for a fact that your sister is dead?”
“For a fact?”
“Yes. Think hard now. Your answer is pretty important.”
“When I left her she was breathing. I just assumed she wasn’t going to make it.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m not sure. She was so pale, and she was bleeding.”
“From a head wound?”
“Yes, as I said she hit her head.”
“Think Lucas. Did you kill her.”
“No. She was alive when I left her. You’ve helped me realize I did not kill her.”
“But, Lucas and this is a big but. You left the scene and could be charged.”
“Charged with what?”
“For one thing aggravated assault. For another, failure to render aid. The next could be leaving the scene to avoid arrest. All these could put you in jail.”
“I was just trying to defend myself. She came at me.”
“And who knows that, Lucas? You left the scene.”
“What should we do now?”
“I think we had better determine if anyone knows what happened to your sister.”
“The sheriff is working on that I hear.”
“Yes, but we don’t want to rely on him to come up with the information. I have a better way. Let me ask, can you afford to hire a private detective.”
“How much will one cost?”
“I think we can get the information we need for five thousand.”
“I can afford that. I have some money from my parents passing.”
“Tell me about your parents.”
“They were killed. Someone killed them in their sleep.”
“Any idea who killed them?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“No reason. It is a complication to your case is all.”
“Complication?”
“Well, sister, parents. Someone could say there’s a pattern.”
“I think Seth Gibson is going down that path.”
“I’m not surprised.”
In Keith’s words. “Using this photo ( below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keith@channing.info before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here – pingbacks don’t often work.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”
The inspiration for this list is a result of thinking of doing home repair projects myself. This list helped me decide otherwise.
10 If your electrical service is out, do not try to diagnose and fix the problem. If you do, at best you’ll melt a screwdriver. At worst, the jolt you receive will clear your mind and sinus. (The manual said the while wire was dead huh, Bandos?)
9 If your pipes leak, do not try the DIY plumber ploy. If you do at best, you can get the leak to stop a little. At worst, you will finally give up when the water level is above your knees. (That last tighten move broke everything loose did it, Berto?)
8 If you need to fix the drywall, do not do it alone. If you do, at best you’ll finally give up. At worst, you’ll pull something that really hurts. (Hope you enjoy the body cast, Brandt. It is only for twelve weeks.)
7 If your roof needs repair, do not go up there. If you do, at best the gutters will break your fall. At worst, you can be heard screaming for blocks as you slide down the roof only to land on Tiny, the WWF champ, who just started his new job at UPS. (Notice how fast Tiny recovers from a sneak attack? Too bad every bone in your body won’t let you run away, Burley.)
6 If your window needs replacement, do not try it alone. If you do, at best it will fall out while your back is turned, At worse, the first wind will cause the window to fall from the second story, just as the minister rings your doorbell. (Belonging to that church was optional right, Burt?)
5 If your siding needs to be replaced, do not do it with friends. If you do, At best no one will get hurt. At worst, the job goes well until your neighbor steps off the ladder thinking he is a ground level. (A little too much beer and the second story does seem like ground level, Boswell.)
4 If there is concrete work to do, do not do it. If you insist, at best the work will look like a kindergarten class project. At worst, the idea of handprints and initials will take on a sinister aspect when you can’t get free. (On TV that Hollywood walk of fame thingy looks easy. Right. Brinsley?)
3 If you have a tree that needs removal, do not think you are Paul Bunyan. If you do, at best the only limbs affected are on the tree. At worst your scream of “timber,” is totally ignored by your house. ( Nice to have that two-story view of the sky isn’t it, Buzzy?)
2 If you have tile work that is necessary, do not think it is as easy as it looks. If you do, at best that herringbone pattern appears like a fun house mirror. At worst, your first shower in the newly tiled space will resemble a melting marshmallow flow. (There was something about waiting for 72 hours for the grout to dry wasn’t there, Bodie?)
1 If your house needs to be power washed, do not think you can do it. If you do, at best you’ll quit in time. At worst, you won’t notice that the stong spray is taking off the paint along with the dirt. (You can also see the lighting fixtures blown into the neighbor’s yard if you pay attention, Burl.)
Tony Amos rescuing an Atlantic Bottle Nosed Dolphin.
On September 4th, 2017 Tony Amos at eighty years young left this Earth for another of God’s assignments.
To quote the Corpus Christi Caller Sun-Times, “Amos, who was born and raised in England, began his life’s work of rescuing and rehabilitating sick, stranded and injured sea turtles, marine mammals and birds began in 1979 after the Ixtoc I oil spill in the Bay of Campeche.
He arrived in the Coastal Bend shortly before the spill after accepting a job as an oceanographer at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas.
Since then his rescue work included endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtles, piping plovers, red knots, brown pelicans and, at times, bald eagles. He came into contact with more than 5,000 sea turtles and more than 15,000 birds.”
Here is a shot of Tony releasing a Green Turtle
A picture of Tony at his last auction. He held an auction each year of off the beach finds to raise money for the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARC)
Yesterday Port Aransas said goodbye to Tony in the most fitting way possible. His remains were carried out to sea by one of his beloved turtles from the beach named after him.
Here is the sign honoring Tony.
A lot of people gathered.
Tony’s ashes were sprinkled on the turtles back, and the turtle aimed toward the sea.
As if Tony was cheering him on, the turtle went toward the water.
Getting closer.
A final plunge and we said goodbye to the rehabilitated turtle and Tony
I think Tony enjoyed the whole thing. It was his kind of event
The sunset put a beautiful finish on the memorial.
Shipping on October 1st. Priced at $0.99 for the introduction.
This is a different story for John. It is in the Family Life genre and tells the story of brotherly love, riches to rags, redemption and a little paranormal thrown in. Normally John writes thrillers but this time he has stepped into a different place. This book was written with love for the story and the hope it will be an enjoyable read.
Here is the blurb:
When a former pro football star and broadcaster, now a Wall Street maven is accused of insider trading, will he be able to prove his innocence and expose those who are guilty?
Greg and his boyhood pal dreamed of big success in professional football and then later in business. Greg was the only one to live the dream. Now the founder of an investment fund Greg is faced with a routine audit finding by the SEC. The audit points to irregularities and all the tracks lead to Greg. The justice department hits him with an indictment of 23 counts of fraud, money laundering, and insider trading. His firm goes bust, and Greg is on his own.
His best friend knows he is innocent but has been ordered under penalty of eternal damnation not to help.
If you enjoy stories of inspiration, riches to rags, redemption, brotherly love, and a little of the paranormal, Circumstance of Childhood will keep you riveted.
Here is an excerpt.
I look down at my drink and wonder what will happen tomorrow. My daughter Constance wants to come and visit. She lives in New York, and before all hell broke loose, we didn’t see each other often. I missed her so much, and it seemed as if I had to beg her even to talk on the phone. Now, it’s like she wants to be here every weekend. It’s only an hour’s flight by the shuttle or three by train, so she can come when she wants. I just can’t figure out why she got so clingy. I have my troubles, but it doesn’t have anything to do with her. No use in asking her husband either. Though a nice enough guy, I always wonder if he has someplace important to go when I visit. He never sits still and stays busy on the phone or at the computer. He makes a good living, but it seems a person could take an hour to sit and talk. I’d looked forward to some kind of relationship when he and Constance got married. It’ll never happen with him.
When I take another pull at my drink, I notice the burn feels less. It happens every time. First sip initiation, I call it. It’s like the first puff of a cigarette, hits hard then, after, nothing. I decide to let Constance pretty much have the agenda tomorrow. She and I have not had a chance to talk about anything deep for a while. It could just be that she blames me for her mother running off with that guy with the house on the Hudson. He has a title, and the old gal couldn’t resist, but I think the daughter always felt I should have done something. Her mother’s sleeping with another guy and what the hell can I do about that?
I’ll just go with the flow. If she wants to go out, we will. If she wants to stay in, we can do that too. I better think about getting some food in the house. Of course, we can always order take out. I need to move on to my drink and let this go. Tomorrow will be what it is. I remember the day she was born. I looked down at her in my arms and promised I would do anything for her. I love her more than life itself, and I hope we can somehow get to the root of whatever’s wrong. She sounded strange on the phone this morning, and I feel helpless to do anything about it. I hope she opens up when she gets here.
For some reason, I feel tired. Perhaps I’ll go ahead and finish my drink. Maybe I’ll just go home and forget the burger. First, though, I’ll just shut my eyes for a minute. My hands feel good when I put my head down.
“Hey, Greg,” Jerry says. I barely hear him. “What’s the matter? You taking a nap? Greg?” I can feel him shake me, but I have no interest in waking up. His voice gets further away, and I think he says, “Oh, my God, Sophie, call 911, quick.” Now the room goes silent.
Author Bio.
John began his writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive business career. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. His first book, My GRL, introduces the exciting adventures of the book’s central character, John J. Cannon. The second Cannon novel, His Revenge, continues the adventure, while the final book in the trilogy, Our Justice, launched in September 2016. The latest Circumstances of Childhood a family life story is available as of October 1st, 2017. All books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Port Aransas, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
Do/Dew/Due is our Stream of Consciousness prompt for the week. Also if we start the post with two of the words, there are bonus points. If we end the post with two of them, there are more bonus points. Enough to get a round-trip ticket to Omaha. (I think.) If you would like to join in on the fun go to Linda Hill’s blog and check it out. Don’t expect to see Linda there. She is off signing books. You will run into Dan Antion who made up this whole mess this week. Here’s the link. https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-september-30-17/
Introducing Kindle Scout Candidate – Blood Match – By Don Massenzio
Blood Match, a new thriller by Don Massenzio is currently a candidate in the Kindle Scout Program.
What is the Kindle Scout Program?
Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. … Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, an advance, royalties and featured Amazon marketing.
A Little about the book:
Intelligence analyst Jake Balrich boards his Monday morning flight, as he has so many times, for routine field work. When the plan lands, a passenger fails to wake up. Jake soon realizes that the death was not accidental and that the murderous plot was meant for him.
The situation soon spins out of control with Balrich running for his life trying to prove his own innocence as he struggles with an unknown enemy that seems to guess his every move.
Blood Match is a terrorism thriller examines how far someone will go to reach the height of power and ambition with little regard for human life.
Follow Jake, Balrich as he enlists the help of Commander Brad Rafferty, to take down an enemy more powerful and dangerous than the United States has ever faced.
Some of you may recognize this story. It originally appeared as a weekly serial on my blog under the name Road Kill. The story has been reworked and many extras have been added to turn it into this novel.
Why is it a Kindle Scout Candidate?
If Don’s book is selected for publication by Kindle Scout, it can help take his writing to the next level in terms of exposure and recognition.
How can you help?
First and foremost, you can vote to nominate the book. The campaign goes up on September 20th at midnight and will continue through October 20th. You can vote for it and preview the opening of the book by clicking HERE.
How can you help even more?
Spread the word. Don has made it easy for you using something called Thunderclap. Thunderclap is a social media tool that allows you to effortlessly spread the word using your social media accounts with a pre-written message. All of your followers will receive the message. You can help by signing up for the Thunderclap campaign HERE.
What’s in it for you?
Apart from Don’s eternal gratitude, if his book is selected, you will receive a free pre-launch copy from Amazon and will have the opportunity to officially review it before its launch. That is a free book for you, but it also help, yet again, by allowing the book to launch with established reviews.
Friday is here again, and I am pleased to say we finally have internet. This now means I can no longer write off typos as something associated with Hurricane Harvey. This is sad because of all the things Harvey messed up, the only positive thing to come out was a way to effectively blame something else for typos. I guess I’ll have to go back to owning the mistakes. This is the weekend of the launch of Circumstances of Childhood. I think everything is ready. Today’s John Ku talks about how quiet it is before a major event. I hope you all have a great weekend. (I’ll be watching cat videos on YouTube.)
“Well, it is a while before lunch so what the heck. Sure.”
“What is that?”
“Someone put a flag on the beach with a stick as a flagpole.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I think they were making a statement about being stronger than Hurricane Harvey.”
“That is a statement for sure.”
“Want another?”
“Not going anywhere, John. Why not?”
“Okay. I get the cloud, but I’m sure there is more behind this one.”
“You are very intuitive, Stella. This shot depicts a new day after a storm.”
“I can see that. You know we felines don’t do a lot with symbols.”
“I know. It’s okay. Where are Lucy and Bailey?”
“Two guesses, John. If you use the term ‘couch’ you’ll guess right on each”
“I see. Well thanks for looking at my photos today”
“Anytime, John. If you’ll excuse me. Since we still have some time before lunch I think I take a lay down. You will call me when lunch is ready, right?”
Blood Match, a new thriller by Don Massenzio is currently a candidate in the Kindle Scout Program.
“I see. Well thanks for looking at my photos today”
