| Hello everyone! What are you currently reading this summer? If you’re new to my newsletter, I am offering $1 ebooks this summer available at most booksellers through August, plus Smashwords has a summer coupon (TNGNN) Click the links below: The Witches of Hant Hollow 1 The Witches of Hant Hollow 2 The Witches of Hant Hollow 3 Ruby’s Choice: The Dreamer, Ditch Lane Diaries 1 Anna’s Way: The Healer, Ditch Lane Diaries 2 Sandy’s Story: The Soul Reader, Ditch Lane Diaries 3 Lee’s Lesson: Warrior Angel, DItch Lane Diaries 4 *** Cover reveal coming in July on my new time travel novel. I’m delving into Christian Fantasy. I love developing content so much more than editing. Daily lines sneak peek. Chapter 1 The Invitation October 2013 Three Crosses College Laughing Bluff, Tennessee Blaine O’Sullivan hurried across campus after his last class. He inhaled the crisp fall air, his favorite season. The setting sun shone brightly upon the various shades of yellow, red, and orange leaves falling from nearby trees and scattering about his feet. Nearly every porch hosted an assortment of carved pumpkins, and he marveled at some of the skilled creations. Smoke from nearby chimneys tickled his nose and made him think of home. His mom, no doubt, had started decorating in September, which evolved through Christmas and the New Year. He missed her chili, vegetable soup, and homemade cookies. He passed a group of women students with linked arms, dressed up for a costume party. They giggled and talked over one another, each vying to dominate the subject at hand, walking in time along the brick-paved sidewalks. He smiled and nodded a silent greeting. He hadn’t formed any long-lasting relationships in college. His parents had borrowed money for him to attend school, and he wanted them to be proud of him. He excelled in his studies but rarely attended parties. He worked out at the campus gym three to four times weekly as his main form of entertainment. Stopping at the apartment complex mail center, a cool breeze sent shivers down Blaine’s spine as he pulled out a couple of bills. He fingered a formal letter addressed to him, handwritten in calligraphy stamped shut by a wax seal with an ornate M. No postage. Blaine looked around. His building’s superintendent pulled up in a golf cart and waved to him. “Hey, Paul, did you see anyone near my mailbox?” He held up the letter for the older man to see. “No. I just made the rounds. Don’t you know who sent it?” Paul leaned on the golf cart’s steering wheel. “I don’t have any idea.” Blaine turned the letter over a couple of times. “Probably some literary school club into Clue.” “Well, hopefully, it’ll be something fun for you to do. You need to get out more, son. Enjoy your youth; it’s fleeting.” As Paul drove off, he shouted over his shoulder, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and if you do, name it after me.” He slapped his knee and laughed. Blaine inserted his key into the door and entered his studio apartment. He dropped his keys into a glass bowl on a table next to the entryway. He opened the fridge, pulled out a pitcher of sweet tea he’d made the night before, and filled up a plastic cup from Joe’s Pizza. He plopped down on the couch, stretched out, and placed his feet on the black coffee table he’d made in high school. His fingers tingled as he broke the seal on the envelope, withdrew the letter, and read the contents, an invitation to a secret society called The M Initiative. He was dumbfounded. Was this some joke? The letter didn’t give specific information about the organization but promised him knowledge of the universe and access to supernatural powers. Intriguing. He wondered what sort of supernatural power they referred to. He wasn’t planning on drinking their Kool-Aid, but a secret society piqued his curiosity, and if he was being honest, he’d never ventured out of his comfort zone. He could use a bit of adventure and excitement in his life before graduating at the end of the term. Maybe immersing himself in a secret society would expand his horizons, and networking couldn’t hurt either. Despite the uncertainty, he convinced himself to check it out. He opened his laptop and waited for it to boot, then logged into the website on the back of the invitation, entered the code, tapped the accept button, and clicked send. Blaine gulped the sweet tea and contemplated cooking something to eat. Instead, he opened his school email and looked up his current grades. If he kept this pace, he’d graduate with honors. He surfed the net for job openings. Before he logged out, he heard the familiar ping of incoming mail. “Wow, that was quick,” he said aloud. He’d received a confirmation email from The M Initiative with directions to a place called The Chalet, the retreat hosting the event. I trust you enjoyed my daily lines, and I’ll offer more excerpts in the coming months. I look to release later this fall. Happy Reading! |
“May Love Light the Way!”
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