Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How have you been? I'm well. I survived last week, which was our stressful yearly audit for food safety at the day job. I hear we did very well. For those who recall me talking about the left knee, it continues to improve. I have been getting great workouts in, 4-6 days a week. I have lost 14 lbs or so and feel great. I eat more fruit, watch my portions and drink light beer. *grins* If I overdue it over a weekend (Food, not alcohol), I know how long I have to run in order to burn off those calories.
Now, many of you may have noticed that I haven't been promoting much of Dance on Fire, nor has much been said about Flashpoint, it's sequel. There have been some bumps in the road, but those appear to be over. 'Nuff said! I will tell you that it shouldn't be long now. It's in that spirit that I would like to offer you this teaser of the forthcoming novel. This will be edited once more before it's published, but it's pretty close. Many thanks for all who have continued to ask for the next book. Now, allow me to quickly set it up...
It is about five years later since the events of Dance on Fire. Michael Lopez is now the Chief of Police. He has started his workday just as he always does. He gets to work and turns on his computer to find a note from Nathaniel. The vampire has moved away to a place of solitude and introspection, hoping to find out whether there might yet be a place for him in God's plans. Being a creature of the dead, he had assumed there was not.
As
soon as his Hotmail account had downloaded, something three mails down in his
inbox on the left side of the screen jumped to his attention. The width was not
long enough to see the entire message, but he understood the gist of it.
Facebook. New message from NathanielL...
The
look on the chief’s face that presented itself there upon reading the line was
neither a frown nor a look of glee. It was
one of interest to be sure. Without pause, Michael opened another window and logged
into his Facebook account. As it downloaded, the chief took a glance toward the
open door and into the hallway beyond. He felt a pang of guilt as he waited.
All but the cadets and Community Service Officers had access to the internet in
the Police Department, and yes, he would be upset to find that his officers and
detectives spent department time and resources fooling around on networking
sites such as Facebook, Twitter or even the new Google Plus, just as he was
doing now. He continued anyway.
When
the page came up, a snapshot of he, Barbara, Jerod, Robbie and Rebekah posing
merrily before Snow White’s castle at Disneyland
taken this past Christmas stared back at him. It was a ten month
old picture, and although the twins looked as if they were a full two years
older by now and Jerod had begun shaving, he loved it because it was a
beautiful time that he did not want to take for granted.
He
moved his mouse to the top left corner of the page and clicked the Messages
Icon. He then went to the new message and opened it. The tiny photo at the top
left hand corner of the message was not a face but a vista of what appeared to
be a tranquil water garden somewhere. He guessed what it was because he had
visited it once before, although then it had been in the middle of the night,
and it had been a rushed visit.
Michael, how is everybody? I trust all are
well. I am well. I still struggle at times with demons, as you well know, but
for the most part things are going well for me here. Tell Barbara to continue
praying. Her prayers have been extremely effectual. It takes me forever to use
this contraption, but I have the time. That is a joke. Was it amusing? How is
the town? Quiet? I hope so. How is Mark doing? I fear his relationship with
Vanessa cannot stand, but I would not want him to know about this. What of
their child? Thank you for the photographs that Barbara sent to me. They just
arrived. I believe that I was the one who asked for a remote location, is that
right? Another joke. The photographs are glorious to behold and I do so often.
Jerod reminds me of you. Do I detect a shadow of growth on the young man’s
face? It is very faint, but please do not tell him that I said this. Tell him I
cannot even look upon his face by candlelight because his dark beard blinds me.
Joke#3. How do the young ones like school? I am particularly intrigued to hear
how they do there. They have such spirit, those two. I do not wish to take up
too much of your time. The monks tease me that I take so long at the computer.
They say that they could rewrite whole books of the Bible by dipping a feather
into an inkwell and writing on parchment before I could but answer one tiny
e-mail. They are extremely fortunate that I do not believe in shedding human
blood or else they would not be so cruel to me. Joke#5. Very well, my friend.
Blessings to both you and your family. Nathaniel L.
Joke number 6, Michael thought as he
reread the message one last time before closing it and logging out of the
Facebook page. Nathaniel used an additional “L” at the end of his user name as
if his full name had been Nathaniel Lopez and he was their eldest child and
away at college. Michael shook his head with a grin as he closed down the
internet and reached for some police reports and duty logs that needed his
approval and final signatures. He planned to reply to the message before he
went home for the day. He had time. After all, it was 8:30 am and the vampire would not be up for another thirteen hours or so.
We'll talk soon.
We'll talk soon.
