Stories

On his way to Lausanne, Switzerland, for a reunion with old university friends, Robert Farrell is hoping, perhaps foolishly, to run into his ex. However, during the journey, when the coach stops in a small village in the northeast of France, Robert feels compelled to disembark and remain behind. Finding lodgings in a remote farmhouse, he encounters Alfie, the ghost of a young English soldier from the Great War, who repeatedly appears in his room at night. Neither of them understands why until Robert begins to do some research. And he soon discovers that their destinies are linked, and only they can help to reconcile each other’s futures.

Roger Cicero is an enigma. Behind the man’s meticulously crafted facade lies an angry and broken boy. When he is pushed into a case that hits close to home, the successful lawyer is forced to draw on his buried past to save another battered boy’s future.

Mike finds himself in an unexpected and uncomfortable situation. New school, new town, new family, and most notably, new roommate. And life seems to only get crazier every day.

Book Two of The Last Statue follows on from Heart of Black Ice Bay and traces the lives of five new characters across roughly similar timelines.

• Marica is almost duped by a night caller accelerating her future plan to escape the palace;
• Jasmar's instincts tells him to accompany Marica’s siblings on their escape to Loq;
• Tad, a menial in Aulderly, stumbles upon the missing Lore of Invocation;
• Brokerman has to help deal with an emerald explosion that rips through the grounds of the Aulderly;
• Duke Ervine holds together a fragmented empire while a new ruler is being agreed upon.

Colin McKenzie sells used cars and spoils his dog. In his life he's seen a lot of stupidity and he's become cranky and opinionated. The boy who first made his heart beat faster works in town now, divorced, but there's nothing there for either of them. Then a storm brings new life into a stale world for Colin and after so many years...he finally lives.

Many men enjoyed the life and freedom of being a cowboy, but it wasn't an easy one in The Old West. The aches were many, but it was the loneliness that could wear a man down. Jubal was one of those who dreamed as he moved and protected cattle, and the day finally came he had enough money to buy his own piece of land. Fate, though, dealt him a terrible hand once again, taking everything from him and leaving him lost and alone. Was Lucas his savior, or just more trouble for a man who'd learned to trust no one?

Short things ...

It is January 2004 and the United States and its “allies” have just completed the successful invasion of Iraq and Saddam Hussein has been captured. US Presidential Elections are on the horizon. Howard Dean is the frontrunner to be the Democratic candidate to take on George W. Bush.

These events weigh lightly on the mind of Will Schluter. He just graduated from high school a semester early and is looking forward to spending the next eight months in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure and mind broadening experiences.

Neither Will nor his country had any idea about the challenges that lurked ahead.

Rusty Parker has one big-ass problem, unlike any other big-ass problems he has ever had in his life. No, it’s not the impending sense of doom that comes with senior year and the fact that he has no idea what to do after or that he’s running out of kink ideas. No, it’s a very peculiar issue.

(Full summary inside.)

Issac Novotny barely made it home from overseas in one piece. Will his memories end up derailing his new life?