Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 84
March 23, 2024
Review: THE RESET LIFE OF CASSANDRA COLLINS by Shawn Inmon
Something bad always happens ongraduation night. It was 1966 and Cassandra Collins was looking forward to herfuture and her freedom. Instead, she gets a shocking marriage proposal. Thenext day, she gets accepted to the University of Berkley to study the arts. Herfather wants her to marry her long-time boyfriend to be set for life. If shechooses to go to Berkley, she was on her own. What to do? Well, in this case,the choice was easy: marry the boyfriend. A year later, she starts to wonderwhat if she had made a different choice. By 2018, decades later, Cassandra wasbitter and alone. That night, after she dies, she wakes up back to the dayafter grad night in 1966—for a chance to do it all over…and differently.
Before heading off to college thistime, Cassie had to work and save money. Can a spoiled, rich girl succumb toscrubbing dingy toilets? After arriving in California, she realizes that lifeon her own and school weren’t what she thought they’d be and she couldn’t quiteget a handle on them. Cassie experienced things in the 60’s like protests,sit-ins, sex, drugs, and even an arrest. Even though college didn’t work outthey way she thought (she flunked out,) Cassie learns what it’s like to beindependent and free. Cassie’s reset life had its ups and downs along withsurprises and challenges, but it was nice.
An interesting trek through themusical 60’s. A fascinating read!
Rating:5 stars
Review: THE TIMEOUTS: TITANIC by Dr. Zo
What if you were a kid that couldstop time? What if you could also go back in time? What if you were the onlyone that could save time?
That’s what we were dealing withhere. In order to save time, Zoey had to find a crystal in the past. That pastled her to the Titanic ship. Oh no!
Quite honestly, this was an okayread. Not too exciting, but not too bad.
Rating:3 stars
Review: BUZZING by Samuel Sattin
Something’s up with Isaac, whichwas evident by all the imaginary bees buzzing around his head. Was he deaf orsomething? The text was too small to read. The pictures were cool though. Weget the general storyline. Basically, Isaac’s always had a hard time fitting inschool and joins a fantasy club. There are a lot of fantasy images interwovenhere, like they represented the kids’ imagination or something, which was kindof cool but weird. I guess this was all about weird. But weird was cool.
An okay read.
Rating:3 stars
Review: SQUISHED by Megan Lloyd and Michelle Nutter
What can you do when you’resquished in the middle of a large and noisy family? For Avery, the answer wasto cringe in embarrassment.
It’s hard to get space in a housefull of kids, especially when you have to share a room with your little sisterand baby brother. The place was just too loud and Avery just wanted to get herown space. She’ll do anything to earn the money to build her own room. Walkingdogs or selling lemonade. Whatever!
I loved the cute and colorfulillustrations, but some of the text was hard to read though. The good thing isthat the pictures pretty much explain the whole story without having to try toread the text too much. It’s got some pretty funny antics. Just wish I would’vebeen able to read the text.
Don’t we all feel squished?
A pretty good read.
Rating:3 stars
March 22, 2024
Blog Tour: A TRACE OF ROMANCE by Ann Swann
A TRACE OF ROMANCE
Ann Swann
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GENRE: Romance
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BLURB:
Laynie& Trace. The first day of her new second-grade school year in tiny BeachWay, Oregon, Laynie and Trace became fast friends. Through the years, theirfriendship deepened into young love. They did everything together. Then tragedytook the life of his beloved sister, and because of the circumstances of herdeath, Trace felt compelled to move as far from Beach Way as possible. Layniewas left behind, heartbroken, and alone. But she was no quitter. She pickedherself up and, with her family’s help, made a wonderful new life for herself.She heard he’d done the same down in Texas. But now he was back, standing inthe doorway of her precious flower shop, taking up all the space the same wayhe’d always done. Her Trace, larger than life. What was he doing here, afterall this time?
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Excerpt One:
As he claspedher to his chest, the steady beat of Trace’s big heart finally began to calmher. It thumped strong and solid, just the way she remembered.
They stood thatway, her cheek to his chest, for eons—or at least a split second—until shefinally gained a measure of control and pushed herself lightly away. “I stillcan’t believe it’s you.”
“I’m an idiot,”he said. “I’ve missed you. All these years—”
“No,” Laynieshook her head. “Don’t say that.” She cleared the stupid tears collecting inthe back of her throat and managed to get herself around the end of the counterso that it was physically between them.
Trace duckedhis head and rubbed the edge of his thumb along the corner of his mouth, asmall gesture she knew well, one that meant he was contemplating what to saynext.
Keeping herselfcarefully out of his reach, Laynie said, “I’m closing up now.” She pulled thedoor open, surprised as a big gust of cold air shivered its way inside, settingthe red bubble hearts a-sway.
She aimed herkey fob at the Jeep and started the engine. Opening the shop door hadn’t beennecessary, but her mind was scattered, running on instinct.
She needed himto go, but she wanted him to stay. Wanted him to somehow turn back time. Turnback the years to the Trace he’d been before the tragedy that had changed alltheir lives. Back to the Trace she’d loved and lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ann has been a writer since junior highschool, but to pay the bills she’s waited tables, delivered newspapers, cleanedother people's houses, taught school, and even had a short stint as a secretaryin a rock-n-roll radio station. She also worked as a 911 operator and a policedispatcher.
Ann’sstories began to win awards in her college days. Since then she’s publishednovels, novellas, and short stories. But even if no one ever bought anotherbook, Ann wouldn’t stop writing. For her, it’s the cathartic pause in asometimes-crazy world. Most of the time, it even keeps her sane.
https://www.facebook.com/annswann.author
https://www.5princebooks.com/annswann.html
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ann-Swann/author/B006VV4D50
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP33RJVC
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-trace-of-romance-ann-swann/1144417460?ean=2940185916414
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-trace-of-romance
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?pcampaignid=books_read_action&id=k2_wEAAAQBAJ
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485563
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GIVEAWAY
AnnSwann will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveawayMarch 21, 2024
Blog Tour: SONG OF THE ADOËL by Kevin King
SONG OF THE ADOËL
Kevin King
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GENRE: YA Fantasy Adventure
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BLURB:
Raendelis one of the Adoël, the cursed people. Passed on to each generation, the cursedrains his body of color, leaving his skin and hair a ghostly white. To protecthimself from the commoners who fear what they don't understand, all of theAdoël live as servants to the royal family, using their unique skill withillusion magic to entertain bored nobility. Raendel is bound by traditions, butalso by his own lack of self-confidence. Prince Kenan is the younger of twoprinces, frustrated by his gilded cage and the combat tutoring that feelspointless in a secure and peaceful kingdom. He dreams of adventure, of making aname for himself with heroic deeds. An unexpected assault from an ancient enemysets the two on a quest that begins as pursuit of vengeance, but soon leadsthem into a struggle for survival that will teach them both that they are smallpieces of a long, dark history. But even the smallest actions can change thefate of a kingdom.
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Excerpt One:
Raendel wovethrough the room with practiced ease, gliding between isolated clumps ofnoblemen scattered across the room, passing the time with idle gossip as theywaited for the guest of honor to arrive. His gaze flicked along the way infront of him, choosing the path that would keep him farthest away from theguests. Most of them wore enough perfume to give him a headache from five yardsaway. The enhanced sense of smell shared by the Adoël only added to Raendel’strepidation. All the nobles stank of pride. The smell of fear drifted inclouds, especially near visitors who had never seen one of the Adoël before.Raendel spent most of his day inside the castle, serving Prince Kenan.
His distinctivefeatures would have drawn stares even without the stories. The name Adoël hadbeen used to frighten children for generations. Mothers would clutch their children as he passed in the street. Don’t gooutside at night or the Adoël will get you. Don’t wander into the woods, theAdoël will catch you and suck the life out of you. Each passing generationbelieved the stories a bit more than their parents. To encounter an Adoël inperson resurrected the terrors planted in the hearts of children now grown.
Whispersswirled in his wake. Ghost-child. Cursed. Tainted. Touched by the Necromancer.Raendel had heard them all before, but he still flinched with every sting.
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Please describe a pivotal scene in your story.
Without question, the most pivotal scene happens about aquarter of the way through the book. The kingdom’s anniversary celebration hasstarted. Young Prince Kenan has slipped out into the town to enjoy thefestivities and avoid chores. The nobles are gathered for a feast. The Adoëlservant Raendel stands near the king to wait on him.
(Minor spoilers follow – description of a pivotal scene. Butit happens early in the story, and shouldn’t come as a total surprise anyway.So embrace the danger, and read it anyway.)
Just as the celebration begins, the doors burst open and asmall squad of mercenary soldiers charge in, followed by a Shadow-Weaver. Adark spirit, summoned from the underworld by a necromancer, the Shadow-Weaverwades through the crowd of nobles leaving a trail of bodies.
Two court mages lead the king out a back exit, with theShadow-Weaver in pursuit. It kills one of the mages before the other manages todestroy it. Weakened by her struggle with the creature, the second mage isstruck down by the necromancer himself.
The king flees into his chamber. He pulls out a sword thatwas mounted to the wall, but collapses before he can use it, dead of heartfailure. The necromancer takes the sword from the fallen king and stabs himwith it, frustrated that he is already dead. The assassin escapes, taking thesword with him.
This scene is pivotal because it is a catastrophic event forall the main characters, and many of the side characters. It sets in motion thechain of events that make up the core of the story, because it turns everyone’slife upside-down.
Prince Kenan has been training in combat magic for a timelike this - to stop assassins. But he wasn’t there, because he was hiding fromhis chores and goofing off. After this scene his mother, the queen, orders himconfined to his room and guarded, afraid that assassins will come for him too. Hauntedby guilt and anger, he feels compelled to do something. So he sneaks out topursue the assassin on his own.
Raendel witnesses the whole thing, but does nothing becausehe is afraid. He uses his illusion magic to hide himself. Afterward he feelsguilty for doing nothing to protect the king. When his friend and master PrinceKenan sneaks out, Raendel goes after him, determined to make up for his failureto protect the king by bringing the prince back alive.
Queen Havilah, stunned by the sudden loss of her husband andbetrayal by her own relatives, sinks into depression at the news that heryoungest son has vanished. I don’t want to give too many spoilers, but I’ve hadseveral readers tell me that she is their favorite character, possibly becauseof the depth of the struggle she has to go through triggered by the events inthis scene. She suffers quite a bit before she finds her way back.
Besides being the inciting incident that changes the livesof the protagonists, this scene provides hints about the plans of thenecromancer and the nature of the sword that he stole, as well as the strengthsand weaknesses of the Shadow-Weavers, which become crucial later in the story.
It’s one of the first scenes I crafted, written before thechapters that lead up to it, and is probably the closer to the original versionthan any other scene in the book. This scene and the climactic final fight arethe two pillars that I built the plot around.
AUTHOR BIO:
Kevin works as a software developer in the Seattle area byday, and an author by night. He enjoys Renaissance Fairs, bookstores, fencing,and daydreaming. He has been reading fantasy from age six, and writing from agetwenty-two. He loves exploring fantasy worlds, especially exploring humannature through fiction. Fantasy is his first love, but he also dabbles insci-fi, creepy horror, and devastatingly sad dramas. He posts regular flashfiction stories to his Instagram account and website.
Website: www.kevinkingauthor.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinkingauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinKingAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevinKingAuthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KevinKingAuthor
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GIVEAWAY
KevinKing will award a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveawayMarch 20, 2024
Blog Tour: EVERYBODY LOVES POLAR BEARS by Lolo Paige
Book 1 of the Polar Paired Series
Romance Enemies to Lovers
Date Published: December 19, 2023
Publisher: Avoca Press
Expect the unexpected when it comes to love under the Aurora skies.
In the frosty mayhem of the Alaskan film set for Everybody Loves Polar Bears, accident-prone Macy Applegate catapults herself into a hilarious array of mishaps better suited for a blooper reel. As Macy dreams of stardom, she reluctantly works with Nick Westwood, the grumpiest and most arrogant assistant director this side of the Arctic Circle—a man who irritates her more than a stuck zipper in a sub-zero wind chill.
Beneath Nick's stoic exterior lies a mysterious secret, and the only thing more challenging than Alaska's winter is these two trying to get along for longer than a commercial break. Macy is a walking disaster in matters of the heart, and Nick is fed up with shallow relationships. But fate has a penchant for mischief when Nick transforms from Macy’s nemesis to her off-screen hero, chipping away at the permafrost around her heart. Should she give this guy a chance or continue wishing on the magical aurora borealis for perfect love?
In this hilarious romantic comedy, where polar bears play supporting roles and love takes center stage, Macy and Nick navigate a situation as unpredictable as Macy's on-set blunders. If you swooned through The Proposal and chuckled at The Hating Game…and if you have a soft spot for polar bears…get ready for laughter in this heartwarming tale of unexpected love!
Enemies to lovers
Celebrity romance
Grumpy sunshine
Strong woman, alpha male
Forced proximity
Polar bear love
Snowbound Alaskan cabin
Northern lights
Polar plunges
Review: A sassy, aspiring actress and asurly, egotistical director working a movie that was filming in Alaska.
I thought the premise wasinteresting and the Alaskan scenes on the movie certainly added a level of authenticityand made you feel like you were there. The hate between the two main characterswas evident along with the initial attraction. The narrative was nice n’ easy,but the story takes a while to get going as we’re literally filming a moviehere. There were some funny scenes here and there, but it wasn’t thelaugh-out-loud experience I was expecting.
Light and witty, story was ratherenjoyable. Romance readers would like this fairly nice read.
Rating:3 stars
About the Author
LoLo Paige is an award-winning author in both romantic comedy and romantic suspense. She’s been honored with several awards, including an RWA chapter award for her romantic comedy, Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart. Irish Thunder and Everybody Loves Polar Bears are her recent rom-coms published in 2024. Her romantic suspense books have topped Amazon bestseller lists in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, and Publishers Weekly has featured her books in their Booklife section. Her second book, Alaska Inferno, was a finalist for best indie romance in the 2022 Kindle Book Review Awards.
Contact Links
TIKTOK @lolopaigeauthor
Purchase Links
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Blog Tour: GREYSTONE by B.L. Ryan
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. B L Ryan will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
All Mouse could remember about her father was sitting on his lap while he told her stories. She wished she could remember what he looked like. When she hangs a white pendant that belonged to her father in her bedroom window, this wish becomes the key to great adventure in another world. A gate appears with a dragon twirling in the air above a colourful garden on the other side of the gate. Zeeta, the royal dragon, greets Mouse and invites her into the garden. The garden is part of Sweet Water holding, home to Lady Jane, who is the seer for Prince Ruler Jared.
As Mouse and Zeeta struggle to complete a quest, Mouse searches for her father. Their journey takes them across the plains of Norlanda and south to the Border Mountains.
The seers have foretold that a far traveller will appear and lead Norlanda against its enemies. This does not seem likely, as Norlanda is prosperous and peaceful at this time. Meanwhile, dark forces gathered in the Border Mountains have recognized the presence of Mouse in the lines of destiny and have started to move towards her.
How will the presence of a child, a far traveller from another world, affect the destiny of this world?
Read an Excerpt
Six Turns Later
The sky was cast with bands of pink and yellow as the sun set. It was an exceptionally clear evening, and it was possible to see the Singing Mountains across the horizon to the north. As Jared gazed absently at the fringe of jagged peaks, Lord Ravenstock entered the room silently. He waited for Jared to address him.
Without turning, Jared asked, “What have my esteemed councillors decided?”
Lord Ravenstock’s eyebrows rose briefly. His face became an expressionless mask as he related the decision of the Council of Five.
“It has been six turns since the death of your father, King Henry. The Council has decided that the Prince Ruler must select a woman to be his Lady Consort or they will be obliged to select a suitable woman on your behalf.”
The Prince snorted. “They have already given me a list of women they deem suitable.”
About the Author:Born in Saskatchewan, Betty has lived in several areas across Canada, from Ottawa to Vancouver Island while growing up. Her fondest memory as a child is of her father building a tent trailer and her mother sewing yards and yards of canvas for the tent. The family travelled across Canada and down the eastern seaboard of the United States for several summer vacations.
Betty worked as a drawing office assistant in Oxford, England, for almost two years before returning to Canada to work as a topographical clerk in Edmonton, Alberta. She pursued a BSc. in Agriculture with a major in Horticulture from the University of Alberta. While raising her children, Betty worked as an Office Manager for a non-profit society and took writing courses at night school and from the Institute of Children's Literature, Connecticut.
The garden has always been a source of inspiration and joy for Betty, as are all the beloved cats and dogs who have walked into her life. Betty believes stories are the foundation of our life. The stories we enjoy, the stories we tell ourselves, our children and others, reflect how we view the world around us. She enjoys writing fantasy for the youth genre because she feels there is still so much of the wonder of life, and the attitude that anything is possible, from this age group.
Greystone is her first novel. She is currently working on the sequel, Greystone: A New Beginning.
Free to read on KU: https://www.amazon.com/Greystone-B-L-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0CQK3HB8R/ref=sr_1_1
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March 18, 2024
Blog Tour: CRIMELINE HOLLYWOOD by Thomas Collins
Comic Mystery / Thriller / Humor
Date Published: December 28, 2023
Publisher: Mindstir Media
Whoever thought an astrologer's life could be so dangerous? Especially when you're "Hollywood's Astrologer to the Stars." Yet he once crawled out on a 20-story beam to talk down a suicidal celebrity. And when he gave a Vegas casino owner a costly piece of advice, he found himself the target of a hitman.
Fortunately he escaped only to face another crisis: the kidnapping of Sparklynn James, his most famous client. After the Feds falter on the case, the family asks him to assist Rebecca Fairway, a publicity-seeking P.I. (a.k.a. "The Glamorous Gumshoe) to find her. Not exactly the A Team.
But a coded ransom message from Sparklynn herself points them in the right direction...leading them straight into a web of corporate evil.
***
Chapter 1
Looking back, I suppose you could say I got to NorthCarolina by way of the Hollywood Freeway. Actually, it was all Nigel’s fault.He’s the one who told me to use the Alvarado entrance, which proved a perfectlocation to spy on cars entering this famous roadway.
Nigel was the GPS guide on my mother’s beloved Lincoln TownCar, and just for old times’ sake, I used him instead of my iPhone forguidance. But because of him, I nearly got my temporal and parietal lobesparted by a bullet. Muscle control and memory are governed by these regions, soit’s not something to take lightly.
My mother liked Nigel for his “refined” delivery. And,indeed, he seemed a prince of a fellow—charming, urbane, and of course, veryproper. I imagined him ensconced in a large wingback, clad in a silk smokingjacket and ascot.
“Proceed seven miles to U.S. Highway 101,” he said as Ieased into the flow of traffic. “Smashing idea, Nigel,” I said. “We’ll give ita go.” And just like that the die was cast and, my future was determined bythis little Brit deep inside the dashboard .
The car had served my mom well for years, but now she wasliving in a retirement home, and I finally persuaded her to sell her beloved“Black Beauty” as she called it.
“You will be careful with it, won’t you?” she said.
“Mom…”
“You know what I mean, son.”
Unfortunately, I did: my atrocious driving record as a teen.Before the age of nineteen, I’d managed to mangle, maul or completely totalthree cars, including a rental. But that was years ago. Today I was aresponsible adult, a preferred risk according to my insurance company. I wasperfectly capable of driving Black Beauty the twenty-six miles to a car auctionwhere collectors would get the chance to bid on one of the largest cars in theFree World—the only one with a Rolls Royce-style grill.
So, there I was, tooling down the Hollywood Freeway,enjoying a pleasant fall morning, not particularly aware of the 4Runner thatwas lurking behind me since Alvarado. Suddenly there was a sharp, poppingsound, or maybe a crack. About the same time, I noticed a funny little hole inthe dashboard, perfectly round with a curl of smoke rising out of it.
Holy shit, someone was shooting at me!
Probably a crazy sniper or one of those homegrown terroristsI’m always reading about. I sped into the thickening traffic of the downtownarea, hoping to get out of his range. After several miles I began to feel safe,but when I glanced at my side mirror, there it was again. Worse yet, I spotteda familiar face poking out of the passenger window and my blood froze. Carmine!That bullet wasn’t random. It was meant just for me.
Several months earlier I provided casino owner Milo Karpwith a bad piece of astrological advice, and he apparently took it personally.I gave a thumbs-up on his newest property but not without considerable concern.For one thing, Milo was a Scorpio, and as I tried to explain to him, shithappens to Scorpios this time of year. It’s a period of volatility, thanks to anew moon plus some Mercury-Venus friction. But Milo is a skilled businessmanwith years of experience battling unions, contractors, sub-contractors, andagents. Me? I was just an astrologer.
Well, not just any astrologer. I was, after all, lastmonth’s six across on People magazine’s crossword with the clue “Hollywood’sastrologer for the stars.” I had big name clients like Sparklynn James, one ofthe most talented performers of our generation, and whose career I helped tolaunch. There was also the hulking Rowdy Gold of Too Tough To Kill fame and TVstar Quinella Cardwell, a surgically fortified beauty. Also Mister Pister, arespectable rapper, if there is such a thing.
I knew Milo because Vegas casinos bring in a lot ofHollywood talent to do shows and he eventually became one of my clients. He wasdifficult at times with a bad temper, but I never thought he would send someoneto hunt me down on the freeway like a gazelle on the Serengeti Plains. But huntme he did. Carmine was his strongman and the driver a young guy, an apprenticethug perhaps, and their mission seemed clear.
Death was riding on my rear bumper.
I wondered about the odds of an old parade float outrunninga nimble 4Runner? The SUV could corner on a dime. The Lincoln required bigbills and made you wait for the change. In this kind of situation, it waslittle more than a rolling coffin. Icy terror shot through my veins.
Whap! A second bullet slammed through the car,catching the top of the passenger window. Another hole, perfectly round. Ipressed hard on the accelerator and the 460-cubic-inch engine responded. Thepride of Detroit wouldn’t go down without a fight. Constructed of real,honest-to-God metal and chrome, it was practically an armored panzer. At leastI had that in my favor.
But the freeway, or “the 405” as locals called it, provedtoo confining. Ordinary streets would offer me more maneuverability, so I putmy left blinker on (as if hit men really pay attention to that sort of thing).Then I swerved right, allowing me to shoot off one of the exits, completelyconfusing Nigel. But not Carmine. He kept behind me, tucked in between a Beemerand a Saab convertible, holding steady.
“Recalculating.”
“Yeah, you do that, Nigel. Get us out of this mess!”
I hung a right at the end of the ramp, spotted some openroad and let the big engine do its thing. I continued with a series of randomturns with no idea where I was going.
“Left turn and continue one point five miles onto Whitmire.”
“Not now, Nigel,” I snapped.
Up ahead, a large delivery truck lumbered toward me in lowgear. Carefully timing my speed, I skidded onto a side street. I’d seen SteveMcQueen pull a similar move in Bullitt. The only problem was, when I did it,only about two-thirds of the Lincoln made it. The remaining third hopped thecurb and took out a mailbox.
Nonetheless, the move allowed me to gain some distance frommy pursuer. I took a hard left at the next crossing, this time throwing the carinto a terrifying slide. Centrifugal force took control of the car until it hita stubborn no-parking sign. The wheels continued to spin, shooting out gravelbefore finally catching and rocketing the car forward.
I didn’t seem to be in control of this metal beast. Thebeast was controlling me.
I zipped around the corner of the next street, again jumpingthe sidewalk and sending pedestrians scurrying for their lives. I whipped thecar back and heard a loud snap as a light pole clipped the mirror on thepassenger side, leaving an ugly tangle of wires.
Nigel, meanwhile, continued to spit out conflictinginstructions: “Stay on Arcadia for one point three miles. Turn right onLaSalle. Recalculating.”
“Shut the hell up, Nigel!” I shouted.
“Turn left in one half mile onto Anzarro,” he said, totallyignoring me.
I veered onto a grimy sidewalk, pushing through a row ofmetal newspaper stands. Copies of free tabloids flew across my windshield likea flock of birds.
Still the 4Runner kept behind me.
Ahead I spotted something orange, a sawhorse with trafficcones next to it, blocking off the street ahead. Decision time. What wouldSteve McQueen have done? I gritted my teeth and ploughed through it in a blazeof construction orange.
So much for the Rolls Royce-style grill.
The SUV followed in my wake, flattening whatever was left.All I could do now was to snake through the inner city, hoping for some kind ofmiracle. Nigel, meanwhile, was strangely silent, perhaps from the violentcontact with the barricade. From the corner of my eye, I noticed severalalleyways. They were narrow, but just wide enough for one auto.
I picked one and turned into it. Carmine’s driver did thesame. More gunshots and more panic. If a bullet hit a tire, I could careen outof control and crash. If one hit the gas tank, it would probably explode. Andif it struck the back of my skull…well, that would explode too, and I would diein a Lincoln limo. Just like Kennedy.
A large intersection loomed ahead. The corner of Life andDeath where Destiny crosses Fate. A stoplight hung there, and you can probablyguess what color it was. A city bus lumbered toward the intersection, giving meone last, insane chance. I jammed hard on the gas pedal and the giant engineresponded with every horse still available. I flew across the intersectionamidst a chorus of honks, clearing the bus by inches.
Then, vehicular chaos.
In my rearview mirror, I watched the bus sideswipe the SUVand hit the brakes, setting off a string of other collisions. All of thisseemed to take place in a second. Later I learned the bus catapulted the SUVthrough the front window of a muffler shop. The cars behind it couldn’t brakein time and piled one by one into each other, accordion style.
Meanwhile I kept driving straight ahead. All I wanted to dowas put as much real estate as possible between the Lincoln and the crash site.The terrible cracking sound kept reverberating through my head along with thehorrifying crunch of metal meeting metal.
After traveling several miles through normal traffic, Ibegan to feel a little safer. That’s not to say all the panic was gone. So farthis morning I managed to outrun a pair of hit men, dodge a half dozen bullets,race through some of meanest streets of L.A. and barely escape death. Yet atsome point I would face the most daunting challenge of all.
Explaining to Mom what I’d done to her Black Beauty
About the Author
Thomas Collins wrote his first book, The Adventures of Tom and Rom, at the age of ten. (Now out of print) As an adult he gained valuable knowledge of the inner workings of big business as corporate communications director for a Fortune 500 company. Crimeline Hollywood is his first mystery though not his last, especially since the hitman from Crimeline is still on the loose. Like his hero, Dash Harwood, he is an Aquarian who likes to think outside the box… once he cuts through all the packaging.
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Blog Tour: IN ALL THINGS by Dr. John Neufeld
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotins. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
The issue of control is a central question of life. At work, in family, community clubs and schools, with the economy or international politics, the question is, "Is anyone in charge here?" Dr. John Neufeld demonstrates the Bible teaching of God's providence. We are assured that God's Hand is upon everything and everyone, without exception. Dr. John explores God's sustaining grip through the natural world and human endeavor, in pivotal matters or the seemingly trivial, the things we welcome and those we shun. He teaches the impact of God's sovereign rule upon our hearts, minds, work, worship, homes, and nation. We can live in the confidence that God is unfolding His purpose for time and eternity.
What people are saying about Dr. John Neufeld's teaching:
"This is such an important message for us today. Thank you, Dr. John, for your encouragement to view what is presently concerning us in the world from the perspective of God and His providence. That should take a huge weight off our shoulders!"
Read an Excerpt
Jesus controls the atoms that make up your body, the ground under your feet, the air you breathe, the world upon which you stand and the universe in which you live. All of it is held together and directed by the Son of God. Furthermore, if Jesus were not constantly, moment by moment, sustaining all these things, the forces that hold the atoms in place would fly apart and all things would cease to be. Everything that exists—past, present and future—does so by His will and permission. Everything that goes on does so under His direction. That’s what we mean when we talk about meticulous sovereignty.
About the Author:Dr. John Neufeld, Bible teacher of Back to the Bible Canada, is well known both nationally and internationally for his excellence in expositional Bible teaching. Dr. Neufeld is passionate about bringing the truth of God's Word to life across Canada and beyond.
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