Erick Burgess's Blog, page 3

Days of Future Past

A letter from my future self.

Date: January 1, 2014

Dear Erick:

One year ago I issued you a challenge and I’m writing to check on your progress.  The first thing I wanted you to do was the most important. Be bold. You and I both know the reasons behind your insecurity and shyness. You are 40 years old and it was time to let go and forgive the people who hurt you, but more importantly to forgive yourself. You have accomplished so much in your life: being a caregiver, husband, single parent, a writer, law enforcer, brother and son.  It was time to concentrate on making yourself happy. I pray that you have overcome those obstacles and embraced your true nature. God put you on this earth to help people. Your testimony is amazing and should be shared with the world.  Someone needs your story to lead them down their own path to redemption and healing.

What were you afraid of? After everything you’ve been through in life, what does a rejection letter mean? It doesn’t define you. Did you write those stories that kept you up at night? Did you send those query letters every week? Did you write everyday? After all, you are a writer. You have been a writer since the day you were born. Telling you not to write would be like telling the rain to stop falling from the sky. Have you finished that romance novel? I think it was some of your best work. How are the short stories coming? The reason you published PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS was to purge the writing of the past and stop relying on who you were then. In life as well as your writing, you should be completely out of your comfort zone by now.

I also challenged you to be a student as well as a teacher. Are you reading at least one book a week? I don’t want to hear anything about not having the time. Have you picked a school to continue your education? The MFA program at The University of Montana looked very promising. It was low residency and geared just for you. If you haven’t, follow up – now. You need to continue adding tools to your toolbox. You also talked about starting a book club at the local juvenile detention facilities. Helping these young people foster a love of reading and maybe even encouraging them to express themselves with writing is a job tailor made for you.

In closing, no matter what you accomplished or didn’t, I am proud of you.  Continue to live your dream and be an example to others. You’ve come a long way over the past year. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

Sincerely,

Erick Burgess

Author

“I will meet his soul at the gates of hell before I watch another plotless action movie.”

After my initial displeasure at the casting in this movie, I did my best to put my aversion to Tyler Perry aside and go into this movie with an open mind.  That being said, this was an absolutely horrible movie. As much as I would like to blame it all on Perry, I can’t. This film had so many plot holes, I think I left one of my shoes in the theater floor. The movie is a prequel or reboot from the prior Alex Cross films starring Morgan Freeman, Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Cross is a homicide detective in Detroit working with his childhood friend as his partner.

Perry looks awkward holding a shotgun and his fight scene were laughable. In one critical scene, it seemed that Madea was shouting instead of Cross. Ed Burns is wasted in his cookie cutter role as the “hard-drinking, hard-loving” partner. The same could be said for John C. McGinley as the police chief with political aspirations.

As a thriller writer, there are certain aspects a film/novel has to have to be successful and this movie failed in most of those areas. First of all, the film has to create suspense.  What suspense the film had felt rushed and manufactured. To me it didn’t seem authentic. Next, in addition to the villain, the hero should be working against time. His top priority should be to prevent the next crime. Whether it was the script or Perry’s acting, I never truly felt a sense of urgency from Cross until it was too late. The hero should face a moral struggle. When things got tough, Cross completely tossed his morals out the window. Because I enjoyed Patterson’s books, I really had a problem with this aspect of the movie. Alex Cross is a cerebral protagonist. He is always the smartest guy in the room. To have him resort to some of the shortcuts and blatant disregard for the law felt like a slap in the face. Readers and viewers fully expect a character like Jack Reacher to break the rules because that’s what he does, and we love him for it.  I hoped Alex Cross would be above that. To have a successful thriller, you have to have a great villain. Again, this movie drops the ball. Matthew Fox does well with the material that he’s given, but you don’t get a genuine feel for his character. Yes he is menacing, but why? What is his ruling passion? It seems to change throughout the course of the film. Finally, you have to have hero the viewer truly cares about. All we really know of Cross is that he loves his family. While that is an admired quality, it doesn’t necessarily translate to a great movie lead. You need to truly care about what happens to these people. One character dies in only her second appearance on screen. The only reason to care about this character is manufactured to make the viewer feel the sense of loss. It doesn’t work. As the lead, Cross makes a few brilliant deductions that would be practically impossible for anyone short of Sherlock Holmes to make, but doesn’t have the foresight to have officer surveillance at the funeral of a crucial character or to have phone taps on the killer’s next obvious victims.This movie would have been better served as a one hour crime drama.

In closing, the ending tied up most of the loose ends but the audience wasn’t privy to the process that led Cross to the “actual” person behind the crime. After the false ending, the next scene is Cross picking up the phone and calling the bad guy. Only then does he explain the process that led him to the villan. In the end, justice wins out, the bad guy gets caught, but the viewer is the big loser.

 

Enter to win an autographed copy of Under Abnormal Conditions!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway







Under Abnormal Conditions



by Erick D. Burgess

Giveaway ends January 01, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Five Star Reviewed, Under Abnormal Conditions, Free For A Limited Time!

 

Free at Goodreads!

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Michael Drake’s Favorite Jazz Albums

When people find out I’m the owner of a small jazz club, they are either completely intrigued or they feel sorry me. I don’t think there is a more polarizing form of music than America’s only true art form. Jazz is like any other form of art, whether it’s Monet, Nathanial Hawthorne, Ansel Adams, Alfred Hitchcock or Frank Lloyd Wright. When you read it, look at it or listen to it – either you get it or you don’t. Fortunately for me, I was raised by parents who thought more of me than to place me in front of a television to be spoon-fed the message to the masses.

Growing up, my best friends were Dizzy, Louie, Ella, Cannonball, The Count, Cab, Miles, Duke, Benny and Lady Day.

Over the years, many friends have asked me to compile a list of my favorite jazz albums of all-time. They don’t understand how difficult a proposition this is. First of all, there is one hundred years of music that need to be condensed down. Once I have a reasonable number of albums to work with, I have to pick my favorites. That’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. After the passing of Dave Brubeck (see Take Five) last week, I thought that it was finally time.

You can’t have a list like this without making the proper acknowledgements. Probably the most important jazz group of all time is The Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Their song, Livery Stable Blues, was the first jazz record released. The New Orleans Dixieland Band was the first to establish jazz as a genre in 1917. Now here are my favorites.

1. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme. From beginning to end, this is my all-time favorite album. It’s a spiritual journey in more ways than one. This is Coltrane’s letter of thanks to God, the Supreme Being, that blessed him with his tremendous gift. As the listener, you are transported to a place of musical wonder. It’s truly poetry without words. With performance of the classic quartet consisting of Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and Jimmy Garrison, this album is technically perfect and should be in every music fan’s library. Favorite Track: Part IV-Psalm.

2. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue. Even if you are not a jazz fan, this album is perfect in every way. Miles has a way of playing that makes it seem like it’s just for you, intimate and pure. With heavy hitters like Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb it couldn’t help but be a classic and has influenced everything from classical to hip-hop. This album created a new sound that has never been duplicated. Favorite Track: So What.

3. Charlie Parker & Dizzee Gillespie – Bird & Diz. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Enough said. No? I’ll continue. It’s equal parts warm and smooth, swing but with sparks to set the mood for any true jazz fan. The great thing about a collaboration album of this nature and the one-ups-manship of bebop, is that each artist pushes the next to plays they didn’t know they had. It’s a musical version of Magic vs. Bird vs. Jordan.Who wins? The listener. Favorite Track: My Melancholy Baby.

4. Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. It’s avant-garde jazz at it best. Mingus has called the album’s orchestral style “ethnic folk-dance music”. His perfectionism led to extensive use of studio overdubbing (a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance).

The elaborate and emotional composition seems to change moods more often than a woman and is just as complex and beautiful. Favorite Track: Mood Indigo

5. Herbie Hancock – Takin’ Off. This is Hancock’s debut as a bandleader and glimpse of the great things to come. Along with the great Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordan, the album is hard bop with a touch of the blues. It’s an excellent balance of sophistication and soul. Favorite Track: Watermelon Man.

Check out my favorite tracks

Michael Drake is a private investigator and the owner of Drake’s Place, a small jazz club nestled in the town of Dunham Heights, Louisiana. He is also the featured character in the mystery novels – Under Abnormal Conditions and Mask of Shadows. He can be contacted at @DetDrake, det.michael.drake@gmail.com or on Facebook.

DON’T BUY THIS BOOK!

It truly breaks my heart to type this blog. I gave the publisher at MuseItUp Publishing every chance to make things right, but she refused.  Early in 2011, I completed what I consider my best novel to date, Darker Than Night. I submitted my unedited draft to a Reader’s Choice contest, and earned a Bronze Medal for it. I then began looking for a publisher so I could get it edited and released. During my search, I came across a small, relatively new Canadian e-publishing company, MuseItUp. They accepted the manuscript, and I signed a three year contract with them in September 2011, with a projected release date of July 2012.

Things started out well. Both editors I worked with were helpful and responded to my inquiries in a timely manner. I felt good about the whole process, until it got closer to the anticipated release date. First, I didn’t get confirmation of the actual release date until about ten days before. This didn’t allow much time for me to properly promote it and spread the word about the launch.

Once it was released, things seemed to be going well again –  briefly. The ebook was available on Amazon less than a week after it debuted on the publisher’s website. I was expecting that other retailers, such as Barnes and Noble and the Apple iBookstore, would follow closely behind. They didn’t. In fact, today, over three months after the release date, the book is not available on those channels.

In addition, as per my contract, I was expecting to receive a royalty statement on September 30th, informing me of the sales figures for the current quarter. A month later, I have not received that statement, or any royalty payment. I have no idea how many copies of Darker Than Night have been sold since it came out. I have no idea if any of my marketing and promotions have paid off. I also have not seen any evidence of MuseItUp Publishing doing any kind of marketing on my behalf, apart from listing it on their Facebook page the day it was released.

I’m at the end of my rope. I have almost two years left on a contract that is not paying off in any way for me. I love this book – but I’ve not made one penny on it, since MuseItUp controls all the sales channels. I feel like it’s a lost opportunity, and a huge disappointment for what I think is a great book.

My experience with MuseItUp has made me all the more convinced that for my future books, self publishing is the way to go.

__________________________________________

After writing and briefly publishing the above post yesterday, I had an email conversation with Lea Schizas, the publisher at MuseItUp.

According to the terms of our agreement, I had the right to petition for termination of my contract, so I prepared a formal email detailing my complaints, and requesting to be released from the contract.

What follows is the email that I sent her:

Dear Ms. Schizas,

I am writing you today to request immediate termination of our contract that is dated 09/20/2011 for the book Darker Than Night.

Although this book has been published and available for purchase for more than three months, I have received no communication from your Company regarding the number of sales, and no mention of royalty payments.  In addition, I have only found the book for sale on only three channels (Amazon, Smashwords, and Bookstrand) in addition to your website.  My inquiries as to why it is not available on more channels, such as Barnes & Noble and the iBookstore, have not received replies.  Additionally, I have not found any evidence of your Company promoting my book anywhere apart from your website and Facebook page. I have done my own marketing of it, but I don’t know if or how well it’s working, since I do not have access to any sales numbers.

According to the contract we entered into, I expected to receive at the very least, an earnings statement on September 30.  Instead, I have received nothing but silence.  Due to this breach of contract, as well as the above mentioned concerns, I believe it is in the best interest of both parties if we terminate the contract. Please contact me by phone or email if you have any questions regarding this contract termination.

Best regards,

Erick Burgess

After not receiving a response from the previous three emails I had sent her, I was surprised when Ms. Schizas promptly replied to that message.  I will not include her response in this forum, but she argued with me about the statement dates and provided links to two other obscure sites where the book is available.  She also mentioned the author forum and private sales database (which I never received an invitation to).

I replied, asking her simply to let me know how many sales I had since July, so I could find out the effectiveness of my marketing efforts.

Her reply focused on my above blog post, which she had found and read.  She still made no mention of any sales numbers.

This was my reply:

Lea, 
I assure you that I am not trying to be difficult. I will gladly remove the post if you can give me some sort of idea about the numbers. That was all I wanted and you have yet to give me a straight answer. I posted my blog before your reply, and in my defense I’m not sure how I would be able to market effectively without the cover art and a release date. I didn’t receive those until there less than ten days before publication. There was no one to review the book without those, especially on short notice. I don’t want to have to terminate my contract, but I don’t feel that I’m making not myself clear. How can I market the book if I don’t know what is working? If the numbers or access to the database can be made available, I will remove the post and continue do everything in my power to make Darker Than Night a success.
Sincerely, 
Erick B

After not receiving another response, I sent the following this morning:

Lea,
With my self published books, I can check my sales on Amazon and smashwords anytime. I am not asking for a check. I just want to see numbers. What do I have to do?
Thank you,
Erick B

After not receiving a response to that email either, I sent a final email, requesting that the contract be officially terminated, and that they forward any royalty payments to me.

That brought a response – a Paypal payment for the 8 books that they’ve sold since July, and an email agreeing to the contract termination.  They are in the process of removing the book from everywhere they have it for sale — so if you haven’t purchased it yet – DON’T DO IT!  We plan to spend some time revising and editing it, and will release it again before the end of the year.  For those that did purchase it – thank you for your support.  If you would let me know by email, we will send you a copy of the revised edition completely free when it is released.

Four Star Review For Mask of Shadows

Mask of Shadows (Michael Drake Mystery#2)

Price: $2.99

Quite the page turner!, October 16, 2012

This review is from: Mask of Shadows (Michael Drake Mystery) (Kindle Edition)

PDF version via author for honest review

What a book! I loved it! Michael Drake has had a lot of hard times in his life and it seems no matter who comes in to his life, he just “breaks” them. He feels alone and like everything he does ends in disaster and heartache. He loves his Jazz club that he owns, but finds himself spending less and less time there as he is asked to use his private eye skills again for a friend of his. Alex, his long time friend from high school, wants him to follow his wife and see if she is cheating on him. Working for a friend may not be Michael’s best idea, but he really needs the money, so he agrees. Allison, Alex’s wife, is a wonderful woman with looks as beautiful as her attitude. Michael always wanted to be more to her than a friend, but he would never cross the line of friend and lover with her since she is with his best friend. When Michael investigates her behaviors and what she is really doing, he is shocked to find out that she is doing so to try and get him. She has secretly loved him too all these years. Michael makes a bad decision in the heat of passion and sleeps with Allison, but refuses to spend the night with her at the hotel. The next morning guilt is eating Michael away and he needs to talk to Alex about this. Before he can do that, however, he is given the shock of his life…Allison is dead! She was murdered the night before/early morning. Now Michael is asked by his friend to look into the murder and who really did it. The cops are thinking Alex is to blame, but he swears he didn’t do it. Can Michael really help solve this murder without telling Alex that he was with Allison that night before she was killed? Who would want to kill Allison anyway? Is Alex really as innocent as he says he is? What other secrets lie in this web of friends?

Mixed in with this murder is also the mystery of the serial killer that seems to be on the loose, that is killing young women who they think will not be missed. Along with all this is also the past that haunts Michael of his love of his life disappearing, his ex wife up and leaving…with his daughter, and just a mixed up past. Can the murder of Allison have anything to do with the serial killings? Or is it all just a coincidence seeing as how she really doesn’t seem to fit the serial killers “type”? Michael has a lot to sort out if he wants any answers of any kind that’s for sure. While he is dealing with all that he is also trying to keep a troublesome nephew out of trouble after he is suspended from school for trying to make out with a white girl in the broom closet at school. He doesn’t quite understand that at that time, it still is a bit unheard of or improper for, a black boy to be with a white girl. Then there’s the bad influence of Alex’s little brother on him too, which isn’t helping the situation. Michael just hopes to keep his nephew out of trouble and out of jail.

Oh my, I just can’t get over this book. I loved every word on every page of it! This mystery is full of action, adventure, lies, deciet, friendships, and paths from the past. I have not read any of this authors other works, but I think I may have to after reading this book. A lot happens in this book and is going on in this book, but not in a way that makes it seem too much. I loved the writing style and the quick pace of the book. There were no lull points and at no point did I ever think of not continuing the read. I read this book in just two days, I just couldn’t put it down. My favorite character was Michael, the main character. He has a lot of baggage from his past, but he is good at what he does…even if he doesn’t think so. I felt connected to the characters as the book went on and could just feel the emotions of them. This book kept me guessing all the way until the end on who really did kill Allison. One thing is for sure, many things are never as they seem. I am not just talking about in this book either. Masks are always worn by people to hide things they don’t want others to see about them. It’s what is behind those masks that we can see peoples deepest darkest secrets revealed. As was the case in this book.

I found this to be an easy read also. I think it may have been an easy read because of the fast pace of it. Very well written and a great joy to read. Any mystery lover should put this book on their “to read” list. There was one quip I had with the books conclusion, but it was still a great read.

Join My Launch Team

Over the past couple months, I have been editing and revising my first novel, Under Abnormal Conditions.  When I originally published it in 2003, I was in such a hurry to get it out there, I rushed the process and made some mistakes in writing the story. With the revision, I hope to add clarity and tie up some loose ends that were not addressed in the original edition, while keeping the meat of the story intact.

With that being said, the edits are almost complete, and I have set the release date for November 13, just in time for the holiday season.  I am currently putting together a launch team to help promote the book release.

As a member of the launch team, you will receive:

 An advanced electronic copy (PDF) of the revised edition of Under Abnormal Conditions on October 30, two weeks before the official release date.
A special thank you and shout out on my website, with a link to your blog, website, Facebook page, etc. – whatever you want to promote.

What I’m asking from you:

Read the book.
Write an honest review of the book on Amazon during release week (Nov. 12-16).
Spread the word about the book on social media, your blog, or by word of mouth.

 

If you are interested in signing up for the launch team, please fill out this brief form.  I will inform my selections by next Friday, October 26.

Healing the Wounds

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

- Matthew 6:14

Tired from the long drive, Carter sat behind the wheel of his car watching the morning sky release the sun. The sounds of cicadas sang in the distance as he tried to focus on his breathing and slow his heartbeat. In through the nose and out through the mouth, he thought. Again. And again.

It’s called combat breathing. It’s a simple technique that officers use to lower their blood pressure and stress level and minimize the side effects of an adrenaline dump.

When his hands stopped shaking, he exited the car and walked into the Golden Manor nursing home. He couldn’t tell what was worse, the artificial antiseptic smell or the waste it attempted to cover.

“Can I help you?” the nurse asked in a way that made Carter want to turn and run away. Just like the exterior of the old building her face was worn and pallid and patched to hide the obvious flaws.

“Henry Lewis, please,” he asked with deep law enforcement authority.

“Mr. Lewis hasn’t had any visitors in quite some time. I’m sure this is just what he needs to lift his spirits.”

As she rifled through a stack of files on her desk, he watched the old, broken and forgotten inhabitants of the home and prayed he would never end up in such a place. In fact, he questioned whether or not he was even doing the right thing. Could he even go through with it?

“Right this way,” she said with a smile, but Carter couldn’t even remember whether or not he smiled back. As he followed her, it seemed everything and everyone was speeding past and he was walking in slow motion. Though the drive from Baton Rouge to Charlotte, North Carolina was almost eight hundred miles, he knew he still had time to change his mind. Every second of the twelve-hour journey, he thought of turning around and trying to put his life back together on his own. Things could never be the way they were before.

Carter Williams was detective. He was a man-hunter, tasked with the duty of bringing justice for the fallen. Why does someone choose to become a police officer? What gives an overweight, timid, abused boy the desire to serve and protect? The man he had become was

forged by the anger, hurt and unforgiveness that lingered in his memory.

The hallway leading to the old man’s room was like a nightmare. As he walked by, the

residents, with their dried flaky skin and dead eyed gaze, told Carter he didn’t belong. The smell of waste was even strong. For that matter, it could have been the smell of death itself. The tile floors looked like they hadn’t been swept in days.

The clock in Carter’s head even seemed to slow down drastically, going almost backwards by the time they reached door 442. He couldn’t hear anything but the small creak the door made when the nurse pulled it open. It was no longer a door in an old building filled with the lost. It was the bottomless road to perdition.

When he stepped through the door, the man-hunter was gone and only a scared five year old remained. He felt warmth fill his bladder and it took everything he had not to urinate on himself.

“Breathe,” she said.

He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. His small but pudgy hands trembled with fear as he replaced the glasses and took an unsure step towards his victimizer.

In the mind of Henry Lewis, he was still the suave captivating man of his youth. With his broad shoulders, wavy hair and perfect smile, he wasn’t someone who was seen as a monster. The silence of the old man’s mind was broken when he heard someone enter his room. Carter’s uncle, the monster, was now a frail insignificant man sitting before him in a wheelchair. The old man’s eyes bugged out of his skull as if they were trying to escape, and a solid white beard had overtaken his face. The small light blue pajamas swallowed his small body. A full colostomy bag hung to the side of his chair.

In through the nose and out through the mouth.

Lewis wanted to ask the young man to come sit on his lap, like he had with so many other young boys, but the disease that robbed him of the ability to form new memories also kept him from making coherent speech.

The old man’s condition was ironic because it was Henry Lewis’ ability to captivate, with his stories about all the different things he had done and places he had been, that lured in the young boys. He’d honed his predatory skills at a time when families only feared strangers. Between Carter’s mother’s six brothers and sisters, the nomadic Lewis had cart blanche with countless nieces and nephews. Strange as it may sound, Lewis made himself

desirable to his prey. He made kids want to do anything to be his friend. They wanted to do anything to please him and, no matter how much they cried, he always made it seem like it was their idea.

With the nurse gone, the two seemed to square off as in an old west gun battle. Each of them waited for the other to make the first move, thus justifying their own action. The ticking of the clock on the far wall gave the room its only sound.

With another step, Carter’s eyes began to well. The corners of his mouth began to point downward. In through the nose and out through the mouth. With his bottom lip quivering, Carter finally said, “I forgive you.”

In an instant, both of them snapped back to the present reality. As deep as the scars were, he actually felt himself heal as he looked back on his life, and how it had been shaped by what Lewis had done to him.

“In spite of every life you ruined, I can honestly say I’m a better man because of what happened to me,” Carter said, wiping the tears that flowed from his eyes. “Life has already cursed you, so I thank you. I thank you for making me a better father and a better man. Because of what you did, I always had to work harder and be better than everyone else, just to feel equal. I will never forget what you did to me, but I forgive you, Old Man. I forgive you.”

As one of God’s many miracles, Henry Lewis understanding clearly everything Carter Williams said to him that day. Even though he lived another five years in that purgatory, the memory of the pain he caused was the one memory the sad old man never forgot.

 

Chapter One

To most people, the best aspect of the Mall of Louisiana started with its central location in the fastest growing, most affluent area of Baton Rouge. However, to Dwayne Bentley, it meant something entirely different, prime hunting ground. Along with the one hundred and sixty stores, four full-service restaurants and food court, the antique carousel ground out tinkling tunes hearkening to simpler times. The old merry-go-round featured thirty-six jumper horses, twelve stander horses, and two chariots, all carved by hand.

The carousel also drew Dwayne to the mall. He smiled to himself and thought, “What is a monster?” No, not the fictional creatures invading the dreams of youngsters, but monsters like Dahmer, Gacy, or Ramirez ran through his thoughts. For that matter, they never even captured the Zodiac. What did these men have in common? They all preyed on the innocent. Dwayne had more in common with the victims than those monsters. After all, in 1968 the DSM-IV officially recognized his problem as a legitimate psychological condition.

Often, he would bring a newspaper to hide his eyes as he stared at the scores of children parading about the mall. If any shoppers even looked in his direction, they would take him for an average doting father allowing his child one last ride on the carousel before going home. He knew from experience that with parents, all too concerned with the new handbag they had just purchased or the newest models of plasma-screen televisions, no one would be concerned with him.

“It’s time to play,” he said to himself as he folded his newspaper and placed it under his arm. He walked over to the carousel as it began to slow down. He stared at a young girl who could not have been over nine years old. She had shoulder-length blond hair and bright blue eyes, and she wore a sunflower-covered dress.

The young girl tried to get her mother’s attention, but the self-absorbed woman continued with her cell phone conversation.

“Hi. Can you help me with something?” he asked the young girl as he held out a snapshot of a golden retriever puppy. “I lost my puppy, and I need some help finding him.” Even though cliché, the approach always worked. “I talked to your mom, and she said it was okay. She is going to make a few more calls, and I promised it would only take a few minutes. Please,” he pleaded, with honest eyes.

“Okay.” She answered without hesitation as she smiled. After glancing one more time at the

picture, she began walking with him toward the exit doors. With a quick look over his shoulder, Dwayne put his hand on her back and guided her toward the exit. Her mother had yet to notice she had gotten off the carousel. He didn’t run or even walk fast. With his slightly graying brown hair and cerulean blue eyes, he could have easily passed for her father.

A rush of adrenaline, powerful enough to make his hands shake, signified to him the most difficult part of his task was complete. The recent reports of men who shared his particular predilection blanketed the evening news every night. Back in the eighties, when children only guarded themselves against the dark, scary stranger, Dwayne had thrived. However, the nineties brought about a new awareness. The friendly, fair-haired gentleman who could be a deacon or scoutmaster became the focus of the media’s attention. None of it mattered at that moment, though, as Dwayne led the little girl toward the mall’s exit.

He thought about his plan. Once he reached his car, he would go to the trunk to retrieve the dog’s leash. Being the sweet child she was, the little girl wouldn’t think it strange for him to ask her for help, and when she stepped closer, he would shove her in and close the trunk. The extra padding would prevent anyone from hearing her screams. He lived only a few miles away in a discreet subdivision off Perkins Road.

There it was. The exit door. The point of no return. With the line of demarcation only a few feet away, he took another step toward the door. He breathed a deep sigh a relief when a powerful hand grabbed his shoulder. Even before he turned, Dwayne readied himself with his usual pretext.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the man asked.

Dwayne relied on his usual pretext. He would say he was returning the lost little girl to her parents, but the man who stopped him wasn’t a cop or even mall security. Dwayne recognized and feared something in his eyes. The strange man smiled and continued, “I come from a place darker than night. Welcome to your nightmare.”

Dwayne’s heart sank.

Continue at the story:

http://www.amazon.com/Darker-Than-Night-ebook/dp/B008QWRL

 

 

Temporary Midnight

I’d like to introduce our newest baby, Temporary Midnight Publishing.  The idea to start our own publishing company came about as Rena and I were discussing how we could best utilize the talents God has given us and create a steady income stream for our family.

I’ve released two novels this year with two different publishers, and also has two self published books – a novel and a short story collection.  There are pros and cons to using a traditional publisher:

Pros

having a publisher gives a certain level of credibility
no upfront editing costs
no book formatting
sales generated from cross promotion with other authors and titles from the same publisher

Cons


uncertainty about the release date up until a week before the books came out
no control over pricing
lower royalty payout
unable to use our own cover art


We decided that based on the skills we each have, the best choice for us would be to start our own company and publish our own books.  In the future, we plan to expand and publish for other authors as well.

We chose the name Temporary Midnight for our company based on Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  We’ve both been through some difficult times in our lives, but we realize it is only temporary – and joy will come, has come, in the morning. We are currently working to raise the capital to get the company off the ground.  If you are interested, you can check out this site to learn more about our plans, and contribute to it. You are also invited to sign up for updates at http://www.temporarymidnight.com We’re looking forward to the journey ahead!