The One, the sequel to Everlasting. #1lineWed

"What? I had a celebratory drink for my best friend's wedding. After all, I am the maid of honor."

#1lineWed for Chasm

The lump in her throat squeezed tighter and she had to look away. She hated to see her good friend, Edith, taking it so hard.

#1lineWed for EVERLASTING, my debut YA novel The theme for today was "Friends"

I feebly shook his sweaty hand. "Sophia Bandell. My friend's usually here with me but had some errands to run."

#TuesdayBookBlog for Everlasting

Mandy pulled up a lounge chair and sank down with her towel. “Dibs …just kidding …he is kind of a creeper isn’t he? Sure doesn’t take the hint well.” Matt sat down next to her. “He does have cute sneakers and glasses, though.” She giggled and put her finger in her mouth as if to gag herself.

#TuesdayBookBlog for Chasm

Something hard and obtrusive forced its way inside, taking refuge, making its home in the depths of Taylor’s stomach. She clutched at it for an instant, hoping the maggot-infested pain that was causing it to be upset would just go away. But it wouldn’t. 

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Chasm #1lineWed

The freckles that Taylor remembered her having when she was a child were still prominent, standing out courageously against her pale complexion.

Everlasting #1lineWed. Theme was memories.

"Remember that time we hid Dane Jackson's homework in the bathroom stool?" Mandy laughed so hard she could barely talk.

Everlasting #TuesdayBookBlog

I walked farther into the room and advanced toward the dresser. The music got louder, reaching higher crescendos. My face wrinkled in confusion, and I inched closer, trying to make sense of it. Sad and melancholy notes sifted the room—heartbroken, bereaved. Perplexed at what could be creating this, I opened up the top drawer of the dresser—careful—not disturbing it.

The drawer was dark and empty so I closed it, stepping back, listening. A delicate breeze tickled my ear—like the feel of someone’s breath—making me grin. I glanced to the locked window. Nothing could have come through there.

The feel of tenacious arms cradled, pulled me in, holding me prisoner inside a satiny caress. It mesmerized me—captured in a trance-like state. An arousal stirred deep, nerve endings tingled. 

Everything was unbelievably good in this moment, I never wanted it to end. I stood there with my arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed, swaying back and forth; this wonderful feeling of pure, undeniable love surrounding me.

Chasm: my Adult Suspense novel to be realeased in 2016 on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Ray looked down at the table, turning his double chin into a triple, his round face reddening, trying to hold in a laugh.

Everlasting #1linewed

"I need to call and tell her you're not really a serial killer, just a deranged psychopath."

Everlasting #Tuesdayteaser

We found three beach chairs and threw our towels and sunscreen on them, then ran for the water. Mandy and Matt didn’t waste any time plunging in. I ran fast, but screeched to a halt at the water’s edge as the familiar quiver grabbed ahold. It started at the top of my tummy and worked its way down to the pit—my chicken-self taking over.

Gathering a small amount of courage, I squeezed my eyes shut and dipped the tips of my toes in. Hundreds of schools of colored fish darted around in the water and headed right for me. My imagination ran rampant. Did I really just see the yellow fish’s teeth gnashing and snarling at me?

I jerked my feet out like a spazoid on steroids. “Eek!” Arms spinning like a windmill, I over-dramatized the move and flailed back on my heels, butt-planting into the wet sand, leaving the sassy imprint of two round butt cheeks.

My hands shook, and I clutched my stomach, cussing myself for drinking so much water earlier. I got back up again, and my head jerked to the right, then the left—looking for the millions of people who had seen me commit that horrid mistake.

I crept back to the water’s edge, forcing myself to stand and watch them. Maybe the fish weren’t as vicious as I first thought. In fact, they were beautiful. My heart slowed down and took its place back in my chest. I edged my toes back in again and, after taking a deep breath, inched in a little farther.

“Get in here, Sophia, you’re missing out on all the fun.” Mandy waved at me from the waist-high water her and Matt were standing in.

My lips trembled and my voice shook. “I will …just trying to savor the moment. Take it all in.” Truth is, it wasn’t just the fish I was afraid of. It was the vastness. The ocean was so big and unforgiving—water overwhelming. Seagulls screeched overhead, but I got braver, slinking my way farther into the deep.

Matt and Mandy splashed one another, laughing. There was no mistaking they were lovers, and I waded toward them slowly and reluctantly, my feet dragging—pushing the heavy water. An intruder in their world of water.

I squinted into the sun, the water swooshing around my legs. “Comin’ in hot.”

#TuedayTeaser for Chasm, my new book release coming in 2016

When she finally drifted off to sleep, she tripped and stumbled over the raised sidewalk, falling to her knees, ripping the skin into a large, raw gash. The hot blood gushed and ran down her bare legs.

She was standing outside the door of eight-twenty-one Downer Street, her skin hot and feverish, nauseous at the thought of having to step inside.

The door opened with a sinister creak, and her father was there, beckoning her inside with his crooked half-finger and demonic grin.

She recognized her things—her broken tricycle with the bent handlebars, her doll with the missing arm, and her toy pony with his mangled mane. They were all there, and they smiled at her.

Her mother was turned toward the sink, paying no attention to Daddy pulling her down the dark hallway.

“Mommy, help me, don’t let him take me there,” her weak, child-voice pleaded.

When her mother turned around to look at her, her face was a grim skeleton, a fierce, open mouth baring black teeth; a spider crawling out.

Chasm Prologue:

 

PROLOGUE

Officer Wilbur Tullin’s foot smashed deep into the gas pedal, his hands scattering to catch the box of powdered sugar donuts before they slid off the dash to the dirty floor. Sitting the box up on the seat, his fat hand groveled, reaching in to pluck one out. With his mouth watering, he inspected it and smacked his lips before shoving one of the sugary treats into his mouth—sending the fine, white powder flying everywhere.

His nose poked the air. He could smell it …smell the dirty. It penetrated deep, lighting up his nostrils long before it billowed up ahead of him, littering the periwinkle sky.

After thirty-seven years on the police force here in Franklin County, Tennessee, the ominous scream of his screeching siren always made the hair rise on the back of his neck, and this call was no exception. Valentine’s Day, he guessed, had started out terribly wrong for the families involved in this accident.

            Dust flew. His black and white cruiser whipped to the left and skidded to a stop. He flung the door wide, getting his belly stuck behind the steering wheel before wedging his way out. The shrill ringing of the cross-arms was deafening, and he slapped his palms over his ears, drowning out the viciousness. The red lights, flashing their second-too-late warnings, were blinding and perilous.

Two other cops from neighboring towns paced the scene.

Officer Tullin approached them, grinding his teeth. “Land sakes …this ain’t what I wanted ta see today.” He took off his hat and wiped his glistening brow with his forearm, eyes coming to rest on the gory scene.

            The slim, younger cop looked up at him. “It’s not good, Officer Tullin. I just came back from talking to the Conductor. Nothin’ they coulda done …they were loaded full. Evidently, the car got stuck on the tracks.”

            Officer Tullin eyed the monstrous, blue and yellow FCT coal train, thumbing his right ear, searching the area. “Don’t suppose anybody could have lived through that.”

            “No, Sir. If the Conductor wouldn’t have seen the car before they hit, there wouldn’t have been any way to even make out what it was.”

            Officer Tullin edged his way closer to the pile of bent and twisted metal, peering inside of what was left of the small car. It still smoldered …gagging him. He pulled back, unsteady, grasping the torched, rough edges to gain control.

Images of his own daughter and her two children flashed in his mind, and he knew this little girl and boy, along with their momma, had been someone’s everything. He’d seen these types of accidents before and knew that nobody ever lived through a train accident, but whenever he saw young children involved it always stopped his heart.

He popped a fist to his chest a couple times. A deep and heavy ache continued to lodge itself there.

            He swallowed hard and looked back at the young officer, voice hoarse. “Where’s the Engineer?”

            “He’s still in the engine …down on the floor, buried inside himself.”

****

Taylor Vine placed a warm, yellow plastic bowl in her next-door-neighbor’s wrinkled hands. “Bud, you tell that wife of yours to eat this chicken soup. It’s made from scratch, homemade noodles and everything. I need to have her feeling better. We’ve got a whole day of sewing and visiting to catch up on.”

Bud Goodwin shot her a pleasant grin, the wrinkles in his face indenting even deeper. His free hand trembled on the doorknob—the ill-effects of age taking its toll. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll be up and at em’ before long. Not much keeps my girl down. Although, that darn egg.” He squinted and pulled his mouth to the side, clicking his cheek. “She’s been pretty depressed about it being gone.”

            Taylor’s eyes widened, and she extended her neck toward him. “Her lead-crystal egg? What happened?”

            Bud pulled his shoulders up into a shrug and exhaled. “I don’t know. Went missing about two nights ago. Apparently, we got broken-into when I took Edith to get cold medicine for that hacking cough she has. We didn’t even know it was missing till the next day. Edith happened to notice that the sun didn’t seem quite as bright coming in through the window. You remember, she always kept it there on that library table?” He gestured with his hands.

            Taylor grimaced at the rigidness of his tense jaw and reddened face. Bud never angered too easily, but she could see this was something that irritated and saddened him. “How could I forget? That egg was special. Didn’t it have Edith’s initials engraved on the bottom?”

             Bud chuckled. “Yep, E.G.G., Edith Gertrude Goodwin. I gave it to her for our twenty-fifth anniversary, and thought it fitting. I hope whoever stole it had a hard time carrying it out. It was darn heavy, and wasn’t cheap.” He pursed his lips and pushed his crinkled chin forward.

            “Well, you tell Edith we’ll keep our eyes peeled for her beloved egg.”

Bud opened the front door, and they stepped out onto the slick, frost-covered stoop. Taylor shivered. “Brr, it’s nippy out. I hate this cold stuff. Spring better hurry up.” She took a deep breath, briskly rubbing her hands over her purple wool sweater, gazing up into the foggy, Boston night, the sound of sirens echoing somewhere off in the distance.

“I agree. This winter stuff can take a hike.”

“At least Bruce will be home soon. He’s been working late these past few nights, and it’s beginning to look like it could snow. But, you have a goodnight, Mr. Goodwin. I’ll check and see how Edith’s doing tomorrow.”

            Bud tipped his black fedora, a few wisps of his gray comb-over going with. “Thanks again, Taylor, goodnight.”

            She closed the door and leaned against it with a long sigh. Bud and Edith were some of the best neighbors a person could ask for, and they had grown close to Taylor in the ten years she and Bruce had lived here. 

Taylor closed her eyes and smiled to herself—life couldn’t get any better. Bruce had given her everything, making her world complete. 

            Both of the kids were in bed, and since it was Saturday night and Valentine’s Day, she had plans of lighting her vanilla candle and opening a bottle of wine, celebrating Bruce’s monumental win in court yesterday. White bubbly turned him on.

She tried hard to stay away from the drink, but this was a special occasion, and she knew that Bruce would want her to celebrate with him.

She tossed aside her purple sweater, pulled down on her blue pencil-skirt, fluffed her breasts, and wiggled into her black high heels. Bruce loved it when she dressed to impress, and she didn’t want to disappoint.

Her white blouse, rigged in such a way that one pull on the ribbon lacing across her chest would make the entire thing fall away—made it all the better for easy access. Sometimes, Bruce became a little too eager when it came to the bedroom romps.

            The doorbell rang. Taylor’s hand fluttered to her throat. “Bud …did you forget …? Oh my….” Her face fell pallid and her mouth gaped, the shimmering brass of a policeman’s badge glaring in her eye.

“Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Vine, but we’ve got your husband here.” The dark police officer scrutinized her, clutching his thick fingers around Bruce Vine’s arm. “He’s being arrested.”

            Taylor’s breath caught and her skin tingled when her gaze swept to the handcuffs swinging from her husband’s wrists. “Wha …what happened?” Her hand jerked, unsure—it’s awkward momentum lunging for Bruce’s imprisoned hand.

Excerpt from chapter five of Chasm

The blaring light woke him, intense enough to pull him out of a deep dream. He was down on his mattress, buried deep in the ground, when it yanked him up by the collar and shook him vigorously.

The glorious ray of light held a rich golden intensity, the broadness of it …vast and illuminating …spanning. He shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. His eyes blinked and he squeezed them back shut, thinking he was dreaming. But this was no dream.

He spurted off the mattress. It had to be car lights. Someone had found him. What else could it be? It didn’t make sense. Poised at the bottom step, he listened, then sniffed the air, stumbling backward when the scent that drifted in carried the familiar essence of children.

He rushed up the ragged steps, two at a time, exalted at what he knew was waiting for him on the other side.

Their laughter rang in his ears.

Staggering backward, he collapsed, going down on his bare knees. He gripped his head, reeling, flabbergasted to see what had unfolded before him.

Stunned by the vivaciousness of the sky, he looked up. It was brilliant …shimmering a vivid gold …blotched with streaks of blue and pink crayon scribbles. The air smelled of sweet, whipped vanilla strawberry shortcakes and pink cotton candy on a stick, with little sprinklings of rubber bouncy balls mixed in on the breeze.

He was stricken, but his face broke open …and bloomed.

The children were wondrous, their contagious laughter paralyzing while they zipped through the air on the swings …squealing …laughing …crying. His thirst for them was unquenchable and he laughed exhilaratingly, tears pouring down his face. He stumbled toward them. 

When he rushed, stumbling—his arms outstretched to catch them before they fleeted away—he faltered and fell. He couldn’t get to them fast enough. “Meggie …Josh …you’ve come home! You made it!”

He got close, closing his arms in to embrace them. He swiped …swiped again …but they were gone. Two empty swings were the only things left. They swayed lightly in the breeze; the chains …needing oiled, whispered sadly. The sky shrank inside itself, returning to its normal light blue …a few bumpy clouds littering its smooth surface.

His eyes, with their long lashes, blinked quickly, looking like a spider trying to scurry to safety. He steadied their wild darting and focused, realizing that it wasn’t swings at all—with their squeaking chains and white plastic seats—but just two dead, white tree branches, rubbing and scraping against each other in the breeze.  

“Meggie …Josh …don’t leave me.” He stared down at his empty hands. His shoulders quaked and he sank to his knees, sobbing into his palms.

Chasm #TuesdayTeaser

She ran to the open gate, hearing the lonesome sound of its squeaking metal hinge as the sinister breeze pushed it open even wider. Her chest was heavy and heaving, and she clutched at her blouse, trying to hold in her heart. Arching her hand over her eyes, she squinted into the sun and looked down the gravel road. He surely wouldn’t have gotten out on the road, she’d always warned the children about the dangers.

The dismal dust flying, tossing its heinous corrosion into the air, caught her eye first. The car was approaching at an insurmountable speed, waggling across the road and ditches, out of control. Her little boy’s succulent blond head, bobbing up and down by the edge of the ditch—playing and chattering—caught her eye next.

In warped, slow motion speed …her world crumbled. Her heart, viciously ripped out of her chest, fell mangled to the ground …writhing, flailing …dirtied up with gravel.

She couldn’t get to him fast enough. Just like those horrible nightmares that leave you frozen and motionless, she struggled to move—felt like her feet wouldn’t carry her off to her own death.

“Cody!” Terrorized, she screamed, but couldn’t hear her own voice. “Cody! No! Please, Cody, no!”

The car was so close and the dust so thick that, even when she ran to him, she couldn’t see. She only knew that the distance between the end of her world and the out of control car was merely inches.

After the dust settled, the only thing she could see was the dizzying black spots flashing in front of her eyes. Her vision was gone, and her legs were about ready to let go—even they had given up. Barely standing, she could hear the blood whooshing in her ears while she tried to focus, searching for him.

#1lineWed for Chasm

When she finally drifted off to sleep, she tripped and stumbled over the raised sidewalk, falling to her knees, ripping the skin open to a large gash.

#ilineWed for Everlasting

The night we got killed was a Friday---Homecoming. Tate and Matt were seniors. I was a junior.

#1linewed for my novel Chasm which will be available on #Amazon in 2016

Taylor couldn’t look at her. Unsure of where to go from here. Her life had taken a turn in a direction that had her drowning—she could feel the heavy cloud baring down and the forceful undercurrent of guilt robbing her of air—and it was just better if she didn’t look back.

#TuesdayTeaser for Everlasting

The hypnotizing screech of the wipers against the windshield kept my mind heavily sedated and battened down the churning of my stomach to a slow stir. Since the phone call last week, even the slightest sound caused me to jump. Something about it—the white noise, the crackle of electricity in my ear, something—freaked me out from the first ring.

“Something’s happened.” A pop of electricity had me holding the phone an inch or five from my head. “Can you come…? It’s been ages.” The voice, strained and unrecognizable, struggled again through the white noise of the phone.

My forehead furrowed, and my grip on the phone slipped. “Uh …I don’t know who this is. I’m hanging up now.” I couldn’t stop the racing of my heart. Loud. It was too loud. The pounding in my ears should have warned me, but I clenched the phone closer.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun….The entire summer.” I recognized that voice, the little sing-song that bounced every word from octave to octave. “Meet me at the Charleston airport …next Friday …I’ll pay for everything …no worries.”

I pushed my damp bangs from my forehead. “Mandy …is this you?” My words quivered, but a rush of relief washed over me. We’d lost touch with each other. Hadn’t talked in years and it was good to hear from her.

“Good grief, girl, who’d ya think it was …the Pope?”

I ignored the clamoring of my heart since I couldn’t reach in and slow it down. “I …I don’t know….You had me thinkin’ all kindsa weird things. Didn’t sound the same.”

The phone clicked—the buzz of the dial tone tickling my ear.

So, today, cold water bottle in hand, taking long swigs to chase away the dryness that etches my throat, I concentrate on breathing in and out to quell the nerves battling it out in my stomach—slowly inhaling and exhaling, my long, deep breaths keeping time in my head.

Quote of the day!

Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth.

Chasm #1linewed

She only knew that the distance between the end of her world and the out of control car was only inches.

Chasm

This was my #1linewed yesterday for Everlasting

"The instant we hit the tree and life left my body, I felt a complete calmness wash over me."

Everlasting

Another excerpt from Everlasting

It was there—sitting on my beach towel, burnt to a crisp, my hair stringy and wet, sand in every possible crevice, a dog’s hot breath in my face—that my gaze lingered, catching full sight of him. A soft curl of shaving cream swirled under my nose. I looked up and gasped, resting my eyes on the most beautiful human being ever.

His full lips held me, and his shock of thick black hair fell in waves over his head. He had a body that I was sure entered most girl’s dreams at one point or another …as in all of the time. The shaded stubble on his face was accented by dark sunglasses.

The muscle above my top lip twitched, and my skin tingled with voltaic sensations. I scratched at my arms, the itching already starting.

His smile curled my toes.

“Whoops, sorry about that.” His deep voice oozed sweet, sexy politeness with just a touch of Southern inflection. “Hope it didn’t hit you.”

I cleared my throat, preparing to make it sound its utmost best. Usually, this backfired on me and croaked out like a drunken frog. “No, not at all.” Ugh, yep …horrible, that frog had done it again.

My stomach welled with nausea. Fighting to find the right words, I handed the saucer back to him, and a slight quiver quaked through me when my hand brushed his.

Everlasting, a Youg Adult Paranormal Romance novel tentatively due out sometime in 2016

The door creaked opened, revealing the dingy room.

The first smell that hit me wasn’t the musty aroma from the other day, it was the scent of shaving cream—Tate’s shaving cream. A small smile lit my tremoring lips. This smell warmed me …reassured me, erasing my fears. I reached around the door and searched for the light-switch, flicking it up to turn it on. Nothing happened. Scraps of light came from the glow of the moon shining in the window, illuminating the dresser, but that was all.

I walked farther into the room and advanced toward the dresser. The music got louder, reaching higher crescendos. My face wrinkled in confusion, and I inched closer, trying to make sense of it. Sad and melancholy notes sifted the room—heartbroken, bereaved. Perplexed at what could be creating this, I opened up the top drawer of the dresser—careful—not disturbing it.

The drawer was dark and empty so I closed it, stepping back, listening. A delicate breeze tickled my ear—like the feel of someone’s breath—making me grin. I glanced to the locked window. Nothing could have come through there.

The feel of tenacious arms cradled, pulled me in, holding me prisoner inside a satiny caress. It mesmerized me—captured in a trance-like state. An arousal stirred deep, nerve endings tingled. 

Everything was unbelievably good in this moment, I never wanted it to end. I stood there with my arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed, swaying back and forth; this wonderful feeling of pure, undeniable love surrounding me.

It went away as quickly as it came. A shutter banging against the side of the house woke me, snapping me back to reality.

Excerpt from Everlasting

We stood there and looked around, an awkward silence playing between us. Then, he stepped closer and took my hand in his. A bolt of staggering electricity zipped through my chest. “Her hand fits perfectly in mine.” He whispered this, as if confirming it with someone. His gaze locked on it, analyzing, then with a shake of his head, he spoke louder. “Sophia, I’m sorry. I …I lied to you.”

I looked at him—bewilderment crinkling my face—and tried to understand. “Lied?” My voice broke. “I don’t get it.”

“I wasn’t sick that day. Well, in a way I was, I guess. The truth is, I was gut-sick. That guy …he was sitting by you the whole day ...and …and he never left your side. I’d check throughout the day, but he was still there. I couldn’t help it. I was insanely jealous.” He looked down, his tone deepening as he flexed his fingers that were still laced through mine.

“What?” His words astounded me. I swiped my brow with my free hand. “You were jealous …of me?”

He released my hand and paced back and forth, the nervousness seeping through as he wrung his hands. “I know it’s stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. I love the way you laugh and …I like you, Sophia …a lot, and it hurt me to see you with someone else.”

He lifted his hair off his forehead, pushing it up. His eyes locked on mine again, captivating me. I couldn’t look away. My self-consciousness took over—heckling me. The way I looked right now—with my hair a matted mess from the mist, and no makeup on—must look ridiculous. I drew away, making myself smaller.

I laughed my nervous laugh and kicked the sand with my shoe. “Who, him? You mean …Brian?” My words wobbled, but I giggled, unable to believe that Brian talking to me could make anyone jealous.

I am a newly published author with a Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel coming out soon. Release date tentatively set for 2016. It will be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
When Sophia learns the truth that the love of her life is nothing but a mere shadow, she must face the hard facts of life of either letting him go, freeing him to go on to the next level, or figuring out a way to save him.