Keith B. Darrell's Blog, page 31
October 16, 2015
A Perfect Night for Dancing
An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
“I guess you’ll have to hang around to talk to the cops.”
“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. This is the hottest party in town.” She noticed the music piped in through the speakers and saw several couples dancing in the moonlight. “It’s a perfect night for dancing.”
Mackenzie gazed across the rooftop and saw Vanessa in an elegant chiffon dress dancing with her father. “Yeah, it is, but it would be awkward t...
“I guess you’ll have to hang around to talk to the cops.”
“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. This is the hottest party in town.” She noticed the music piped in through the speakers and saw several couples dancing in the moonlight. “It’s a perfect night for dancing.”
Mackenzie gazed across the rooftop and saw Vanessa in an elegant chiffon dress dancing with her father. “Yeah, it is, but it would be awkward t...
October 9, 2015
Someone’s Stolen the Watch!
An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
Mackenzie dropped another quarter into the arcade game. He glanced across the rows of pinball machines and video games at Tucker Bryant and Brooke Cooper playing skee ball. He turned to Marlene. “I never thought I’d be spending the day with Tucker Bryant.”
Marlene shrugged. “We promised to be there for Brooke. With her life falling apart, she needs friends more than ever. And to his credit, Tucker is turning...
Mackenzie dropped another quarter into the arcade game. He glanced across the rows of pinball machines and video games at Tucker Bryant and Brooke Cooper playing skee ball. He turned to Marlene. “I never thought I’d be spending the day with Tucker Bryant.”
Marlene shrugged. “We promised to be there for Brooke. With her life falling apart, she needs friends more than ever. And to his credit, Tucker is turning...
October 5, 2015
Download the 10th Edition of Issues in Internet Law!
Now available as an electronic download to your computer, laptop, iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Android devices, and more! Save up to 26% off the print edition price! Download the 10th edition of
Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law
from VitalSource! (Softcover and hardcover editions to be published in November).
The 10th edition of Issues In Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law has been updated for 2016 with the latest cases and trends in Internet Law. The...
The 10th edition of Issues In Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law has been updated for 2016 with the latest cases and trends in Internet Law. The...
October 2, 2015
I was Going to Write You a Long E-mail
An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
Mrs. Cooper sighed. “Your father’s been laid off. There’s no money coming in. We’ll have to live off our savings until we can find jobs. Your brother will be moving back home when the semester ends, unless he can find a way to pay his tuition.”
Brooke was distressed at the idea of her brother returning home. She had been relieved to watch him go off to college for what she had thought would be four years. “Bu...
Mrs. Cooper sighed. “Your father’s been laid off. There’s no money coming in. We’ll have to live off our savings until we can find jobs. Your brother will be moving back home when the semester ends, unless he can find a way to pay his tuition.”
Brooke was distressed at the idea of her brother returning home. She had been relieved to watch him go off to college for what she had thought would be four years. “Bu...
September 27, 2015
“If I Only Had A Brain…”
You can’t make this stuff up. As an author, when I write fiction I have to abide by the rule of believability. Sure, I may be writing about vampires or a story set on a distant planet, but there’s a limit to what the readers may be asked to accept before exceeding how much they’re willing to suspend their disbelief. But when it comes to reality, Kim Davis and her entourage have redefined the boundary of absurdity.
Davis is a county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky. “As county clerk I am respons...
Davis is a county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky. “As county clerk I am respons...
September 25, 2015
The Ship was Made Fifty Years from Now!
An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
The nine-year-old showed her the wooden ship in a bottle he was perusing. “It’s the ship Mac gave me.”
“The one he got the night we were at the Lobster Shack?”
Zigs nodded. “He knew I collected them.”
“That was nice of Mac. He’s a sweet boy. I hope you thanked him.”
“Of course I did.” Zigs studied the ship. “I like him better than the other guys you’ve gone out with.”
Vanessa chuckled. “That’s because he’s the on...
The nine-year-old showed her the wooden ship in a bottle he was perusing. “It’s the ship Mac gave me.”
“The one he got the night we were at the Lobster Shack?”
Zigs nodded. “He knew I collected them.”
“That was nice of Mac. He’s a sweet boy. I hope you thanked him.”
“Of course I did.” Zigs studied the ship. “I like him better than the other guys you’ve gone out with.”
Vanessa chuckled. “That’s because he’s the on...
September 23, 2015
The Pope & the Hedge Fund Manager
In an ironic twist, the pope is visiting America at the same time the Antichrist has arisen. Okay, perhaps I exaggerate slightly. Martin Shkreli, the founder and chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals, is not the Antichrist. But he does a damn good impression.
Shkreli is a former hedge fund manager, which is about as far from altruism as one can get. Picture a mirror image of Pope Francis: gaze deeply enough into Maleficent’s evil looking glass and you’ll see the 32-year-old Shkreli with a...
Shkreli is a former hedge fund manager, which is about as far from altruism as one can get. Picture a mirror image of Pope Francis: gaze deeply enough into Maleficent’s evil looking glass and you’ll see the 32-year-old Shkreli with a...
September 18, 2015
The Gas Tank Erupted in Flames
An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
The needle on the speedometer passed 85 mph. The engine roared and the black SUV had begun to vibrate. “Dexter, slow down,” Margo Walston pleaded.
The 16-year-old driver gulped another swig from the beer bottle. “Relax, babe. I’ve got this.”
In the back seat of the speeding SUV, Zigs Carlyle turned to Marlene Prentice. The nine-year-old made no attempt to hide the wet spot on his pants. “I’m scared, Marlene. M...
The needle on the speedometer passed 85 mph. The engine roared and the black SUV had begun to vibrate. “Dexter, slow down,” Margo Walston pleaded.
The 16-year-old driver gulped another swig from the beer bottle. “Relax, babe. I’ve got this.”
In the back seat of the speeding SUV, Zigs Carlyle turned to Marlene Prentice. The nine-year-old made no attempt to hide the wet spot on his pants. “I’m scared, Marlene. M...
September 11, 2015
Furry Distraction
An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
“You’re going on the Internet to chat? What about Vanessa? She’s been missing for five hours. I was sure you’d want to look for her.”
“I do. But I want to see what the local chatter is. News of Vanessa’s kidnapping might not have hit the state news, yet, but every kid who was at the mall has heard rumors.” He scanned his feed. “Yep, every kid at Serenity Valley Junior High is talking about it. Except Susan Ba...
“You’re going on the Internet to chat? What about Vanessa? She’s been missing for five hours. I was sure you’d want to look for her.”
“I do. But I want to see what the local chatter is. News of Vanessa’s kidnapping might not have hit the state news, yet, but every kid who was at the mall has heard rumors.” He scanned his feed. “Yep, every kid at Serenity Valley Junior High is talking about it. Except Susan Ba...
September 4, 2015
I’m Tired and I’m Scared. I Don’t Want to Die.
An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
“It’s like cigarettes or alcohol. It’s a drug, Marlene. Using it is exciting and exhilarating. The more you use it, the more you want to use it again. But like a drug, it’s deadly. Cigarettes destroy your lungs, alcohol eats away your liver, and the pocket watch’s chronal energy consumes your body.”
“But think of all the good you can do with the watch. You’ve already saved many lives. You’re a hero, Mac. Just...
“It’s like cigarettes or alcohol. It’s a drug, Marlene. Using it is exciting and exhilarating. The more you use it, the more you want to use it again. But like a drug, it’s deadly. Cigarettes destroy your lungs, alcohol eats away your liver, and the pocket watch’s chronal energy consumes your body.”
“But think of all the good you can do with the watch. You’ve already saved many lives. You’re a hero, Mac. Just...
