As a gift to you, I'm sharing one of the novel's I've written. This is the one that has come closest to being published. Each post contains one chapter. I hope you enjoy it!
Running:
A quick note about my blog. I started this a few years ago because I love running and writing and wanted to tie the two together. But due to unfortunate circumstances and bad genes, I can no longer run. That doesn't mean I don't love running and seeing runners doing what I once did. I pass them as I drive through my happy little village and cheer them on, even though they don't know it.
Writing:
I started dreaming about writing a novel when I was eleven years old. I attempted it a few times, but never got far until about 10 years ago--after the invention of computers and access in nearly every home. Now writing is so easy! Here's a writing tip: Research. At my fingertips are answers to many things I wonder about as I write. I'm addicted to Google. I search road maps, baby names, foods, places--you name it! Yes, writing is much easier now. Oh, plus my kids are all grown up.
Yep, that's me in the middle, beginning or end of some story. Who knows, maybe I'm Googling at the moment.
Secrets at Midnight
Leona Palmer Haag
Chapter 27
Heaviness dragged on Matt’s heart. As Jenn suggested, he had
no reliable contacts, no information, and was running blind.
After breakfast Jenn stood on the front porch and surveyed
her surroundings while he kept his eye on her. She finally returned to the
cabin and silently passed him, grabbed a bucket and rummaged in a cupboard
until she found what she was looking for—dish detergent. She squirted a stream
into the bucket before heading to the pump. She sloshed her way back to the
porch and began scrubbing Katie's clothes. He joined her, leaning on the
railing. “Your handgun won't stop a bear.”
Jenn paused, wiping hair from her forehead. “I take it
you're warning me?”
“These woods are crawling with wild animals.”
“Uh-huh.” She resumed scrubbing. “You want me to stay
indoors, or what?”
He wanted to sit her down and teach her a few things, but
simply said, “I know you're smart, but I'm not sure if you know much.”
She scowled. “Oh, thanks. Big confidence boost there.”
He folded his arms across his chest and watched her plunge
Katie’s towel in and out of icy water. “You’ve never lived in the wilds.” She
ignored him so he headed back inside the cabin.
“Where are you going and when will you be back?” Jenn asked
when he returned to the porch with a dusty backpack filled with things he'd
found that might prove useful in a reconnoitering mission.
“Scouting. When you're done with that, go inside and lock
the door. You know my knock.”
“Don’t open to bears?”
“Or wolves or mountain lions or….”
She halted him. “I know. There’s danger lurking around every
corner—the boogie man, a bear—and you. But only you know the knock.”
He laughed and abandoned the city girls and headed across
the meadow. If he wasn't certain they'd be safe he would have sat in the
rickety rocker on the porch and guarded them, gun in hand. He raised his arm in
parting when he looked back. Jenn’s return wave resembled a get lost signal.
In concentric circles, Matt explored. Like ripples in a pond
he pushed the mission farther outward. His first major discovery was a
dilapidated hunting blind—a perfect lookout post if needed—where he could
survey the landscape for miles beyond the meadow below.
With sunshine beating down and removing all memory of the
previous night's chill, Matt gazed toward the cabin. As hoped, it was invisible
to the untrained eye.
Continuing on he came upon bear markings, but not recent.
By early afternoon he stood on a distant edge of the ravine,
and by late afternoon he'd reached the bottom. He picked his way around
boulders before he was sure the cabin perched above him. He looked up hoping to
see only a shadow, but sunlight reflected off the rear windows in silvery
sheets. There wasn't anything short of vandalism that could prevent it.
Another glimmer of silver caught his eye,
momentarily stopping his heart. Reflections off a rifle barrel? No, it was a
faraway cabin that probably posed no threat. He hiked until he found the little
wooden shelter with a single window facing the setting sun. I stood vacant and
in worse neglect than his friend's. Small animals had staked their claim,
littering the floor with droppings. He retrieved a dented tin beer stein depicting
reveling men in knickers, and shoved it in his pack before retreating.
End Chapter 27
I've discovered that the line spacing doesn't always copy/paste the way I want. Sorry about that. Also, some paragraphs aren't indenting. I hope that's not confusing you. I try to catch them all, but suspect I'm not because after I copy/paste I'm not reading the chapter. Anyway, comment about it in the post if you find something annoying and it's bugging you. Thanks!
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