Debbie McGowan's Blog, page 4

Review: Drumbeat by A.M. Leibowitz

I realised today that I still haven't reviewed Drumbeat , which is shocking. It's been out for... [goes to look...cough] a while. OK, September 1st, it was released, and it was a while before that when I read it, because I struck lucky and got to beta-read. I honestly don't know what the process is like for other beta-readers, but for me it's like getting books on super early pre-release AND getting the chance to talk about the characters and events with the author. A private fan convention, essentially. I love it!

Drumbeat  is the third book in A.M. Leibowitz's Notes from Boston series, and I've got to say before I get into talking about the story itself, I love these covers so much. How much? I've got them up onscreen as I type. They're exactly right for the series and for each story.

The observant will notice the series title and the book titles are music-themed, and the characters are all somehow connected to the performing arts (as well as to each other). In  Drumbeat , we meet (again) Jamie, who is...a drummer (badum-tish) and Cian who is a hot Irish-American bi guy. Um, I mean, he's a dancer. Yes, that's what I meant.

Now, my job and hobby are such that I've read a few romances over the years. Not hundreds, but enough to get the gist of a few common tropes, and you can forget about those straight off. No friends to lovers going on here (or not between Jamie and Cian, at least). No enemies to lovers either. More a fairly ambivalent tumble into something that is more meaningful because it's natural and necessary. The challenges Jamie and Cian face independently are not instantly fixed by them coming together. Instead, there is a commitment to each other that is more than 'we met, fell for each other, the end'. While romance is in the mix, there is friendship, understanding, compassion, learning to communicate, acceptance. They're not 'perfect' for each other, and there are many obstacles still to be surpassed when we leave their story behind, but there's a definite rightness to what they have.

And there's also Sage. Bloody Sage. I almost wish there was a reason why he's such a sh*t, because it might stop me wanting to smush his face in every time I think of him. (Or boil him in a pan? That could work...) I get the same feeling when I meet people like him in RL, which I guess says it all. A.M. Leibowitz has captured the essence of...Sageness brilliantly. Pity he's an asshole, though. Sage is a lovely name. Still, I suppose everyone deserves one redeeming feature.

Each NfB novel (so far) focuses on two (or more) key characters, but it's really an ensemble cast, and anyone who's read books one and two will recognise many familiar names - Trevor, Andre (sigh), Marlie, Mack, Nate, Izzy...amazing, diverse characters and relationships. It's refreshing to read books like these with actual LGBTQ+ characters. The settings will also be familiar - I have somewhere a sketch of the club that I made while reading. The place is so vivid in my mind, I'm there with the guys, in this instance mostly watching Cian and his dancers. Obviously. Obsessed? Nooo... [whistles nonchalantly]

I could go on all day, but I'll wind it up here by saying  Drumbeat , like Anthem and Nightsong , is a stand-alone story, and the author has a knack for minimising spoilers, so you could just pick up  Drumbeat  and go back later for  Anthem  and  Nightsong , because you surely will.

I've linked the books' titles to the publisher's pages, but here are some more links for where you can buy  Drumbeat :

Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Kobo • iBooks

Sparkly Badgers Ghost Hunt #giveaway #books

Be brave and grab your torches - it's time for the Sparkly Badgers' Ghost Hunt!
Find all the ghosts, collect all the letters and submit the spooky phrase to enter the prize draw and win sweets and books.
Everyone who enters gets to choose a book prize but only one lucky hunter will go away with every eBook.
Good luck and happy ghost hunting!
For clues, visit the Facebook Event Page:https://www.facebook.com/events/373362076545635

#WIPpet Wednesday - Alumni: Sturdy Door

It's WIPpet Wednesday... :)

Brief Context
This is another snippet from Alumni (HBTC #8). At the end of Reunions (HBTC #7), Josh was stuck in the loft, having gone up there to investigate some psychic tools Dan had discovered earlier. In this snippet, he’s still sitting on the lip of the loft hatch, and he’s called Dan—I skipped forward a bit.

WIPpet Maths for Wednesday 24th October, 2018
18 x 10 – 24 = 156 words

And the WIPpet Snippet:

A series of thuds, loud and likely emanating from a fist, echoed up the stairwell while a torrent of foul language poured out of Josh’s phone.

“I can’t pick this, this…stupid…” There was another loud thump followed by a muted roar. “That’s it. I’m calling the locksmith,” Dan said.

“No!” The word was out before Josh could check himself, and he scrabbled to take his phone off speaker. “I don’t want a locksmith.”

“The guy’s not cheap, but he’s good,” Dan contended, mistaking Josh’s petulance for miserliness, but the cost was irrelevant; he simply could not take more ridicule, albeit that what he’d endured so far was his own. His curiosity had made a fool of him, and his pride had ensured he’d had plenty of time to reflect.

“Have you tried shouldering it?”

“Are you having a laugh? They’ve got flimsier doors on Fort Knox.”

It was a very sturdy door, Josh had to agree.

* * * * *
What is WIPpet Wednesday?
WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress - expertly organised/hosted by Emily Wrayburn - and the excerpt has to relate to the date in some way. For links to other fabulous authors' WIPpets, visit: http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=355404



Thanks for reading
Deb x

#WIPpet Wednesday - Alumni: Disappointed

It's WIPpet Wednesday... :)

Brief Context
This is another snippet from Alumni (HBTC #8). At the end of Reunions (HBTC #7), Josh was stuck in the loft, having gone up there to investigate some psychic tools Dan had discovered earlier. In this snippet, he’s still sitting on the lip of the loft hatch, and he’s accepted he’s not getting down on his own.

WIPpet Maths for Wednesday 17th October
17 - 10 = 7
This is from p61 of my manuscript.
6 + 1 = 7
(Yes, I know it’s really convoluted…)

And the WIPpet Snippet:

“Mr. Sandison. Gordon Baines here.”

Oh, thank all that is… “Hey, Gordon. Thanks for returning my call. I was…erm…wondering if, perchance, you still have a set of keys to the building?”

“Keys to the building…” Baines sucked his teeth, the noise crackly and distorted against Josh’s ear. He moved the phone away and continued listening on loud speaker. “I might be wrong, but I think I only had the two sets I gave to you. Have you lost them?”

“Erm… Not lost them, as such, more…I’m locked in.”

“Oh? I had the locks checked before I put the building on the market.”

“Yes, and I’m sure the locks are all working fine.”

“Right, so what exactly do you mean by locked in?”

“I, erm… It’s complicated.” It always worked when George said it. “Can you help me or not?” Josh was being bolshy, but he’d apologise later. Anything to get him out of his predicament.

“If I’ve got them, they’ll be in the safe. I’ll pop and have a look and call you straight back.”

“It’s OK, I’ll wait on the—agh! The bloody bleep again! Please, please have another set.”

Josh wasn’t optimistic—about anything, ever, but particularly on this occasion—thus he had no justification for being so utterly disappointed when Gordon called back and confirmed the only two sets of keys to the first floor of the building were, as he’d said, in Josh’s possession. Or, in fact, several feet downwards and to the left of his possession.

“Damn it!”

Back to his contacts, no more horsing around. He hit the call button.

* * * * *
What is WIPpet Wednesday?
WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress - expertly organised/hosted by Emily Wrayburn - and the excerpt has to relate to the date in some way. For links to other fabulous authors' WIPpets, visit: http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=355404



Thanks for reading
Deb x

#WIPpet Wednesday - Alumni: What Goes Up...

It's WIPpet Wednesday... :)

Brief Context
This is another snippet from Alumni (HBTC #8). At the end of Reunions (HBTC #7), Josh was stuck in the loft, having gone up there to investigate some psychic tools Dan had discovered earlier. I’ve been trying to figure out for ages how to get Josh down again, and I've done it.

But first, here he is, sitting on the lip of the loft hatch, and he’s accepted he’s not getting down on his own.

WIPpet Maths
10 paragraphs for the 10th of the 10th.

And the WIPpet Snippet:

Josh opened his contacts list and scrolled. Adele…no. If she sets eyes on this lot—he glowered at the attic stash—she’ll think all her Christmases have come at once. Andy…he’ll have me abseiling my way out. Would that be so bad? A quick downwards glance assured him it would. Baines Property Services…potentially. He mentally bookmarked Baines and continued scrolling through friends and business contacts, imagining the scenario for each, all of them horrific, leaving him with a shortlist of two, neither of which he was eager to try.

Dan or Gordon Baines. Dan. Gordon Baines. He’d have flipped a coin if he’d had one to hand. Lesser of two evils? Hard to say, but probably Gordon. Embarrassing as it was to have his ex-landlord come and rescue him from the top of a stepladder of only moderate height, Josh could no longer feel his legs. He made the call.

“Good afternoon, Baines Property.”

“Good afternoon. Would it be possible to speak to Gordon, please?”

“Who’s calling?”

“Josh Sandison.”

“One moment, please.” He was put on hold—no music, mercifully—and then the same voice came back on the line. “Mr. Baines is in a meeting and asked me to tell you he’d call back shortly.”

Josh held in his cry of anguish. “OK. Thank you. Please do tell him it’s rather urgent.”

“I’ll be sure to let him know.”

There was a bleep in Josh’s ear. He moved his phone away and stared, horrified, at the ‘call ended’ notification. The fingers of his other hand—clinging tightly to the lip of the loft hatch—were aching, and he had cramp in his buttocks from keeping them tensed for so long, but there was no floor in the loft, and if he tumbled backwards…

“Now, there’s an idea.” It would certainly get him down quickly.

* * * * *
What is WIPpet Wednesday?
WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress - expertly organised/hosted by Emily Wrayburn - and the excerpt has to relate to the date in some way. For links to other fabulous authors' WIPpets, visit: http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=355404


Thanks for reading
Deb x

#WIPpet Wednesday - Meredith's Dagger #bivisibilityday

Well, my writing is not going well even though I’m on a writing holiday (at home). So far, there’s nothing in Alumni that is a) right for Bi Awareness Week, and b) suitable for a blog that can be accessed by people of all ages.

Brief Story Info:
For WIPpet Wednesday, I’m posting from one of my longest-standing works in progress (I wrote it in 2011) in the hopes it might inspire me to do some more work on it. The story is titled Meredith’s Dagger, and it’s contemporary fiction with historical interludes (based on real local history), a bit of romance thrown in and some feminist commentary on mental health, witch hunts and modern psychiatry. (Yes, I’m that good at sticking to a genre).

The setting is a university town house shared by Julian and Richie, both students, Anneka (she and Richie are long-term buddies) and Tamara (Tam), who is Julian’s older sister and bisexual. There’s a long history between Richie and Tam—much longer than either is aware of.

This novel needs a major rewrite, but the scene from which my snippet is taken will make the final cut.

And Richie and Tam look at bit like this:


WIPpet Maths for 26th September:
26-12=14 paragraphs.

And here’s the WIPpet Snippet:

Richie opened the door and let the cat go in first.

“You know anything about sexing cats?” he asked, expecting to find Julian sprawled out on the sofa.

“I might do. Why?”

Not Julian. A female voice, and he recognised it immediately.

“Tamara? What’re you doing here?”

“Well, I could lie—tell you I just happened to be passing by and thought I’d pop in to say hi to my little brother…”

Richie was torn between averting his eyes from the scantily clad woman who had been the object of his adolescent fantasies and the desire to drink in every inch of her wonderful being. She and Julian had the same dark hair, grey eyes and slightly cleft chin, which put him in quite a predicament. He felt himself getting hot under the collar as she returned his gaze with a playful smirk.

“Come to think of it, what are you doing here?” She swung her bare legs off the sofa and sprang, dancer-like, to her feet.

“I live here.” Richie inflected his response as part question, part statement of fact.

“Interesting.” Tam reached down into the large white bag on the floor in front of her, withdrew a softpack of cigarettes, took one out and lit it, all in one carefully choreographed move.

“Why interesting?” Richie asked. He was transfixed and saw no reason to hide it. There was no rule against flirting with a Denby…he hoped.

“The thing is, Richie…” She paused to draw on the cigarette and exhaled sharply. “It is Richie, isn’t it?” He confirmed with a nod, and she laughed. “I haven’t forgotten your name or anything. I just wasn’t sure what you preferred these days. But anyway, what I was going to say was you’re not really the type one imagines Jules choosing as a roomie, although…” She paused again to inhale from the cigarette, propped it in the ashtray—an object they didn’t have when Richie left for the supermarket—and tiptoed around him.

Richie remained still apart from turning his head to maintain eye contact. “Although?”

“You grew up.” She breathed the words onto his neck as she came around his side. Her hair brushed against his arm.

* * * * *
What is WIPpet Wednesday?
WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress - expertly organised/hosted by Emily Wrayburn - and the excerpt has to relate to the date in some way. For links to other fabulous authors' WIPpets, visit: http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=355404

Thanks for reading
Deb x

The Red Lion Pub Quiz (as featured in In The Stars Part I: Capricorn–Gemini)

The Red Lion Pub Quiz(as featured in In The Stars Part I: Capricorn–Gemini)


A MESSAGE FROM YOUR QUIZMASTER:
Good evening, ladies and gents, and welcome to tonight’s quiz, brought to you by yours truly, with a little help from the internet. We’ve got eight rounds, and you can play your joker to double your points on anything but the Music round.

(Answers at the end)

Round 1: Cryptic
(UK soccer teams)
1. White birds spot city
2. Workers, smart with sun-god
3. Glass mansion
4. They roam in packs
5. Keepers of the royal lawns
6. An offal lot of water
7. Flowery buns
8. Not your average Womble
9. His urban settlement
10. All the bacon

Round 2: A Man's World
(answers start with man-)
1. A hard, brittle, greyish-white metallic element, atomic number 25
2. A variety of beet cultivated for cattle food
3. The strongest and lowest bone in the human face
4. Dressmaker's dummy
5. Creature of Persian mythology
6. The juicy fruit of the Garcina mangostana tree
7. To free from slavery
8. A ghostly appearance
9. Shackles
10. Light yellow-brown paper

Round 3: Connections
(all answers are connected in some way)
1. Of the 26 men who have won the Olympic 100m in athletics, fifteen have shared the same nationality. What nationality?
2. Who, along with Bill Oddie, co-presented the BBC's Autumnwatch?
3. What was the name of William Wordsworth's Lake District home?
4. Which gourd-like squash is commonly used during autumn time to make lanterns?
5. Which glam rock band of the 70s was best known for the song 'Tiger Feet'?
6. Who played the roles of Jerry and Daphne in the film Some Like it Hot?
7. Who had hits in the 80s with 'Caribbean Queen' and 'When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going'?
8. Havarti and Monterey jack are both varieties of which type of food?
9. Name the record label founded by The Beatles in 1968.
10. And the connection is?

Round 4: Dogs
(all answers include the word 'dog')
1. Hailing from a German city
2. Novel by Frederick Forsyth
3. Song by the Baha Men
4. Rules set and assumed incontrovertibly true
5. Small sharks
6. Comic verse with an irregular rhythm
7. Tenacious
8. Curled pages
9. Mischief
10. A leaflike pattern found in mediaeval architecture

Round 5: Music


Round 6: Science Fiction
1. Which part did Deforest Kelley play in the TV series Star Trek?
2. Who played the third incarnation of the Doctor in the TV series Doctor Who?
3. What was the name of the computer in the cult TV series, Blake’s 7?
4. In Star Wars Episode Four, what was the major battle of the Galactic Civil War in which the Rebels destroyed the first Death Star?
5. To date, how many different incarnations of Star Trek have there been?
6. In what car does Michael J Fox go back to the future?
7. What is the other title of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?
8. What do the initials in H.G. Wells stand for?
9. Which movie features a space ship called the Nostromo?
10. The movie I, Robot was based on a collection of stories from which famous science fiction writer?

Round 7: Science Fact
1. Which element takes the form of a liquid at normal room temperature?
2. Which scientific word means 'disease producer'?
3. What does a DNA molecule look like?
4. What is the study of insects called?
5. What percentage of the earth is covered by water?
6. The study of celestial bodies is know as...?
7. Christiaan Huygens is known for the invention of what?
8. What is the name of the white crystalline alkaloid derived from opium?
9. What is the more common name for nitrous oxide?
10. Where in the human body is the lunula located?

Round 8: General Knowledge
1. Muhammad Ali's professional boxing record was 56 wins, 5 losses, 0 draws. Name one of the five boxers who defeated Ali in the ring.
2. What was the name of the longest ship in the world between 1858 and 1899?
3. From the Greek for 'all the devils', which uproarious name did 17th century English poet John Milton give to the capital city in Hell?
4. Who directed all of the following films? Cocoon, Willow, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code.
5. From brewing, dentistry and the E numbers used in food, the polymer obtained from red algae is wide spread in modern industry. What is the name of this gelatinous substance? First letter 'A'.
6. The Godfather in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather was born in which Italian village?
7. Name one of the four studio albums from The Rolling Stones that start with the letter 'B'.
8. Pavlov's dog was the name of a famous experiment. Which animal added to the name Shrödinger's is also a famous experiment?
9. Vodka ia a diminutive of the Slavic word voda. What does voda mean?
10. Which Australian cricketer famously used an aluminium bat in a test match against England in 1979?

END OF QUIZ ROUNDS - time to race to the bar for a pint of glorious ale!
Answers further down - scroll, scroll, scroll...









































ANSWERS:
Round 1: Cryptic
1. Swansea
2. Crewe Alexandra
3. Crystal Palace
4. Wolverhampton Wanderers
5. Queens Park Rangers
6. Liverpool
7. Chelsea
8. Wimbledon
9. Man. City
10. Fulham

Round 2: A Man's World
1. manganese
2. mangel
3. mandible
4. mannequin
5. manticore
6. mangosteen
7. manumit
8. manifestation
9. manacles
10. Manila

Round 3: Connections
1. AMERICAN
2. Kate HUMBLE
3. Dove COTTAGE
4. PUMPKIN
5. MUD
6. Jack LEMMON
7. Billy OCEAN
8. CHEESE
9. APPLE
10. PIE

Round 4: Dogs
1. hot dog
2. Dogs of War
3. Who Let The Dogs Out
4. Dogma
5. Dogfish
6. Doggerel
7. Dogged
8. Dogeared
9. Doggery
10. dogtooth

Round 5: Music
1. Aerosmith - Don't wanna miss a thing
2. Toploader - Dancing in the moonlight
3. Guns 'n Roses - Sweet child o' mine
4. Bon Jovi - Livin' on a prayer
5. Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars
6. Dead or Alive - You spin me round (like a record)
7. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary
8. Ed Sheeran - I see fire
9. Rolling Stones - Start me up
10. Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag
11. Bastille - Pompeii
12. The Bangles - Walk like an Egyptian
13. Heart - Crazy on you
14. Earth, Wind & Fire - September
15. Derek and the Domino's - Layla
16. Beyonce - Halo
17. Van Halen - Jump
18. Michael Jackson - Ben
19. Taylor Swift - Love Story
20. Genesis - Jesus He knows me
21. Missy Elliot - Get Ur Freak On
22. Shawn Mendes - Treat you Better
23. Queen - Another one bites the dust
24. Backstreet Boys - Everybody
25. Pat Benatar - Hit me with your best shot

Round 6: Science Fiction
1. Doctor McCoy
2. John Pertwee
3. Zen
4. Naboo
5. 7: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and Discovery
6. De Lorean
7. The Modern Prometheus
8. Herbert George
9. Alien
10. Isaac Asimov

Round 7: Science Fact
1. mercury
2. pathogen
3. double helix
4. entomology
5. 71%
6. astronomy
7. pendulum clock
8. morphine
9. laughing gas
10. fingernail

Round 8: General Knowledge
1. Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes, Leon Spinks, Ken Norton, and Joe Frazier
2. S.S. Great Eastern
3. Pandemonium
4. Ron Howard
5. Agar or Agar-agar
6. Corleone
7. Between the Buttons, Beggars Banquet, Black and Blue, and Bridges to Babylon
8. Cat
9. Water
10. Dennis Lillee


Credits:
Round 3 (Connections) and Round 8 (General Knowledge): PaulsQuiz
Round 4 (Music Intros): Music Quiz (YouTube Channel)

#WIPpet Wednesday - Alumni: In The Spirit

It's WIPpet Wednesday again. :)

I've been staying at my mum's for the past week, looking after/being looked after by this fine chap. Now I'm home, and my dogs don't care one way or the other. The cat seems pleased I'm here, though.

I didn't get much writing done this week, more focused on audiobooks and getting everything in place for the release of Goth of Christmas Past next month. I've almost made a video trailer, and preordering is in progress. I also managed to add a little bit more to Alumni.

Brief story info:
Alumni is Season Eight of Hiding Behind The Couch, and obviously has some elements of the characters coming face-to-face with old acquaintances from university and the like (readers of the series might recognise a name or two in the snippet).

This follows from last week's snippet; Genie has called on Xander—a long-term friend who purportedly sees ghosts—to get to the bottom of strange goings-on in her home.

WIPpet maths for 19th September:
19x12=228 words.

And the WIPpet Snippet:

“Can I get you a drink, Xander?”

“Scotch, no ice.”

“Of course. Come through to the drawing room.” She moved off, glancing back to check he was following. “I haven’t seen you in years. It would be nice to catch up.”

“Nice,” Xander repeated. “Yes, it would be nice, but you asked me here to look into your…”

“Poltergeist?” Genie opened the drinks cabinet and eyed the line of bottles of Scotch. “Do you have a preferred brand?”

“Ardbeg. You won’t have any.”

“No, you’re quite right. I’m a wine drinker myself.”

“I drink wine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve done so before. Many times.”

“But if you’d rather have whisky…”

“Choose me a drink and pour it. Please.”

“As you wish.” Genie picked up the bottle of red she’d opened at lunchtime and retrieved two clean glasses, watching Xander out of the corner of her eye. He was soundlessly clicking his fingers and circling, inspecting the room.

“When did you move into this house?” he asked.

“Thirteen years ago. It belonged to my grandmother. When she died, I bought it from my father.”

“You didn’t inherit it from your grandmother?”

“No, I—”

“Did she die here?”

“No. On the way to the hospital. Why? Do you think—”

“She’s not your…poltergeist. How old is your daughter? Seventeen?”

Genie had already answered the question, but confirmed it again.

* * * * *
What is WIPpet Wednesday?
WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress - expertly organised/hosted by Emily Wrayburn - and the excerpt has to relate to the date in some way. For links to other fabulous authors' WIPpets, visit: http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=355404


Thanks for reading
Deb x

Audiobooks coming soon: The Great Village Bun Fight; Of The Bauble

Today, I've been playing around with different video editing programmes, both on and offline, and in the process made a trailer for the audiobook of  Of The Bauble  even though we (the narrator and I) are still finalising the recordings.

So I won't be sharing that trailer just yet.

But!

I figured it was time to announce the audiobooks. :)

The Great Village Bun Fight is somewhere between ACX's file storage system and the retailers, so it should appear on Audible, Amazon and iTunes with the next couple of weeks.

Of The Bauble (as mentioned) is undergoing a few final tweaks before we submit it to ACX for approval.

My narrator for both books is Jack Hardman, who describes his accent as "[not] so northern that it is difficult to understand, but is common enough sounding that it isn't alienating to people outside of the London area."

I'm inclined to agree, which is why he is the perfect narrator for both stories.

I'll post again when the audiobooks are available. In the meantime, you can get the ebook/paperback editions to both by clicking on the titles above.

Once these are out, I'll have three audiobooks available, the other one being When Skies Have Fallen , narrated by Tim Hilborne (again, perfect for the story).

Download/purchase links can be found on the Beaten Track Publishing listing for each title.

Thanks for reading (and listening),
Deb x

#WIPpet Wednesday - Alumni: Discretion

Two WIPpet Wednesdays in a row, woohoo! I'm on a roll and snippeting from Alumni again.

Brief story info:
Alumni is Season Eight of Hiding Behind The Couch, and obviously has some elements of the characters coming face-to-face with old acquaintances from university and the like (readers of the series might recognise a name or two in the snippet).

This follows from last week's snippet; Genie has called on Xander—a long-term friend who purportedly sees ghosts—to get to the bottom of strange goings-on in her home.

WIPpet maths for 12th September:
12 paragraphs for the 12th.

And the WIPpet Snippet:

“You will keep it to yourself, won’t you?”

Xander marched across the room and stopped a few feet from her location. No eye contact. She remembered now. He’d been just the same when they were children.

“His Lordship doesn’t speak to anyone,” Jonathan assured her on Xander’s behalf.

“But you do,” she pointed out.

“I am contractually obliged to keep His Lordship’s confidence.”

“I won’t tell anyone about your…poltergeist.” Xander smiled grimly and took another step towards them. “Excuse me. Please.”

“Sorry.” Genie moved aside, and Xander marched past, out of the room and along the hallway to the top of the stairs. Jonathan raised his eyebrows at Genie and strode after Xander. Genie had to jog to catch them up. “Where are you going?”

“To fetch the equipment.”

“Equipment?”

“Meters, cameras…” Xander reached the front door and waited for someone to open it.

“Hang on!” Breathless from the chase, Genie slid past and stood between him and the door with her arms outstretched. Xander startled and took a step back. “Take the car around to the side of the house,” she instructed Jonathan.

He bowed his head. “As you wish, Your Ladyship.”

* * * * *
What is WIPpet Wednesday?
WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress - expertly organised/hosted by Emily Wrayburn - and the excerpt has to relate to the date in some way. For links to other fabulous authors' WIPpets, visit: http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=355404


Thanks for reading
Deb x