Logan Patricks's Blog, page 2

Help me with my dream?

Everyone has a dream; that one thing in life they wish for more than anything in the world. Aside from my dreams of my children growing up to be outstanding members of society, and for all douchebags who will potentially date my daughter to spontaneously combust, I do have one other thing I’ve always hoped for.

I want to make it onto either USA Today’s bestsellers list, or the NYT bestsellers list. Maybe you can help me with that? Please. Thank you. Hip thrust.

Starting today, and for a limited time only, both Semblance and Penumbra go on sale for 80% off, priced at a mere $0.99.

Exactly one week before the launch of Revenant, Book Three of the Midnight Society–which guarantees its fair shares of mind benders that will have you crying for glorious mercy.

While you wait, if you can share this post and sale with anyone and everyone you know: friends, family, book bloggers, strangers on the street, your grandma, your pets, etc…I’d be forever grateful. Let everyone know about the smexy twisted tale that is the Midnight Society.

Help me achieve my dream of world domination making it onto the NYT bestsellers list.

 

Purchase Book One of the Midnight Society: Semblance @ 80% off on Amazon

Purchase Book Two of the Midnight Society: Penumbra @ 80% off on Amazon

Preorder Book Three of the Midnight Society: Revenant on Amazon

Gooooo team go!

Cheers,

Logan Patricks

The post Help me with my dream? appeared first on Logan Patricks.

A New Exclusive Story, Just For You!

Holy smokes, I’ve been busy the past couple of days! I have some news that’s so exciting that I can’t stop touching myself as I’m announcing it.

I guess I’ll get right down to it.

The new masters edition of Semblance and Penumbra are now available on Amazon, and along with them new covers. Check them out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out Semblance on Amazon

Check out Penumbra on Amazon

 

So what’s new with the masters edition of these books? Two bonus stories.

In Semblance, there’s an exclusive deleted scene at the end of the book that expands on the entire courtship between Aria and Shadow. It’s quite chunky and a good read.

In Penumbra, there’s an exclusive bonus short story starring a younger, more cockier Abraham Constantine. It’ll give some insight into his ‘cursed’ life.

So here’s the big question: In order to read these exclusive stories, do I need to purchase Semblance and Penumbra again?

Answer: Nope! You can just update the books on your Amazon Kindle.

Here’s another question: I bought a paperback version, or I bought it on Barnes and Noble, or I pirated your book (shame on you!). How can I read these extra goodies?

Answer: Read them right here.

Enjoy!

Oh, and here’s the last big news. Early next week, you’ll be able to pre-purchase Revenant, Book Three of the Midnight Society, as well as check out the cover, which I think is just as nifty as the two new ones.

Alright, I think I’m done.

Oh wait, one more thing, while I’m gearing up for Revenant’s book launch, I’m writing a Lincoln Richards prequel short story. I was thinking about serializing parts of the story on your favorite book blogs once it’s done. What do you think?

I’ll need your help though to spread the word of this little idea of mine…I know you deserve to read it FREE. And what better way than on your favorite blogs!

More to come on that one….

Now I’m done.

Cheers!

Logan Patricks

The post A New Exclusive Story, Just For You! appeared first on Logan Patricks.

Semblance Bonus Chapter: The Lost Date

So a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned how I’d be releasing a “Masters Edition” of Semblance with brand new edits–but more importantly a bonus chapter entitled: The Second Date.

The bonus chapter describes a ‘bonus date’ between Shadow and Aria, and takes place between Chapters 10 and 11 of Semblance.

Well, here it is!

***

The Second Date

 

 

After a wonderful first date with Shadow, shifting my focus to school work again was hard.

I did my best listening to my professor’s dry lectures on why in the classical world, parallel fourth and fifths sounded as pleasant as metal scraping together, but it seemed like every few minutes my mind gravitated towards Shadow.

I daydreamed about his gorgeous face, his bite-my-knuckles worthy muscles, and yes, on a few occasions, I thought about his package.

What could I say? I had sex on the brain as a result of suffering through a dry spell. It also didn’t help that I was on a steady diet of trashy books.

I wanted to have sex.

I was no slut, however, and I refused to give my goodies to just anybody. If a boy wanted to get into my pants, he’d have to work hard for it.

Hours of waiting for Shadow to text or call me turned into a days.

I know our dates were meant to be a façade, but still. I thought we had a decent enough connection that, at minimum, warranted one text with a smiley face on it.

A few times, I was tempted to message him—a playful one that was lighthearted and didn’t reek of desperation.

Perhaps something along the lines of “Word Up,” or “Yo.”

But, when the words hit the screen of my cellphone, I realized how incredibly stupid and juvenile they looked. I deleted them with a meandering sigh.

To take my mind off of Shadow, and his lack of communication, I focused on practicing the songs on the list he gave me.

It was an intimidating list, one that pushed my abilities as a pianist to the limits, but I loved the challenge.

I was in the middle of figuring out the chords to Beethoven’s Sonata Hammerklavier when I heard my phone buzz.

It was a text message from Shadow.

About damn time.

“Second date tonight,” it read. “Dress to impress. I’ll pick you up at 11:30 pm.”

Dress to impress? This boy needed some lessons on how to give better instructions.

I spent the next couple of hours, leading up to our second date, getting ready.

At 11:30 pm on the dot, Shadow pulled up in his Aston Martin and exited the vehicle in order to open the passenger door for me.

Despite being a bit of an ass, he was still a gentleman. I had to give him that.

“So, where does date number two take us?” I asked with a grin.

His eyes glanced over the elegant designer dress I was wearing. It was a sultry crimson Vera Wang exclusive with a heart-shaped bust line that accentuated my boobs quite nicely.

Typically I wasn’t one to toot my own horn but I had to admit, I looked pretty sexy in the ensemble that Abraham left in my closet.

That wonderful old man had an impeccable fashion sense.

“Tonight is games night,” Shadow said as he pulled open the passenger door of his car.

Games night? This could be interesting.

“So we’re playing board games?” I asked, just as Shadow was buckling up his seatbelt again.

“Something like that,” he replied, one massive arm taking control of the steering wheel. He turned and looked at me. “But don’t get the wrong idea; the games we play aren’t your typical hungry hippos.”

Shadow said it with all the seriousness in the world, which I couldn’t help laughing at.

He raised a brow. “What’s so funny?”

“Your seriousness in everything.”

“I’m not that serious.”

I cleared my throat, and then proceeded to do my best impression of him, turning my voice into a deep and masculine tenor. “The games we play aren’t your typical hungry hippos.”

“I don’t sound like that.”

“Sure you do. You, my friend, sound like a man with the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

He didn’t bother replying, his eyes focused on the winding roads as we made our way towards Moral City Heights, where the most expensive properties in the city resided.

His silence made me wonder if I had touched a nerve. I certainly didn’t mean to.

Way to go, Aria.

The car finally pulled up to an estate as extravagant as Shadow’s, with rustic stone bricks that made it look like a castle rather than a house.

We waited silently in front of a pair of large iron gates.

“Sorry,” I said.

He turned to me, the seriousness on his face fading away into a warm smile.

“For what?” he asked.

“I shouldn’t tease you like that.”

“I’ve handled much worse insults. And to a degree, I suppose you’re right. I do take things seriously, especially when it comes to hungry hippos. My sister always finds a way to beat me.”

“Dork,” I laughed.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be teasing me anymore.”

“I said I shouldn’t. However, I never said I wouldn’t,” I corrected him.

The gates to the estate began opening, welcoming us to the mansion. I felt my heart dancing in my chest, feeling the same anxiety when I first got into the limo with Abraham.

When it came to surprises, I didn’t fair all too well.

“So you still haven’t told me much about these games that we’re playing,” I said as the car pulled to a stop in front of the house.

“Are you good at chess?” he asked as he exited the vehicle.

I followed.

“When it comes to games of strategy, I’m pretty killer,” I replied as we both entered into the mansion.

We were greeted by a butler, who fit the stereo type perfectly. He sported a pointy nose, round belly, and receding hairline and I’d be damned if his first name wasn’t Jeeves or Alfred or Jarvis.

“Welcome to the home of Donald Huff,” he greeted us.

Shadow acknowledged him with a tilt of his head.

“Should we tip him?” I whispered into his ear. “I don’t want to skimp out on tip like I did the bartender the other night.”

Shadow laughed and whispered back, “No, we don’t tip him. It’d be a slap across the face for him if you did.” The warmth of his breath sent pleasant shivers throughout my body. I hadn’t felt those in a long time.

I scrunched up my face. “You people have so many rules. Personally, if someone gave me free cash, I’d light up like fireworks at Disney Land.”

“I gave you a free condo,” Shadow pointed out.

“Yes, and I practically exploded.”

We continued walking down the hallway of Donald’s estate. I noticed the walls were adorned with interesting artwork, a lot of it jazz inspired. He seemed like a man with great taste in music.

One painting in particular caught my eye. It showed a woman in a blue torn dress, standing at the edge of the sea and staring at an oncoming storm. She was playing the violin, her resolve to create music defying even the forces of nature.

“These paintings are great,” I pointed out. “They’re very distinct and unique.”

“Many of Donald’s art pieces he picked up while visiting New Orleans. He’s enamored with the entire Creole and Cajun culture down in those parts, especially the music and more so the food.”

We continued our stroll down the hallway in comfortable silence. I took my time walking as I was determined to examine each and every one of Donald’s paintings.

Shadow was patient, like he had all the time in the world.

Eventually he spoke. “You know, you’re welcome to take my arm,” Shadow said. “You are my supposed fiancé after all. Appearances mean everything to these people.”

I didn’t see any harm in that. I looped my arm around his and almost let out a squealing giggle when I realized how thick it was. This man worked out.

A lot.

I steadied myself. The last thing I needed to do was go all goo-goo-gah-gah over a set of well-toned biceps. I needed to play it cool.

Be calm. Be collected.

“Everything alright?” Shadow asked me.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re hugging my arm like a body pillow,” he pointed out.

Ugh. I was a victim to perpetual embarrassment.

I loosened my grip on him just as we stopped in front of a pair of white doors. Another butler, younger this time, was there to greet us.

“Good luck today,” he said to Shadow with a pearly white smile.

“How many others have you said that to tonight?” Shadow asked.

“Oh, to just about everyone who walks through these doors.”

Shadow laughed. “We can’t all be lucky tonight. There’s only one winner in this game.”

The man shrugged. “You can be lucky in other ways than just winning,” he said as he tilted his head in my direction.

I couldn’t help but blush.

“I’d say luck is on your side right this very moment. You couldn’t have picked a more ravishing woman at the choosing,” the butler said as he pushed opened the door and gestured for us to enter.

I blushed at the man’s kind words. This guy certainly deserved a generous tip.

We entered into the room where three large tables resided. They reminded me of pool tables with their emerald green felt cloth on top of them. There were two main differences though. The first was that each table was oval in shape. Second, there was a white, circular grid layered over the cloth.

I walked over to an empty one and examined it. Laid out on the tables were intricately carved figurines of various shapes and sizes—knights on horses, dragons, canons, and crowned women and men amongst them. It was reminiscent of a chessboard, though much larger in size and, from the looks of it, played with six people. There was also a stacked set of stone tiles in front of each empty seat, where the players were to sit.

“This game looks pretty intriguing,” I said. “And these figurines look absolutely fantastic.”

“Kingdoms is a game that’s been played by the Midnight Society for generations,” Shadow said. “It’s a highly complex game of skill, strategy, and a bit of trickery.”

“Can you show me how to play?” I asked.

Shadow nodded and led me to another one of the tables, where a game was already in progress.

The men seated at the table turned to Shadow and greeted him.

“Ah, you’ve brought the Golden Virgin,” one of them said with a smile as fake as a stripper’s boobs. “What an absolute delight.”

Another one, sporting a pencil thin moustache and slick matted hair clasped his hands together. “Excellent. Perhaps my wonderful Maria and your bride-to-be can get acquainted by the viewing area.”

I turned to the direction he was gesturing towards and noticed a pack of women deep in drink and conversation.

“You mean the women don’t get to play?” I asked.

Pencil Moustache let out a hardy laugh. “Oh my, that’s rich. Humor is a great quality to have in a woman.”

I was perplexed.

“That wasn’t supposed to be a joke,” I said.

Shadow gently tugged on my elbow.

I read the message loud and clear: “Bite your tongue.”

“I’ll have to correct you on that one, Richie,” Shadow was quick to interject. “You forget that my sister has been dominating this game for as long as I’ve remembered.”

Richie cleared his throat. “Well yes, we all do recognize that Calisto is the exception. However she’s not like a typical woman.”

This guy was getting on my nerves. I couldn’t let that comment slide. “And what do you consider a typical woman?”

Richie frowned. “There’s an entire congregation over there,” he said, pointing to the other women, frolicking in a sea of liquor. “Perhaps you’d like to join them and learn what it means to be a woman?”

Before I could say anything, Shadow stepped in. “You must be blind not to see that this woman has her arm wrapped around me.” His voice was deep and commanding, a voice of a natural leader.

Richie was quick to rise to his feet, and bow his head apologetically. “Forgive me. I’ve been drinking rather heavily and my tongue’s been possessed by the devil himself. I meant no offense.”

I felt like chewing Richie out some more, perhaps take a jab at his ridiculous moustache, but I decided to take the moral high ground on this one.

“No offense taken,” I replied.

Shadow nodded with approval. “Go back to your game, Richie. I’d like to show Aria how to play Kingdoms.”

Richie did as he was told.

Shadow led me to the corner of the table where we’d have a good view of the game. He stood behind me and rested a firm hand on my shoulder.

I closed my eyes for a moment and basked in the strength of his warm touch. It felt nice.

“Are you ready to learn?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “Teach me master Jedi.”

Shadow laughed. “You’re a bit of a geek, you know that?”

“Aren’t we all?”

“Touche,” he replied. He licked his lips and began his explanation. “The object of Kingdoms is to seize control of the enemy’s territory by moving one of your pieces into their fortress.”

He leaned in closer and I felt his breath against the back of my neck. I felt another shiver spark through the base of my spine and I smiled ever-so-slightly. I didn’t want to show Shadow that I was interested in him.

“Like chess, every piece on the board moves in a set pattern and can overtake other pieces as such. However, there’s a one fundamental difference when it comes to attacking and defending your pieces.”

“Oh?”

Shadow pointed towards the smooth stone tiles on the board. Some tiles were flipped over. I took note of the intricate patterns carved into them.

“Those tiles represent the three gods of Kingdoms: Serenity, War, and Death. Think of it like rock, paper, and scissors. In this case Serenity triumphs over Death but falls to War, and Death conquers War,” he said as he showed me which god corresponded to which tile. “Whereas in chess, you may attack another chess piece at will, in Kingdoms more strategy is involved. For every piece that you move, you must assign one of the three gods to it by placing a tile facedown next to the piece on the board. Only when an attack is made do you and the other player reveal the tile, which determines who is victorious in the confrontation.”

“Oh I get it,” I said as I observed the game intently. Richie had decided to attack a canon with a dragon. I watched as both players flipped over their tiles, Richie’s tile displaying Death and the other player’s tile displaying Serenity. Serenity conquered death, thus Richie lost the confrontation.

“Damn it,” Richie cursed as he watched the other player sweep away his dragon piece from the board. “Every damn time.”

Shadow grinned. “There’s also a lot of strategy and bluffing involved, not mentioning patience in deciding when to hold and when to attack. It’s only after an attack is made that the god tiles are revealed. Sometimes it pays to wait for the other players on the board to attack each other first. As you can see here, Richie isn’t very skilled at this game or adept and reading his opponents.”

Richie frowned.

“As much as I’m always honored to be in your presence, I believe your game is about to start,” he said as he pointed to the table at the center of the room.

It was once empty, but now sitting around it where Abraham, James, Brevin, and Donald. Shadow walked over to the table. I followed closely behind.

Donald rose from his seat and greeted me with a polite bow. “Ah, Aria. As lovely as ever,” he said with a smile. “I believe this is the first time you’ve visited my home.”

“It is,” I said. “I love the paintings you have in the hallway. They’re amazing. You have great taste.”

Donald grinned as he returned to his seat and patted his belly. “I do have a taste for the Louisiana culture,” he replied. “Have you ever been to New Orleans or around those parts?”

I shook my head. “I’d love to visit one day, though.”

“A music enthusiast such as you will absolutely love it,” Donald replied. He turned to Shadow. “You need to take her there, and soon.”

“I will, eventually,” Shadow replied. “But first, let’s get down to business. What’s the wager on tonight’s game?”

Brevin leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “How about five million, flat,” he replied.

I choked on a wad of shock. They were going to bet five million, each, on one single game?

James laughed. “Always the aggressive bet, aren’t you,” he said as his thumb gently brushed the stone tiles. “When was the last time you won a game?”

“Lord only knows,” Brevin said. “Calisto keeps pillaging us every time.”

“She’s not coming tonight,” Shadow replied. “She’s busy ensuring that operations for the Inferno hotel are running smoothly.”

“Good, perhaps we have a chance to win tonight,” Abraham said, as he gave me wink. “You look lovely, Aria. Will you be my lucky charm tonight?”

“No she won’t,” Shadow said. “She’ll be mine.”

My heart sank. I guess I wasn’t going to play the game. Instead I was to be paraded around as Shadow’s trophy woman. Oh well, I didn’t have five million to spend anyway.

James, who was busy on his phone, finally looked up at us. “I just received a message from Lincoln. Apparently he won’t be able to attend either. Some last minute business to take care of.”

Brevin scoffed. “His last minute business most likely involves his cock waging war in another woman’s under garments.”

“So what do we do, gentleman? It looks like we’re one player short,” Donald pointed out.

“Aria will play with us,” Shadow responded, without batting an eyelash.

“You’re joking, right?” Brevin asked. “This is a game that’s played amongst men.”

“And my sister,” Shadow replied.

“An exception to the rule. Besides, you know the stakes of these games. Today we’re making a five million wager along with the business contracts from several of our crown corporations. We’re looking at close to sixty million on the table here to the winner. Aria does not have the cash to buy in.”

Shadow pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. I was hesitant.

Sixty million dollars in cash was riding on a single game? Brevin wasn’t kidding when he said the stakes were high. I wouldn’t feel comfortable losing that kind of money for anyone.

“Maybe I’ll just watch,” I said. “After all, I’m a noob to this game.”

“Nonsense,” Shadow said. “Sit and play. I’ll spot you the buy in and also toss in one of my real estate developments into the pot.”

James laughed. “I never want to question your judgment, Shadow, but it’s a terrible business decision. Especially seeing as how there can be only one winner, which means either one of you or Aria will have to lose.”

Shadow shrugged. “Well, I assume if Aria wins, she won’t pocket my share of the buy-in now, will you?”

I raised my hands in defense. “No, seriously guys, it’s probably best I don’t play.”

“Don’t worry,” Shadow reassured me. “You said so yourself, you’re a killer when it comes to games of strategy.”

“I don’t even know how the pieces on the table move,” I protested.

“Abraham, can you give her the run down while I allocate the extra funds for her to play?” Shadow asked.

“Of course,” Abraham replied as he motioned for me sit down.

I knew there was no changing Shadow’s mind on the matter.

Nervously, I took a seat.

For the next ten minutes, I listened intently as Abraham ran through an explanation of how the pieces moved about the board. He was a very good teacher, showing patience as I asked what I thought were stupid questions.

Meanwhile, Brevin seemed to enjoy watching me squirm at the realization that I was going to cost Shadow upwards of five million dollars.

Finally, Shadow returned and took the last empty seat at the end of the table.

“Are you good to go, Aria?” he asked.

“No.”

“Yeah, you’re good to go,” he replied, as if he had heard something else come out of my mouth altogether.

“Good luck,” James said, smiling in my direction. Hidden beneath his well wishes, I heard the amusement in his voice.

“Alright, who goes first?” I asked.

“Ladies of course,” Brevin replied. “Make your first move.”

Oh lord, what to do, what to do? I had no idea what the strategy was to this game aside from bluff, don’t attack and then attack and then…shit. I was screwed.

I grabbed a canon and gently moved it four spaces up the board and chose a Death tile to place with it face down.

Immediately, Donald broke into laughter. “A highly unorthodox move,” he said. “But don’t worry. You’re still learning.”

I leaned into Abraham, who was sitting to my right. “Why was that unorthodox?” I asked.

“Over the years, one of the wildly adopted strategies is to leave the canons behind as a means of protecting your fortress,” he explained. “By moving them outside your Kingdom area, you’ve lost one of your best lines of defense. Don’t fret, however. It’s not a grave mistake.”

I nervously fidgeted with one of the tiles while the others made their moves in clockwise fashion.

And then, all-too-soon, it was my turn again.

Shit, what to do next? I observed what moves the others had made, and decided to do something similar. I grabbed a Knight on the Horse and moved him one single semi-circle forward.

“Hmmm,” Donald nodded as he rubbed his chin. Since there was no laughter or comments from anyone, I figured the move I made was an acceptable one.

I continued to play it safe, watching what the others were doing and then taking careful steps in placing my men on the tiles. For the first five rounds of the game, everyone seemed to maneuver their pieces into striking distance, though no one pressed the attack.

That soon changed when it reached James’ turn. He maneuvered a Raven piece onto one of my knights, and then flipped over his tile.

“Let’s see what you have, Aria,” he said, revealing a Death tile.

I smiled as I flipped over my own tile: Serenity.

I had won that little skirmish! Immediately I rose from my seat and did an epic fist pump.

“Yes! Eat sweet, sweet Serenity,” I gloated.

I looked around and noticed that everyone was giving me a backwards glance.

Self-control Aria; remember your self-control you ninny girl.

I politely sat down in my seat and exhaled. “Sorry. I just got a little excited.”

Donald guffawed. “Ha. This girl never ceases to be entertaining. You picked a feisty one, didn’t you Shadow?”

Shadow looked at me and grinned. There was a sparkle in his eye that set a wave of warmth through my body.

I liked the way he looked at me.

“And the virgin draws first blood,” Abraham teased as he took a sip of his drink.

James nodded. “It looks like she did. It’s interesting how Serenity was chosen.”

I raised a brow. “Why’s that surprising? It’s essentially rock, paper, scissors—a game of pure chance.”

James pressed his hands together and leaned forward in his seat. “Any time a person has the ability to make a conscience decision it’s not just pure chance. Believe it or not, there are strategies involved within something as simple as rock, paper, scissors.”

I was skeptical. “You’re kidding.”

“James is correct on this one,” Abraham said.

“I’m going to move while you fools talk gibberish,” Brevin muttered as he picked up a ballista and moved it diagonally on the board.

Abraham ignored him and continued to entertain me. “The game of paper, rock, scissors consists of two key components, the first being an instantaneous decision being made while the second are typical hand gestures that one may encounter on a regular basis.”

He extended an open hand out to me. “What does this paper look like to you?” Abraham asked.

“A handshake,” I replied.

He then closed a fist. “And rock?”

“Punching someone.”

Finally he extended two fingers out. “Scissors is an interesting one.”

I had no clue what universal gesture scissors was meant for. “You got me on that one.”

“Have you ever noticed it’s easier to extended all five fingers out in the form of a handshake, rather than only two fingers?”

I tried it. He was right.

“This is what makes scissors so interesting. When you have only microseconds to make a decision, your mind and body gravitates to the path of least resistance, which in this case is either paper or rock. Paper and Rock are subconscious instant reactions to one’s personality, either passive or aggressive. Meanwhile scissors requires a split-second cognitive decision made, thus the person who has chosen scissors falls into the category as a planner.”

“So essentially, anyone who chooses scissors is smarter?”

Abraham shook his head. “Not necessarily so. This is where strategy comes into play with Paper, Rock, and Scissors. With the understanding of a person’s nature—either passive, aggressive, or a thinker, you can understand what the first decision they’ll gravitate to is. But then you have to decipher whether or not your opponent knows this and will choose something else to counter your own thought process.”

What?

“You’re hurting my head, Abraham,” I said.

“Believe it or not, the same strategic principles behind paper, rock, scissors has been used in many of the wars we have in the board room,” Donald said as he moved a Dragon in my direction.”

“It’s still hard for me to comprehend that there’s a science behind paper, rock, and scissors,” I said.

Shadow moved his own Dragon in to attack Donald’s piece. They both flipped over their tiles, Shadow displaying Death and Donald’s showing War.

“Damn it,” Donald cursed as he rubbed his bearded chin.

“Care for a demonstration then?” Abraham asked as he turned to Brevin. “Over the years of doing business with my dear friend, Mr. West, I’ve gained full comprehension and understanding of his psyche and decision making process.”

Brevin almost seemed offended by what Abraham was implying. “Get out of here, old man. You figured out nothing when it comes to me.”

“Paper, rock, scissors then. Best out of five,” Abraham said as he raised a fist in Brevin’s direction.

“Can we just concentrate on the game?”

Abraham sighed. “Let’s wager on this little game then. I’ll throw in my restaurant, the China White.”

I was stunned. These men were tossing around money and properties as if they were nickels and dimes.

Brevin thought about it for a moment. “And what do you want from me if you win?”

“I’ve always fancied your new car.”

Brevin scoffed. “You want me to put up my Rolls Royce over a game of paper, rock, scissors?”

“Up against my restaurant, which has far more worth than your vehicle. You seem confident in my inabilities to understand your cognitive mind.”

“Fine,” Brevin said as he raised his own closed fist to meet Abraham’s. “Best out of five.”

The game was over in a matter of seconds, as Abraham beat him consecutively three times.

“Motherfucker,” Brevin muttered.

“Keys please,” Abraham smiled as he extended his palm.

Showing his display of poor sportsmanship, Brevin tossed the keys on the table in Abraham’s direction. “Motherfucker,” he repeated.

Abraham smiled as he pocketed his prize, and then turned to me. “So, back to James’ assessment of you, placing Serenity on the board first, he was trying to understand your logic and personality. My dear, from this point on, you need to be aware of your choices and how we interpret them when you place your tiles next to your pieces.”

“I see.” This game was more complex than I thought.

We continued playing for what seemed like hours, all six of us maneuvering cautiously. It wasn’t until Brevin began aggressively attacking Abraham—bitter about losing his car no doubt—that a cataclysmic chain of events unfolded on the board.

With both Brevin and Abraham’s tiles exposed on the board, revealing the protection associated with their pieces, the others swooped in like vultures for the kill. James made quick work of Brevin, knocking him out of the game first.

Donald tried to run through Abraham, but with some cunning maneuvers and baiting, Abraham was able to counter and wipe Donald off the board completely.

Meanwhile, James focused on me, knocking out two dragons and a ballista by guessing my tiles correctly with all three.

It seemed as if James had read me perfectly.

Shadow, however, interjected himself into our private battle and began sweeping James’ pieces off the board.

“You left yourself open by defending Aria,” Abraham pointed out.

Shadow frowned. “I know.”

“Emotion over logic,” James pointed out.

“I know,” Shadow repeated himself.

I watched as both Abraham and James annihilated Shadow, attacking him in succession. I tried to help Shadow—like how he helped me—but my efforts were futile.

Every time I tried to counterattack in hopes of drawing them away from Shadow’s pieces, James was quick to cut me off, forcing me to withdraw my men.

“Sorry, Shadow,” Abraham said as he took Shadow’s last piece away from the board.

Shadow shrugged before turning his attention to me.

“Well, it looks like you’re the only hope I have left,” he said, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip from his scotch. “You’re not in bad position though.”

“I’ll be joining you soon,” Abraham said as he stared at his own position on the board. “I have too many holes in my defense.”

“Indeed you have,” James acknowledged. Five rounds later Abraham was knocked out, leaving only James and I on the board.

By this time, a crowd had gathered around the table, intently watching the game.

“The Golden Virgin is still playing?” asshole Richie exclaimed.

Rather than bite my tongue, I decided to reply. “Yes, I still am.”

Even the women, who had been busy mixed in drink and gossip, had congregated around the table to watch the spectacle.

“Who’s winning?” one of them slurred, in between sips of a martini.

“I’d say it’s about even keel,” Abraham announced as he scanned the board.

James looked at me with thoughtful eyes. “Well, Aria? It’s your move.”

Donald rose from his seat and stretched. “Good luck, Aria. You’ve done much better than I expected.”

I faked a smile while my attention focused solely on the game board. I did my best to recollect all the moves that James’ had made along with what tiles he had remaining in his pile.

We both still had several pieces that haven’t been moved yet, along with tiles yet to be revealed.

From the way James was scanning the board, there was no doubt he was formulating what unused tiles I had remaining.

I needed to throw him a few curve balls.

“Let me try this blind,” I said as I moved a knight forward, and then tossed down a tile face down next to it without bothering to look at it.

James looked at me, puzzled. “What are you doing?” he asked.

I gestured towards my concealed tile on the game board. “I thought I’d spice things up. Whenever you attack, it’ll be a surprise to us both.”

My opponent leaned back and folded his arms across his chest while his eyes scanned me. “Interesting tactic,” James said. “It’s a little reckless though, is it not?”

“Come on, aren’t you curious to see what tile I played? I certainly am.”

James sighed, and moved a ballista into play, attacking my piece. He flipped over his tile, revealing a Serenity tile.

I flipped my over. Serenity as well. It was a draw, thus no pieces were taken and James’s piece returns back to its original spot.

“Well, I suppose not losing a piece is considered a win,” I replied as I moved another one of my pieces into attacking position and then placing a tile next to it blindly.

“We’re trying this trick again?” James asked.

I shrugged. “Why not? I’m removing one element of the game that you had dominance over. I’m changing the element of choice into chance.”

I heard whispering amongst the crowd of people, along with someone asking, “Can she do that.”

“I personally think the tactic is brilliant,” Abraham said. “Take away one of your opponent’s strengths. What the game has now come down to is a simple chess game with a little bit of probability and luck mixed in.”

“I’m good at chess,” I stated, “And hopefully I have that beginner’s luck on my side tonight.”

We continued moving our pieces into play. Now that it was a straight one versus one with essentially the rules of chess, I started formulating strategies on how to attack and defend.

I could tell James was getting frustrated with some of my moves, which I took as a good sign.

Methodically, we began attacking each other, both of us losing pieces at an even rate. Eventually we were both down to our last two pieces. I had a dragon and my empress and he his raven and emperor.

It was my move and without hesitation I threw my dragon right at his raven.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” James asked. “Essentially if you lose your dragon, the game is done. There’s no way to win with two pieces against one.”

“Likewise,” I stated. “If you lose your raven, you’re finished also.”

“Unlike you, I’ve been counting tiles. You’re down to only two, Serenity and a War tile. I suppose now it’s a matter of chance for me to decide which one your Dragon is using. I have the tiles remaining to defeat both.”

“A fifty-fifty chance then,” I stated. “Let’s see it.”

James shrugged, and flipped over his tile, choosing to go with Death.

I drew a deep breath and flipped over my own. Serenity.

Luck was on my side.

The crowd was gasping and now murmuring. I finished off James in a matter of two moves, thus winning the game.

The second I assured victory I leapt out of my seat and, without thinking, dove into Shadow and hugged him.

“I fucking did it,” I announced.

He wrapped his strong arms around my body, pressing me close to him. He looked at me with affectionate eyes. “Yes, you fucking did it,” he agreed.

There was something about being held by this man that felt right, something that unraveled the turmoil in my heart and calmed me. I wanted to stay within his embrace just a little while longer, but eventually felt him release his hold on me.

I was mildly disappointed.

I exhaled, regaining my composure, and turned to face James who rose from his seat. He extended a hand out towards me.

“Well played, Aria. Though I lost, I have to admit, that was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve ever played. Perhaps I’ll need to try that tactic out on Calisto, who seems to have my number.”

“Maybe it’s just women James,” Shadow said. “You just can’t seem to defeat them in this game.”

James laughed. “Perhaps. I do have a soft spot in my heart for them.”

Abraham walked over to me next and gave me a warm pat on the back. “That was splendid. You’ve showed this old man something new today. What a pleasure it was.”

I beamed. “I seriously wouldn’t have won without your coaching,” I said. “You’re a great teacher. Better than any of the profs at the University. They’re too impatient and judgmental.”

“The greatest investment one can make is time,” Abraham said, “Which is why patience is such a virtue.”

The last person to congratulation me on my victory, much to my surprise, was Brevin. He extended his hand which I took.

He had an iron grip for a handshake.

“I was wrong about you,” Brevin said. “Anyone who can put James in his place is welcome at this table anytime.”

“That really means a lot to me, Brevin.”

With a polite nod, he walked away to fix himself a drink at the bar.

I stretched, feeling the tension in my shoulders. I glanced at the wall clock and realized that we had been playing the game for over seven hours.

It was practically breakfast time.

“Hungry?” Shadow asked, as if he read my mind.

“Like a hippo,” I smiled.

 

#

We ended up at a greasy spoon diner close to my condo. Seeing as how I deserved a reward for my little victory, I ordered myself an unhealthy breakfast—waffles with ice cream and nutella sauce.

Shadow decided to go with the more traditional bacon and eggs along with a side of fresh fruit.

“That was really fun,” I said. “I’m really glad you brought me tonight.”

Shadow swallowed the morsels of food in his mouth before replying. “I’m really glad you won. That would have been quite the hit on my business if you lost. My board of directors would have given me shit for a week.”

There was tiredness in his voice as he said it, and not the ‘I need sleep,’ kind of tired.

“Do you like what you do?” I asked. “All the wheeling and dealing in the boardroom?”

Shadow shook his head. “Not at all. My sister was always better at it than I was. My time and energy is better focused on other things.”

“Oh?” I asked. “So tell me, Shadow, what does the king of the world like to do in his spare time?”

He took a sip of his coffee and stared out the window, his eyes seemingly focused on a man huddled in the street corner, an empty coffee cup in hand, begging for change at any who passed him by.

After a moment lost in thought, Shadow turned his undivided attention back to me. “Do you enjoy what you do?” he asked, obviously dodging my question.

I decided to let that one slide.

“I love it,” I said. “When I’m sitting in front of that piano performing, it’s like a drug. It’s an intoxicating high when you’ve put on a great performance and the audience loves you for it. It’s like I earned their praise and adoration, you know?”

Shadow frowned. “Sadly, I don’t know. I was born into my success. Being the so called ‘King’ of the Midnight Society means I’m surrounded by yes men and people who’d kiss my ass any chance they got.”

“I don’t know about that,” I stated. “It doesn’t look like the members of your council go easy on you.”

He laughed. “The council is the exception. They’re quite vocal in challenging my decisions as well as providing transparency in their thoughts. I’d have it no other way.”

“One of them seems like a dick,” I stated.

“Lucien,” Shadow agreed. “While others provide value and insight in their arguments, Lucien just whines and snarls like the mad bitch he is. Like me, he was born into it—though in his mind he relishes in having the power. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing he wants more than to sit in my seat.”

“From the sounds of it, you don’t like your job.”

“No I don’t,” Shadow acknowledged. “But what can I do?”

“Do something you love. You must have hobbies.”

Shadow shrugged. “Time is a luxury for me. Any free time I have, I’m focused on something that’s important to me.”

“Well there you go,” I said. “It sounds like you’re already doing something you love.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Shadow stated. “What’s important to me and what I love to do aren’t the same thing.”

“You’re speaking in riddles,” I pointed out.

He smiled, sadly. “Riddles that are probably best left unsolved.”

There seemed to be finality in his statement, one which told me not to pry any further.

The topics of our discussion quickly changed to other things.

We talked about small, light hearted things; things that you normally talked about during first and second dates such as favorite books, movies, and foods—myself choosing To Kill a Mockingbird, Once, and sushi and Shadow selecting the Art of War (I wasn’t surprised), Wait Until Dark (an Audrey Hepburn movie his sister made him watch with her), and chicken nuggets (once again I wasn’t surprised).

And then our conversations took a nonsensical turn as I fired off absurd questions to see how he’d answer.

“What’s something you should never say during sex?” I asked.

He thought about it for a moment. “Spitters are quitters,” he replied.

My mouth opened in both surprise and laughter. “Oh gosh,” I said as I playfully slapped him in the arm. “That’s perverse.”

“What? You asked and I answered.”

He got me there.

“Fine, here’s another one,” I said. “Fuck, Marry, or Kill: Snow White, Mulan, or Cinderella.”

Shadow shot me a funny look. “You want me to choose which character from a Disney animated feature I’d want to fuck?”

“Pretend they’re real in life.”

“This is weird.”

“Answer the damn question. It will tell me a lot about you.”

“How so?” he asked.

“Answer the question first, and I’ll explain after.”

He sighed. “I’d fuck Cinderella, marry Mulan, and kill Snow White.”

“I see,” I said, my hands folded together, my chin resting on them—the typical pose of a head doctor. “I see.”

“So?”

“So what?”

“What does that tell you about me?”

I smiled. “Well, Shadow. From what I gather, you have a fetish for the common people who persevere over adversity—those rags to riches type of people. However, you want a long fulfilling relationship with a strong woman, someone who can stand up to you as an equal. And finally, you don’t like the docile, damsel in distress type of girl. Am I right?”

“Perhaps, or maybe I listed off the names in alphabetical order. That’s a possibility too.”

I laughed.

Suddenly his phone, which was resting on the table of the diner, vibrated. He picked it up, looked at the screen, and frowned. “Shit,” he muttered. “Calisto needs me in the boardroom to go over a few numbers with this new casino and hotel we’re developing.”

I did my best to hide my look of disappointment. I was genuinely having a wonderful time getting to know this man.

And seriously, he was very easy on the eyes.

“Come on,” he said, “I’ll drop you home.”

I stared out the window, smiling at the beautiful rays of light cast against the waking city. I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day outside.

I shook my head. “You know what? I’m going to stay out for a little while longer. You go on ahead. I’m going to walk home and enjoy this glorious morning.”

He smiled. “I really wish I could stay a little longer, but my sister’s the impatient type,” Shadow said.

“I wish you could stay too,” I beamed.

And then we had one of those moments—the ones where we both sat in nervous silence, wondering what to say or do next.

Fuck, I wanted to kiss him and feel what his lips were like against mine. From the way he was looking at me, I could tell that’s what he wanted too.

“Aria…” he finally said.

“Yes?”

His phone rang.

Son of a bitch.

He looked at it and sighed. “Calisto,” he muttered as he answered it.

“Yes, I’m coming…you can tell them to wait…yes I do care about the project…you’re being neurotic…the date went fine…yes what you heard was true. She won…fine, I’m leaving right now…okay already.”

He seemed fluster as he pocketed his phone.

“I’ll see you on our next date?” he asked. “I guess it’s the last one.”

I didn’t want any of this to end.

But instead of sounding like the desperate, love starved girl I was, I nodded with a fake smile. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he said as he rose from his seat and dropped cash on the table. “I’ll have Abraham contact you soon.”

And then he was gone from the diner.

I watched affectionately as Shadow crossed the street, and dumped the contents of his wallet into the homeless man’s coffee cup, certainly brightening up his day.

I finished the last of my coffee, and then rose from my seat and stepped out into the morning.

For most of the walk home my mind was fixated on Shadow and that nervous flutter I was getting in my stomach. I was falling for Shadow.

I could only guess what he was thinking. A man like him, he probably had women lining up outside his bedroom door, ready to jump his bones like sex-crazed nymphomaniacs. These women were all beautiful and rich while I, on the other hand, was just some dopey broke college girl.

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling gnawed at me. For some reason, I couldn’t shake this feeling that I was being watched—that someone was following me. A shiver coursed through my body as I turned around and glanced at my surroundings.

The streets were coming alive as stores began to open and people were out and about—nothing noticeably menacing.

I was getting jittery from the lack of sleep. A good, long nap was much needed.

I quickened my paced as I continued my walk home.

As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of dread which followed me like the spectre of death—its bony hands clutching onto a sharp, bloody sickle.

#

The new masters edition of “Semblance” will be available Tuesday, so make sure to update your copy on the kindle! If you haven’t read Semblance yet, well…damn.

It’s not to late too check out this Amazon Bestseller in Romance Mystery, Gothic Romance, Mystery Series, *deep breath*, “Romance Suspense, Romance Thrillers, and a few other categories I’m probably missing. It also happens to have over 150 five star reviews! *fist pump*.

Buy Now! Semblance: Book One of the Midnight Society – Masters Edition

Stay tuned on this blog where I’ll be debuting the Abraham Constantine short story, which will be gracing the back pages of Penumbra: Book Two of the Midnight Society – Masters Edition.

This is all gearing up for the big launch of Revenant: Book Three of the Midnight Society. The pre-order will be available sooner than you think ;).

Join Logan’s Exclusive Guest List to be the first to hear about All New Releases

The post Semblance Bonus Chapter: The Lost Date appeared first on Logan Patricks.

News That Will Make You Hip Thrust

So guess what?

I’m currently working hard on putting together the final draft of Revenant, which will be available for purchase on Amazon. Pretty exciting news, eh?

The second it’s available for pre-order, I’ll announce it on this blog, facebook, and for all those on my email list. It will be within this month that it’ll be available for pre-order.

However, that’s not the only news.

I’ve also decided to re-release both Semblance and Penumbra with some  added on content. These “masters editions” (which I’m calling them) will have bonus stories at the end of each book.

For Semblance, there will be a ‘deleted bonus scene’ which is one extra date between Shadow and Aria during their courtship, which clocks in roughly around 25 pages of bonus content.

For Penumbra, there will be a bonus “Abraham prequel” tale which shows a completely different side of the character in his more youthful days.

For all those that had purchased the books through Amazon, have no fear. You should be able to update the books for the latest versions absolutely FREE. If you didn’t purchase the book via Amazon, I’ll add both bonus content on this very blog, just so you won’t be forced to buy it all over again to get this extra material.

Both Semblance and Penumbra will also be getting some nifty new covers, just to keep the books fresh. In fact, here’s what the Semblance one’s going to look like.

What do you think?

Alrighty, the twins need feeding and my wife’s breasts are going bazongas, spraying everywhere. I’m on mop up and top up duty.

HIPTHRUST!

Logan Patricks

The post News That Will Make You Hip Thrust appeared first on Logan Patricks.

What’s Happening in Logan’s World

Let me tell you, you don’t know the meaning of the word “tired” unless you have 3 kids under 2 years of age, especially when two of them are feeding like maniacs on formula and my wife’s boob.

With that said, we welcomed twin baby boys into our family just a couple of weeks ago! The twins (or as I affectionately like to call them, the Legion of Boom) are doing great and eat like champs, which means my wife and I don’t get much sleep.

So what does that mean on the Midnight Society front?

Fear not, I have finished Book 3 of the Midnight Society, entitled Revenant.

I posted a sneak preview of it as well a few weeks back.

[Related: Your exclusive sneak preview of Revenant: Book 3 of the Midnight Society]

So when will it be ready for publication? I don’t know yet. First it needs to go through my tough beta readers, and then I’ll have to put it into ebook format and get a nifty cover going.

But, the book is done and it will be published sooner than later. Fear not! The second it’s available for predorder, I’ll announce right here and to everyone on my exclusive email guestlist.

[Join Logan’s Exclusive Email Guestlist]

I’m also tinkering with the idea of remastering Semblance and Penumbra with some new content along with new covers and updating it on Amazon. If you’ve purchased the book already, don’t worry. You’ll be able to update it on your kindle without having to buy a new copy.

If you’re one of the ones that pirated my book…well…hmm. Maybe you should consider purchasing it?

Anyways I hear the twins gnawing, which means they need more boob and formula.

Cheers,

Logan Patricks

The post What’s Happening in Logan’s World appeared first on Logan Patricks.

Exclusive Sneak Preview of Revenant: Book 3 of the Midnight Society

Chapter One: Aria

There was no remorse in Isadora’s words.

“Are you ready to die?”

Sunlight pierced through the tall oak trees of the forest, light reflecting off the silver knife in her hands. She pointed it straight at my heart.

“No,” I stated. I clung onto my own blade tightly, sweat beading down my forehead. I was out of breath and tired. The chase had drained me.

There was a moment where I thought I had lost her within the dense cluster of trees, but the damned witch still found me. I suspected she was half bloodhound.

Isadora emerged from the foliage while I was still catching my breath—an apparition of both beauty and terror.

My heart beat like war drums as she stalked me with the grace and ferocity of a panther.

I rose from my resting spot. Flight didn’t seem to be working out for me which left me with only one other option.

Fight.

“Prove to me that you still want to live then,” Isadora said, her lips forming a thin smile. Before I could say anything, she was already on me, the knife slashing through the air, aimed straight at my head.

I spun out of the way, my movement fluid like water.

Over the past couple of weeks I had put my body through the ringer, pushing its limits with each grueling workout session in Shadow’s gym. I supposed dodging knife attacks was a good of way as any in gauging how far I’ve come in my training.

Isadora came at me again, her knife slashing at me ferociously. She was determined to draw blood.

I wouldn’t let her. I telegraphed her movements, dodging all her strikes, while waiting for an opening where I could counter with my own blade.

That moment never came. I was too focused on dodging her attacks that I failed to notice that she had backed me against a large oak tree.

I was trapped.

“Dead,” Isadora whispered.

“Screw that,” I cried as I lunged at her with my knife. It was an act of desperation, but I had no other choice.

Isadora was fast. In one swift motion, she caught my arm in between her armpit, taking me slightly off balance, and then swept my legs out from under me. Her knife immediately went to my throat.

I felt the coldness of its edge pressed hard against my skin. I shuddered as the knife slid across the length of my neck.

“Now you are dead,” Isadora said.

I sighed as I loosened the grip on my own knife and stared up into the sky.

“Yes, now I am dead,” I agreed.

Isadora lifted herself off of me and took a seat on the forest floor, dropping the dull-edged knife onto the ground.

“Your movements are faster. It’s become hard to hit you just by normal attacks alone,” she encouraged.

I sat up. “You still got me.”

“Be aware of your surroundings. The environment you’re in can be a greater weapon than the one you hold in your hands.”

I nodded. “So if you had to grade me between ‘helpless damsel in distress’ to ‘deadly ninja assassin’, where would I rank?”

Isadora thought about it for a moment. “One step above petty street thug.”

“Geez, that bad? I thought I would have made it to ‘unrefined pit fighter’ at least.”

“Perhaps if you had landed a blow on me.”

I pursed my lips. “Tomorrow,” I said. “For sure I’ll get you tomorrow.”

Isadora smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.”

We both sat in silence underneath the canopy of old oak branches and emerald leaves.

It was peaceful here in comparison to the chaos out there.

I wiped sweat off my brow and looked at Isadora—a gorgeous island goddess—thoughtfully. “You find me every freaking time. Even with a ten minute head start, you track me down. Seriously, I’m curious how you do it.”

Isadora shrugged. “I have help. Delilah follows you and I listen to her whispers.”

I shuddered.

Delilah was Isadora’s wife, murdered on their wedding day. Though I still had my skepticism when it came to ghosts, Isadora didn’t. Ever since Delilah’s death, I’d catch Isadora having conversations with empty spaces and dark shadows, supposedly chatting with her deceased lover.

One time, she caught me off guard while I was in the kitchen of Shadow’s home, making myself a sandwich.

I was in the middle of spreading a healthy glob of mayo over a slice of smoked chicken breast.

“It’s not enough,” Isadora had said, while sitting at the dining room table, sipping her coffee. “It’ll never be enough.”

I looked at my sandwich.

“Huh? More mayo then?”

Isadora looked at me, puzzled, before replying, “Mayo is bad for you, girl. It’s a mixture of lard and egg yolk.”

“You just told me it wasn’t enough.”

She proceeded to look at me as if I were the one that was crazy. “I was talking to Delilah.”

Obviously.

But if there were such thing as ghosts, spirits, and all other spooky things that went bump in the night, then without a doubt, Isadora was the one who could speak to them.

After what I experienced with her—the subconscious journey of self-discovery—it made me realize there were things hidden beneath the fabric of this world, things that simply couldn’t be explained through logic and reasoning.

Still, the idea of having a ghost following me around in the woods rattled my bones.

“Is Delilah still here?” I asked.

“No.”

That was a relief.

“She never liked crowded places,” Isadora added.

“Crowded places? It’s just the two of us here.”

She shook her head. “The spirits in this forest are noisy and miserable. There are plenty of them.”

I shuddered. Forget goose bumps, my skin was growing dinosaur balls.

“People come to this forest to die,” Isadora stated.

“Really?”

She nodded. “It all started with one girl who had decided to take her own life, just by the brook, over there,” Isadora pointed. “She slit her wrists and allowed her blood to flow into the stream.”

“That’s gross.”

“Two weeks later, a boy decided to follow in her footsteps. He too entered into this forest and took his own life, overdosing on heroin.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked. “I never heard these stories in the newspapers.”

“The media doesn’t report suicides in the papers. They fear it will inspire others to do the same. But stories, especially ones meant to be kept secret spread like wildfire. These woods became folklore. Many come here seeking thrills, hoping to catch a glimpse of spirits. Tragically, there are also a handful of misguided individuals who come here to take their own lives, feeling that their existence no longer has any purpose. They want to add to the myth surrounding this place—Moral City’s suicide forest.”

“I don’t understand, why waste your life like that?” I said. Even after Justin—my best and only friend—was murdered and Shadow had turned into an eclipse-sized asshole, never once did I have the urge to take the plunge into the afterlife.

I decided to become whiny instead and do questionable things such as getting fingered by the love of my life’s best friend.

I sighed. There wasn’t a minute that went by where I didn’t regret what transpired between Lincoln and me. I threw away a piece of my soul and Shadow’s trust—should he ever find out—in a moment of weakness.

It certainly wasn’t the right way to go about things, but it was still better than cutting myself.

“Can I be honest with you, Aria?” Isadora asked.

I nodded. “There’s nothing I appreciate more than honesty.”

Isadora smiled, and for a moment, I thought I saw a glimpse of vulnerability in her eyes. “I attempted to take my own life before.”

Her words struck me like a right hook. “What? Was this recently?”

Isadora shook her head. “No. I do admit there are nights where the loneliness is unbearable. It’s hard sleeping alone after you’ve grown accustomed to waking up, listening to the gentle breaths of your loved one.”

“So when did this happen? And how?”

Isadora leaned back against a rock and looked up at the cloudless, blue sky. She was lost in thought. When she finally spoke, her voice was melancholy. “I lived a life of freedom, up until I was fourteen. It was a happy life, one filled with the best memories. I often reminisce of sitting on the beach, watching my older brother leap into the ocean with his net, ready to catch another week’s worth of fish. Everything was so perfect back then. Everything was innocent. I was still innocent.

“And then they came in the middle of the night, those greedy bastards, with their brass knives and gold teeth. They were the slavers of my island; the Pirates of God, as they called themselves. My brother fought for me—fought for my freedom. He ended up with a bullet between his eyes. I’ll never forget the image of him lying face down in the sand, blood pooling around his head. I had cried and I fought, but in the end, I wound up in a cage, ready to be sold to the highest bidder aboard a white yacht. The man who bought me was Mr. Friday.”

I was taken aback. “From everything I’ve heard you and Mr. Friday were close. He was your mentor, like a father to you almost.”

Isadora spat. “Do fathers wake their daughters up in the middle of the night to rape them?”

My jaw dropped. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

She shook her head. “As twisted as it sounds, I almost have to thank Mr. Friday. Without him, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today. I was weak then. Now, I will stand toe-to-toe with any man and have their bloody heart beating in my hands when it’s all over.”

“But you almost didn’t make it to now,” I stated.

“Yes. I almost didn’t make it,” Isadora agreed. “I’m here now because of Delilah. Two years after Mr. Friday purchased me, he also purchased Delilah from the Pirates of God. In the beginning, she didn’t say a word to me. We both moved about Mr. Friday’s mansion like a pair of zombies, our heads deep within a thick fog, waiting for the next moment when that monster would take us again.”

“Every day, I felt more hatred for Mr. Friday, and every day, I was one step closer to the brink of madness. One night, I finally decided to resist. I had listened to the screaming in the back of my head that told me to fight that fucker, to fight for whatever bit of humanity I had left within me. And so I fought.

“I fought hard, but ultimately I was too weak. Mr. Friday ended up having his way with me—but this time he introduced a new element into his sexual repertoire: Violence. He loved the fight and my resistance. He broke me that night—shattered the last of my emotional stability.

“Isadora…”I whispered. “I…I…”

I had nothing to say. What could I say?

“That night, I decided I would leave this life forever. I tied rocks to the ends of my ankles and made my descent into the bayou, each laborious step taking me further into the dark waters of the afterlife. When my head was completely submerged underwater, I closed my eyes and released my breath, and waited for death to come.

“However, it never did. Instead, two nimble fingers undid the rocks tied to my feet, and two loving arms pulled me out of the water and dragged me back to shore. It was Delilah.

“I screamed at her and cussed her out with every profanity in my vocabulary. I wanted to die. Why didn’t she let me die? My words broke her down and she too started crying. ‘I’m sorry,’ she had said as she sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands.

“We were both weak and vulnerable, and at that moment, we needed each other more than the air we breathed. Our arms wrapped around each other’s bodies, longing for human comfort that we so desperately needed. We cried into each other’s shoulders, while sitting at the edge of the island, bathed in the full moonlight.

“It wasn’t long before we became lovers, secretly sneaking off from the house to indulge in our love for one another. Of course, Mr. Friday caught wind of this, and called us both to his chambers. At first, we both expected the worst—a savage beating or perhaps he would kill one of us to teach us a lesson.

“Instead he wanted to watch us make love.”

I tried picturing someone forcing Shadow and I to have sex in front of them, satisfying some sick voyeur fantasy. I shivered. “That must have been hard.”

Isadora shook her head. “For two years, Mr. Friday had violated my body—his touch akin to spider legs, crawling across my skin. There was nothing intimate about the sex we had. Delilah, on the other hand, knew how to please me—how to find all the delicate spots on my body that made me tremble with desire. If making love to her, while Mr. Friday watched, would keep him off my body for one night, then it was a gift from the Universe itself.

“So we satisfied Mr. Friday’s curiosity. We made love in front of him—and to be honest—when I was with Delilah, everyone and everything around us disappeared. There was only her, and I.

“We were like two candle flames, burning within a cold, dark world. The next night, Mr. Friday asked for us to perform in front of him again. It was at that moment that I knew the power we potentially had over him. He asked us, instead of ordering us. And then the night after, he once again approached us, practically begging to see us make love again. He was transfixed by the beauty of our intimacy. It was something he had never seen nor experienced before: love serving as the foundation for sex.

“This time when he asked us, we requested to have a fine dinner prepared for us first. It was a simple request, but for slaves, simple requests usually ended up with Mr. Friday beating us senseless. However, this time he complied.

“The next day, we asked for a bedroom—one that we could share together—instead of being forced to sleep on the cold ground in the basement cellar. He too granted us that request. With each passing day we asked for more and he granted us more.

“We had a golden opportunity on our hands. Together, Delilah and I devised a plan, one that would gain us both our freedom and the wealth of Mr. Friday. We began requesting education from Mr. Friday, insight into both his business as well as the witchcraft he was infamous for. With every passing day, we learned more from the man, and it wasn’t long before both Delilah and I were entrenched into his criminal organization—Delilah handling the business side of things while I delved in the criminal activities.

“Within two years, we had gone from being his whores to serving as his most trusted captains. He no longer used us to satisfy his sexual urges—we were far more useful in making him money. One summer evening, Mr. Friday finally died.”

I raised a brow. “Something tells me you and Delilah had a role to play in his death.”

“I seduced him and then tied him to the bed posts, just before repeatedly stabbing him. We tossed his body into the bayou to serve as food for the alligators. At that point, both Delilah and I were confident in our abilities to assume leadership of Mr. Friday’s organization while keeping his death a secret. Mr. Friday’s name alone brought both credibility and fear to the organization.”

“Who else knows that you murdered Mr. Friday?” I asked.

“With Delilah gone, only you.”

I was surprised. “Why divulge this secret to me?”

Isadora plucked the dull knife from off the ground. “I trust you. I know your dark secrets and it’s only fair that you know mine as well.”

What dark secret did I have? I shot my confused “what?” look at Delilah.

“Lincoln,” she whispered. “When you allowed me inside your mind, I unlocked all the secrets buried within. Lincoln’s living ghost told me everything.”

“Oh,” I said as panic began to swell inside my belly. “I see. You won’t tell Shadow, will you?”

Isadora laughed. “As long as you promise not to tell anyone about Mr. Friday.”

I nodded. “Sounds like a fair deal.” It was a deal that I hoped lasted until the sky fell down.

I rose from the ground, dusted the dirt off my pants, and stretched. My muscles were aching and I was dying for a hot shower to wash off the layers of dirt and sweat caked to my skin. My mouth had dried up as well.

“Thirsty?” I asked.

Isadora nodded.

“Me too. Participating in simulated knife fights and divulging our darkest secrets has a dehydrated me.”

“You’re a strange girl,” Isadora smiled.

“And you’re not? You do have a reputation of being the female version of Voldermort.”

“Volder—who?”

I sighed. “Nevermind.”

We gathered our things and headed back to the car.

I glanced at Isadora and took satisfaction in knowing that the voodoo witch of New Orleans and the queen of the Lousiana Underworld was my friend.

After losing Justin, there was an empty void for friendship that I thought could never be filled. Sure, I have Shadow, but he didn’t count. We slept in the same bed. That wasn’t considered friendship.

There was also Lincoln, who we needed to save from Calisto, the psychotic corn husking bitch. Lincoln and I’s platonic relationship took an unexpected turn when he fingered me on top of Beau’s priceless antique piano. I’d be naive to ignore the awkwardness that now kept us apart as friends.

We made our down the winding path of the forest, through the clearing and back onto the dirt road where the black Cadillac Escalade was parked. I took one last look of the forest and shuddered, just before taking the driver’s seat.

“Of all the places we could have trained, why in this horrible place?” I asked.

“Because, this place scares me.”

“Isn’t that all the reason to stay away from this suicide forest?”

Isadora shook her head. “The day where I no longer feel fear is the day my heart has turned black and I have lost my humanity. I’ll need it if I wish to reunite with Delilah again. Being in this place reminds me that I’m still human.”

“Laughing with your friends, tasting good food, breathing even…those are also signs that you’re still human, Isadora,” I stated.

“Joy is something that doesn’t currently exist in my life,” Isadora sighed as she opened the passenger side door and entered into the vehicle.

I fired up the ignition.

“What is it that you fear most?” I asked, bluntly.

“That I’ll never get the chance to watch Calisto suffer for all that she’s done.”

Amen to that.

#

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The Summer of Surprises…

It’s been a while since my last blogpost, and for that shame one me. I spent most of  the summer devoting more time to my family, promising myself not to miss those magical moments with my daughter that I can never get back.

However, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about you, my beautiful readers, and the Midnight Society. I’ve started the Constantine novella, about 15k words in and with the Midnight Society book two, I’m at about 20k words.

[What the heck is the Midnight Society?]

However, that’s not the big news of the summer….the big news is I’m having twins (well not me literally. My wife will be carrying the load).

Holy shit. 

I learned a couple of things about that little unexpected news-bomb, dropped on me:

1) The pull-out method doesn’t work (and yes, my friends reassured me I was a fool thinking it would).

2) There’s a higher rate of twins after the first pregnancy.

3) I have superhuman sperm (not that you really need to know).

Okay, so what does that mean?

1) I need to find myself one of those live-in nannies.

2) I’m still going to finish of the Midnight Society series with a bang.

3) After the Midnight Society series is finished, I’ll see where I want to go from there (leaning towards scifi or fantasy…stuff that I can let my kids read without me blushing myself).

4) I’ll do my best to be more active on social media and chat with all my lovely readers. (Forgive me if I forget to respond).

5) I have to lay off the hip thrusting…as excited as I am to have a pair of little Logan’s running around the earth, for our well being and sanity, we’ll need to stop creating more of these amazing little miracles.

Cheers everyone! I’ll have previews for you for Book Three of the Midnight Society soon. I Promise!

Logan Patricks

Ugh.

Wow. So it’s been a long time since I wrote a blog post. I used to be fairly frequent, posting once a week, but both life and summer has taken up a lot of my time. I feel the need to apologize to each and everyone of you for growing a little distant, on both blogging and social media.

As I mentioned before, I’m honored for every person that has read either Semblance or Penumbra  and I owe it to YOU to give you my undivided attention. Every time I’m ready to hit up social media and respond to your lovely comments, my daughter always finds her way into my lap, so I wind up taking her to the park or sitting her in front of the piano with me. I can never say “no” to lil’ Princess Patricks, because if I do, I’ll look back and regret losing precious moment together.

To everyone else, please forgive me.

In terms of writing, last week I hit the wall with my Abraham novella, hard. The story has reached a point where I’m not happy with it, which really was a kick in the nuts, seeing as how this was the third revision. There’s about 12k words written of the novella (about 40 pages), where half of it I’m pleased with. I can certainly keep moving forward in the direction its going, and hit publish, but then I’d hate myself.

It’s not good enough for you. I want every book with the Logan Patrick’s name/brand attached to it to be the best damn story possible. I’d rather have my nipples bitten by alligator teeth than to publish something in my opinion is “alright.”

So what am I to do? Well, an awesome super bestie of mine suggested I write something else…give myself a bit of a break from the Midnight Society. I’m going to do just that. It won’t be a long break…I promise. Just a couple of weeks to get two short stories written, in a different genre altogether.

If you recall, my first love is Scifi and Fantasy, so those will be the focus of the two short stories I’m going to write. Then, I’m going to try my hand at having them published professionally somewhere, *fingers crossed* in my quest to be accepted into the SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America).

I know this blog post sounds like a whole bunch of whine…and I guess it pretty much is. I’m just disappointed in myself, failing to deliver to you an amazing Abraham novella sooner rather than later. But I just need your patience. It’ll get there, I promise.

As for the Midnight Society, book 3, it’s all plotted out. This book could quite possibly be the biggest mindfuck of a book I’ll write: more-so than Semblance. *Gasp*.

Cheers.

Hip thrust.

Logan Patricks

 

Penumbra is now Available!

Yay! The wait is finally over. Penumbra, book two of the Midnight Society, is officially here! *Superhuman, backwards, ninja style hip thrust!*

Synopsis:

In one night, I lost everything: my hopes and dreams, my best friend, and Shadow’s heart. He told me he loved me, but it was just a lie.

The Midnight Society has fallen, reduced to ashes by a monster–a person whom we all once trusted. The betrayal has shattered our lives forever and Shadow, Lord of the Midnight Society, finds himself at a crossroad.

One road leads him further down the path of vengeance, filled with unending violence and dead bodies. The other road leads to me. However, our path to happiness is paved with broken glass and razorblades, and at some point, one of us is going to fall.

Welcome to the world of the Midnight Society.

PURCHASE PENUMBRA NOW @ AMAZON

And remember, sharing is caring!

Logan Patricks