The Book Club Murders (tentative title of my next mystery novel)

This is the prologue for my next mystery, tentatively titled, The Book Club Murders.



The Book Club Murders

Carin, Jenny, and Mary investigate two murders of their book club members in Rose Creek and Austin, Mn. They are assisted by Beth and Lisa Dolcheski, deputy sheriff of Spirit Grove.


                                                             Prologue
                                                  Rose Creek, Minnesota


She watched and waited, shielded from view by the protective shadows across the street.  It was 10:08 p.m.  The porch light had flicked on and the door had opened.  Laughter permeated the air as women filtered out of the house, saying their goodbyes and then getting into their cars and driving away.
Laura Walters was the last to leave.  She stood clearly illuminated in the porch light as she shared laughs and final words with the host of the monthly book club meeting. Laura said her last goodbye as she turned, exited the porch, and began the four block walk to her home; it was a neatly kept two story colonial on the north side of County Road 4.
The four glasses of wine she had drunk during the "meeting" seemed to warm her innards, although she still pulled the collar tighter against her exposed neck.  She wore no hat as she braved the winter chill and negotiated the icy sidewalk guiding her to her house, slipping and sliding a little as she proceeded.  A wordless, ephemeral melody flowed from her lips, guaranteeing that she would pay little attention to her surroundings.
Nightstick in hand, the stalker inched closer to her target until she was only a few steps behind.
The night was quiet except for Laura's singing and the crunching sound made when their boots mashed chunks of ice on the sidewalk.  Both figures stopped when Laura ceased vocalizing the wordless melody and turned to see the one behind her.
Her eyes brightened, losing the dull sheen of inebriety.  "I thought-."  Before Laura could finish the sentence the nightstick crashed into her skull several times, sprinkling the sidewalk and snow with spatters of blood.
Breathing heavily, the stalker removed a glove and felt for a pulse in Laura's neck.  There was none.  "One down," she said to no one and then quickly returned to her vehicle two blocks away.

Gymocha books

I've been busy with a basement renovation project and left with little time to write, but did manage to sketch out a very iffy outline for a novel about brothers.

My current idea, and I say current, because my brain was in flux when I formulated it, is to begin with a scene that involves all three brothers in a life altering event.  However, I am fairly certain that will change a couple of times before finally settling on what I might consider a beginning that could have potential.

 I have two other stories begun with rough prologues and another one with a simple idea written down and saved.  I may take a longer time working on all of these as I flesh out plot lines.

 So, oh well.  I'll keep plugging away with ideas and frameworks for a story about brothers.  I have a feeling that I'll be wrestling with this for awhile.

Oh, I almost forgot my main reason for posting today, and that is, both of my books, Trust Me Now and Cassandra's Moon, are now available at Gymocha.

I attended an author presentation last night at the Austin Public Library.  Peter Geye talked about the two books he had written and published.  The first was Safe From the Sea.  His second novel, which he had to be asked about by an attendee, was The Lighthouse Road.  Although I haven't read either one, my wife has and highly recommended both to me.  I will be reading them.

I was struck by the humble and honest presentation from Mr. Geye.  I was also impressed by his reading of a short section from his first novel, Safe From the Sea.  Mr. Geye, I think is an honest to goodness fine human being who has an endearing interest in becoming a good writer.  Based upon what I heard, he's already there.

His presentation actually inspired me to write a story about brothers and explore the interactions, differences, inconsistencies, and love that exists among them.  Since I have two brothers I have some background to drawn upon.  Although my younger brother died in an ATV accident several years ago, memories never seem to fade, and he is as alive today within me as he was when we were young.

My older brother has lived a colorful life and I would certainly draw upon some of his experiences as I try to weave a story that would allow people to laugh, and maybe even shed a few happy tears, hopefully in recognition of similar interactions with their own siblings.

 It will be a different type of writing for me, but I'm excited about trying something like this.  Hopefully, I will be able to turn out a good product, because, in the end,  I, like Peter Geye, would eventually like to be known as a good person, father, husband, and...writer.

Cassandra's Moon

My second book, Cassandra's Moon, is finally ready and published on Amazon.com.  It is available as either a Kindle ebook or paperback.  It completes the first book I wrote, Trust Me Now, but in a strange way can stand on its own.  I believe you could read the second book and get the feeling of what fundamentally happened in the first book through my use of flashbacks at two or three different points along the way.

I'm quite happy with how it turned out and am now turning my attention to writing a murder mystery involving a book club and a few of the characters from my first two novels.