Sole Mates, a short story by me

I am taking leap of faith here and posting my fiction that I don't intend to publish here. This is partly to give readers a flavor of stories that I have written but I am also hoping for constructive feedback. Most of it will be from assignments and writing prompts that I decide to take on. Please let me know what you think.


Below is my first story. Keep in mind it has very minor editing. It came from a writing prompt on Twitter put out by @pauvetibete. Here it is: I always thought I'd meet my soul mate in a coffee shop or a tiny café or something. Not in the back of a cop car.

Sole Mates:

I always thought I'd meet my soul mate in a coffee shop or a tiny café or something. Not in the back of a cop car. But looking at him, I couldn’t deny that he was the one.

I had just been picked up for grand theft auto when the albino cop with no hair threw me in the back seat. I mean he literally threw me in there. Can’t a girl make a mistake, or two once in while without getting roughed up like an ax murder? Okay, maybe it was five, mistakes but give me a break, I needed a car and since I was on parole I had no job I had few options.

Anyway, back to the point. I was in the back of the Crown Vic for no more than two seconds when I saw him, my seatmate, for the first time. He had greasy blond hair that had been combed back though I could still see where it was thinning on the top. He was wearing a gold chain and a puke green t-shirt that said: “I did the time, not the crime,” along with a leather jacket that would make the Fonz jealous and black jeans. But on his feet were the most gorgeous black Italian suede boots I had ever seen. It was then that I knew. The smooth surface of the suede was everything to me.

He rolled his brown eyes at me and groaned after the albino cop slammed the door shut, locking us in together. I smiled and licked my lips. Could you be any more obvious? The other me wondered why I was letting these handcuffs stop me from wrapping my arms around him and kissing him.

The albino cops eyes glared at me through the rear view mirror. He laughed. “Cons in love. That’ll make a great topic for the next Jerry Springer. Save the porn show for the lock-up. I am sure your fellow cell mates will appreciate the entertainment.”

My seatmate snarled loudly, barring his teeth. It was scary and exhilarating at the same time. I scooched over to right as best as I could which made him turn my way and glare. I winked back and that’s when I saw. It lasted only a nano second but I saw it—a smile.

And then, I went for it. I couldn’t help myself, leaned right and kissed him. A funny thing happened, he kissed back. Well, sort of. My lips touched his and he didn’t pull away but then he rubbed noses with me, like an Eskimo kiss. Weird.

Still I was into it until Albino Cop opened the rear door of the cop car and yanked me out. “Oww,” I cried. How was it that I hadn’t even noticed that we had come to a stop?

“Time to go booking Grand Theft Auto,” he said.

“I love your boots,” I yelled in the general direction of my recent acquaintance. “Where’d you get ‘em?”

Another cop had now arrived and was escorting him into the same building. We were walking side by side, each being pushed along by our own personal cop escort when he said it. “I stole them.”

“So they’ve got you for boot theft then?”

“No, murder. I stole ‘em off the guy I killed this morning.” He winked.

My cop took me off to the booking area for female inmates, separating us. I never saw him again.

Space Junque

 


Review of Space Junque by L. K. Rigel


Overview from www.goodreads.com: The DOGs want to destroy the world. The gods want to make a new one. The trick is to survive both.
At the end of the 21st century, civilization is at the brink of collapse. When hydroponics agronomist Char Meadowlark is warned of an impending attack by the eco-terrorist group Defenders of Gaia, she flees to the airport hoping to get off planet. The DOGs strike in the midst of Char’s escape, and pilot Jake Ardri offers her only hope of survival. He takes her to the orbiting Imperial Space Station, the seat of world government.

When the conflict goes global and the planet threatens to implode, ancient gods return to take control of humanity and impose a new world order. Char and Jake are caught up in a divine plan to save the world - but first they have to get through the apocalypse alive.

My Review:

I had a close encounter of the weird kind just now when I sat down to write this review. Though I got it for free as a Barnes & Noble e-book on their website, it is no longer listed on their website. I am not sure why but I did find a listing for it on Good Reads so I can thankfully still post a photo here. Sorry if the size is different.

This story is a novella introducing the Apocalypto series. Space Junque is named after the space ship that one of the main characters, Jake, drives a ship with that name and apparently likes to use it as joke.

“He winked and said, ‘See you at the junk, Tyler.’”

“She ran to catch up with Tyler. ‘What did Jake mean, see you at the junk?’


‘J-u-n-q-u-e. He takes private pays up to Vacation Station on the Space Junque. His shuttle. He use that line on everybody, man or woman.’


‘Ah. You want to see my Junque? Got it.’” P.13

The story begins however with Char Meadowlark’s attempt to get “off planet.” But leaving the Pacific Zone will not be easy. She barely escapes with her life though it cost her new friend Tyler his.

 I don’t want to give away too much of the story so I will skip most of the plot description and talk about characters. Char is our most developed character and the only one I felt that I got to know well during this little jaunt.

 
She is one of a few “natural born” people currently alive some one hundred years into our future. She also has a twin sister engaged to man who Char basically believes is just a mid-level government official. Her sister Sky has vanished but the fiancé, Mike, is looking out for her and gets her when he senses danger or does he know more than what he is telling?


Then there’s Jake, the cocky pilot who likes to make jokes, but takes his devotion to his friends seriously.
 
But I think my favorite character of all is perhaps Rani. An unusually tall woman with a slight Hindi accent who is tough enough to look out for herself but nevertheless cherishes her connection with her boss Jake. When she runs into trouble though, she must ask some unusual strangers for help.


The last thing I want to point out here is that this story has elements of both Science Fiction and Fantasy which was a little different for me. I was all settled in for Sci-Fi when suddenly we have a goddess thrown into the mix for good measure. Weird.

 Still overall, it was an interesting book and, mostly, a good read. I am still undecided yet though about whether or not I’ll read the sequels.

 

Contains: scenes of sexuality, violence, a few words that may not be for children

Terminus

       


Review of Terminus by Joshua Graham


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: Having witnessed one too many senseless deaths, Nikolai, a disillusioned Reaper 3rd Class, resigns his commission with the Angel Forces after a tedious century of gathering souls.

Immediately, another division recruits him with the promise of a more rewarding career, and issues his initial assignments: To bring down a few very dangerous threats to the human race. In the process, Nikolai falls in love with one of his targets-Hope Matheson, a woman who will lead thousands astray.

Caught between conflicting agendas, Nikolai chooses to "fall" from his celestial state and become mortal in order to circumvent angel law and be with her. But for angels and humans alike, things are not always as they appear. Still a target, the threat against Hope's life intensifies.

Now, in order to save her, Nikolai must rally the last remnants of his failing supernatural abilities to prevent her assassination, as well as the destruction of an entire city by a nuclear terrorist strike.

But his time and power are running out...

Terminus is a perspective-altering saga that delves into ageless themes of redemption, destiny, and the eternal power of love.

My Review:

The title of this one comes from the name of the “construct” where the main character, an angel named Nikolai, or sometimes Nick, takes the souls that he ushers into eternity. It is constructed as a duplicate of Victoria Station in London as it would have appeared in 1910. Nick thinks it makes it easier on the souls who pass through there if they can think of their journey as just another train trip.

This Thriller was unlike any that I had ever read before. As I already mentioned we have an angel as a main character. We are introduced to him as he takes a little girl to the construct and puts her on the train.

He then decides that he is tired of being a reaper and wants a job that makes more sense. That is when he ends up in Angel Resources and is recruited by an angel by the name of Morloch for a more top secret assignment. His first job is to stop a preacher from reading his Bible and following his usual routine.

But when the man’s child is about to be hit by an oncoming car, Nick can’t help himself. He jumps into the street to save the boy. And thus begins a series of jobs where Nick seems to do the opposite of his assignments because they just don’t make any sense but when he stops Hope Matheson rather than encouraging her to commit suicide, everything changes.

The stakes get higher and higher as Nick finds himself falling from grace and falling for Hope. She becomes a target of Nick’s new boss and Nick must find out why so that he can protect her from the angel Lena who still wants Hope dead.

The positives on this one are this one are many. The characters are great, even if they are not always Biblically accurate and yet the author does manage to keep remarkably close to the verses in the Bible that speak of this subject. The plot is not at all predictable. In fact, it is quite engaging. And the supernatural setting is interesting.

As for negatives, I had a tough time coming up with any. So there are none listed here. If you do read this, I suggest that you also read the final note from the author as it explains the thought process of our author. I found it very interesting and informative.

Stallions at Burnt Rock

           


Review of Stallions at Burnt Rock by Paul Bagdon


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: Lee Morgan dreams of raising the ideal ranch horse-one that has speed, stamina, and heart. On her Texas spread near the town of Burnt Rock, the high-spirited woman heads her own horse ranch operation. It's an unusual occupation for a female in the 1870s, but as an expert horsewoman and a crack shot with a rifle, she's quite adept at taking care of herself.
Determined to gain fame for her fine horses, Lee agrees to enter her magnificent coal-black stallion in a match race, never dreaming she's about to set into motion a string of events that will threaten herself, her ranch, and her friend-town marshall, Ben Flood. As gamblers, gunslingers, and shysters descend on Burnt Rock to bet on the now-famous race, Lee comes face-to-face with sinister men who seek to destroy her plans. Her true courage and strong faith shine through when she embarks on the most thrilling ride of her life.
The first in a series of western novels, Stallions at Burnt Rock is a masterfully spun tale of a strong, virtuous heroine. It will captivate romance novel enthusiasts as well as fans of westerns and adventure.

My Review:

Lee Morgan, a young woman living in Texas in the late 1800’s, is an oddity for her time. She runs a horse ranch where she dreams of breeding the perfect ranch horse.

This book is also an oddity, a Western with little graphic violence, no profanity, a female protagonist and minimal shooting.

The plot was a little slow getting starting. It seemed like the beginning served mostly as an introduction to our main character, her staff and friends, and her horses. When Lee hesitantly agrees with her old friend and fellow horse breeder, Jonas, to conduct a horse race that pits their best stallions against each other in an effort to attract buyers for their horses, things start to pick up.

The promise of a race seems to attract all kinds of low-life's, gamblers, and even murderers to Burnt Rock. Soon Lee’s friend Marshal Ben Flood is in over his head trying to talk Lee into being more cautious and keeping the rest of the town safe.

When Jonas is killed, Lee wonders whether or not it would be best to just cancel the race. But Ben convinces her that it is too late. With her trust in God leading her on, she hopes to get her horse Slick across the finish line and the gamblers out of town before anything worse happens.

So the story did get better. We had a little more excitement and lots of horses. In fact, the novel seems to center mostly around the horses and the sinister plot that got Jonas killed. There is a hint of romance though.

The characters were a little off to me somehow. I liked the marshal but the others somehow didn’t seem quite right. Lee seemed a little too perfect for me. The only mistake she seems to make is trusting people too much and that seemed odd to me.

I like the fact that is a clean story but it seemed a little long to me, despite having only 136 pages. I would recommend this one if you really like horses a lot or are looking for short, clean Western to read. Otherwise, it might not be that interesting. On the plus side, it was free for the e-reader on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s website the last time I checked.

Contains: some violence

Persona Non Grata

       


Review of Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: "When a mysterious note arrives in the mail consisting only of the words "come home," Gaius Petreius Ruso is forced to give up his career as a military doctor in Britannia and head back to his family in Gaul." "But all is not well on the home front. No one will admit to having sent for him, and his companion Tilla is neither expected nor welcome. With the family teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and the town's leading politician, Gabinius Fuscus, breathing down his neck, it's hard to imagine an unhappier reunion. That is, until Severus, the family's chief creditor, winds up dead, and the real trouble begins." Plunged unwillingly into the investigation, and struggling to help his family's financial situation, Ruso is entrusted with the welfare of the household. But no one seems able to stop meddling in his affairs, and with the pressure mounting, Ruso will have to count on his wits, his girlfriend, and perhaps - for once in his life - a little good fortune.

My Review:

This week’s story takes us back all the way to the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. It is a murder mystery with a doctor in the Legion stationed in Britannia as the protagonist and detective. Ruso is his name.

His partner in crime solving is a young British lady named Tilla. I wasn’t exactly clear on their relationship but we are told that at some point Ruso bought Tilla from some other owner yet she seems remarkably independent for a slave, even at one point during the novel, leaving to go off with a stranger so I am guessing that she might no longer be a slave to him or at least a slave who is given a lot of freedom. She still refers to him as “Medicus.”

Our story opens with Ruso hurting his leg in attempt to save a young local boy. Right after that, he receives a mysterious letter, presumably from his brother that simply reads, “Urgent. Come home.”

He manages to get leave to do just that. But that’s when his real troubles begin.

He finds his family deep in debt, a debt that is likely to go to court and prove the ruin of them all. While his brother Lucius denies having ever sent the message and to top it off the guy he owes money to (Severus) dies from an apparent poisoning. His last words are, “The b***** has poisoned me.”

Ruso suspects that the woman Severus is referring to is his wife, Ruso’s ex, Claudia but who will believe him. He owed the man a lot of money and the fact that they were reaching an agreement to settle the debt before it went to court was a moot point since there were no witnesses to their conversation. Now he must find the killer on his own before the inevitable investigator arrives from Rome and his convicted of murder.

The verdict on this one is overwhelmingly positive. I like the main characters, both Tilla and Ruso. I am now hoping to go back and read the first two books so that I can discover how they met and learn more about the nature of their relationship. I did have a little bit of difficulty with Marcia, Ruso’s spoiled sister but I did like the way he handled her which made him all the more likeable to me.

The reference to the followers of Christos and his teaches as well as the popular misconceptions Romans of this time period had about Christianity were intriguing. All in all, I think the authors’ coverage of this religion was more than fair.

I also found the story itself compelling. I always wondered how they would have investigated a crime like this during the Roman period. And having the would-be detective as a suspect made his motivation to find the killer seem all the more believable.

Contains: some foul language

Shadows Wake

       


Review of Shadows Wake by Robyn LaRue


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: Gold Hill is a peaceful place with a dark secret and forgotten calling. In ancient times, a native tribe trapped evil inside the mountain. That prison is now weakened, and the tribal blood line responsible for its maintenance is dangerously diluted. One girl and her friends are all that stand between the mountain demon and the outside world.

Lillian, a social outcast with secrets of her own, will learn about love, friendship, and loyalty, but can she save Gold Hill and all she holds dear?

And if she does, can she then save herself?

Shadows Wake is a coming of age story with supernatural elements and is set in historical 1952.

My Review:

Once again I will review a lesser known author after at least two weeks of interviewing NYT Best-Selling Authors. I came across Robyn LaRue, author of Shadows Wake, on Twitter, the same way I have met at least one other author whose work I have reviewed on this blog. I am not really sure exactly how we met but I wanted to explain that as well as get the whole self-disclosure thing out of the way.

Ms. LaRue gave me a copy of her book for review on this blog and I believe it is her first. Her genre is the Thriller genre which is interesting but not my favorite so imagine my surprise when I start reading only to find out that it takes place in 1952. Thus it could also be considered Historical Fiction which is my favorite. And I really like the way she combines it.

Lillian, a young teenager with a bad reputation, is our main character. She lives in Northern California and is not well-liked in town but not because of anything she’s actually done. It is her family name that provides her with her undeserved reputation. That and the fact that she lives above a bar with her uncle since her parents are both dead and her grandfather is in prison.

Lately Lillian’s life has been changing in ways that she can’t entirely understand.  A bear dies near the famous mine/mountain and Lillian is determined to tag along with some other students to find out what exactly is going on up there.

Along the way, she manages to make friends with one of the town’s most popular girls and two other guys. They decide to meet at the mountain to try to see if it might be the thing that is causing all the nightmares they have been having as well as figure out if it is the reason for the angst and anger among the townsfolk.

The story has its set of twists and turns but most of them are different from the ones I am used to seeing in thrillers. The evil lies beneath the surface of the mountain. There are some scary characters but we get the sense that the mountain is behind their behavior and perhaps there is not some kind of sinister plot to sell the land cheap or murder someone who is standing in someone else’s way. But what is this evil?

I can only suggest that you read it for yourself to find out. I don’t like to give spoilers in my reviews, especially those with a mystery so I won’t tell you what it is. But it is definitely worth reading. The characters are well-drawn, the writing is good, and the story is not what you’d expect. Plus, I loved reading more about life in the 1950’s and did I mention that it is overall a good, clean read? Well, it is.

Contains: some violence

China Dolls

                


Review of China Dolls by Lisa See


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: It’s 1938 in San Francisco: a world’s fair is preparing to open on Treasure Island, a war is brewing overseas, and the city is alive with possibilities. Grace, Helen, and Ruby, three young women from very different backgrounds, meet by chance at the exclusive and glamorous Forbidden City nightclub. Grace Lee, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest with nothing but heartache, talent, and a pair of dancing shoes. Helen Fong lives with her extended family in Chinatown, where her traditional parents insist that she guard her reputation like a piece of jade. The stunning Ruby Tom challenges the boundaries of convention at every turn with her defiant attitude and no-holds-barred ambition.

The girls become fast friends, relying on one another through unexpected challenges and shifting fortunes. When their dark secrets are exposed and the invisible thread of fate binds them even tighter, they find the strength and resilience to reach for their dreams. But after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, paranoia and suspicion threaten to destroy their lives, and a shocking act of betrayal changes everything.

My Review:

Lisa See’s China Dolls was something I wanted to read ever since its first release. The setting is San Francisco, just a few years before the start of World War II. Three girls stumble into a nightclub just outside of Chinatown cleverly named “The Forbidden City.”

Grace is run away from the Midwest who goes to San Francisco to escape an abusive father and cruel “Occidentals” as well as to follow her dream to become a dancer. Shortly after her arrival, she meets up with Helen, a traditional Chinese girl. Grace drags her along on her audition where they meet up with Ruby. Thus begins their life-long friendship, if you can call it that.

I hesitate to call it that because it does seem like any friendship that I have ever experienced. And most friends I know of who have treated each other the way that these three do usually don’t remain friends very long. I realize that this is the cutthroat world of show business but I have to admit that the behavior of Ruby and Helen in particular left me think of that old saying. “With friends like these, who needs enemies?”

Grace was the character I identified with most though she can be thoughtless and insensitive at times. Yes, she shouldn’t have forgotten them the way she did but for the most part her ignorance stemmed from her lack of street smarts and her friends refusal to let her know how badly she had hurt them.

The girls each carry their own secrets close to their hearts and appear equally unwilling to share them with the other two girls. This seemed odd to me since they were supposed to be best friends. If you can’t share your secrets with your best friend, who can you share them with?

They struggle through the war and the ugly prejudices that were directed at them, in many cases, by their own customers as well as by the U.S. government and the jealousies of their fellow performers.

They vow not to let a man come between them yet one does. They promise to look out for each other, yet on occasion they can’t seem to resist stabbing each other in the back. Will they hold their friendship together in the end? To find out, read the book.

I liked it well enough yet besides the backstabbing there were other things I didn’t like about the book. The sexual content was more explicit than I remembered reading in See’s previous books (such as Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy) and of course I loved the characters in those other two books so much more.

The detail about the time period was extensive at some points such as the details about all of the laws regarding Japanese Americans and the laws that prohibited Caucasians marrying Asians. Yet later in the story when such marriages occur that involve some of the main characters we are not told how this is suddenly possible. I assume the law must have been revoked later but I don’t know for sure and wouldn’t that be just as important for the characters later in the novel as earlier?

Anyway, I will leave it for the rest of the readers to judge for themselves whether they agree or not. Feel free to let me know what you think.

Contains: sexuality, profanity, war violence