Sunday Story Trilogy-Buried Treasure

It was coming in way too fast.

The bottle-nosed ship sped toward the surface, front end engulfed in a huge ball of flame that covered the cockpit windows completely. Large chunks of ice caused by travel in deep space clung stubbornly to the tail. The spacecraft's speed never slowed, course never changed. When it crashed, the ground shook for miles.

The spacecraft slammed into the rocky earth in a brilliant explosion, raining shrapnel over the tough terrain. It flipped over, rolling violently, then broke apart as it’s progress was slowed by a field of large boulders.

Thick black smoke billowed up in waves as a moaning shadow stumbled from what remained of the cockpit. Cloaked, he moved as if in a daze, eyes unfocused on the rocky towers or their four crescent icons. Blood dripped from cuts, scratches, and soot covered him from head to boot, leaving ashy prints as he walked.

The pilot's haze slowly cleared and he began making his way through the wreckage to the granite cliffs at the base of the rock yard that had destroyed his ship, mind now alert, terrified. He had to hurry! He had to get it all back before they came or it would be gone forever, erased like it had never been!

He narrowed in on a mostly concealed tunnel. What he needed was in there. He stumbled over the rocks to the cave with a spray canister as his only weapon. Frames and bits crunched under his feet, ghosts of those who'd come before to save it all, and he straightened his shoulders. It would be worth it if he served his purpose.

It wasn't hard to find the spot. The piles of bones surrounding the bare dirt said the hardest part was yet to come and he pushed forward, mind insistent. He would do what he had come for no matter how bad things got.

The unforgiving ground didn't want to give up its treasure and the digging went slow. His tools had been lost in the crash and his hands soon bled as he scooped up gritty palmfuls of rock, dirt, and bone from the circle. At least he had the tiny light from his belt to keep him company, the spray canister there as well...

Had he heard something? His eyes widened as another scratch echoed off the dark, dank cave around him. They were coming! Panic flared and he began to dig frantically, dirt flying out of the widening hole.

The sounds grew steadily louder, the clicks and clacks terrifying him, and the man couldn't stop himself from moaning in fear, but he didn't stop working. When he hit something metal, his speed increased.

He cleared it as fast as he could, the rectangular box glowing with nicely centered letters, waiting patiently to be used, but the man's time was up. The Crawlers were upon him and he lunged forward, spraying the canister of saltwater at the huge spiders. 

His body felt the pause, felt the whole system shudder at the blast of hated salt. It gave him enough time to drop his weight onto the box, activating it as the spiders crawled him.

The pain of his leg vanishing was excruciating and then the feeling was gone, his limb replaced, and he was being jerked backward, flung down.

His hands paddled, putting the dirt over the button and he tried not to fight it as his motions were repeated in reverse.

His feet moved him out of the cave and he closed his lids as the ship’s pieces flew toward him.

t was like wrecking a second time, being flung about the ship that was rebuilding around him, and then he was in the air, moving toward deep space and he let himself breathe again.

Thank God for the UNDO button, he thought, glad he hadn’t been lost in a freeze-up while trying to recover the single sentence. The person using this computer hadn't meant to hit delete.

Here are two more books you may enjoy. If so, let me know! (So busy with re-editing the backlist titles, I haven't been able to do much personal reading.)

1929 - Book One: Jonathan's Cross

M.L. Gardner

Anyone who enjoys historical fiction will love 1929. With rich, unique characters, 1929 is the first in an epic trilogy centered in the Great Depression. Following three couples through the economic collapse of 1929 and their struggles to adjust to a sudden and violent shift in lifestyle.

This mammoth novel will take readers to a dark time in American history. A time when so many lost so much and the bonds of love and friendship were the only things that held the fabric of life together. While some say history is now repeating itself with our current economic downturn, “1929, Jonathan’s Cross,” provides hours of entertainment and escape while giving readers a chance to connect and relate to the characters struggles of love, loss and finding hope.

Praise for 1929

*1929, Jonathan's Cross by M.L. Gardner is a one of a kind historical fiction that one doesn't see every day. --Mind Fog Reviews
*De Ja Vu! Stock market meltdown, fortunes evaporating, jobs lost, hope vanishing... - Kindle Reader
*Tastefully Romantic and Heartwarming! - Kindle Reader
*A Rare Treasure of Personal Triumph! - Kindle Reader
*Bring the whole box of tissues! - Kindle Reader
*A wonderful testimony of the human spirit with colorful and real-life characters, including an Irish heroine; all of whom will touch your heart in their own unique way and stay with you long after the last page. - Kindle Reader

A glimpse into 1929
Attempting suicide
Aryl yanked on the doorknob and burst through the door. He checked the living room, then ducked his head into the bedroom, but saw no sign of Jonathan. He threw open the bathroom door, and his face went white with the scene laid out before him. He leaned on the door handle to steady himself.
Jonathan didn’t look up, didn’t even flinch when the door slammed into the wall behind it.
“Put it down, Jon.” It was all he could think of to say, his voice shaking slightly. Jonathan didn’t acknowledge him, his eyes fixed on the straight razor pressed into his left wrist. “Jon, don’t do this . . . give me the razor,” Aryl said softly, taking a cautious step away from the threshold. Jonathan’s set expression was that of an already dead man. His only response was to press the blade slightly harder into his wrist, causing the skin to puff up on each side of the blade and a small drop of blood appeared. Aryl’s eyes darted frantically as he tried to think of anything he could say that would prevent Jonathan from pulling the blade sharply to the right.
“Go away, Aryl,” Jonathan whispered, his eyes still fixed. Aryl took another small step forward.
“I’m not leaving, Jon. Now give me the razor.”
Jonathan tensed and his fingers gripped the handle of the blade until his knuckles turned white. Aryl’s mind raced.
“Jon!” he yelled. “If you do this–” He paused briefly and tried to keep control of his voice. “If you do this, I swear to God Himself, I will take Ava and personally deliver her to Victor.” Jon’s dead eyes flickered.
“You promised you’d take care of her.”
“If it were an accident, Jon. But if you do it yourself? Forget it. I can’t deal with Ava grieving a husband who took his own life. Especially after watching you do it.” He hesitated as Jon looked down at the blade and began to breathe deeper and harder.
“You already promised,” he growled.
“I lied,” Aryl said flatly. Jonathan shook his head tightly in denial.
“Caleb will do it,” he whispered.
“Caleb’s got his baby to worry about now. And it’s just a matter of time before Claire comes to me with the same news. We have to take care of our own first, Jon.”
“You wouldn’t do that to me, Aryl,” he said pitifully.
“I could say the same thing to you.”

 

1929 - Book One: Jonathan's Cross

This next one is a very short blurb, but don't be fooled. I clicked on the Look Inside feature and found myself stuck and then downloading a copy. No idea when I'll get a chance to finish it, but I know I will. Can't get that image out of my mind!

Abandoned at her family's beach house, plagued by dark secrets, and without her psych meds, Jenny cannot know if the torment is all in her mind, or if she has become the plaything of a dark stranger.

Follow her trials to their dramatic conclusion in this disturbing psychological thriller.

Kill the Whales by L. Yirak

"This is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me?

Hello? Is anyone out there?"

The Survivors

*Free on all retailers

Author’s Website    Diesel   iTunes   Kindle   Kobo   Nook   Smashwords   Sony

LAW Day #10-Rick

Richard T. Boone

Age: 35

6/1/77

Height: 6'1

Weight: 190lb

Shifty green eyes

Caucasian

Brown hair

Always has dirty fingernails

Before War: Janitor and inmate at a correctional facility

After War: Traitor to his country and mass murderer.

Birth State: New Mexico

Quote: "I gave him this camp for our freedom."

Strengths

- He's Loyal. He'll never betray Cesar

- He likes the New World. Never looks back at the past.

- Great at blending and pretending, like any other successful predator.

Weaknesses

- He likes raping teenagers and abusing women. It makes him feel like a man.

FBI Notes

Crimes: Attempted sexual assault, assault and battery of a minor.

Back-story

Raise as a ward of the state, Rick never knew his parents; 18 years in an orphanage turned him into a solitary creature with cruel tendencies. Was he abused there? I think that’s a safe assumption.

At 16, he was fired from a local store for theft and at 19 committed his first felony. The car he stole was never found. Neither was the bank’s money and he was never arrested. At 23 he was picked up for flashing young girls from his car but again, the system failed, Just a year later, he tried to rape a teenager in the washroom on a theater he worked at. She was hurt in the process and he finally went to jail. When the war came, he was serving 8 years and working as a janitor due to good behavior. Rick opened the cell doors of the prison, allowing the other dangerous inmates freedom. When Cesar arrived to save his family, Rick saved his life and was rewarded with slavery instead of death. Rick is the only white male Cesar and his slaves have left alive

So, what’s up with Rick? He’s bad. From his shifty green eyes, down to his dirty fingernails. He loathes authority enough to side with Cesar against his own countrymen. He loves the thrill of still being alive even though no one else has survived the Slavers custody. When he’s sent in the first time to betray a town, he feels guilt, but as time goes on and he commits the same crimes over and over, he becomes immune to that little voice of right and wrong.

Sam was a surprise. Rick likes his females young and struggling…until Samantha. For the first time, he had a willing woman! And he wants her back. He’s been watching Neil and Jeremy get closer to her, his rage growing as the Eagles keep him from doing anything about it. So, he’s come up with his own plan. He knows the trooper wants Little Becky, too. If he gets her first, willingly, then he’s beaten Neil to it. Other than helping Cesar conquer Safe Haven, it’s his only goal. Pay Neil back for stealing his woman.

Now that Rick has been discovered as the traitor, he’s lurking on the fringes, still using the Eagles uniform he got Matt to steal for him in exchange for a bottle. Rick sensing weaknesses and uses them, no matter the age or outcome…like with Maria. She may have never turned on Safe Haven if not for Rick. Instead, he got her killed.

Next Week: Luke and Kendle

"This is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me?

Hello? Is anyone out there?"

The Survivors

*Free on all retailers

Author’s Website    Diesel   iTunes   Kindle   Kobo   Nook   Smashwords   Sony

"It's like Obscenity: I know it when I see it"-From Red Tash, Author of This Brilliant Darkness-(Guest post)

I recently met a woman online who impresses me daily with her drive and determination. Some people moan when fate throws them a wild card but not my new friend, Tash. She turns it into This Brilliant Darkness that we call dark Fantasy.


I invited her to stop by and tell you her definition of this magical, terrifying genre and she graciously accepted. I hope you'll make her feel welcome and give her new book a try. There's a free sample available and you should read it first, to be sure her level of darkness is right for you. I found it perfectly chilling.

What is Dark Fantasy?

It’s no secret—I found Angela’s blog while I was searching for other authors who write dark fantasy.  I wasn’t surprised, however, when I learned our books were so different.  So what does “dark fantasy” mean, anyway?

According to Wikipedia, there’s some debate about the term, but I’ll spare you the academic esoterics.  How about an illustration, instead? If you’re familiar with Angela’s books, you realize her dark vision includes apocalypse, man’s seedy, animal nature—and the flip side of that, the heroes who rise above destruction and fight for what’s right.

Then there are the works of Holly Black, which seem to so adore seediness that they revel in them, while at the same time making it clear that even the good guys have their nasty sides.  I confess, I was very inspired by Black when I started writing my current work-in-progress, Troll or Derby.  In fact, I’ve been trying to fill it with so many guilty pleasures, it’s probably bordering on satirical at this point.

But I digress.  Here’s the definition of Dark Fantasy I posted on my site, when I first “came out” as a dark fantasy author:  What is dark fantasy? It’s a cocktail of imagery from the most secret places of your mind. It’s scary, at times funny, imaginative, and simultaneously familiar. If you like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, or Holly Black, you like dark fiction.

But there are other dark fantasy authors:

Charlaine Harris

Jim Butcher

Kim Harrison

Laurell K Hamilton

Ambrose Bierce

Jonathan Stroud

Suzanne Collins

And shows!  Oh, the dark fantasy shows, movies, etc. are the best:

The Walking Dead

True Blood

Game of Thrones

The Stand

Terminator

Harry Potter

Pan’s Labyrinth

Edward Scissorhands

Hot Fuzz

Bladerunner

Personally, I can’t wait to see the upcoming Hunger Games movies.  Those books are dark fantasy that meets us in a very chilling dystopian future, not unlike Angela’s books The Survivors, and the Bachelor Battles.

So, have you decided what Dark Fantasy is yet, exactly?  Angie defines it up there, in the header of her site.
As for me, I know it when I see it.

If you’ve read your way through Angie’s works, don’t forget to check out her dark fantasy blog on Amazon.  If you’d like to check out my latest book, This Brilliant Darkness, I’d love to hear what you think!

Visit me soon at RedTash.com/bash and you can enter in my Kindle giveaway.  What’s even better than a free Kindle?  How about free dark fantasy books from nearly 40 authors?  If you like your fiction scary, you’ll be reading lots of it—for free, if you’re the lucky winner!  There are also great prizes for the 2^nd & 3^rd place winners, as well.  Hope to see you there!

Want a free sample?