M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 15

We Proudly Present To You: Hazel!

A while back, I mentioned I was so happy to be working with Collin Fogel, my best friend from Junior High and the cover artist for The Journals of Bob Drifter, on a comic limited series.

Then the comic was picked up by a small press Hazel got put with a comic containing content I couldn’t support or endorse, so I stepped away.

Time passed, and Hazel’s run with that series ended. The company kindly gave Collin the green light to publish Hazel elsewhere.

After some time, Collin and I decided to make Hazel available on Amazon. Here we are!

As you read this the electronic version of Hazel is now available on Amazon for $7.99.

Here are some things to know though. This is the first time I’ve tried to publish a comic online. I think I did everything right, but I could have messed up. If you’re willing to try it, would you please e-mail me to know how it works, I mean that literally. Obviously I hope you enjoy it, but I’m worried something in the data or in how it runs might make the comic functionality poor, and if that’s the case, I’m hoping someone will tell me.

Another note: Comics don’t exactly work the same way as regular books. The page-by-page style of the written word is easy. Hazel has at least three full-spread pages (two pages that combine to make one big page). It reads left to right, but between two pages. One page is vertical. These are things that I can’t do anything about. When I’m done with the paperback (see below), you’ll be able to twist and turn it just like any other comic trade paperback.

I wanted to be forthright about these things because I’m hoping feedback will let me know.

This is honestly the fulfillment of a childhood dream. Collin and I have known each other for decades, and we always talked about having a comic out. This is really his project. He’s the creator, and he did most of the work. I feel the need to say he also (rightly) gets the bulk of the royalties, but I’ll keep the actual distribution private.

There is a chance that the paperback will be troublesome. Again, with a comic, some pages are designed to be vertical, and Amazon can be pretty challenging for things like that. We’re giving it a shot.

I hope you’ll choose to do the same. I’m really hopeful this project does well, and you’re the ones who can help me with that.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Bleach Volume 50 by Tite Kubo

Spoiler free summary: In Volume 50 of Bleach by Tite Kubo, Ichigo Kurosaki is trying to adjust to life without his Soul Reaper powers. Things seem to be reaching a pretty normal (at least for Ichigo) rotuine when a man named Kugo Ginjo comes to town, promising Ichigo a way to get his powers back. But why is he doing it?

Character: If you’re not in love with Ichigo and his friends by Volume 50, I’m not sure why you’re reading this review or the series in question. What stands out to me is that Volumes 1-49 comprise a beautiful, complete storyline. So The future arcs really seem out of place given everything was wrapped up nicely. Sure, this Fullbring arc does connect to the history of Soul Society and Ichigo’s past, but it’s not so unique that I felt it demanded publication. However, I think if you loved Bleach the way I love, say, Mistborn, then more is something you’ll like. These new characters bring new dynamics into the worldbuilding that may not be as interesting as the previous arc, but it’s still cool. For Ichigo, the more interesting arc would have been to force him not to be the hero. I get why this arc exists, but it just feels like they did this to pump out more content, and that content only advanced one aspect of storytelling (see below).

Exposition: This is a manga, so get ready for several “the exposition boxes were solid.” I will say there is far more exposition in Bleach than Demon Slayer. Some is hidden in dialogue, but given how obvious it is, it can get pretty annoying.

Worldbuilding: So this is where the rubber meets the metaphorical road in these future volumes. If the politics and history of Soul Society are interesting to you, then this is your volume. If you want to understand the origins of substitute shinigamis and power activations in normal humans, this is for you. I’m just not one of those. But that’s not a bad thing. Mistborn fascinates me. I’m going to read all the eras because that world does interest me. However, Dragonriders is my favorite series every, but I only read the main arc. I’m not saying I never will, it just doesn’t interest me nearly as much as Jaxom and Ruth. So that’s what everything rests on (with the exception of fights, see below).

Dialogue: This is probably the weakest. Almost every conversation I can remember was basically the characters explaining the plot to me, and that annoyed me. It wasn’t the clever cat and mouse stuff from the previous volumes. There was almost no attention paid to the actual characters and their everyday motivations. Instead, the monologued about whatever info dump the author wanted to pour down the reader’s throat. The one character who acts and speaks like a normal character is brushed aside when the fighting starts.

Description: Here again is a point of emphasis for fans of anime and manga. What makes it good? If you think good manga is cool fight scenes with epic OP battle moments, this gives you what you want. But if you’re looking to connect more with new characters and new stories, I’m sorry. You’re going to be disappointed. You might get a brief, “trust me, I’ve had it rough” speech from some character here or there, but we don’t get time to know the character and bond with them, so these speeches fall short of the mark.

Overall: I have to say that I have a bias that might be unfair. I thought the end of the battle against Aizen was a perfect ending to a perfect story. I feel much the same way about this as I did about Season 5 of Supernatural. The most important thing any storyteller can do for his story is to let it finish, and none of these volumes did justice to the ones before them. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read them. If you like epic fights, this is for you. If you are fascinated by the history of Soul Society, this is for you. This arc already puts an odd barrier between the heroes that I didn’t understand. It doesn’t address it or improve on it. It almost starts over in an odd way, and it’s not nearly as powerful as the first version. I leave you the right to decide for yourselves. Did I hate it? Honestly, no. It was OK, but it was just OK when before it was awesome, and that’s the reason some of this seems negative.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Announcing the Week 3 2021 M.L.S. Weech October Book Cover of the Month! Vote for Week 4!

Greetings all,

We’re chugging along and about to finish the seventh month of my book cover of the year competition.

The winner of the third week of October is …

Dragon Bond by Ursula Visser had perfect composition! Every single element was placed exactly where it needed to be while avoiding any overlap, which can cause tension in the eyes. That means it joins Gutter Mage and You Give Magic A Bad Name in the overall October competition. This week’s winner will round out the poll, and you can vote for Week 4’s cover right here.

I’d appreciate it if you’d head over to my YouTube channel and give it a like and a subscribe. It really does help me out.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 50

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The officer grabbed the door and opened it a bit wider to emphasize his point. Paul gave the him a slack-jawed stare even as he stepped out of the interrogation room. The officer escorted him around the building so he could collect his belongings and then led him out of the police station. 

“Bit of advice,” the officer said, “You might want to take a close look at how you treat the ladies in your life, and you also might want to look into how you react to certain things.”

Paul nodded. The officer probably wanted to arrest him and sentence him to whatever time in prison was warranted, but if Stacy and her new boyfriend were unwilling to testify, it wasn’t likely there was much to do. That left the officer no other option than to give that warning. A part of Paul wondered how that officer could operate in such a personable manner even though everyone knew Paul had done something terrible. 

What do I do? There wasn’t much else to do in the beginning other than use his PID to get a ride back to the school. For some reason, the officer’s words made Paul want to contact his mom, so he dialed her up on the PID and synched the wrist device to an earphone that he placed in his right ear. He just activated a privacy screen between himself and the driver when his mother answered. 

“Hello, my son!” She was always so cheerful when he called. Her good mood made him feel even more guilty.

“I really messed up, Mom.” Paul’s voice trembled as he spoke. 

“What happened?” There was no annoyed, resentful tone. Neither was she overly concerned as if she were freaking out that something was wrong. It was just a simple question. Maybe she didn’t understand how royally he’d screwed up.

He launched into the story. He kept interrupting himself. Each time, he thought his mother would respond with a rebuke, shout, or simple question; but she just listened.

“I’m on my way back to the university,” he said. “I’m not sure what to do.” 

“You’re not your father,” she said. 

It was every bit as much as what he wanted to hear as it was a lie. A tear rolled down his cheek. “But I did exactly what he would have done.”

“And what should you have done?” she asked.

“I should have treated her better,” he answered. “I should have been more interested in her than I was in … well, what we did together.”

“That’s true,” his mother replied, “but I’m asking what you should have done in that moment you saw them together.”

“I was so mad,” Paul said. “I couldn’t think straight.”

“Are you angry now?” his mother asked.

“A little, but, what are you getting at?” He glanced out the window to see how far the car had taken him since the conversation began. The freeway exit sign made it clear that, despite how long the conversation felt, they hadn’t been talking long. 

“I get that you were blinded in that moment, but you’re not blind now, so you have the time to think you didn’t have then. What should you have done?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I should have just left. Sure, we’d still have broken up. I don’t know that I would have realized what a jerk I had been being to her if I hadn’t done what I did, but at least no one would have gotten hurt.”

“We’re talking about controlling our bodies at church,” his mother said.

“Mom —” He didn’t want her to get into some sermon, but she didn’t seem to be in the mood to be stopped.

“You called me; that means you get my opinions, which I base on God’s word,” she said before continuing her point. “What I think is you try to control your anger by ignoring it. How’s that working for you?”

Paul muttered, “That’s not really fair.”

“But it is necessary,” his mother replied.

“So what am I supposed to do?” he asked, ironically feeling the grip on his temper begin to slip.

“The answer is simple to say but much harder to do,” she said. “You have to train yourself how to be angry without sinning.”

“And how do I do that?” 

“For starters, always start by asking if you have a right to be angry,” she said.

“So Christians don’t have a right to be angry?” He didn’t keep the sarcasm from his tone.

“The commandment wouldn’t be, ‘Be angry, and don’t sin,’ if we couldn’t be angry.” His mother’s patience seemed to make his sarcasm seem even more childish. “The fact that you think you can’t be angry at all is the problem. You associate anger with the violence your father inflicted on us, so you tried to avoid the one by ignoring the other, which is probably what he did, too.”

Paul didn’t say anything for a few moments. “So I am just like him.”

“No,” she said. “It’s true that you did something he had done, but that only makes you just like him if you respond the same way he did. He justified his abuse. He justified his anger. Is that what you did?”
“I don’t know that I had the chance,” Paul said.

“That wasn’t the question I asked,” she replied.

“No, I didn’t do that. I feel guilty. Like I said, I tried to turn myself in,” he said. 

“That is repentance.” His mom paused to emphasize the word “that.” She had a satisfied tone in that moment. 

“I didn’t ask God for forgiveness.” He was about to tell her he didn’t owe God anything, but she jumped into the conversation.

… to be continued …

I Hope To See You At The Southern Maryland Comic-Con!

Greetings all,

So the Southern Maryland Comic-Con is next month (scheduled for Nov. 13), and I actually have a table. Believe it or not, I bought the table a year and a half ago, but then COVID hit. They were so awesome, keeping me up to date and holding my spot for all this time, and now they’re ready to go.

To my knowledge, this is the only event I’m scheduled to attend this calendar year. We’re hoping to get back in the swing of things, but that depends on several factors. So it’s my sincere hope that if you’re in the area, you’ll come by, say hello and maybe buy some books. We have a few new things (and hope to maybe have another surprise) for you to try since the last time we were at a table.

I just wanted to put it out there in the hope that you might consider stopping by.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (The third time)

This image was taken from Amazon.com for review purposes.  Featured image was taken from Fruitlesspursuits.com, no source was listed on the website.

Spoiler Free Summary: Words of Radiance is the second book in the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.  My review for Book One is here. As Shallan Davar prepares to make her way to the Shattered Plains, her plan gets ruined before they even have a chance to begin. She’ll need to find her own way, and in the process, she’ll have to confront her greatest secret and her biggest lie. Meanwhile, Kaladin has escaped the oppression of the light eyes, choosing to align himself with the only honorable lighteyes in the world, maybe. The more he works with them, the more he fears what he thinks is their inevitable betrayal. Just as everything comes to a head, he discovers a plot that puts him on the wrong side of his oaths. What effect would breaking his oath have on Syl?

NOTE: This is my third (if not fourth) read of the book. I usually re-read books in a series like this before the new one comes out. I read this book again after finished Rhythm of War.

Since this is a re-read, I don’t want to give you information that I’ve already provided. That wouldn’t give you any value as a reader, so for this review, I’m going to focus on the characters. This book is already the best in the series (by a long shot). That doesn’t mean the other books aren’t good or even awesome in some cases, but it does mean this one still stands out.

Photo by Nazrilof taken from Mr. Sanderson’s website.

Kaladin really steals the show here. This is supposed to be Shallan’s book, but for her, this is just the book where I stopped being so annoyed by her. Oddly, some will say Kaladin starts to annoy them in the future books (and I can’t really blame them), but not here. This book is where Kaladin becomes a beloved mainstay character. In fact, for those who feel the later books sort of let them down, I’d argue this book and how Kal progresses is exactly why people are willing to endure Kal’s struggles with him. I’ll talk more about those issues in the future reviews for the next books. For now, I want to express what a great story this was for him.

Kaladin, in this story, is a hero who doesn’t trust his good fortune, and with good reason. Every time he’s done something amazing in the past, he’s had that taken from him and been sent lower than he’d ever been. So how can he not be in a position where he doubts? This journey of a man who doesn’t trust his good fortune is unique because that fear of falling or losing is real despite not being the most overt threat one could see. Indeed most stories would have an identified villain who is in fact trying to take everything from the hero. Not so in this tale.

Shallan however, starts every bit as annoying as she was in Way of Kings. In that book, she pointedly felt like the expositional character. “Oh no, here comes Shallan and another lecture on the economics of Roshar!” However, this story gives us more on Shallan. While she’s still absolutely the characterization of Roshar, its history, and its economics, she’s also a character in her own right. Her history is compelling, and that builds sympathy.

Then we have Adolin, who I will never forget because I get so frustrated with people who do. Adolin doesn’t come into his full potential until the fourth book, but right about here is where we see him start to exist as more than a foil to Dalinar, and Sanderson openly admitted Adolin got more screen time to play that role. In this story, we start to see Adolin as more of an individual. As his goals and earnest charm start becoming clearer, he starts being a more beloved character. After this many reads of the saga, I might actually think he’s my favorite in the who series (though let’s see how Kaladin goes in Book 5). He’s certainly in contention at the moment, and that affection is born here. Adolin should be an arrogant jerk who is only after a new fling and another fight, but that’s just not how it goes. Sure, there’s a duel here where Kaladin get’s an awesome hero moment, but Adolin is all the more impressive because it’s all just him.

This book is the best book in the series because it’s the book that focuses most on the characters reaching their potential. This book shines because the characters grown and evolve, ending with them in a better place. I think the third book falls short because the characters regress. As an overall series, characters need to regress. However, seeing Kaladin regress as far as he does and Shallan do something relatively similar is actually a pretty big letdown because this book ends in a spot where we feel those characters should start to shine. That doesn’t make the future books bad, but it does explain why some may resent them and why this book stands out so well.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Announcing the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month for September! Keep Voting for October!

Greetings all,

We’re steadily moving toward naming the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Year. We have a winner for September, and we’re getting the roster for October’s poll together.

Let’s start by naming the 2021 M.L.S. Weech Book Cover of the Month for September. The winner is …

I really thought The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston was a super strong and energetic cover. Congrats to Johnston, and good luck in the 2021 poll.

We’re also making a lot of progress in October’s matchups. We have a winner for Week 2, which is …

Gutter Mage by J.S. Kelley was just such a classic cover with beautiful color. It was a close call between a few covers, but this unique style and design stood out.

You can vote for Week 3’s cover here.

I’d be grateful if you’d stop by my YouTube Channel and giving it a like and subscribe. It gets the covers out there and helps add voters to the contest.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Visits From A Man Named Nobody 49

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Fifteen

Jan. 29, 2036, 2:45 a.m. 

14 Years, 307 Days Ago

Paul didn’t have any luck finding Stacy until social media revealed just how badly he’d hurt her new boyfriend. Apparently, the man had ended up in the hospital for a dislocated knee. He walked through the sliding glass doors and stepped to the middle of a waiting area composed of hard plastic chairs.  He turned, just trying to get his bearings, and nearly tripped over Stacy, who yelped in shock as his arm just missed slamming into her. 

“What the hell are you doing here!?” 

Paul placatingly held up his hands and took a few steps back. “I’m only here to say you were right.”

It was hard to tamp down the anger again. His thoughts seem to argue with themselves.

She cheated on me!

I never treated her right.

Does that mean she can sleep around?

It means I failed her every bit as badly as she failed me. 

She scowled at him. “You’ve done enough.”

Paul took another step back. “I only came to say you were right, and I’m sorry.”

“You’ve said it!” For someone so beautiful, that enraged face held a special piercing horror to it.

“What’s going on here?” A police officer stood in the near hallway. Apparently, Paul’s apology and Stacy’s reaction drew the attention of the staff, but that actually did Paul a favor. 

“I’m here to turn myself in,” Paul said. 

“What are you doing?” Stacy’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“The right thing,” Paul answered. He turned his attention to the police officer. “My name is Paul Autumn. I’m responsible for putting .. “ He looked at Stacy. He didn’t know the man’s name. “Whoever it is she’s with, I’m the one who hurt him. I’m turning myself in.”

The police officer, a slender man with a face that somehow seemed to sag, looked from Paul to Stacy. “Young man,” he said, “I need you to understand that anything you say can and will be used against you.”

“I know,” Paul said. 

“Are you sure?” The officer asked.

“What are you doing?!” Stacy’s face shifted to one of confusion. Was she worried, or was it Paul’s hopeful imagination?

“I already told you,” Paul said. “I’m doing the right thing.” He looked back at the police officer. “I’m responsible for that guy being here, and I’m sorry. I’d like to leave my insurance and number with the nurse before you arrest me.”

The police officer’s brown eyes widened in shock, and he let out a chuckle. It looked like he’d just tripped and fallen on a PID containing a million dollar account number. “Um, that’s not really how it works.”

“Ok.” Paul turned his back to the officer and crossed his hands behind his back. He turned his head so he could see Stacy.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. 

Paul smiled at her. “Because people should be accountable. Tell your new boyfriend I’m sorry for what it’s worth. And for how I treated you, I’m sorry for that, too.”

He hadn’t actually intended to turn himself in, but the moment the police officer showed up, it felt right. How many beatings had his father handed down before he wound up in prison? He wouldn’t go that far. He’d pay for what he’d done. It was all probably over. His scholarship. His experiment. Any hope of a job was probably down the drain given he’d have an arrest record. 

The police officer put the cuffs on him and read him his rights. As he did, Paul had a thought.

“Would you tell Jordan what happened?” He asked Stacy. 

She stared at him for a long moment before giving a quick nod. 

That was something, at least. They’d probably let Jordan stay in school. Paul decided to invoke his right to remain silent during the entire drive. He contemplated everything that led to that moment and decided it was probably how it was always going to go. He was always like his father. He was always just one explosion of anger away from what he’d done. 

By the time he reached this realization, the officer had pulled into the police station. Booking consisted of a mug shot and fingerprints. Somewhere along the line, he asked that a lawyer be provided for him. They put him in a large, white room that only had a few chairs. 

He sat there, playing everything over in his mind again. 

He wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep or if he just blinked, but the sound of the door opening drew his attention. The same police officer who arrested him entered. He looked somehow both annoyed, with furrowed eyebrows, and amused, with a slight grin. 

“You said you hurt him,” the officer said. 

“I did.” Paul didn’t bother to hide his confusion. 

“Well, I suppose you did at that, but you made it sound like you tried to kill him,” the officer said. 

“I almost did,” Paul said. 

“I don’t know about that,” the officer said. “His knee was reset. He’ll limp for a time, but he should be fine after a few months if what the doctors say is true.”

That was a relief in a way, but it didn’t change the fact that Paul had gone out of control. “I don’t understand,” he said. “You make it sound like I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Based on that young lady’s statement and her boyfriend, you didn’t,” the officer said. He stood up and waved a hand at the door. “You’re free to go.”

“No,” Paul said. “What … what did they say?”

The officer shrugged. “Said you two were doing some sort of stupid wrestling contest, and things went south.”

Paul let out a frustrated breath and shook his head. “That’s a … “

The officer held a hand. “Now young man, I’m going to interrupt your incredible act of well-meant stupidity.”

Paul froze, unsure whether to feel insulted or not. 

“I imagine your story might be very different from theirs,” the officer said. “And I suppose only one of you can be telling the truth, but the problem I got is, that while you may be confessing to all sorts of things, if the supposed victims don’t report a crime, I have no case. So if you could just stop wasting my time and take the free chance you’ve been offered, I’m sure we could all use a little sleep and a perhaps a bit of time to think.”

Paul stood there dumbfounded. They’d lied for him? Why? 

… to be continued …

Visits From A Man Named Nobody

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Fifteen

Jan. 29, 2036, 2:45 a.m. 

14 Years, 307 Days Ago

Paul didn’t have any luck finding Stacy until social media revealed just how badly he’d hurt her new boyfriend. Apparently, the man had ended up in the hospital for a dislocated knee. He walked through the sliding glass doors and stepped to the middle of a waiting area composed of hard plastic chairs.  He turned, just trying to get his bearings, and nearly tripped over Stacy, who yelped in shock as his arm just missed slamming into her. 

“What the hell are you doing here!?” 

Paul placatingly held up his hands and took a few steps back. “I’m only here to say you were right.”

It was hard to tamp down the anger again. His thoughts seem to argue with themselves.

She cheated on me!

I never treated her right.

Does that mean she can sleep around?

It means I failed her every bit as badly as she failed me. 

She scowled at him. “You’ve done enough.”

Paul took another step back. “I only came to say you were right, and I’m sorry.”

“You’ve said it!” For someone so beautiful, that enraged face held a special piercing horror to it.

“What’s going on here?” A police officer stood in the near hallway. Apparently, Paul’s apology and Stacy’s reaction drew the attention of the staff, but that actually did Paul a favor. 

“I’m here to turn myself in,” Paul said. 

“What are you doing?” Stacy’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“The right thing,” Paul answered. He turned his attention to the police officer. “My name is Paul Autumn. I’m responsible for putting .. “ He looked at Stacy. He didn’t know the man’s name. “Whoever it is she’s with, I’m the one who hurt him. I’m turning myself in.”

The police officer, a slender man with a face that somehow seemed to sag, looked from Paul to Stacy. “Young man,” he said, “I need you to understand that anything you say can and will be used against you.”

“I know,” Paul said. 

“Are you sure?” The officer asked.

“What are you doing?!” Stacy’s face shifted to one of confusion. Was she worried, or was it Paul’s hopeful imagination?

“I already told you,” Paul said. “I’m doing the right thing.” He looked back at the police officer. “I’m responsible for that guy being here, and I’m sorry. I’d like to leave my insurance and number with the nurse before you arrest me.”

The police officer’s brown eyes widened in shock, and he let out a chuckle. It looked like he’d just tripped and fallen on a PID containing a million dollar account number. “Um, that’s not really how it works.”

“Ok.” Paul turned his back to the officer and crossed his hands behind his back. He turned his head so he could see Stacy.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. 

Paul smiled at her. “Because people should be accountable. Tell your new boyfriend I’m sorry for what it’s worth. And for how I treated you, I’m sorry for that, too.”

He hadn’t actually intended to turn himself in, but the moment the police officer showed up, it felt right. How many beatings had his father handed down before he wound up in prison? He wouldn’t go that far. He’d pay for what he’d done. It was all probably over. His scholarship. His experiment. Any hope of a job was probably down the drain given he’d have an arrest record. 

The police officer put the cuffs on him and read him his rights. As he did, Paul had a thought.

“Would you tell Jordan what happened?” He asked Stacy. 

She stared at him for a long moment before giving a quick nod. 

That was something, at least. They’d probably let Jordan stay in school. Paul decided to invoke his right to remain silent during the entire drive. He contemplated everything that led to that moment and decided it was probably how it was always going to go. He was always like his father. He was always just one explosion of anger away from what he’d done. 

By the time he reached this realization, the officer had pulled into the police station. Booking consisted of a mug shot and fingerprints. Somewhere along the line, he asked that a lawyer be provided for him. They put him in a large, white room that only had a few chairs. 

He sat there, playing everything over in his mind again. 

He wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep or if he just blinked, but the sound of the door opening drew his attention. The same police officer who arrested him entered. He looked somehow both annoyed, with furrowed eyebrows, and amused, with a slight grin. 

“You said you hurt him,” the officer said. 

“I did.” Paul didn’t bother to hide his confusion. 

“Well, I suppose you did at that, but you made it sound like you tried to kill him,” the officer said. 

“I almost did,” Paul said. 

“I don’t know about that,” the officer said. “His knee was reset. He’ll limp for a time, but he should be fine after a few months if what the doctors say is true.”

That was a relief in a way, but it didn’t change the fact that Paul had gone out of control. “I don’t understand,” he said. “You make it sound like I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Based on that young lady’s statement and her boyfriend, you didn’t,” the officer said. He stood up and waved a hand at the door. “You’re free to go.”

“No,” Paul said. “What … what did they say?”

The officer shrugged. “Said you two were doing some sort of stupid wrestling contest, and things went south.”

Paul let out a frustrated breath and shook his head. “That’s a … “

The officer held a hand. “Now young man, I’m going to interrupt your incredible act of well-meant stupidity.”

Paul froze, unsure whether to feel insulted or not. 

“I imagine your story might be very different from theirs,” the officer said. “And I suppose only one of you can be telling the truth, but the problem I got is, that while you may be confessing to all sorts of things, if the supposed victims don’t report a crime, I have no case. So if you could just stop wasting my time and take the free chance you’ve been offered, I’m sure we could all use a little sleep and a perhaps a bit of time to think.”

Paul stood there dumbfounded. They’d lied for him? Why? 

… to be continued …

A New 5-Star Review for Caught

Greetings all,

It’s been a while since I’ve had a review, but man, I love it when I get one, especially when it’s good. That means I get to share this five-star review for Caught from Cowan on Audible.

What a read!

Ho-ly Cow! What a great book to read. Intense with great twists. A wonderful and original take on the genre. Highly recommend!

It’s great because it’s five stars, and even though it’s short, it’s super kind.

If you’ve read any of my work, please consider leaving a rating and review on Amazon, Goodreads, Audible, or all three. They really do mean the world to me.

As always, I appreciate you all for supporting my silly dream. I’ll keep writing, and I will always thank you for reading.

Matt