24
The afternoon sun was beating down on the quiet, manicured streets of Oak Creek, casting long, idyllic shadows across the pristine suburban lawns. It was a Tuesday. The neighborhood was quiet, lulled into the false, comfortable security that defined the mortal world.
In his messy, poster-plastered bedroom, Lucas Cooper was experiencing a profound, restless boredom.
He was lying upside down on his bed, his legs propped up against the wall, staring at the ceiling fan la
It always amazes me at how popular these books are, after so many years.
I just put pen to paper to the next one.
Just hashing out ideas. Carter's Line is a working title. Set 2005 after Carter's Recourse, the run up to Will and Andrew's wedding. It's more Andrew centric again, Will largely a background character as Andrew gets sucked into a mess by being in the wrong place, but the right person.
That and Peter working as Will's unpaid Intern/driver is comedy gold.
It gives me a chance to explore Peter's reconnection with West while he is in Iraq on his second tour.
That was me this morning. I admit it was really hot and I got no real sleep... add to that my person in being a melon... :: grumbles and sips stronger coffee ::
I am a total sad sack without it... I have a routine.
I normally put the chapter through a text to speech generator, and make coffee as I listen to it, catch errors like this, and then fix them and hit post...
Today I hit publish before I thought about it, and was making coffee when I realized this chapter sounded wrong... so caught it while my coffee was mid-brew. Not my most glorious of moments.
Sorry to those of you that have read, I had split this chapter into two parts...
Done some serious reediting... and... damn that's what I get for hitting publish before I have had my coffee
The Scarborough alleyway was a freezing, narrow, and unforgiving wind tunnel. The December storm had escalated from a harsh flurry into a violent squall, the snow swirling aggressively between the frozen brick wall of Will Carter’s townhouse and the towering, water-warped wooden fence of the neighboring property. The wind howled through the narrow gap, a high, shrieking sound that seemed to mock the fragile human drama unfolding in the shadows.
Jason backed away from Peter, his thin chest
Don't worry, you know the future Mr. Poitr O'Briain has a lot of work to do.
There is a second book to this, "The Tainted Relic"
Might release it in the future at some point.
The holding cell smelled of bleach, desperation, and the particular brand of regret that only came from setting fire to a corporate tower and then waiting four hours for someone to process your paperwork.
Poitr sat on the concrete bench, his bare feet tucked under him, his ruined thousand-dollar suit jacket draped over his shoulders like a cape. His left arm was in a temporary sling—the police medic had taken one look at the broken bones and mumbled something about "magic users" and "not m
A boy scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
So there's always room at the campfire.
23
The autumn sun beat down on the Oak Creek nature reserve, casting long, dappled shadows across the main clearing of Troop 442’s designated campsite. It was a beautiful, crisp Saturday afternoon, the kind of day perfectly suited for knot-tying, wilderness navigation, and quiet reflection in nature.
Instead, the clearing was currently hosting a two-front war of attrition against Ronan Draven’s sanity.
Ronan sat in a slightly rusted, green canvas folding chair, his long