Free Read Friday: Covenant The End

Read this story from the beginning HERE!

Covenant

Some promises can not be broken.

“But you must,” she whispered as silence replaced the voice of the storm and he struggled to understand, “don’t let me suffer anymore.”
 

He nodded then as he reached out to caress her lined cheek.
“I’m so sorry I’ve let you suffer,” he whispered as he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close.
 

Dateline Cumberland AP - Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from 1254 Mulberry street where they discovered what at first appeared to be a home invasion, but what turned out to be an apparent murder suicide attempt gone awry. The deceased was identified as sixty nine year old Patricia Halverson, who had been confined to bed as a result of advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Her seventy year old husband, Albert Halverson was discovered in the basement of his home, in a vintage 1940’s restored phone booth, with a self inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. He was transported to the Western Maryland Regional Hospital where he is currently listed in stable, but guarded condition.
 

Police have reported that the weapon used has not been discovered at this time. Next of kin have been notified and no charges have been filed. Local authorities have offered no further comment on the case. A source that asked to remain anonymous reported the initial 911 call came from a woman who would only identify herself as Pat, and was calling from a phone number that had been phased out in the mid-fifties. We will share more details as they become available. 

THE END

Authors Note: This is one of those stories I really need to revisit as I feel I have not done the story justice here. I was trying to find a way to show what it might be like to be in the mind of someone suffering from Alzheimer Disease. I couldn't very well just say, and he slipped into her mind, so I used the promise he'd made and the memory of it to hopefully bring the reader to the conclusion that  Albert was getting a glimpse of what his wife was going through. 

This story had its roots in a news item that appeared in my local paper. Concerning an older gentleman who killed his wife, then tried to commit suicide, failing to do so. They too were an older married couple and it got me to wondering how someone could kill the person they've loved for so many years. I guess it's true what they say. If you really love someone you will let them go.

If you've been enjoying what you've read why don't you stop by my one of my Author Pages listed below to check out my other work. 

Next week I will start the story DESTINATION UNKNOWN. 

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Fridays 5 with Thaddeus White

Thaddeus White is a writer of speculative fiction (mostly fantasy), and an avid reader of fantasy and classical history. He also likes watching and betting on F1 (with mixed results).

He's released two fantasy novels (Bane of Souls, and Journey to Altmortis) and his new comedy, The Adventures of Sir Edric [Volume One], will be published shortly.

UK Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thaddeus-White/e/B008C6RU98/
US Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thaddeus-White/e/B008C6RU98/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorrisF1
Website: thaddeuswhite.weebly.com
Blog: thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6566678.Thaddeus_White

 1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.)  Several years ago I wrote a story and hawked it around various agents. It wasn't in a fit state to be seen, but the process was taking so long I started writing a new book just to keep my eye in. A few months into that, I started taking the new book seriously, and became more active on the Chrons (a sci-fi/fantasy forum, which includes lots of good writing advice). I took my time with it, and redrafted it a lot.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) Knowing when to stop. No book's ever perfect, so you can redraft until the cow's come home, but at some point you've got to fling it into the open and hope people don't hate it. A related problem in comedy is that when you read your own jokes so many times they lose almost all the humour, so the final check makes it seem like you've written a comedy with no good jokes... [I write both 'serious' and comedy fantasy].

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:
When Sir Edric Greenlock, the Hero of Hornska, is summoned to attend the King in the dead of night he fears imminent execution. The King, however, has something else in mind. Priceless royal seals have been stolen, and the King dispatches Sir Edric to retrieve them in a mission that could optimistically be described as suicidal.

Along the way he'll battle rockheaded golems, terrible sorcery and the Ursk: a race of brutal slavers who consider humans to be edible currency.

Accompanied by his pathologically loyal manservant Dog, the prudish elf Lysandra, and a man called Colin, he must travel to the Unholy Temple to retrieve the royal seals from a mysterious thief.

Sir Edric’s Treasure:

It isn't always nice to be wanted, as Sir Edric discovers when an enormous bounty on his head attracts bounty hunters to him like dung attracts flies. To escape near certain capture, he embarks on a daring quest to pay off his bounty by winning the inheritance of the dying, and obscenely wealthy, Archibald Thrift.

Accompanied by his trusty manservant Dog, Raella the librarian and Belinda, a ten foot nun, he must find the Eye of Wisdom to win Archie's wealth. But he'll need all his cunning to best his rivals for Archie's legacy, and the bounty hunters won't give up their prey easily...

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) In terms of a traditionally published work, I'll tell you in a month or two (The Adventures of Sir Edric [Volume One] hopefully out at the end of March). For self-publishing, I'd worked on Bane of Souls for so long I was glad to finally get it out there. So, there was relief, and when the (mostly) positive reviews came in I was encouraged, and took on board the points that were made for the next book (lots of people said they liked the magic, but felt the start was a bit slow, so I improved that for the following book).

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) Character. Obviously, both matter, but it's possible to make the mundane magical if you've got a witty or intriguing character. I also think people identify with characters and care about them. It's the people in a book that readers want to see succeed or fail, live or die.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.) A mix of writing a first draft, which I really like, and redrafting (which feels a little more like work). I don't just work on one project at once any more, it's both more enjoyable and more effective to keep a few plates spinning at the same time. Enough to keep me on my toes without decorating the floor with broken crockery.

Thaddeus also has an anthology coming out February 15 of this year.

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis:
SOMETIMES THE JOURNEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DESTINATION.

A stone from the starts rips a royal family apart, in a new tale from the banished lands. Weary hero Cam rides to the aid of his dying king, bearing the elixir that may save him. A party of reluctant adventurers pursues a troll across a snowy mountainside – or is it the troll who is hunting them?

Fourteen tales of daring, death, and glory, by fourteen talented writers.

Grab your map, sword, and magical amulet; your journey awaits.

With stories from:

John Gwynne, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Gail Z. Martin, Juliet E McKenna, Julia Knight, Juliana Spink Mills, Jacob Cooper, Samanda R Primeau, Steven Poore, Davis Ashura, Dan Jones, Charlie Pulsipher, Anna Dickinson, and Thaddeus White

Fridays 5 with Shannon Peel

Shannon Peel grew up in Enderby, BC where her family's root run deep. Growing up where television was either non existent or very limited she relied on books & imagination to travel into the world beyond.

She went to UBC to study and earn a general studies BA with a concentration in Political Science and Economics. Macro analysis of world events, social justice and human motivations became a passion of hers. This passion is a driving force in all her stories, which have political, economic, and social justice undercurrents.

After a career in the financial field she decided to stay home and raise her two children until school age. In 2007 she return to the workforce as a sales / marketing / advertising professional.

THIRTEEN is her debut full size paperback novel.

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.) In 2007 I met a lost boy from South Sudan whose story of being an 8 year old child trying to survive a war torn landscape on his own ripped at my heart. My own son at the time was 8 and it pained me to think of him in the same situation. What I found more upsetting was when this young man was trying to survive, the world was fixated on Ethiopia with band-aid and 24 hour famines. How come we didn't know about the struggles just next door in the South Sudan region?

I'd always wanted to write and be a writer, now I had a story. The only problem was, it wasn't my story to tell. No matter how much I tried to make the story empathetic to North American kids, the minute I wrote about the African setting it jumped the reader out of the connection with the main character.

One day when my son was 13 a thought came to me - Bring the war here. If I wanted North American kids to care about children caught in war I needed to make it about them. Take away their freedoms, their technology, their safe neighbourhoods. At the time my son was pulling away from me and the daily struggle was a difficult one. Put both conflicts together and viola - I had a novel.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) Finding the time. As a mother and a woman in the middle of a divorce it was hard to focus on it. The story itself was written in 3 months, it was the revisions, edits, and confidence in my ability that was difficult. I allowed others comments to dictate my story and their fears soon diluted the storyline.

I took a year off from THIRTEEN to focus on other more therapeutic writing, which helped sharpen my skills. When I came back to the novel I was stronger, more confident, and determined to make it. I had some extra money and hired a professional editor. That was the best decision I ever made.

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis: A boy, his mom, a cop, a city under attack. Can Jack find his dad before the soldiers do?

At Thirteen Jack just wants to have fun with friends but his mother's rules keep getting in the way until one morning he wakes up to machine gunfire. Foreign soldiers have invaded his town shutting off the power, cutting off communication, and restricting travel. To make matters worse he doesn't know if his dad is alive, wounded, captured or dead. He just wants to go find him but his mother doesn't care, the soldiers are in his way, and the cop who busted him is no help at all.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) Elated. I have even sold copies of both my paperback and my ebook versions. I have had some good feedback in the form of reviews and I continue to build on my confidence as a writer.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) Character. If you have strong characters you can put them into the story and they write it for you. If readers care about the character than they'll follow him / her into any scenario, twist and turn of the story.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.)  Get up, have my coffee, and work on THIRTEEN's online promotion & offline marketing plan until 9am when I start my paying gig as a customer success coach of an online review site. I drive my kids around, run errands, figure out how to pay for their needs and wants. I work on promo during lunch and in the evenings / weekends. When I'm not working on the promo of THIRTEEN, I'm writing the sequel and next instalment in the series.

Shannon maintains a website at: http://shannonlpeel.wix.com/shannonpeel

Countdown to Halloween: Leigh M Lane

It's day 17, with only 13 more days, 13 more authors, and 13 more new releases until all hallows eve ends this years countdown. Today's special guest is none other than Leigh M Lane, and her book Finding Poe. I reviewed this hauntingly beautiful book last year and was so impressed with the story it made it to my top five for 2012

"Atmospheric, lush, and lyrical, Leigh M. Lane's Finding Poe is a haunting Gothic novel which will delight anyone familiar with the works of Edgar Allan Poe, as well as anyone who enjoys an evocative and classic tale of terror." -horror/mystery author Dana Fredsti.

When reality and fiction collide, there's no telling what horrors might ensue. 

In the wake of her husband's haunted death, Karina must sift through the cryptic clues left behind in order to solve the mystery behind his suicide--all of which point back to the elusive man and author, Edgar Allan Poe.  

Karina soon finds that reality, dream, and nightmare have become fused into one as she journeys from a haunted lighthouse in New England to Baltimore, where the only man who might know the answers to her many questions resides. 

But will she find her answers before insanity rips her grip on reality for good? Might a man she's never met hold the only key to a truth more shocking than even she could have imagined?

Finding Poe was a 2013 EPIC Awards finalist in Horror.

 

 

Click on the image for more info.

 

"Words are like shards of stained glass. By themselves they're worthless; however, when placed together in just the right way, they can become brilliant works of art."
Leigh M. Lane has been writing for over twenty years. She has ten published novels and twelve published short stories divided among different genre-specific pseudonyms. She is married to editor Thomas B. Lane, Jr. and currently resides in the beautiful mountains of western Montana. Her traditional Gothic horror novel, FINDING POE, was a finalist in the 2013 EPIC Awards in horror.
Her other novels include THE HIDDEN VALLEY HORROR, inspired by Barker, Bradbury, and King; WORLD-MART, a tribute to Orwell, Serling, and Vonnegut; and the allegorical tale, MYTHS OF GODS.
For more information about Leigh M. Lane and her writing, visit her website at http://www.cerebralwriter.com.