Casting Lots

New to this series? You may begin reading from the beginning of the story by clicking here.

 ***

“Who will cast the lots?” Mahli asked.

“Let the new priest do it,” Uzziel, another of the older priests, waved a withered hand at the youth.

Jaaziah slapped Shelomoth on the back. “So it shall be, for he is no longer a boy. He is a man among men, a member of the priestly order of Abijah.” He took the stones out of a pouch and handed them to Shelomoth.

Shelomoth pressed the stones to his chest, closed his eyes, and bowed his head in a moment of silent prayer. He released the pebbles upon the floor where they bounced and spun before stopping.

“The dark one is closest to Zechariah. We must choose again,” said Jakin.

“I agree. He is too old,” added Pethahiah.

“No, the lot falls to Zechariah and so it shall be,” declared Jaazia. “Age is of no matter.”

“Perhaps I have seen a ghost.” Zechariah reached behind his back for the rope. He tied one end to his ankle and rose with his back bent over and stiff. Dragging the rope behind him, he shuffled off to the holy place carrying his little oil lamp.

Jakin sat back against the wall to be more comfortable. “We will have a long wait.”

“How long can it take him? He is old and slow, but the task is simple and will not take so long as you think,” replied Jaaziah. “Let us carry our end of the rope and join the crowd in prayer.” Jaaziah stood up, followed by Shelomoth and then the others except Jakin.

Jakin scrutinized the others, grunted as he stood up. “Let’s get on with it.”

In the empty chamber of the priests, the tiny flame upon the oil lamp hanging from its stand burst into a hot flare shooting to the high ceiling of the room. In the light of the flame, a dark shadow filled one of the walls. It vanished as the flame died down to nothing. The shadow dared stay no longer in this sacred space.

***

To Dwell Among Us continues tomorrow.

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To Dwell Among Us Begins Today

Today marks the beginning of To Dwell Among Us, my series of blog posts featuring the prequel to my suspense novel, Fulfillment.

In the City
A course, wrinkled man fell back against the stone wall of the interior Temple room with a thud. An onslaught of arthritic pain combined with the raising of what little hair remained at the back of his neck set him on edge. The small lamp he carried splashed oil on his blue and gold linen robe. 

The sudden gust of air extinguished the flame on the room’s other light, atop a tall iron lampstand. Before he could relight it, the lamp flared sending flame and smoke to the high ceiling. The flash settled down as quickly as it had exploded into life. It sat upon the lampstand waiting while flickering amidst the ominous glow and dancing shadows.

The old man leaned back against the wall for support and sank to the floor. He passed a wrinkled, swollen-knuckle hand through his thinning hair. In the damp coolness, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He placed his tiny lamp on the floor in front of him, and like the shadows dancing in the flame of the oil lamp hanging from the lampstand above, he waited.

The other men drifted in, the elders before the younger. They sat upon the stone floor in a circle around the old man’s tiny lamp.

“You look as though you have seen a ghost, Zechariah,” said Jaaziah.

“Perhaps I have,” replied Zechariah.

“What does he mean?” asked Shelomoth the youngest among them. His voice trembled.

Zechariah’s face lit up as he came out of the shadows and into the meager light cast by the lampstand and his little lamp on the floor. “I mean what I say and I say I have seen a ghost.”

He pulled upon his beard, wrinkled his brow, and moved to within a locust’s length of Shelomoth’s nose. His broad smile revealed two yellow, plaque-encrusted, decaying teeth on his top gum and one stump of a molar on his bottom gum.

Zechariah rolled his tongue about as though in search of a word and then, finding the right one, whispered, “The wind nearly extinguished the flame.” He pointed up towards the faint light on the lampstand.

Young Shelomoth’s dark eyes followed Zechariah’s arthritic, bending finger.

“Then as the flame diminished…” Here Zechariah raised his voice to a shout, “…another wind came and the lamp flared into flame and fury…” Once again he lowered his voice above a whisper and placed both hands on Shelomoth’s shoulders, “Yet the lamp I used to light it, the very one sitting here on the floor, did not feel so much as a gentle breeze and did not flare or hardly flicker.” Zechariah released Shelomoth and settled back into the darkness.

Shelomoth swallowed hard and whispered, “But how… how could a wind come in here?”

“Zechariah brought it with him.” Jaazia laughed. “Do you understand, my young one? Zechariah makes the wind. Zechariah makes the ghost himself. With such a wind, we all will soon be ghosts.”

The others snickered at Zechariah’s expense.

***

Read the next installment of To Dwell Among Us on Monday, November 12, 2012.

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Announcing Fulfillment

This holiday season I will be promoting Fulfillment, my suspense novel about the first Christmas. It’s the story of the birth of Christ but with a horror suspense spin to it. In this version, I ask the question: What was Satan up to while God was going about the business of sending his son to save the world?

Fulfillment Story Summary
Mary lived in happy ignorance. Then in the roar of the beast and the hideous faces of the angry demons scampering across her bedroom floor, she became the central figure in a drama beyond her understanding. Her engagement to Joseph should have been joyful, but instead the secret concerning the baby in her womb attracted evil spirits, a king, soldiers and a would-be lover all bent on destroying her. Mary’s journey, while steeped with betrayal and the foul stench of the ultimate demon, is a setup for an even bigger tale. She discovers a lost love found, the promise of a newborn king, and a wealth of new friends, from a dwarf with the heart of a warrior to the young mother whose husband and children are murdered in a bloody massacre.

Fulfillment is the first century suspense drama with a huge twist of horror when Satan discovers he isn’t messing with an ordinary teenage girl. This kid has moxie and connections in high places.

If the thought of Satan out to get you isn’t enough to keep you awake at night, how about reading Fulfillment? It will.

As one of my reviewers on Amazon commented: “This may be the most unique version of the Christian Nativity story ever written. Demons and people who are instruments of the Devil are primary characters.”

Read To Dwell Among Us, the prequel to Fulfillment for free on this blog starting tomorrow
If you are familiar with the original Christmas story as it is told in the Bible, you know it doesn’t begin with Mary. It opens with an elderly priest named Zachariah. He’s the father of John the Baptist. John grows up to become a prophet who prepares the people for Jesus’s ministry. To Dwell Among Us is the brief prequel to Fulfillment that tells the story of Zachariah using the same suspense novel style as Fulfillment. It makes a great companion piece for reading Fulfillment.

You may begin reading To Dwell Among Us right here on my blog beginning November 10th. I’ll add a new section every day for the next couple of weeks.

Read Fulfillment Now
To jumpstart the Christmas season, try reading Fulfillment. You may purchase the Kindle version now by clicking here. And if you want to wait a few weeks, I’ll be giving it away free on Amazon the week of November 26th, right after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Have you had a chance to read my modern-day horror thriller, Hags? Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

Here’s another novel idea…
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First Responders Are Our Heroes

Once again in a time of national disaster, the firefighters, police, and other emergency workers have stepped up as our heroes. In this case, the first responders in the path of Sandy’s destruction have shown the courage and fortitude to follow in the wake of Sandy’s fury to save lives.

While I live in the Chicago area today, I grew up in the Philadelphia area and began my career there. I know firsthand many of the places mentioned in the news. At one time or another, I’ve done business in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chester, Baltimore and Washington. I’ve enjoyed vacations and holidays on Long Beach Island, Ocean City, Wildwood and other Jersey shore locations. Most of the people I have known through my first thirty years of life are or were East Coasters. So for me, the first responders are more than heroes because they have responded in places close to my heart. And they have helped family members, friends, former classmates and old acquaintances.

Here’s how you can be a hero, too!
1. Thank a first responder. How about you? Who do you know on the East Coast who has benefited from a first responder? We owe these heroes our gratitude for services rendered in the most difficult of circumstances. They deserve our support. And the people of the East Coast deserve our support. Fortunately, FEMA is there to help along with the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other charitable organizations. I’m offering my thanks right now with this blog post. We can all thank the East Coast first responders through our postings on social media. It may not raise money, fix broken lives or restore a crushed business, but it will move hearts by showing we care. And while we’re being thankful, let’s include our own local first responders who serve in our community.

2. Volunteer. In the coming months, we can expect a repeat of the volunteer effort that followed Hurricane Katrina to cleanup New Orleans, except this time, it will be a call to cleanup and rebuild the East Coast. Volunteers from around the country will travel east to do what they can in the massive cleanup effort.  Obviously we all can’t get away from our jobs or other obligations, but those who can, should. Will you be among them? Will I?

3. Take an East Coast vacation next summer. If you are not able to volunteer your time to help in the cleanup, here is another suggestion. Next summer, the Jersey shore will reopen for the tourist season. By then, the boardwalks will be rebuilt and the attractions will reopen. Of course Atlantic City, with its bustling casinos, will be an obvious choice for many. But there are other places along the Jersey shore that are just right no matter who you are. For example, Ocean City was founded as a family-friendly Christian resort. Even today the town is dry and family-friendly. Wildwood is a delight for teens and  young adults. Each shore point has its own unique character and appeal. My suggestion is for you to invest your vacation budget on the East Coast next summer. If the shore isn’t your thing, how about the mountains of Pennsylvania? Or New England? Prefer an urban getaway? Choose an East Coast city. Let’s become the heroes who invigorate the East Coast recovery with our vacation dollars next summer.

And for your reading pleasure, may I suggest my new novel Hags where you’ll meet a different kind of hero. You may read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

Here’s another novel idea…
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Discovering the Theme of the Novel

Your first job as a reader is to enjoy the story as a story. But noticing a theme as it weaves through the tale enriches your reading experience. It’s one way to rise to a higher level of reading. As you seek out theme in the novels you read, notice that the author rarely comes right out and tells you what it is. Theme is often one of the puzzle parts of the novel. You solve the puzzle with that “aha” moment of discovery. “This book is all about forgiveness.”

How do writer’s decide on a theme? Some authors start with a theme in mind. Others discover it the same way you do. As they write the novel, they begin to see recurring elements that in the end point to a certain theme. When this happens, the author will go back in the editing process and rework the story to bring out the theme more. A strong theme enriches the story, makes for a more interesting plot, and gives the reader a more satisfying story experience.

Have you had a chance to read my new horror thriller, Hags. You may read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

Here’s another novel idea…
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Is the Location Appropriate to the Story?

You’re reading a fast-paced action novel when you find a disconnect with the scene you are currently reading and the action that came before it. There can be a lot of reasons for this. One of them is the location of the scene itself.

How does an author choose the “right” location for a scene? One way is to select a place that has some special significance for the plot or the characters. I start with a spot that feels right for the story. Later, I consider the symbolic value or the importance of the locale. My thinking process revolves around asking why the location “feels” good to me. Usually, if it works for me, it will work for my readers as well.

For scenes set in the Chicago area, consider my new horror thriller, Hags. You may read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

Here’s another novel idea…
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Does the scene reveal something new about one of the characters?

That’s one of the questions an author asks when reviewing their draft copy. When you’re reading a fast-paced horror thriller like my new novel, Hags, you can expect to learn something new about at least one of the characters in every scene. The scene might reveal a character flaw as the young lady swipes a few dollars from the bartender's tip glass. Or you may discover a new suspect in the behavior of one of the characters. You may find that the guy you thought was evil isn’t such a bad person after all. Maybe you misjudged him. You might even learn that the girl the guy thinks he loves is actually a royal pain in the left elbow.

The author should be giving you something in every scene to move the story forward and move the characters forward through their individual character arcs. Each major character goes through an arc of self-discovery or revelation. The character learns something. The character grows. The character is a different person at the end of the story then at the beginning. The way the characters change is through a series of incidents that take place in the scenes and chapters of the novel.

The thriller genre involves some sort of monster, human or otherwise. As the characters experience the intensity of the action involving the horrors committed by the monster, they grow from the experience. You can’t enter the dark world of evil doers and expect to come out the same person on the other side of the experience. Identifying character changes as you read a scene enriches your enjoyment of the story.

Read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

Here’s another novel idea…
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