~Leveling up~
When I first starting writing, I had certain goals. I won’t mention them here, but let’s just say I’ve had to readjust a few.
Writing is hard work, getting reviews for what you’ve written is even harder. Even so, I appreciate each one and over time, they do add up. I guess I could assemble a review team in the hundreds, but I haven’t yet. Maybe someday, but for now the steady pace of 1 rating or review per month is just fine.
Which is almost exactly what I’ve averaged. I put out my first book at the end of 2016, December 22 to be exact. (Which is my father-in-law’s birthday. I regret he wasn’t here for it. He went on home ahead of us just a few months before that day, but it was his encouragement that prompted me to finally get the book out there. I dedicated the book to him, and I still miss you Jimmy!) That’s been four solid years and a few months ago, about 50 months total.
So I feel like I’ve finally broken through a few milestones with the first in each of my trilogies. For my Grace Finder Saga book 1, Remnant, I’ve finally gotten over the threshold of 50 ratings. About 36 of those are reviews. For Renegade Realms, the first book in my Sword & Spirit trilogy, I’ve finally passed 30 ratings – 15 of which are reviews. Both books have over 4 star averages. I’m counting that as leveling up or whatever you’d call it if this writing gig was a video game.
(Not a link. Just a photo of the level up.)
I’ve also given away about 5000 copies of each of these books. Sometime in late 2020, I passed the milestone of giving away 10 thousand books. I was a bit stunned when I realized this. I mean who gives away so many books? I must be crazy.
Anywho. In case you still haven’t picked up either of my trilogies, I have assembled all ebooks for both trilogies in boxed sets and fixed the price at $3.99 for each of those sets. Here’s a few links to get you there:
The Sword & Spirit Trilogy box set
These don’t have reviews yet, but the ratings are starting to come in. If you know of anyone who could use a good deal on some crazy Christian fiction, then send those links their way. Or just show them to this post. Word of mouth will always be the best way for readers to get the word out for us authors. So, speaking for myself, and a whole slew of other wordslingers, thanks so very, very much.
~Recommendations~
Speaking of word of mouth, I do indeed practice what I preach. So let me tell you about a few of my author friends who have awesome new releases. These are guys who are from around my neck of the woods, so to speak. A bit younger than myself, so I commend both for getting that first book out there and not waiting as long as I did. Although, I haven’t finished reading either book, I recommend both without reservation.
The first is by Stephen Arnold. Below the Dome (The Saga of the Silver City Book 1), is the first in a series, available as an ebook or in paperback.
As its Amazon page tells us, “Stories are never just stories. Stories come from somewhere true, even if they themselves are not.”
Katchan’s only guide in a dreamlike wasteland is the path of the sun. He is accompanied only by the last written story from his Grandma Maggaline and a mysterious red rock that earned him the jealous rage of the village Elder. But Katchan cannot read. He does not know whence the rock came or what it really is. All he knows is that he must find the village below the dome…or perish.”
To check it out just click the cover:
The second is by Jared B. Sharpe – The Revelation: Book 1 in The Revelation Series. Jared offers us the choice of ebook, paperback, hardback, and as if that wasn’t enough, he even offers an edition especially for younger readers.
The book description reads thusly: Behind the high-rising walls of Southern Guard, a fortified city built to protect its citizens from a catastrophic pandemic disease, Darvin Flint is graduating from his youth military regimen. Unable to escape the childhood trauma of his sister’s infection and abduction, Darvin is determined to uncover the thirteen-year-old mystery behind his sister’s disappearance as he leaves his family for special ops training in the capital city of New Province.
To check it out just click the cover:
So there you go. Can’t go wrong with either one. Heck, just do what I did and buy both. (Gonna post some reviews on those bad boys too, soon as I finish reading them.)
~Sneak Peek~
Now then, if you’ve read this far, I’ve got that sneak peek I mentioned in my last email (for those of you on my mailing list, anyway – and, now that I think about it, for those of you who are reading this but aren’t on my mailing list… What are you waiting for? I won’t spam you. Just ask my readers. Only good stuff from my mailbox to yours. I don’t even really think of it as a mailing list. You’ll become part of my awesome Reader’s Group, which I affectionately refer to as my ‘Fellowship of Readers’.)
But I digress. Sorry about that. And before we get into the sneak peek, first allow me a short intro:
I posted scene 1 many moons ago. In this post, I have that scene and a new one that you haven’t read. (Unless you support me on Patreon. So thanks again to those who do. You know who you are!)
That said, parts of scene 1 have changed since it was first on my blog. Scene 2 is posted immediately following, so just keep scrolling till you reach the end. You’ll know when you get there.
As for the book for which this is the intro, I’m fleshing it out right now. I have many scenes already written and progress is finally being made. The tentative title of the series is “Return of the Magi“. Tentative title for book 1 is ‘Thorn in the Flesh’. This is going to be a Christian Fantasy Series that reads somewhat like a thriller.) Ready? Here we go….
Return of the Magi, book 1: Thorn in the Flesh
Chapter 1
Amber usually drove like a bat out of hell. But, for once, she took each curve with caution, changing lanes with careful precision. The reason — a naked female body, unconscious and riding shotgun.
Careful not to shift the weight of her ‘passenger’, Amber Vinceni slowed to make another turn. She spared a sideways glance.
With a blanket carefully draped and tucked, her rider appeared to be sleeping — slumped against the door of the VW bug, eyes closed and lips slightly parted.
Amber focused again on the highway. The young woman beside her definitely wasn’t sleeping, but she wasn’t exactly dead either. Still, Amber couldn’t afford to get pulled over. There was no room for error and little time to spare.
So she kept her car just under the speed limit. For now. Soon there would be no choice but a straight ahead, pedal to the floor, last ditch effort for freedom. Just one stop for some crucial, last minute preparations, before she threw caution to the wind.
And though her current pace set every nerve on edge, Amber had to admit things were going smoothly. Santa Cruz traffic wasn’t bad, and her employers had yet to notice anything amiss. She knew this because, so far, no warning text from her inside accomplice.
“Thank God for you, Bobby Serrano,” she muttered under her breath.
But it was just a matter of time. Despite Bobby’s best efforts, they would find the empty chamber. And once they did, the response would be quick, and the chase would be on.
“Why couldn’t I be normal?” she asked aloud for the millionth time, another sign she was on the edge. “Sling hash at the Waffle House, mix drinks, be a barista, anything. Just had to be a genius, and finally prove myself to … to whoever it was.” She eased to a stop for a traffic light, sighing impatiently.
She drummed the fingers of her right hand on the steering wheel, her other arm draped along the door, with windows down and the convertible roof back. Glancing skyward she said, “Thanks again for the superior genes Mom and Dad, whoever you are.” The light turned green, and she moved along.
Even though Amber was a genius, a fact she had down-played or outright hidden most of her life, it was a general distrust and paranoia which had kept her alive. So her intellect always seemed both a blessing and a curse. This time it was taking her down a rabbit hole that just might lead to a snare.
But if she could just get this done, put this one day behind her, then she’d go quickly underground, forge a fake identity, and start a new, quiet life – a fresh start with none of this nonsense. If she could pull off her plan, crazy as it was, then she swore she’d lie low for the rest of her life.
To calm herself, she started a short trip down memory lane, maybe that would distract her from this ludicrous reality: a 25 year old genius, in a ragged old Volkswagen, absconding with a stolen body, and soon to be running for her life.
She started with the group home, where the state had finally dumped her when she was about five.
——-
Amber Rose Vinceni spent her childhood dreaming of the day her ‘real parents’ would show up. She imagined how they’d rescue her from the group home, pull her out of foster care, then reveal her wonderful true identity.
She would then discover she was heir to a vast fortune, or maybe a real life Princess, or perhaps even her favorite wish—a magical being from another realm. And she’d been hidden, not orphaned or abandoned, until such time as the coast was clear and a dreaded danger passed—making way for destiny and prophecies to be fulfilled.
It would all come together in time, just like in the books she loved; wondrous tales of fantasy and magic, where anything was possible. Even for misfits like her. The pieces would fall into place one by one, until her puzzle of a life slowly became a beautiful masterpiece.
In her dreams there was, of course, a final, unexpected hurdle: an obstacle to overcome or villain to vanquish. But, with a new set of steadfast friends at her side, Amber would triumphantly prevail as she reclaimed her rightful station. One where she was valued and important, but most of all, loved.
All that changed when her House Mother, Mrs. Sparks passed away. The lady, sweet as she was, had simply grown old and tired. Her body worn down from the constant care she gave to others, like Amber and the other girls in the home – especially her three closest friends, probably her only friends. After their House Mother’s death, the girls scattered and didn’t see each other again for almost ten years.
So it was that, at 15, Amber realized none of her fairy tale crap was ever going to happen. She stopped hoping for happily-ever-after, firmly shutting her mind to magic, make-believe, and other such nonsense. She put those fantasy books away and turned to ones which dealt with solely practical matters.
More importantly, she stopped waiting on those imaginary parents to waltz in and rescue her, turning instead to the one person she could depend on. Herself. She applied her mind to science, and it was the combination of self-reliance with tried-and-true methods, not some wish-upon-a-star daydream, which finally turned everything around.
She graduated college with honors, multiple job offers already on the table. But before she could pick among those lucrative options, Amber was recruited by a clandestine agency. With access to the most advanced technology, she would be paid to push the boundaries of science.
It was a no-brainer. Finally, a dream had come true. Not because she wished and waited for a gift from above as the stars aligned, but because she earned it. Through sweat, blood, and determination, one by one, doors either opened or got kicked down.
Though Omniverz had ushered her in, Amber knew her intellect and work ethic made her stand out and got her noticed. She’d stepped into her place by leaning on her own strengths and relying on things worth believing in.
So, of course, when they picked her again for a project requiring the highest level clearance she took the offer, no problem, and very few questions asked.
——
It was a decision she now regretted. Only two years in and, just like her childhood dreams, her adult ones came undone. With one horrid revelation after another, Amber’s life unraveled, culminating a mere week ago, when she’d discovered the clone.
Though she could only guess at the reasons, it was immediately obvious … her high tech benefactor, Omniverz, had taken its first cold and calculated steps to betray her.
Which left Amber just one option.
Beat them to the punch. Kill herself before Omniverz could pry out the secrets locked inside her mind, or frame her for some horrific crime – something crucial to their next nefarious plan, or fake her death so they could do with her as they pleased. Hell, maybe all of the above, or even more.
Switching lanes, she spared another sideways glance at the young woman, if it could even be called that.
Amber shook her head. “Like looking in a mirror.” Snugging her sunglasses, she smirked and added, “After tequila and a poker game with Jenny.”
She focused again on the road, but touched the photo of Jenny, Sasha, Tori, and herself taped to the dashboard.
“I’m so sorry… for everything.” She swallowed her tears. “And I know I swore on your graves to make ’em pay…” Her heart was wracked with guilt as she finished in a sorrowful whisper, “But I’m so tired of this constant struggle. If I can start a new life … well, I hope you can understand.”
For once, there was no reply from beyond.
Silent and unmoving, her clone likewise said nothing. Just sat there, propped against the window and, except for the quilt, as naked as the day the Omniverz ‘scientists’ had likely moved it from a tiny vial into its first amniotic tank.
Amber checked the running stopwatch on her wrist — 13 minutes and counting. She’d started it right before pulling the IV, so she could then pile her doppelgänger onto a gurney.
How long before they missed the body? An hour if she was lucky, but probably only minutes. She made a mental rundown. Yeah, this was going to be close.
She steered through central Santa Cruz with grim determination. There was time for a pit stop. Had to be. She needed to do this right, after all.
A few turns later, she wheeled into the drive, pulled around back, and killed the engine.
Leaving the VW convertible she affectionately called ‘Bug’, Amber unlocked the back door. This part of the flat was sectioned off to give its elderly owner another stream of income. Amber had rented the space since graduating from the University. She poked her head in and managed a weary smile.
Everything seemed perfectly out of place. Half-eaten pizza. Guitar on the sofa. Unfinished sketch and pencils on the coffee table. There was even a set of clippers still next to a tiny pile of fingernails.
Her slobbish tendencies were finally paying off.
She stepped inside. Turned on the television to leave it streaming a service that would soon be on the hook for its monthly fee.
She peered into the kitchenette and then the small bathroom. Everything looked nice and lived in. As if she were out for a drive and coming right back. Good. She walked to her bedroom.
Amber slipped from her denim jacket and tossed it to the bed. She opened a drawer then traded her clothes for her favorite drysuit. The Pacific would be cold. She realized how bone-tired she was as she rummaged through her jacket. She found her cell and checked the time.
20:26. Things were moving right along. No call yet, so she just might have a moment to catch her breath.
The phone buzzed in her hand. Frowning, she touched an icon:
I’ve just opened the chamber. Wherever you are, keep moving.
Though it wasn’t Bobby’s fault, she curse her informant’s timing. She turned her wrist and reset the stopwatch.
Now it was definitely a race. And she wasn’t entirely sure she could win.
Amber took a deep breath. Here goes everything. She finished zipping the drysuit and prepared to fake her death. Phone in hand, she pulled up her social media.
No time for Ambrosia Vinn, her internet persona, to properly release the “Sassy Survivalist’s” tip of the day. Tonight would have to be different. Just a quick note:
On Hiatus.
She’d long ago decided against automated posts. No canned pre-made material. Off the cuff was more her style. In this way her posts reflected the immediacy of her subject matter.
Improvise, adapt, overcome. Expect the unexpected … then deal with it. Survive.
Besides, her followers were her tribe. Each post needed to be fresh, interaction as close to real time as possible.
But more important than either of those things, was the particular segment of followers she called “Ghosts”. Though few in number, they were the most savvy handful of people she’d never met. They could read between the lines, even on a two word post, and know something was up. She was betting her life on it.
All the while, she never stopped moving—kicking off her sneakers and slipping on her water shoes. Then, working with a careful, yet swift, efficiency, Amber swapped her SIM card with one designed to scrub all data—while providing a complete set of fake info. The cell would probably go unchecked, might even get crushed or lost before all this was done, but better safe than stupid.
While ‘Little Genie’, as Bobby had called the fresh SIM, worked it’s magic, Amber tucked her phone back into the denim jacket, burying it deep within an inside pocket. She sealed her old SIM into the sleeve of her drysuit.
She draped the jacket over an elbow, grabbed the clothes she’d been wearing, and returned to her car. Two minutes and counting.
Amber dressed the stolen body. Limp and unresponsive, her twin offered no help, but no active resistance either. But there was that awkward, drooping head atop a cumbersome torso and dangling limbs. Finally she got the denim jacket in place and closed the passenger door.
She slid behind the wheel of her Volkswagen, started Bug’s engine, kept the top down, and headed for the sea. She checked the stopwatch. Seven minutes since Bobby’s text.
Chapter 2
Alarms blared to life throughout the complex. Grant Mager, head of Operations, bolted from his desk. He stormed from his office and down the hall.
The intercom confirmed his greatest fear; “Code Alpha Victor. Station in lockdown. Chimera Team respond, all others shelter in place. I repeat…”
It would take Mager a full three minutes to reach the chamber. Meanwhile an armed detail swept through the building, covering assigned sectors before taking final positions. They ignored Mager, of course. Everyone knew his face, and his expression invited no questions. On his way, he retina scanned past two security doors then finally approached Chamber Delta.
This one required the whole trifecta: retina, badge reader, and hand geometry. The door gave a pneumatic sigh and clicked as electromagnets released. Mager threw the handled lever to open the hatch.
Once inside, he spotted the man who’d sounded the alarm. Dr. Bobby Serrano, resident genius, sat hunched at a console, alternately typing and scrolling. Beyond Bobby an adult-sized incubator sat conspicuously empty, its access panel raised. Beside it, tubes dangled from a half-spent IV bag.
Mager barked as he marched over, leaving the door ajar, “Bobby, how the hell did this happen?”
Bobby Serrano didn’t flinch or even look up. “Running through data now.”
“Well run faster! I want answers.”
The man replied with calm precision, eyes on the screen. “I’ll get those answers. But don’t waste your fear-of-God tactics on me. Might work with the lab rats, but it just slows me down and you know it.” While he spoke, Bobby never stopped scrolling and scanning. “I’m looking for patterns. Anomalies. Now please close that hatch until we know what we’re dealing with… sir.”
Mager went to the heavy door and closed it. Electromagnets engaged, slamming locks back into place. He returned to Serrano and crossed his arms, saying nothing while he hovered near the man’s shoulder.
“There.” Bobby pulled his hand from the mouse. “Now that’s clever. Can’t believe we didn’t think of it.”
Though he only caught a glimpse of what Serrano saw, Mager was no fool. “Scraps of coded biometric data … from who?”
Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Who do you think?” He gave a slight nod toward the incubator.
Grant Mager whispered his disbelief, “The clone?” Like every member of the upper echelon, he was fluent in all things related to Operation Dolly. Still, he couldn’t discriminate strings of code like “Brainiac Bobby”, as they called the man behind his back.
Bobby continued, “Yeah, but not just any scraps.” He moved his finger across the screen, indicating multiple portions of code. “Here’s a piece corresponding to her right hand. It’s physical measurements, skin tone, the works.”
Mager leaned in. “Yeah, but it’s incomplete.” He squinted. “Which database is this?”
“Security access.”
“But her data’s confined to —”
“Research programs, I know.” Serrano finally turned his chair to face Mager. “Somehow specific chunks of her data were moved from those programs into this one.”
Grant Mager tapped his smart watch. “Silvan, report to Chamber Delta, ASAP.”
A calm voice replied, “Already en route. I know what Alpha Victor means. Figured you’d need my help.”
Mager didn’t answer. Instead he furrowed his brow at Bobby. “I see where you’re going with all this, but Vinceni would still need a badge.”
Bobby sighed. “What information’s actually on a badge?”
Grant shrugged. “Name, rank, department, a photo…”
Bobby waved him to stop. “That’s all cosmetic. The real info’s in the strip.” He held up his own badge to slip a finger along the dark magnetic line. “We’re not lazy, and she knew it. This strip encodes just enough DNA to match against our personnel database, which includes employees and test subjects.”
Mager’s eyes went wide. “So she hacked in here and started moving info around. Set up a profile from the outside, using data already in our system.”
“Data to which she’d be a perfect match,” Serrano said. “No way anyone could extract information or insert data from the outside. A mere civilian wouldn’t know where to start anyway. But she would. And, like you said, all she’d have to do is move data already in the system. Across partitions, mind you, but it wouldn’t lock down if she wasn’t introducing non-native data or attempting a download.”
“So Amber Vinceni just strolled in here and stole a body.” Tension was rising in Mager’s tone.
Bobby let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m doubting she strolled, and according to the access logs the chamber was opened by ARV 2.0, but yeah she came in and stole a clone. Her clone.” Bobby rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Which of course means that somehow she found out about it in the first place.”
“Dammit!” Mager was livid, but kept thinking aloud; “So she found out we cloned her, then she set up a dummy profile using the clone’s data, all so she could break in and steal that clone.” He slammed his palm against a counter. “Which still doesn’t explain how she got past our firewalls, even if she does — did work here.”
Bobby nodded agreement. “You’re right. Everything’s encrypted and encryption codes are changed every 24 hours.” Bobby stood. “She had help from higher up.”
Before Mager could respond, the door wheezed, clicked, then opened. In walked a slim, muscular man who looked to be in his forties.
Erik Silvan sported a black t-shirt, faded jeans, combat boots, and a sidearm. He looked to Mager. “You called?”
Grant acknowledged with a fake grin. “Yeah, hold your horses.” Mager looked back to Bobby. “How many people can actually access this chamber?”
Bobby’s face puckered in confusion. Surely Mager knew. Still, after a moment’s hesitation, he answered, “Seventeen. Various personnel from three main departments; Ops, Security, and Research, … and Mr. Silvan here.”
“You included Erik in that number?”
Bobby bristled with indignation. “Of course.”
Which earned him a dark glare. “How about …” Mager spoke his next three words slowly and deliberately, “…Amber Rose Vinceni?”
Bobby swallowed. Sweat glistened on his face. “Which none of us expected.”
“Right.” Mager snorted, then turned back to Silvan. “Find Amber. Bring her to me, alive. And retrieve the clone.”
Silvan moved to leave, but Mager stopped him. “Wait.” He held out a hand. “Loan me that sidearm.”
The man unholstered his pistol and placed it in Mager’s palm.
Grant Mager turned the gun, inspecting it. He chambered a round, disengaged the safety, then pointed the weapon center of Bobby’s forehead.
Bobby Serrano paled. “Grant! What the hell?”
Mager tilted his head and gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry. You’re right.” He dropped the barrel, and both arms went benignly to his sides. His head bowed as he spoke, with mock remorse, “You’re head of Research and the best code monkey I’ve ever seen. Hell, best mind on the entire west coast. Can’t kill you. I need you, right?” He peered up, head still down-turned.
“Damn right you need me.” Bobby declared, a slight tremble in his voice.
Mager looked back to Silvan. “Sorry. I’m wasting precious time. Still…” He turned again to Bobby, this time with an icy stare. He angled the gun ever so slightly and pulled the trigger.
Bobby howled as the bullet pierced his foot. He dropped to his chair, while a spent cartridge tap-danced across the floor.
Mager handed the gun back to Silvan.
With cool detachment, Erik Silvan removed the magazine then retrieved the newly chambered round. He slid it back atop the others, shoved the magazine into place, reset the safety, then holstered his weapon. If anything in the transaction had bothered the man, it never showed. He disappeared out the door.
To Serrano, Mager said, “This whole thing is on you! Find me that inside help, as you called it, or the next one goes through your skull.”
The head of Operations turned away, while Bobby sat wincing, cradling a bloody foot in his hands. Without another word, Mager exited the chamber to storm back down the hall.
He did not close the door behind him.
So there you have it. I’ll update again soon. Hopefully by the end of the month. Let me know if you want me to keep dropping the chapters as I go. Just drop me a line at jsw@jsworth.com. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume you just want to wait and get it all at once.
However, as I’ve said before, if you’re one of my Patrons, you know you’ll be seeing the newest chapters on Patreon either way, and always before the rest of the world. Again, thank you all for everything and may God richly bless you.
Peace,
JSW