Uvi Poznansky's Blog, page 45

Would he shoot at them?

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Ed lies still on the sidewalk, his eyelids open but unflinching. The only thing about him that moves are the lapels of his corduroy coat, flapping slightly this way and that across his neck as the wind floats chilly feelers over his body.Timmy gasps—but his eyes are not tearful, not yet. In that second, when time slows, the driver side door is swaying with an annoying noise. With each squeak, the child takes a gulp of air as if about to ask, “Dad, will you get up? Will you grab the door handle?”No blood is visible, at first. So, I too allow myself to wonder: Will Ed climb back into his seat, dust off his shoulders, and wave goodbye to his son, before driving away?I expect him to do so. Almost.Until another round of gunshots blasts the air. Without even thinking, I push Timmy down to the asphalt, which is quite easy because he’s such a skinny child and utterly in shock. Then I land hard on my elbows beside him and push a hand against his chest until he crawls backwards, until he butts against his father’s car. It casts a shadow over him. At the moment, there is no better place to hide.Up on the pavement, a short distance from us, blood starts puddling around Ed’s shoulder. I try to block Timmy from seeing it. He shakes his head, still in disbelief. Please, God, no. This can’t be true.Everything around us is in a state of utter confusion. The sidewalk is strewn with abandoned backpacks, as some pupils are running for their lives. Others cower behind a bush or a car. One uses his flimsy umbrella as a shield. A teacher cries out to him, “Duck!” And another teacher, by the gate of the school, yells, “Run! Get inside! Get down, crawl under your desks! And for Heaven’s sake, stay away from the windows!”A couple of parents attempt getting out of their cars to pull their children to safety, but at the sound of shooting they drop to their knees with empty arms.Next to me, Timmy turns onto his stomach, mashes his nose against the tire, and wedges himself, somehow, between the curb and the Ford. Then he crawls under it toward the rear bumper, making room for me, too. I try to cock my head up from the damp surface. Looking at the scene from under the belly of a car is a whole different experience. Someone stands at the other side of the car, and all I can see is his sneakers, socks, and the hem of his coat, flaring at its bottom. Also, the muzzle of his gun. For a heartbeat, before dark clouds close in, it glints in the sunlight. I reach over and clamp a hand over Timmy’s mouth to prevent him from screaming, from drawing the killer’s attention. A hail of bullets rains down, sparking off the front bumper. Timmy tenses up. His breath trembles as it escapes my touch. I must protect him. I must bring him back safely to his mother. The edge of the curb gouges into my back. I adjust, I turn over. Now it presses against my belly. I must not lose this child, either.Now, the killer kicks the grill of the car, then jams his weapon, hard, into the front window. I know it by seeing only one of his feet on the ground and by the sound of cracking. It reverberates all over as the car shakes. Shards of glass come pinging against the asphalt and stab at my fingers. Why is he wasting his time—at the risk of being identified, or even caught—on an empty car, when all around us, juicier targets come into his view?The first police patrol car tears around the intersection, lights and sirens screaming. It screeches to a halt. A second car follows suit, then a third. Officers file out of both of them, weapons drawn. Would he shoot at them?

 ★ Love Suspense? Prepare to be thrilled ★ Overkill (Volume II of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)Audible: soonAudiobook: SoonPaperback: Amazon

The last thing Ash expects when she lands in Clearwater, Florida is to be stalked by a troubled teenager. If that's not bad enough, she is caught in a shooting spree next to the nearby elementary school. The cops think it’s an attempt at mass killing, but Ash wonders if the only victim was specifically targeted by the killer. Will she manage to identify him and have him arrested before he comes after her?

"Suspenseful as well as downright scary and will draw the readers into a web of mystery. The author's descriptive passages throughout continue to trap and at the same time, shed a sufficient amount of doubt into our minds. Who is this shooter and what is his connection to the main story?" 
~Serenity, Hall of Fame, Top 10 Reviewer

Even before Michael Morse spotted the body, the idea of creating a simulation of the scene occurred to him

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Even before Michael Morse spotted the body, the idea of creating a simulation of the scene occurred to him. At sunset, the panoramic view of Laguna Beach was awe-inspiring. He wondered if he could render it convincingly in his model, the virtual reality model which he had been developing in the back of his garage for months, until the recent acquisition of his software by a military ops company. Could beauty be taken apart without loss of emotional impact? Could its data be synthesized, somehow, into a lifelike experience? In short, could he apply his analytical skills to fool his own senses?For now, these were purely academic questions. They occupied his mind, which helped him forget his loneliness. Michael brought his car to a stop at the corner of Cliff Drive and let it maneuver by itself into a tight parking spot. In all probability, this evening would be uneventful, or so he thought. It was the end of April. He had nothing to do and no one to do it with. Sitting there awhile, lost in his thoughts, how was he to know that in the coming days he was going to revisit this place, starting at this particular intersection, to examine every possible angle, every conceivable point of view? The shadow of the lamppost grew longer. It prowled over to the pavement on the other side, where it lost its sharpness. The evening breeze turned overhead with a shriek, only to fall into a whoosh. Michael imagined it whispering, of all things, of murder at dusk. What a crazy idea! Where did that come from?At 8:03pm came the sound of footfalls. A teenage girl was walking down the street so fast that the uneven click of her heels was already passing him by, leaving a faint whiff of perfume. No, that must have been some other fragrance, perhaps the saltiness of the sea, drifting over the sweetness of creek milkweeds and Belladonna lilies. Where had he seen her before?By the time he got out of the car, the girl had already crossed to the other side. With each step, the white dress whipped across her legs and fluttered, fold upon fold, in the cold wind.His soles beat an echo in the empty street. He didn’t mind the occasional squeak, because he had just bought them. Electric lights buzzed in the buildings behind him, and foxtail ferns hissed, swaying along the trail. Her shadow flitted over the shrubs, falling farther and farther out of reach. Before reaching the bend, she glanced over her shoulder and for a heartbeat, met his eyes. In some ways she reminded him of his ex-girlfriend, Ash, whom he hadn’t seen since the incident. What was it that drew him to this girl? Why was he looking, time and again, to save a damsel in distress?There was a certain quality about that look, which he couldn’t put into words. Anguish? No, it was more acute than that. The closest he could name it was fear. She gathered her skirt about her and hurried down the trail, swaying unsteadily on her feet. It was then that he saw the stain at the back of her dress. Was it blood?
The path was tortuous, and so were his thoughts. Should he call out to her, ask if she needed help? And if he did, would she find it annoying, suspicious even? Why was he trying to catch up to a girl who wanted to be left alone? Would other passersby question his motives? If they did, he wouldn’t know how to answer, except to say that he was obeying some inexplicable instinct. 
A twig snapped behind him, and some leaves started swishing at his far left. By a sudden torment of imagination he felt, for the first time, as if he was the one being watched. Was he being followed? By whom? 

Virtually Lace (Volume I of High-Tech Crime Solvers)Audible: US ★ UK ★ FR ★ DEAudiobook: Amazon US ★ Amazon UK ★ iTunesPaperback: Amazon
Haunted by discovering the body of a beautiful dancer, Michael creates a virtual reality simulation of her murder. Can he bring the mystery to life? Can he solve it in time, before the killer turns on the woman he loves, Ash?

This is a totally satisfying venture into the use of virtual reality within crime scene investigation. It is new, refreshing, and unique in mystery ~Glenda, VINE VOICE

Paper fish floating in midair

Just a view of the paper fish I created, floating in midair. He has a life of his own...

Terror bites my stomach

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I’ve taken my eyes off of the child for a mere moment, and now—he’s gone! Either that, or he’s hiding. I run frantically through the yard, all around the perimeter, then in and out of the back gate in search of him. I bend down this way and that to check if his legs can be seen behind the bushes, if the Disneyland logo of his t-shirt peeks out, by any chance, between the branches. All the while, I keep calling his name at the top of my lungs. “Ready or not, Timmy, here I come!”At last, “Okay, you win, Timmy!” I scream. “Where are you?”There is this sinking feeling—not in my heart exactly but somewhere lower, in my gut—but I try ignore it. I cling to the hope that this is some kind of mischief, merely a hide-and-go-seek game, nothing else. Nothing more sinister.But the fear persists. I feel it in my belly. What if I can’t find him? His mother entrusted him to my care. What on earth will I tell her? I’ll never know how Tracy holds herself together despite the fateful blows her family has suffered: the strange disappearance of her older son, Brian, and the murder of her ex during that shooting spree. If Ed was targeted, then both she and Timmy are in danger. They may be on the killer’s target list. Oh no, no, no! How could I allow this to happen? “I’m counting to three, Timmy! Come out!” I cry. “One—two—”Before the count is finished, I notice a small movement. Something scurries under the blades of grass, making them swoosh and rustle. Then, it shoots straight into the house through the open door. Oh! A rat. The one Timmy has brought in with him. I hurry after the ugly thing, not so much because I want to catch it but rather because maybe the child may come—as he’s done before—to its rescue. “Help me, Timmy!” I yell. “Your mouse, it’s getting away!”The little rat leads me in zigzags across the living room, his long tail snaking around the floor, flicking every which way at the furniture—only to sneak, in the end, into the hole in the wall. Panting, I curse myself. Why haven’t I found the time to fix it?Meanwhile, the child is nowhere to be seen, but next to the broken wall I notice something else, something quite remarkable: a fresh footprint, one that doesn’t belong to Timmy or to me, has just been pressed onto the recently cleaned floor. Taking a closer look, I think I recognize that sole. Yes. It’s a Nike. Panic stabs me in the stomach, which makes me double over. As my eyes close, sounds become sharper. I ask myself, what in the world is that? Is it my imagination, or am I actually hearing a voice? Barely audible, there it is, seeping in from above. I crane my neck into the hole, then swing my legs into it. On the other side, I clasp the rail of the spiral staircase, trying not to make it clang as I climb onto the first step. Now, I perk my ears. In the murky space swirling around me, there it is: an eerie echo, reverberating. Someone is upstairs right now. His voice is low, but from time to time it screeches up to a high pitch, which is horribly familiar. What frightens me most of all is this: the punk is not even bothering to hide his presence. Clearly, he is prepared to see me. More than that, he is eager. I clutch my cellphone, finger at the ready on the panic button. Shall I press the button now? I hover over it, telling myself to bide my time, wait for a critical moment. How will I recognize it? What is critical, exactly, and what isn’t?I climb stealthily halfway up the staircase, which allows me to hear the punk a lot clearer. Who is he talking to?

 ★ Love Suspense? Prepare to be thrilled ★ Overkill (Volume II of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)Audible: soonAudiobook: SoonPaperback: Amazon
The last thing Ash expects when she lands in Clearwater, Florida is to be stalked by a troubled teenager. If that's not bad enough, she is caught in a shooting spree next to the nearby elementary school. The cops think it’s an attempt at mass killing, but Ash wonders if the only victim was specifically targeted by the killer. Will she manage to identify him and have him arrested before he comes after her?

Before you knew it, the flame blazed into an inferno

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Michael felt his heart hammering inside. Looking at live video being streamed would be far from enough to protect her, should Bull become aggressive. Michael peered out of the interrogation room. No one in the station seemed to pay any attention to him. No one cared that he had been so obedient, so mindful of the authorities as to stay put. Angry with himself for having waited that long, he walked with a slow, measured step towards the entrance door, flung it open, and bolted out. The outside air assaulted his nostrils with a bitter smell. Smoke.By the time he arrived at the crooked stairs leading down to Bull’s studio, the view around the city had started to darken. Plumes of black ash were billowing into the sky. In the distance, across a break in the cliffs, fire licked the bottoms of several tree trunks. It was playful at first, flickering, flaring, leaping into a shower of sparks. Then it wound itself around to the top of the trees, like a creepy serpent. Before you knew it, the flame blazed into an inferno. With a crackle, it jumped over Pacific Coast Highway and started devouring everything in its way. Up the street, fire fighters started to knock at every door in the neighborhood, urging residents to leave. Michael leapt down the stairs, two at a time. His body pulsating with heat, he pushed the door open and ran into the studio, knocking over a few art pieces that stood in his way, only to discover that his fear came true. He was too late. Ash wasn’t there, and neither was Bull. Thinking he knew where they might have headed, Michael hurried back out, not before noticing that her cellphone had been left behind, in pieces. To his horror, it seemed to have been purposely crushed, perhaps by the weight of the bronze piece. It now stood amidst the fragments, twisting around itself as if to direct a victorious glare at him.

Virtually Lace (Volume I of High-Tech Crime Solvers)Audible: US ★ UK ★ FR ★ DEAudiobook: Amazon US ★ Amazon UK ★ iTunesPaperback: Amazon
Haunted by discovering the body of a beautiful dancer, Michael creates a virtual reality simulation of her murder. Can he bring the mystery to life? Can he solve it in time, before the killer turns on the woman he loves, Ash?

It would be an amazing tool to be able reconstruct events and see what really happened by applying VR. More importantly, the main characters are very well developed and vivid, making this book a real page-turner. ~Kathy Parsons, TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Follow the clues in Virtual Reality

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Michael had programmed his code to eliminate the view of all things blue, so that the virtual environment would be projected in their place—but this time, the result amazed him. He rubbed his eyes. Coming towards him, Ash seemed bodiless. Her midnight-blue dress was nearly invisible, which allowed the virtual seascape to glimmer as it rolled gradually through it, right up to the hint of her cleavage. “You did forget about me,” she said, with a touch of amusement in her voice. “Didn’t you?”“Sorry,” he said. “I should’ve called you earlier, but thought you were asleep—”“Uh-uh. Try again.”“I should’ve called you earlier, but was immersed way too deep into my work.”“Now that I believe!”“And I wanted to prepare this as a surprise—”“So did I! Look, here’s a little something for you.”“Sweetheart, you know I don’t like surprises—”“I know no such thing.” She opened the palm of her hand and raised it to his eyes. “What’s that?”“It’ll make coming up for air even less tempting for you than it already is.”On her palm was a glove so thin, he could hardly believe it could be used for his particular purposes. All the virtual reality gloves he had tested so far were as bulky as the ones meant for motorcycle riding.“I’ve designed it for you,” she said.“It’s thin,” he said, “but a bit too large for my hand, isn’t it?”“I thought the fabric will shrink after the first washing.”“So? Why didn’t it?”“Because.” She took his hand in hers, “There’s more than fabric that makes up this glove.”At her touch, the blood in his veins quickened with desire, but a moment later, when she began stretching the glove over his hand, he could no longer feel what was real. He lost the softness of her skin and didn’t yet know yet what he was about to gain.“This glove is truly magical,” she said. “It contains a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer to measure the orientation of your hand; five fingertip sensors to perceive finger movement; and a pressure sensor for the thumb, to measure its rotation. All this is designed to help you feel the shape, texture, even temperature of whatever you’re holding in the virtual world.”“So from now on,” he said, “objects here won’t feel empty to the touch?”“Exactly.” She slid each one of his fingers into place, bringing them into contact with the sensors. “Now, try it!”Michael raised his hand to reach the simulated clouds overhead, and in a blink, he felt light raindrops. He waved it through the creek milkweeds and Belladonna lilies swaying by the side of the trail, and sensed every petal, every leaf, every stem as they ran through his fingers. “Wow,” he said. “Just wow!”
He hurried over to the rock formation just as Fish wiggled out of the blue surface, signifying water. When he placed his palm in front of it, Fish leapt into his hand, its gills opening for a breath, giving him a ticklish sensation. Michael stroked every scale along its body and they fluttered slightly in response to his touch, feeling ever so delicate, ever so flimsy.He knew that what he saw, what he felt around him were merely imagined objects, coming into being inside his garage by the power of software computations. But knowing seemed meaningless. He had to trust his senses.


Virtually Lace (Volume I of High-Tech Crime Solvers)Audible: US ★ UK ★ FR ★ DEAudiobook: Amazon US ★ Amazon UK ★ iTunesPaperback: Amazon
Haunted by discovering the body of a beautiful dancer, Michael creates a virtual reality simulation of her murder. Can he bring the mystery to life? Can he solve it in time, before the killer turns on the woman he loves, Ash?

 I felt as though I was in Michael's work environment whenever he was using Virtual Reality. Whether he was displaying Laguna Beach or the Northrop Grumman B -21 Raiders flying overhead, I not only was there but I could feel my heart pounding and my pulse racing... ~Serenity, HALL OF FAME,  TOP 10 REVIEWER

A deliciously different kind of book!

A lovely review from Vine Voice reviewer for Virtually Yummy:


PiarasVINE VOICE 5.0 out of 5 stars A deliciously different kind of book!Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2020
Verified PurchaseVIRTUALLY YUMMY: Recipes that Inspire is a deliciously different kind of book! What makes this recipe book unique is that it contains excerpts by the authors of the High-Tech Crime Solvers series: Uvi Poznansky, Robert I. Katz, Edwin Dasso, P.D. Workman, Jacquie Biggar, Casi McLean, Barbara Ebel, and Libby Fischer Hellman.

The recipes come from their travels around the world, treasured family recipes and even from the adventures of their own characters! It’s a very clever concept and there’s something for everybody here from soups and tarts to main dishes and desserts.

They say variety is the spice of life, so there’s plenty of tasty treasures to be found in this quick, enjoyable and easy read. As well as the other authors, I’m a big fan of Uvi Poznansky so it’s five stars from me.

Join us: Summer Thrills Fireworks!

My author friends have joined forcesto bring you a new series: High-Tech Crime Solvers 
Join our killer party as a GOING guestfor a chance to win these books! Summer Thrills Fireworks!

Uvi Poznansky
Virtually Lace  Michael Morse, an expert in VR simulation, stumbles on a dead body on the beach. A suspect himself, can Michael stay free for long enough to identify the real culprit?
In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Uvi will give away Virtually Lace, Overkill and Overdose.


Robert I. Katz Virtually Undead  Neurosurgeon Michael Foreman is drawn into a twisted conspiracy when his best friend is murdered playing a new video game, Virtually Undead.
In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Robert will give away Virtually Undead, Surgical Risk and The Anatomy Lesson.


P.D. Workman Virtually Harmless :Private consultant Micah Miller’s involvement in law enforcement is limited to the composite pictures that she produces with her computer and colored pencils. But everything is turned upside down when she involves herself in the case of an infant found abandoned in the Sweetgrass Hills.
In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Pamela will give away Virtually Harmless, Unlawful Harvests and She Wore Mourning.


Edwin Dasso
Virtually Dead :When multiple executives in Vancouver begin disappearing and are then found dead with no signs of trauma, private investigator and former FBI agent Wes Watley is asked by a friend of a friend to investigate.
In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Ed will give away Virtually Dead, Death Target and Do I Know You.


Casi McLean
Virtually Timeless :  Twins Sydney and Noah Monaco become involved in a conspiracy involving attempted rape, kidnapping, assault and an ancient artifact that isn’t supposed to exist.
In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Casi will give away Virtually Timeless, Beneath the Lake and Reign of Fire.


Jacquie Biggar Virtually Gone:When Detective Matthew Roy and reporter Julie Crenshaw are called on to investigate a string of sexual abuse cases, they don’t expect Julie to land in the crosshairs of a serial killer.In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Jacquie will give away Virtually Gone, Tidal Falls and Skating on Thin Ice. [image error]


Libby Fischer Hellmann Virtually Undetectable : Fired Bank Manager Rachel Foreman and her mother, renowned investigator Ellie Foreman, track through the lawless  corners of the web to find out who is targeting the female CEO of a Fortune 500 company who is accused of murdering a disgruntled former employee.
In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Libby will give away Virtually Undetectable, An Eye for Murder and Jump Cut.


Barbara Ebel
Virtually Impossible : Dr. Hook Hookie extrapolates genetic information that informs patients of their hereditary health risks. But he isn't the only one with a use for the high-tech genetic machinery—a villainess with ill purposes stalks the Medical Center.
In Summer Thrills Fireworks! Barbara will give away Virtually Impossible, Dangerous Doctor and Secondary Impact.

Let me introduce you to my author friends: High-Tech Crime Solvers

My author friends have joined forcesto bring you a new series: High-Tech Crime Solvers 
Join our killer partyfor a chance to win our books! Summer Thrills Fireworks!
Uvi Poznansky
I paint with my pen, and write with my paintbrush.
@UviPoznanskyBookBubBlogArt siteFacebook
Robert I. Katz
Author of gripping medical mysteries and award winning science fiction.
 @robertikatz BookBubWebsite
P.D. Workman
Writing riveting mystery, suspense, and young adult fiction about real life issues.
@pdworkmanauthor BookBubWebsiteFaceebook
Edwin Dasso
Writing to make the reader feel like they are right in the scene
@DassoEdwinBookBubFacebook
Casi McLean
Tired~Stressed? There's A NAP for that ESCAPE into Imagination with 5 star Suspense, Romance and a Sprinkle of Magic. Read my story and you'll want more!
@CasiMcLean BlogWebsiteFacebook
Jacquie Biggar
USA Today bestselling author of romantic suspense with attitude
@JacqBiggarWebsite
Libby Fischer Hellmann
“Author of compulsively readable thrillers”
@libbyhellmannWebsite

Barbara Ebel
‘Doctor Barbara,’ The Credible Medical Fiction Writer and a former anesthesiologist, sprinkles credible medicine into the background of her novels where her vivid characters and plots take center stage. 

  @BarbaraEbel BookBubwebsiteChester website

So, will you tell me about the murder?

Wearing a midnight-blue avant-garde sequin cocktail dress with a plunging v-neckline and no jewelry except for pearl stud earrings, she looked stunning. Her lips glistened into a smile when he touched his nose to hers, coming into a kiss, almost.Ash took in the trace of Dior Sauvage aftershave on his chin, and her eyes closed as she gave a little moan. Then she pulled back, took a silk apron off a hook, and joined him in preparation of the meal, as if no time had passed since their last date, way back when. “I missed you,” he said. Ash answered by letting him bite into a strawberry she was nibbling on. Having washed some blueberries, she added them to the mix along with a cup of sugar. “Your pepper mill is nearly empty.”“Let me fill it for you,” said Michael. And lowering his voice, he added, “Sweetheart.”She gave a little giggle, so he figured he need not be too cautious in using terms of endearment. Peppercorns danced their way with a pinging sound into the mill. Michael dialed it to the exact grind he wanted. Then he sprinkled freshly ground pepper into the bowl, and for good measure, added a dash of hot pepper sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice. Ash toasted some slivered almonds, to be stirred into the concoction just before serving on top of the poultry dish. The aroma tingled his nostrils. It was wonderfully enticing. Next, she took the chicken out of the refrigerator and stuffed its cavity with a bunch of fresh thyme, both halves of a lemon, and a head of garlic, cut crosswise.“Is that a new dress?” he asked.In place of a reply, she blushed. “Looks beautiful on you.”She turned to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face, to make the blush go away, but it didn’t. “So, will you tell me about the murder?” “I’ll do better than that. I’m going to show you.”“Really?”“Virtually.”“I’m dying to see!”“I’m dying to see it myself, sweetheart. Later.”With impatient strokes, Ash brushed the outside of the chicken with melted butter and sprinkled it with salt and freshly ground pepper. Then she tied the legs together with kitchen string and tucked the wing tips under the body of the chicken. “Oh,” she said. “You’re such a tease!”
“And so are you,” he said.
Excerpt from Virtually Lace


Virtually Lace(Volume II of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)Audible: US ★ UK ★ FR ★ DEAudiobook: Amazon US ★ Amazon UK ★ iTunesPaperback: Amazon ★ Barnes&Noble


Astonishingly well written, Uvi once again surprises us with the depth of her talent. This is one fine series to follow. Highly recommended. 
~Grady Harp, HALL OF FAME, TOP 100 REVIEWER