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MY GIRLFRIEND BITES ME UPDATE

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The Second Book Is Here!

Breaking News: My Girlfriend Bites Again is out in both paperback and eBook formats. Keep reading for a big sample from the second chapter of the book.

Right now, you can order the paperback at Barnes & Noble or Amazon or pick up the eBook this week for the special price of $2.99. (It goes up to $4.99 next week) You can find it on Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Amazon, and Google Play.

I’ve lowered the eBook price of the first book in the series My Girlfriend Bites to $0.99. So, pick up both eBooks in the series for a bargain at most online book merchants who carry the eBook.

My Girlfriend Bites Again (Sample)

Aiden

I scramble to my feet and poke my head out of our small polyester hiking tent. Bree has already disappeared down the rocky trail.

Damn it Bree. I slip on my shoes and grab my portable mini-lantern before I run out of camp and down the dark trail in pursuit. The portable lantern barely shines ten feet in front of me. I can only make out a portion of the trail as it hugs the top of the ridge. If I don’t watch where I’m walking, I could fall right off the edge.

Again, there’s no sign of Bree.

Or the vampire.

Why the hell am I walking in the dark with a vampire on the loose?

“Bree,” I yell. “Where did you go?”

No answer.

“I swear if you’re playing a joke on me I’ll—”

A shadow jumps at me and I yell. The shadow swipes the lantern and switches it off in one quick move. My heart pounds on overdrive. But it relaxes the moment a familiar voice laughs in the darkness.

“You look so cute when you’re nervous.”

“Please stop doing that.”

Bree nuzzles against my neck. Her familiar scent of honeysuckle and lilac calms me down. “The vamp is down in the valley,” she whispers. Bree takes my hand and we crouch near the trail on the ridge, looking down at the dark valley below. I can’t see anything, but Bree’s nostrils flare as she takes in some kind of scent.

“What do vampires smell like?”

“A mix of dead fish and burnt hair. It’s not a very strong scent, but it’s there if you concentrate.”

“Were you having trouble sleeping?”

Bree grins. “It’s hard for me to sleep outdoors. All I want to do is rip off my clothes and shift. I was tempted to sneak off and go do that. But I resisted the temptation.” Bree moves closer to the edge of the trail, peeking back down into the valley. Her eyes narrowed as she focuses. “I can see it now. It’s a girl. And she looks…terrified. Very odd.” Bree gasps and drops back to the ground. She breathes faster and faster, on the edge of hyperventilating. “Piss on the sun.”

“What is it?”

She doesn’t answer.

“Bree?”

“She’s being chased by a Demon Skin.”

My heart jumps into my throat. It’s the name the werewolves gave them after these reanimated warriors from the dead began wiping out werewolf packs all over the world. One almost killed Bree and her family before I set it on fire with a Molotov cocktail.

Bree grips my arm. “Did you pack the aerosol can and lighter?”

“Yeah, but they’re still back at the car.”

That werewolf confidence of hers is gone. Her face winces in fear. Her eyes fill with worry. Bree peeks down into the valley again. “Looks like she’s running down the valley anyway. Hopefully, that Demon Skin hasn’t picked up my scent way up here on the ridge.”

It still amazes me how well Bree can see in the dark. That valley below looks like a black smudge.

“Why is it hunting down a vampire?” I ask. “I thought they were only hunting down werewolves?”

“I guess we’re not the only ones on their hit list.” Her eyes catch something else. “That girl vamp can’t run fast enough. That Demon Skin will catch up to her soon.”

“What are you going to do?”

Bree scoffs. “It’s not after me.”

I toss her a look, and she feels it.

“She’s a vamp, Aiden. They’re disgusting creatures. The world’s better off without them.”

“What about…the enemy of my enemy is my friend?”

“What kind of stupid human expression is that?”

“Look, I’m only saying that the way things are going now, don’t werewolves need more allies?”

“You don’t understand the real world, Aiden. The vamps have hated us for centuries, and the feeling is mutual. Trust me. She’s not worth the risk.”

“Didn’t your family have the same attitude about humans a while ago?”

Bree shoots me a hard look.

But I keep talking. “I didn’t have to help you, did I? But I did. I took a chance you were more than just a monster.”

Bree twitches her mouth to the side as she looks down into the valley again.

A thought comes to me, and I say it. “They ripped up your werewolf pack too.”

Bree’s eyes burn. “Shut up. There’s nothing I can do. You’re the one who left the aerosol can in the car, and by the time we grab it and come back here, it’ll be too late.”

Something catches her attention. Bree’s nostrils flare again. “The vamp is changing direction. She’s climbing up the ridge, towards the trail.”

“Where we are?” I ask.

Bree shakes her head. “A few yards farther down. But if she leads that Demon Skin on top of the ridge and runs in this direction—” Bree thinks about it. “Okay, if she makes it to the trail, we’ll run to the car and break out the fire and brimstone just in case.”

“You don’t think she’ll make it?” I ask.

“Even climbing uphill, that Demon Skin will be faster. And it’s a baby vamp, so—”

“A baby vamp? Like a little girl?”

“She’s still a vamp.”

I stare at Bree for a moment before rising to my feet. I march down the trail and switch on the lantern.

“Where are you going?”

“I can’t sit here and do nothing. It’s a little kid.”

“That little kid doesn’t eat Fruit Loops for breakfast anymore. She’s probably more like fifty years old.”

In my head, all I see is fire. Brilliant and bright. The Demon Skin I lit on fire. Its body melting from the heat. It still looked terrifying. Like a demon from hell who couldn’t be stopped. Back then, I was beyond scared.

If I was that terrified at sixteen, I can’t imagine what’s going through the mind of a little girl facing down one of those things at night. As I said, there’s no way I can sit on this ridge and wait for her to die. So I keep walking forward.

“Piss on the sun.” Bree stands, her eyes glaring.

I pivot around to face her, but keep walking backward towards my doom. “In this messed-up world, someone has to give a shit.” I turn back around.

It takes maybe a moment or two before Bree is at my side with her arms crossed. “Turn off that stupid lantern before the Demon Skin sees it.”

I flash her a polite smile and turn it off.

Since I can’t see anything without the lantern, Bree grips my hand as we walk down the dirt trail. To be honest, I’m scared. Really scared. I don’t have werewolf strength or speed. I only have my brain, and sometimes that fails me too.

Screw it. I’m doing this anyway.

“I don’t know what you plan to do,” Bree says. “Without lighting the Demon Skin up like a forest fire, there’s no other way we can kill it.”

“Since the Demon Skins aren’t interested in humans, maybe it will let me get close enough.”

Bree scoffs. “Close enough to do what? Fart on it?”

“No. But I could distract it enough for you to do something.”

“Oh, so you want me to fart on it? Reality check. I can’t bite into a Demon Skin because of all that silver running through its veins. I can’t even touch it because of all that silver chain mail the damn things wear. And it probably has a silver weapon or two that is sure to kill me.”

“It’s not immune to gravity, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll distract it while you shove it off the ridge. From here to the bottom of the valley is like, what, two thousand feet?” I ask.

“That won’t kill it.”

“No. But it might snap a few limbs when it impacts the rocks, and that’ll give us some time to save the kid and get back to the car.”

Bree thinks about that. “Okay. That might work. You’d better run on ahead and see if you can meet that baby vamp on the ridge. I’ll keep my distance so the Demon Skin can’t smell me. But when he comes over that ridge, I’ll charge and shove his butt over.”

“Don’t wait too long. If it thinks I’m protecting the vampire—”

“Are you sure about this? Do you really want to risk your life for a vamp? You don’t have to keep proving to me that you’re a bad-ass, you know.”

“Believe me, I wish I could run away. But I can’t. I won’t ever abandon someone who needs help again.”

Order the paperback at Barnes & Noble or Amazon . Pick up the eBook on Apple Books , Barnes and Noble , Kobo , Amazon , and Google Play .

My Girlfriend Bites Again (Sneak Peek #2)

The brand-new sequel to my first novel My Girlfriend Bites is coming out next week! Here’s another sample for you…

Aiden

Through the large kitchen window, I can see the freshness of a new day reflected in the Mayflowers’ backyard as the morning sun highlights a liquid glaze of dew that’s formed on the grass overnight. A couple of bees fly and hop over some bushes, looking for flowers.
A guy notices these things when he’s happy to still be alive.
I pour milk into my bowl of cereal while the Mayflowers enjoy their normal breakfast, cold deer ribs with orange juice and coffee. I’ve been living in their house long enough that the blood on their plates doesn’t bother me anymore.
Bree’s father picks a bone out of his teeth and sets it on the side of his plate. “Sounds like you did everything you could for that girl.”
Bree pauses. “Still wasn’t enough.”
“Proud of you though for trying.” Bree’s father eyes me. “Both of you.”
“They’re disgusting creatures. Always have been.” Bree’s mother sips her coffee. “Living off the blood of humans? It’s medieval. You would think after a few centuries they would have evolved. We’ve changed our ways.”
“It’s not our place to judge their ways.” Bree’s father bites into another rib.
“Yes, but it’s the twenty-first century. Everyone has changed with the times. Except the vamps. They hold on to their old, crusty ways like a bunch of grumpy old politicians. So what if the Demon Skins want to wipe them out? As long as it’s not us.”
Bree’s father pauses, but says nothing.
His daughter puts down her half-eaten rib. “There was a moment when I didn’t want to help the girl vamp either.” Bree stops and squeezes my hand, leaving a speck of deer blood on it. “But Aiden talked me into it.”
“He’s human. He doesn’t understand how things are,” Bree’s mother says, then flashes a smile. “No offense.”
“Lillian, we might need to re-evaluate our feelings towards the vamps. That’s if we want to survive as a species.” Bree’s father hesitates as his wife gives him a look. But the man continues, “We need allies. You’ve been on the online forums. You’ve read the posts. They’re slaughtering us. Mowing us down like cattle. We need help.”
Bree’s mother droops a little and shakes her head. “But from the vamps, Xavier?”
Bree looks at me. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Right, Aiden?”
“If they can help you defeat these Demon Skins, yeah.”
“There’s no way the other packs would sign off on an alliance with the vamps. They’d rather join a witches’ coven.” Bree’s mother puts down her coffee and picks at another rib.
Bree’s father grunts in frustration and pounds the table. One of the table leaves breaks off and drops to the floor with a thud. “Have enough trouble getting the packs to work together, let alone form an alliance with anyone. We wolves are too independent. Too proud of ourselves. All the alphas have egos the size of continents and are always suspicious of each other. We need someone who can rally us together against the Skins.”
Bree’s father notices the broken table and sighs. “Sorry, I’ll pick up another one at Home Depot.”
“Dad, you could rally us together.”
“I’m a bookkeeper, honey. Not a leader. Chevalier could have brought us all together. He was a smart wolf. A genius. A natural leader.”
“You learned a lot from Chevalier too,” Bree’s mother says. “You were his number one because he knew what kind of wolf you were.”
“You’ll bring us all together, and we’ll fight these things. Dad, we need to reach out to all the other wolves out there. Your friend Doubleday has that online network, doesn’t he? Surely he would help you form an alliance with all the packs.”
Bree’s father stops eating and cleans his fingers with a napkin before sitting back and thinking about it.
Bree keeps talking. “We should be on that network too and offer our home as a sanctuary for displaced werewolves.”
“No, that’s too dangerous. Making our home a sanctuary just puts a giant X on our house.”
“What’s this online network?” I ask.
“Remember Agent Doubleday?” Bree asks.
“That FBI agent?”
“Yeah, he’s formed this online network through social media. Packs have been using it to communicate with each other. And werewolves who have been separated by the attacks on their packs also use it to find new packs that have so far avoided the Demon Skins. It’s all under the radar.”
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the concept that werewolves are working at the FBI.
Bree’s father sips his orange juice. “Doubleday’s lucky the Skins haven’t found out about his network yet.”
“We have so much room here,” Bree’s mother says. “And the storm basement downstairs could be expanded.”
Bree’s father lets his glass drop hard against the table. “Both of you forget it. It’s a bad idea.”
Bree’s mother straightens in her seat. “We’ve been in danger ever since we left Colorado. You said that you didn’t want to run anymore. Well, if we want to fight, we need to make a stand somewhere, Xavier.”
Bree smiles at her mom. “And the more wolves we have, the better our chances. Especially since we know how to kill those awful creatures now. We can teach everyone else on the network.”
Bree’s father scoffs. “Our enemy could have hacked into that network and be using it to track us all down.”
“You don’t know that,” Bree’s mom says. “Besides, that network could be the only thing that keeps the wolves together so we can fight back.”
Bree’s father shakes his head. “Exposing ourselves on that network is a risk.”
“And it’s one worth taking to help our kind,” Bree adds.
“Doubleday is a tech-savvy wolf, Xavier. I don’t think you’re giving your friend enough credit.”
Bree’s father throws his bloody napkin on the table. “You do know that as alpha, my word is final.”
Bree and her mother shoot each other a glance. Their bodies wilt as the two women bow their heads in obedience.
“However, you both are too smart, and that makes it hard to ignore what you say.”
Bree and her mother release smiles.
“All right, if we’re going to have more guests in this house, we need to get to work on expanding that basement. Aiden, after school you and I are going to do man wolf’s work.”
I stop eating.
Man wolf’s work? What does that mean?

Pre-Order the eBook of My Girlfriend Bites Again on Apple, Nook, Kobo, and, Google Play, and Amazon for the special release price of $2.99.

My Girlfriend Bites Again (Sneak Peek #1)

The brand-new sequel to my first novel My Girlfriend Bites is coming out in almost two weeks! Here’s a sample for ya…

Aiden

That Saturday morning, Bree and I get up way too early. We take her 1967 Oldsmobile and drive south about 250 miles to an area known as the Ouachita National Forest. Oklahoma doesn’t have any mountains to speak of, but this area is the closest our state gets to having them. The hills rise to about 2,500 feet, and there’s this scenic two-lane road that snakes through the hills and forests.
The sun glares across the windshield as I guide the Oldsmobile into the gravel parking lot near the trail-head where the hiking club told Bree to meet at. The lot is filled with cars.
“Dude!” Josh greets us in the parking lot. He’s a senior with these large side-burns that make him kinda look like Wolverine from the comics. “So glad you came, Bruce.” Josh holds out his fist.
I fist-bump it, and he makes an explosion sound. He holds out his fist to Bree. She bumps it. Josh makes another explosion sound.
“Come meet the group.” Josh escorts us over to the trailhead, where at least forty-five kids have gathered with their backpacks and hiking poles. Many are seniors and juniors from our school. Some of them I’ve seen around, but don’t really know. There’s even a handful of sophomores brave enough to hang with the older kids.
After we say hello, Bree and I get out our hiking equipment from the trunk of the Oldsmobile.
“Why does Josh keep calling you Bruce?” Bree asks. “It’s weird.”
“It’s because I kicked Kirk Cummings’s butt.”
Bree throws me a smirk.
“Okay, when you kicked his butt.”
Nothing kills off your dude mojo faster than being reminded your girlfriend beat up your bullies for you. But that was the old me.
“After that happened, Josh started calling me Bruce Wayne because that’s who Batman is when he’s not Batman.”
“What’s a Batman?”
The question shocks me. I can’t believe she asked me that.
“And you want to be my girlfriend?”
“What?” Bree makes a face. “Is it important?”
“Yes. Batman is very important. Ooogle him online and learn,” I say. “Actually…no, we’ll have a Batman movie marathon. I can’t let my girlfriend not know about the caped crusader.”

A half hour later, the Wiley Post High School Hiking Club starts its trek across the Ouachita national recreation trail as it hugs the side of a ridge. The sun is still out and burns my skin. Bree did make me pack the sunscreen, but I forgot to put it on. I’m not worried about it though. Maybe I can get a great tan.
Bree loves being out here. Her nostrils flare as she sniffs the air. Her sense of smell is amazing. The girl can detect things a long way off, depending on which way the wind blows. The wind is strong today, so Bree must be in scent heaven.
“Smell anything interesting?” I say in a low voice. Not everyone needs to know my girlfriend is part wolf.
“There’s a mountain lion on that other ridge,” Bree says. “Protecting her territory. A pack of Canadian geese ahead of us. On their way north I bet.”
“Let’s steer clear of the mountain lion.”
“She wouldn’t last five seconds around me,” Bree says with that confidence of hers. The girl relaxes and drifts back into the group, talking to some of the other girls.
Bree’s confidence shines on her face. The way she carries herself. The way she talks to people. The super-quiet werewolf who had to stay clear of human contact was replaced by a confident girl who wants other kids to like her.
That’s not too important to me. Being liked, that is. I’ve lived in obscurity for sixteen years, and I’m okay if it lasted another twenty. I don’t know what I want to be when I “grow up.” But I do know one thing. I don’t want it to have anything to do with trying to make people like me.
“Dude, you really scored the hat trick. Am I right?” Josh catches up with me in the line of hikers. “I remember when your girlfriend had all that extra-long hair and acted all distant and weird. And then she came to my party that time and I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s Cave Girl? She’s smokin’ hot.’ Gotta be honest, I was rubbing one out thinking about your girlfriend that night. I couldn’t help it. You’re so lucky.”
I think in Josh’s mind, that was an honest compliment, so I let his self-gratification use of my girlfriend slide.
“Yeah, she is smoking hot,” I say.
The hiking group follows the trail as it crests the top of the hill; there’s a clearing that boasts an excellent view of the wilderness area in all its green-leafed brilliance.
“We’re here!” Josh yells. “Let’s get this party started.”
Kids start unpacking and pitching their tents.
Bree shoots Josh a confused look. “Why are we camping already? There’s, like, six hours of daylight left, and we’ve only hiked one mile.”
A friend of Josh’s opens up a large portable cooler filled with ice. He digs up a can of beer and tosses it to Josh.
“We never go past two miles tops.” Josh pops open the beer. “This is our normal spot. Great view of nature. Am I right?”
Other kids unpack chips, salsa, and all kinds of other snacks. One senior lays down a small grill and prepares to fire it up. A girl breaks open another portable cooler and takes out packages of cold sausages, burger patties, and hot dogs.
Bree’s mouth twitches to the side as she folds her arms together. “Aiden,” she snaps.
I’ve learned that when your werewolf girlfriend says your name like that, you join her immediately.
Bree lowers her voice. “What’s going on? Is this some human thing I don’t understand?”
I glance over to the clearing. Smoke drifts off the small grill, and two tents are set up. A few kids are already drinking beer. Seems pretty clear to me.
“They’re going to party here. I think the hiking part of the trip is over.”
“That can’t be right,” Bree says. “I researched hiking clubs. They’re composed of groups of humans who love the outdoors and want to get away from civilization. They go on long hikes in the backcountry and camp responsibly, not hurting the environment. It sounded perfect to me. Humans I could relate to. This doesn’t make any sense.”
Bree calls out for Josh, and he eases over to her with not a care in the world. “What kind of hiking club is this? I thought you guys were into nature and all that.”
Josh raises his arms wide. “Dude, we’re surrounded by nature. What more do you want?”
“This isn’t a real hiking club. You hiked, like, two miles and now we’re all getting wasted?”
Josh runs Bree’s words through his mushy brain. “Oh sh*t, you thought we’re like the Boy Scouts or something, huh?”
I should step in here. “I think Bree expected ghost stories by the fire, smores, and using leaves as toilet paper.”
Josh grimaces. “Using leaves? Ouch. But wouldn’t they scratch your—”
“That’s not the point,” Bree says. “The point is I wanted to join a real hiking club.”
“Oh. Yeah. We don’t do that. We just come out here and party. But it’s a brilliant idea, am I right? No parents. No cops. No drunk driving. Just kids kicking it and having a good time.” Josh smiles. “Can I get you two a beer?”

Pre-Order the eBook of My Girlfriend Bites Again on Apple, Nook, Kobo, and, Google Play, and Amazon.

My Girlfriend Bites Again Pre-Order

I’m so happy to announce My Girlfriend Bites Again is now available for pre-order at the special price of $2.99 US / £2.99 UK. After the first seven days of release, the price will go up to the normal $4.99 / £4.99.

This eBook Pre-Order is currently available for Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and Amazon Kindle.

20Booksto50K Conference

Last week I had a great time at the 20Booksto50K indie writers conference in Las Vegas. Learned a lot. Met some fans. Met some old and new friends.

Had some delicious cake from a machine.

Ate my first Beef Wellington.

So far Gordon Ramsey’s steakhouse, Ping Pang Pong, and Battista’s Italian Restaurant are my favorite places to eat.

What are your favorite places to eat or things to do in Las Vegas?

A Brand New Series!

I’m so happy to announce that not only is my young adult werewolf romance novel My Girlfriend Bites getting a new cover, but it’s also receiving its own new series!

My Girlfriend Bites (Book One) — Buy now in eBook or Paperback

My Girlfriend Bites Again (Book Two) — February 2023 (Pre-Order Coming Soon)

My Girlfriend Bites Me (Book Three) — March 2023

New Release: The Boy from Barcelona

The 6th novel in the Gems young adult spy series is out! Below you can read a sample from the first chapter.

“You all dance like fat American women making love to their fat American husbands,” the Indian director yelled from his pulpit, a raised chair in front of a trio of video monitors with two nervous production assistants waiting on either side. The director slipped out of his throne and marched past the digital camera, its lens focused on a large movie set with forty actors wearing a colorful array of traditional Indian wedding costumes. The actors let out a collective sigh as they all moved back to their starting marks on the giant marble dance floor.

“We will keep doing this over and over and over again until you get it right, is that clear?” the director asked in Hindi.

Olivia Spencer gripped the film slate in her hands as she checked with the English cinematographer manning the camera. “What did he say?”

The Englishman smirked. “He wants to do another take.”

Olivia advanced the digital readout on her slate to take number twenty-four.

The director flung his arms into the air. “I’m losing the day. Let’s go!”

“Sound ready,” a voice across the room yelled in English.

“Video ready,” the English cinematographer said, nodding to Olivia.

Olivia stepped in front of the camera and held up the slate. “Farewell to Mumbai. Scene seventy-one. Take number twenty-four. Mark.” She snapped the clapper down, and the slate beeped a time stamp. Olivia then got off-camera quick.

“Action!” the Indian director yelled.

Fun and festive dance music filled the atrium as the forty dancers clapped in unison to begin their choreographed routine. The dancers twirled and spun in perfect harmony, sweeping their beautiful dresses across the white marble as they exchanged places and clapped to the rhythm of the music.

That is until one girl tripped and fell into another, causing a chain reaction of falls like a pile of dominoes.

“Cut. Cut!” the director yelled.

Nadia Sharif wore a full Indian wedding costume from head to toe. She managed to get off the floor, then bent down carefully in her dress to help another fallen dancer back to her feet. Nadia met Olivia’s gaze, then nodded to indicate she was fine. Olivia admired how well Nadia had changed her natural orange skin tone to a darker shade that matched the other Indian dancers. Her dark hair was on point too. She fit right in after studying Indian dance from an expert to make her cover complete.

Nadia tossed her eyes over at the director as she ran her finger across her neck, indicating to Olivia what everyone on the set was feeling.

Olivia understood. Most of the crew wanted to kill the director too. He was such a—

“Set up again!” the director yelled.

“Ishaan,” the Indian producer called out as he emerged into the studio with two Korean men in tow. One of them wore an all-white suit.
The director noticed the strangers and nodded. He whispered to the production manager.

“That’s lunch,” the manager said in English. “We’ll resume in two hours.”

A collective wave of relief went over the set as people headed for the craft services tables. But Nadia moved in the opposite direction; she waited for the English cinematographer to leave before joining Olivia.

“Notice our two new visitors?” Nadia asked.

Olivia did. The one with the white suit was Kwon-Ho, a North Korean operative who had killed dozens of aid workers trying to smuggle food and medical supplies into North Korea to help combat the starvation of its citizens. Black Widow—no, not that one—found out that Kwon-Ho was “financing” this Bollywood picture under a false identity. It was another scheme created by the North Koreans to launder dirty money from selling weapons to dictators into legitimate investments in the East.

“I’ll text Black Widow to get her welcoming committee ready,” Olivia said.

“In that case, I’ll get a refreshment.” Nadia moved off towards the craft services area.

As Olivia finished her text and hit send, she was just in time to see Nadia sipping on a cup of cranberry juice. Olivia waited, knowing full well what would happen next.

Nadia drifted her way closer and closer to Kwon-Ho as both the producer and director charmed him in English about giving the production more money for extra shooting days. Kwon-Ho was a large man but in great shape. From what Black Widow had told them during the mission briefing, this man was lethal in hand-to-hand fighting. As Kwon-Ho listened, his expression was vacant. Not a hint of emotion. As if the producer and director were talking to a cement wall.

The closer Nadia got to the group, the more the girl’s eyes were on the ceiling of the sound stage. Her footsteps were light and carefree, as if she were playing music to another dance routine in her head. Soon she drifted behind the group, just another extra on a huge sound stage. With her back to Kwon-Ho, Nadia did a final grand swirl and ran into Kwon-Ho’s shoulder, emptying the cup of cranberry juice all over the man’s white suit.

Nadia gasped. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t see you. Oh my gosh. It’s my fault. I was dancing through the number in my head and—”

Kwon-Ho pushed her away. “Get away from me, you stupid girl.”

“What’s wrong with you?” the producer yelled in broken English. He turned to Kwon-Ho. “Let our production company have that cleaned.”

“You stupid bitch!” the director yelled. “You’re fired.”

Nadia produced some tears. “But it was an accident. Please forgive me.”

“Get out before I have you thrown out!” the director yelled.

Nadia wiped her eyes and scurried off the sound stage in tears.

The English cinematographer came back from the craft services table with a sandwich and a Coke, his neck craned to watch the drama.

“Poor girl,” Olivia said. “That was uncalled for.”

The Englishman shrugged. “She’s young. She’ll find work.”

“No, it really disgusts me. Sorry, Peter, but I’m giving notice as well.”

The English cinematographer stopped in mid-bite; then he chewed it very fast. “You’re giving notice? As in…now?”

“Sorry, love. I can’t work with that man.”

“Bullocks, you’re the only member on the crew who appreciates my sarcasm,” the Englishman said. “Besides, you were doing a smashing job.”

“Thanks.”

The Englishman handed Olivia a business card. “Call me when you’re ready for another gig. I’m based out of Los Angeles.”

Olivia hugged him and told him she would before taking her purse and following Nadia off the sound stage.

Once outside, the sun shined on Olivia as she made her way past the doors of several studio sound stages until she reached a parking lot. Olivia made her way to a Mercedes Sprinter van and knocked on the back door. The lock disengaged. Olivia opened it and hopped inside.

The van’s interior had a laptop and other various pieces of active surveillance equipment. A middle-aged English woman monitored it.

Black Widow was in great shape for her age and looked fantastic in the running outfit she wore. She grinned. “Well done, Emerald.”

“Is the tracker working?” Olivia asked.

“Perfectly. He’s making his way out of the studio complex. When all the pieces are in place, we’ll strike.”

“I slipped it deep into the pocket of his trousers,” Nadia said, standing in a corner of the van while shedding her Indian wedding costume.

“Ever fancy a dancing career?” Olivia asked. “You kept up with those other girls pretty well, love.”

Nadia stepped into some jeans and laughed. “It was all acting. I’d much rather watch viruses dancing under a microscope in a lab.”

“I have someone on Kwon-Ho now,” Black Widow said. “He’s in the back of a white BMW with two men. You girls had better have a seat. We’re on the move.”

For more information and book buy links go to my website: https://www.dougsolter.com/the-boy-from-barcelona

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For the next five days, the first Gems eBook in the series is Free on Amazon. The other eBooks in the series are on sale too, so it’s a great time to pick up the series for yourself or tell a friend about it.

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THE END

On Sunday, I was able to write the words…THE END on the first draft of THE BOY FROM BARCELONA at 71,000 words. This is book #6 of the Gems young adult spy series. Rewrites begin next week.