Well, it's Wednesday again, and you know what that means! Is everyone ready for their weekly dose of "Author Showcase"? Today we bring you a story by Promising Author: JWolf titled "Nowhere Man". Also, we are bringing you a story by a bit of a newer author here at GA, Author: Percy and his story "The Waltz".

Reviewer: LouisHarris
Status: Complete
Word Count: 44,350

JWolf understands the edge. And, in this short thriller, he doesn’t waste words. Every word transports the reader to a place where there is no turning back and the reader is suddenly, inextricably, sucked in.

Nowhere Man is a dark escape into one man’s reality. But that is not the sum of the story. Every action has a reaction. Note, not an equal and opposite, but every cause has an effect, and this is clear from the time you start reading, to the time you finish. Every scene, every chapter of Nowhere Man is suffused with action and drama born out of a conflict that leads to disaster. One thing is absolutely certain, Mr Wolf is not afraid of the edge, and he places his reader, without too much interior thought, straight into it with him.

Travis lives in a trailer park with his brother and his wife, stuck in a nowhere place. Life is humdrum in the park, until he meets the tattooed Tyler Lafferty. Lafferty is one serious hunk of a man who likes to sing a song called “nowhere man” and Travis is drawn to him, both mentally and sexually. Lafferty plays him like putty in his fingers even to the point of stalking him. But Lafferty isn’t enough for Travis. The young man’s seclusion leads him to meet a man called Wade. And this is where the trouble starts. It becomes apparent that nothing is what it seems, and when Lafferty confesses to Travis that he had murdered his wife, it is too late to turn back. Travis is unable to withdraw, and it is this inability that leads him closer and closer to the edge of his own sanity. Only a miracle can save Travis. That, or murder.

Lafferty is conspicuous in his stalking of Travis:

“I pulled up to the trailer, closed the door to the truck behind me and was ready to creep into the house and pass out. Morning would be here before I knew it.

 

”Need a light?” I heard from behind me as I approached the stoop. I turned around and put familiar face to familiar name. Tyler was standing right there, flicking a Bic lighter on and off and glaring at me with an expression I didn’t quite understand.”

I recommend Nowhere Man as a roller coaster of a read. It has a well-constructed plot that will not bore. The reader is hooked from the first word through scenes of action and reaction and the heat is on from the very first line. But the hook in Nowhere Man has several levels. It is real and it is imagined. It is internal and external. It is both positive and negative. There is an underlying threat of impending doom with every turn of the page, and Travis knows and understands the situation he is in and that it must be dealt with.

The conflicts increase between Travis and Lafferty and Wade, and Travis finds out all too late that the conflict has developed into a game.

“Every sound made me nervous. Every branch click under my foot made me jump inside. Every owl hoot and holler made me look up into the trees. Every rustle made me wince.”

Wolf increases the stakes at every turn and puts forces into place for the grand finale. The ending had me pulling my hair out, for I wanted this story to continue. It felt a little unresolved even though so many secrets had been revealed and so many questions had been answered.

Reviewer: Comicfan
Status: Complete
Word Count: 10,093

Is there anything better than stumbling onto a new author who has something to say? Anyone who knows me, knows I have a thing for fairy tales and seeing them bent into new configurations. If you share that enjoyment then come join me in the Waltz.

Percy’s first story here on GA centers around Lacy Winters. She is an attractive woman, who just happens to have been born in the wrong body. Lacy has undergone surgery and refuses to hide her past from anyone. She is upfront, takes no prisoners, but also has known heartache as well.

Having finished college Lacy has found her first job after grad school working for Mayor Drew Halperin. In time Lacy and Drew will find themselves being drawn to each other. Is this simply a case of the Mayor being interested in Lacy or is he out to experiment with the transsexual?

In what basically becomes a new twist on the old Cinderella fairy tale, Lacy will be made up to go to the ball. Will she met her Prince Charming? Will misunderstandings be cleared up? Perhaps a happy ending is in store? Then again, maybe not. You will have to read Percy’s The Waltz to find out.

In addition to his story The Waltz, he has worked on two prompts and has begun a new story as well entitled, Neither Here Nor There. So give this new GA author a read and surprise yourself with a whole new perspective. Enjoy.

As always, a great big Thank You goes out to our reviewers for providing us with the reviews for the blog. We still need reviews, so if you are interested in reviewing for the blog, please contact either Trebs or Renee Stevens!