I’ve got a massive backlist out there, but I’m focusing mostly on my indie releases now, which a lot of my readers haven’t heard of yet. So we’re going to be putting up excerpts of the indie work I’ve done—both full length and short collections, each Wednesday, to encourage you to give my new work a try.
Today’s excerpt comes from Holiday Spirits.
Buy Links:
Kindle: https://goo.gl/731NxG
Nook: https://goo.gl/yTbqkV
iBooks: https://goo.gl/Dg56P4
Kobo: https://goo.gl/mD6KCj
MORNING HIT ALL too quickly. But the storm from the night before had let up and sunlight glared off the blanket of white, splashing through the living room window. I shaded my eyes as the unexpected brilliance washed across my face. As I threw off the afghan and struggled to sit up, I saw that Joe wasn’t in the recliner and Jimbo had already rolled up the sleeping bag.
Yawning, I rubbed my eyes and blinked again, suddenly remembering everything that had gone on the night before. I groaned.
“You okay, Mom?” Randa was sitting at my desk, poring over a college catalog.
“It’s not fair. We should get a grace period in the morning before we have to remember the crap that went on the day before. Right?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I agree.” She set down the catalog and settled beside me on the sofa, taking my hand. “Mom, what happened last night? Whatever it is, it’s really bad, isn’t it?”
I winced, dreading telling her, but she’d find out sooner or later and I’d rather be the one to break the news. “Your brother got himself in a fair bit of trouble last night.”
“What happened? Was it Sly?”
I shrugged. “Yes. Well, Kip could have said no.” As quickly as I could, I outlined the basics of what had happened. “I have to go to court Monday with Kip. We’ll know more then.”
“Poor Mrs. Standers. Oh man, a gun? I didn’t think Kip had it in him to do something that stupid.”
“Well, Sly was the one with the gun, thank gods. Not Kip.”
Randa glanced at me. “What’s going to happen to him?”
“I really don’t know, sweetie. If we’re lucky, a fine, restitution, and probation. Maybe community service, which I think would be a good thing. If we’re not lucky—well…I don’t want to think about that right now, if you don’t mind. Don’t say anything about this to him. We can’t be sure what his punishment will be till then.” I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it. “Don’t tease him about it. Kip knows he’s in for some hell about this, and he also lost his best friend. As for Sly, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for the boy. His mother was cooking up meth over there and Sly might be addicted.”
Randa made a noise between a grunt and a sigh. “Wouldn’t surprise me.” She paused, then, just as she was about to say something, a shriek echoed from upstairs. Kip.
