I kept myself busy on the 4th, working on my #furiousfiction entry. I got that turned in on time and I will share it with you over the upcoming weeks.
I did read those two books I mentioned in June. Dead Man Walking Extended Version and The Devil Walks in Blood. These books are both by David Green and have been published by Eerie River Publishing. His character Nick Holleran has managed to touch my soul somehow and I want to know more and see what else David has in store for my favorite Private Investigator.
There was a third book that I read in the past two weeks, it also was written by David Green and it is called A Place Beyond The Storm. It was also published by Eerie River. What happens after an apocalyptic event? All my reviews for these books are over on the website under the book reviews tab.
My copyediting certification class is going very well. I have noticed a bit of a sharper eye when alpha reading, critiquing, or beta reading something. Phoenix Rose Publishing is well on its way to having a certified copyeditor.
Last but certainly not least, my Fiction Marathon results for Round 3 have come in and I placed last out of fifteen. I do get to move on to the next round so we will see what happens from here.
I will leave you with my entry for Round 3. The requirements were 50% dialogue, an argument is central.
It was called Where Are They.
The redhead, who couldn't have been more than 20-years-old, stood stiffly in the middle of the room. She was obviously pregnant and August is a horrible time of year to be with child. She glared at the tall man as he walked through the front door.
“Glad you could make it home. Where the hell have you been?”
His face tightened and he looked like he wasn't sure how he should respond, “I stopped in to The Pines and drank a couple beers with the guys. Why? What’s the matter?”
“I had an appointment at the OBGYN office an hour ago that you were supposed to take me to, so we could hear the baby’s heartbeat.”
“Oh Honey! I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“This appointment was for you, I’ve heard it several times. How the hell did you forget? I put a note in your damn lunch this morning. Hot pink sticky note attached to one of your sandwiches?”
“I never saw a note, sweetheart. If I had, then I would have been here to pick you up. Are you sure you put it in my lunch bag?”
“I’m positive. Do you think John was being a dick?”
“When isn’t he being one?”
“You better find out, because if I send a message that I’m in labor, I don't imagine you will find it so cute when the baby and I are out cold on this floor.”
***
The next morning, when Michael arrived at work, John was waiting for him in the parking lot. “Good morning. How’s Kimberly feeling these days? She must be ready to pop.”
Michael’s face reddened as his blood pressure started to rise. “Yeah, she’d have been better if I’d made it home in time for her appointment yesterday.”
“She had an appointment? Well, why didn't you leave?”
“Why didn't I leave? Some asshole got into my lunch bag and somehow the note with the appointment time on it disappeared. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?”
John looked flabbergasted, “No, why would you ask that?”
“Because you were the only asshole we could think of who might do such a thing.”
“Thanks a lot buddy. I thought we were friends. Come on or we’re going to be late.”
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. Just before morning break, Michael passed his truck and impulsively opened John’s passenger side door. He accessed the glove compartment and that is when he saw the hot pink sticky note stack stuck to his owner’s manual. The top one read, OBGYN appt. 3 pm.
He flipped through the papers and was surprised to discover notes of all kinds that Kimberly had written to him. All of them were notes he had never seen before. She had written something and drawn him little pictures, just about every day since she got pregnant. He removed those notes and put them in his own glove box and locked it. That is the day when all of the tables turned.
***
Walking in the apartment that evening after work, he greeted Kimberly with a kiss and handed her a stack of sticky notes. “Sweetheart, these are all notes that, until today, I have never seen.”
“What the f***? Where did you get them?”
“They were in John’s glove compartment. What did you ever see in him? I have a plan, wanna help?”
“I don’t know what I saw in him. Of course I will help.”
That weekend they began making sticky notes, some with drawings, some with stupid little notes, then the last one they made was a note that said, I’m leaving you, Michael. I won’t be here when you get back.
For days, Michael would stick these notes into his lunch bag and before he had gone to lunch, the notes would be gone. Each note showed an escalation in disagreements until that last one.
When John got that last note, he left that note alone for Michael to see. The next morning however, John showed his stupidity and asked, “Was everything okay last night when you got home?”
“Wonderful!” Sarcasm dripped off his tongue. “You?”
“Guessing better than yours.”
“Really, why?”
“Cause my wife is at my house, yours can come stay with us too.”
Michael’s fist slammed into John’s face. “I always knew you were an asshole. You just proved it. What kind of friend does this to another friend?” He asked rhetorically, as the next punch knocked John out, and he fell to the ground.
Until next time, which will be from the sunshine in Los Angeles California for my sons wedding, have a great 2 weeks.