turning the pages 05/2013
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Turning The Pages Magazine for May 2013!TRANSCRIPT
I N S P I R A T I O N A L
Q U O T E S
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou
“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ― Stephen King
“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” ― Saul Bellow
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Spotlights 2-13
New Releases 14-15
Character Interview 16-17
Book Tours 18-23
Book Chapter Peek 24-31
Classified 32
Poetry Contest 33
Check This Out 34
T O P 1 0 B O O K S F R O M A p r i l ! ! !
F O R T H O S E O F U S W H O L O V E R E A D I N G ! !
TURNING THE PAGES BOOKS
May 2013 Volume 2, Issue 5
1. Whiskey Beach
By: Nora Roberts
2. Damaged
By: H.M. Ward
3. Taking Eve
By: Iris Johansen
4. The Bet
By: Rachel Van
Dyken
5. The Great Gatsby
By: F. Scott Fitzger-
ald
6. Real
By: Katy Evans
7. The Best of Me
By: Nicholas Sparks
8. Lean In
By: Sheryl Sandberg
9. The Wanderer
By: Robyn Carr
10. Daddy's Gone A
Hunting
By: Mary Higgins
Clark (This list is from USA TODAY)
Amber Brown spent her entire existence believing Dave was her father.
When her mother reveals this is untrue, she goes through an emotional
spiral with depression. It's hard for her to believe her mother had lied
to her all this time.
A move to a new home and town causes Amber to be consumed by her
"darkness" and reverts to cutting to free herself from her pain.
When Casey, her new friend enters her life, she introduces Amber to
parties, drugs, and Amber's new boyfriend Landon. The secret of
cutting begins to take affect on Amber as she tries to hide it from her
friends and family. In the midst of everything, Amber has the desire to
find out who her biological father is.
Follow Amber through her trials of depression and cutting, along with the discovery of love.
Author Facebook Page Link
https://www.facebook.com/raebethbuda
Email:
Blog link:
http://raebethbuda.blogspot.com/
P a g e 2 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
Born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart, Kimberly Kinrade
writes fulfilling fantasy for all ages, from children's books, to YA to New
Adult and adult urban fantasy and romance.
http://kimberlykinrade.com/
P a g e 3 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
Celebrate The Sinner by Steven Merle Scott
www.StevenMerleScott.com
“Unsettled conditions anywhere give rise to fear,” Old Ted remarks. “Fear finds scapegoats and easy
solutions.”
In 1924, Marie walks through the Waverly Baby Home and chooses Teddy because he looks like the child
she deserves...but the boy has hidden defects. Five years later, against a backdrop of financial ruin, KKK
resurgence, hangings and arson, Marie's husband, Merle, struggles to succeed, Marie loses her way, and
troubled seven year-old Teddy begins to see what he and his family are missing.
CELEBRATE THE SINNER unfolds with the onset of The Great Depression after Teddy’s father buys a
bankrupt sawmill and moves his small family to an isolated Oregon mill town. Merle feeds his hunger
with logs and production, while his young wife feels like rough-cut lumber, unworthy of paint and with-
out a future. When a conspiracy threatens the mill, Merle adds the powerful KKK to his business net-
work. Untended, Teddy strays as he searches for a connection outside himself. He loves the machines that take the trees, but he also wor-
ships his new, young teacher. He discovers the Bucket of Blood Roadhouse and begins spending his Saturday nights peering through its
windows, gaining an unlikely mentor: Wattie Blue, an ancient, Black musician from Missouri, by way of Chicago, plays the lip harp and calls
out square dances. When Wattie faces the Klan and his past, Teddy and his family are confronted with equally difficult choices.
Framed by solitary, narcissistic, ninety-year-old Ted, this story of desperate people contains humor, grit, mystery and an ending that sur-
prises, even stuns. "Spines and bellies soften and round off with the years," Old Ted muses. "Thoughts, too, lose their edge, but secrets
scream for revelation. Perfect people, after all, don't hold a monopoly on the right to tell their stories.
GRAB YOUR COPY ON AMAZON!
Blog:
http://indiebookfest.blogspot.com/p/whats-it-
all-about.html
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/IndieBookfest2013
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/OrlandoIBF2013
P a g e 4 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
B O O K S
Catherine Stovall is the author of Faire Eve, The Requiem of Humanity Series,
and the short story, Fearful Day. Stovall is a member of the International
Thriller Writers and the creator of International Bug Your Library Day, an op-
eration to spread awareness for Indie and Small Press Authors.
Stovall received a degree in Criminal Justice from Colorado Technical Univer-
sity. After working in the field for several years, she has decided to dedicate
her life to her true passion, creating captivating works of fiction. She lives in
Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets.
Find her on
Summer 2013
Detour to Dusk By: Linell Jeppsen
A ragged band of vampires are cutting a bloody path of destruction from Alaska to Washington
State! As frost turns the leaves gold and paints the high mountain treetops silver, hundreds of
hunters arrive in Swan Valley for their annual deer hunt. What they don’t know is an outcast band
of vampires have arrived, as well. Raphael Goldhawk, king of the high vampire council, has decreed
the taking of human life unlawful. Raul Stannard, an ancient enemy of the half-human king, is de-
termined to overthrow the council, even if it means the exposure and eventual annihilation of the
vampire race. Four people, a Ferry County forest ranger (Roger Atley), an Indian spirit-walker
(Harley Truefeather), and a young married couple (Brian and Holly Jensen), are about to be caught up in an ancient power
struggle, and in a love affair as old as time itself. This novel combines ancient history with modern times, in an epic show-
down between good and evil, love and hate. Grab your camping gear and hold on tight! It’s time for DETOUR TO DUSK!
Grab a Copy on AMAZON Today!!
P a g e 5 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
P a g e 6 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
Cameo Renae was born in San Francisco, CA,
raised in Maui, Hawaii, and recently moved
with her husband and children to Alaska.
She loved reading from as long as she can re-
member, and it was C.S. Lewis’ - Chronicles of
Narnia - which sparked a fire in her
soul and made her want to create her own
wondrous, magical worlds, and awesome
characters to go on adventures with.
One day she hopes to find her own magic
wardrobe, and ride away on her magical uni-
corn. Until then...she’ll keep writing!
Connect with Her:
Website
Blog
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
CHBB Author Page
May 15, 2013
Vampire Quest
Author: Yvonne Knight
Short Story
99 ₵ on Amazon
Pick it up here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007RS4MDO
Deimos searches for the sword that will unite the vampires under his
rule, well dealing with it is ex Alexander; a vampire/slayer..
A 200 year saga commencing during Prohibition, encompassing tender love between di-
vergent species, political downfalls and violence of unspeakable order. When you think
you have it figured out....WHAM! You won't see it coming.
Website Facebook Twitter
P a g e 7
We are accepting submissions in the
following genres. Please include your
query letter and synopsis in the email
body, and the entire manuscript in an
attachment in Microsoft Word (.doc),
Rich Text Format (.rft) or PDF to
The subject of your email should read:
Genre Submission: Book Title - Author
Name. This will keep it from being
deleted as spam.
Fiction:
Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller
Horror and Paranormal
Action, Adventure, and Western
Romance
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Middle-Grade: Target audience is
8 - 14 years
Teen: Target audience is 12 - 16
years
Young Adult: Target audience is
15 - 19 years
P a g e 8 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
Florida investigative reporter, Whitney Steel, has lived in the shadow of her legendary
father long enough. To prove herself she needs to find the “Big” story.
She found it.
Now it may kill her.
After receiving a lead pointing to the world's first cloned human, now a small child,
Whitney vows to unravel the truth. However, sifting through the facts proves to have
dangerous results, including death threats and murder.
When she's nearly killed, but is saved by undercover FBI Special Agent, Blake Neely,
he refuses to let her get in the way of his own objective—at least not right away.
Caught in a lethal game between a billionaire obsessed with genetic perfection, his
hit man’s thirst for retribution, and a Colombian drug lord fresh out of prison deter-
mined to make Blake pay for his twin brother’s death over a decade ago…
Can they save an innocent child before it’s too late?
Faced with tough choices, with deadly consequences for many—Whitney soon realiz-
es that sometimes a story becomes more than just a story.
A killer lurks in the shad-
ows of Hyde Park, New
York… waiting. A district
attorneys’ journey into
the past makes her a
target and anyone she
has ever loved.
https://www.facebook.com/TCSKAnthology
"Fast-paced...gripping...riveting!"
-Bestselling True Crime Author,
RJ Parker
"Five-star page-turner! A truly edge-of-
your-seat, never-a-dull-moment
read! Reflection has a dramatic start
and just never slows down."
- Ellen Fritz at Books4Tomorrow
MuseItUp Publishing Amazon
AmazonUK
BookStand
Smashwords
CoffeeTimeRomance
Omnilit
AllRomanceebooks
ibookstore
Kobo
Nook
P a g e 9 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
P a g e 1 0 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
Crossroads By: Mary Ting
Crossroads Saga Book 1
Claudia Emerson has a good friend who shares the same first name and last
name. That friend unfortunately dies in a tragic accident during homecoming
dance. Claudia is distraught at the loss of her friend, but is even more disturbed
by her dreams, which seem to take her to another place called Crossroads. Un-
known to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and
earth. It is where the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may
wander. There, Claudia meets Michael, a nephilim, a half angel, half human, whom she
often meets in her dreams. It turns out that this isn’t her first visit to Crossroads,
which is an enigma for no human can ever travel there until Claudia. Now the fallen and demons are after her,
suspecting she must be special and it is up to Michael and the other nephilims to protect her. Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should? The answer
awaits you! Follow the exciting path to Crossroads!
Grab Your Copy Today on AMAZON!
Long Live the King By: Guy Cote
The Charlemagne Saga Book One
A powerful, secret organization. An audacious scheme. Questionable loyalties. And the priceless talisman of
Charlemagne.
Josie Ersman escapes a life of deception in America to make a fresh start in Germany. But she soon finds that
her new world is more dangerous than the one she left behind.
Her German employer plans to clone Charlemagne, the greatest medieval king, and install him at the head of
the European Union. But there is an age old secret concerning who is buried in Charlemagne’s tomb. Will
they attempt to clone the magnificent monarch or an evil imposter?
Through no choice of her own Josie finds herself at the center of their bold experiment and a lightning rod for danger. She turns to an ex-
citing Englishman, who has ties to her employer and its adversaries. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, but can she trust this
enigmatic man?
With peril at every turn and enemies chasing her from country to country, across continents, Josie uncovers clues that will solve the twelve
hundred year old mystery of Charlemagne…a puzzle that has ramifications for every person living on the European continent.
Long Live the King is a suspense-filled novel that will keep you guessing until the very last page!
Grab Your Copy on AMAZON Today!!
Hold on tight while CHBB changes the way Independent Publishing is viewed. As a company
founded by artists for artists, we will bring you only our best! If you crave a dark and myste-
rious read, we have it. If you are in the mood for edgy and experimental, we have it. CHBB
primarily publishes work for the young adult and new adult categories.
Currently, CHBB is seeking unique voices for urban fantasy and speculative fiction. See out
website for submission guidelines.
www.crushingheartsandblackbutterfly.com.
We are particularly interested in short stories for our summer collection.
P a g e 1 1 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
P a g e 1 2 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
B O O K S
http://
www.indiegogo.com/
projects/sponsor-indie-
bookfest-2013
Turning The Pages is raising money to help Sponsor the Indie Bookfest 2013 and help show sup-
port to all the 50+ Indie Authors that will be attending.
Indie Bookfest 2013 is being held in Buena Vista, FL and is a great opportunity for self-
published, or small publishing company Authors to come and show off their works of art. This also
gives the public a chance to come see some of their smaller authors that don't go on many of the larg-
er tours across the country.
Being a self-published author myself I understand the struggles it cost and the amount of time
it takes to even get one person to notice your name or book. And then it takes even more for them to
decide to give you a try.
Turning The Pages was created as a low cost magazine to help unite these Indie Authors with
readers. Putting their books in a persons face and showing them off. This magazine has already helped
bring many fans and new readers to authors in the Indie book writing industry. Now we are hoping to
be able to raise money to help sponsor this wonderful event and help it come back year after year.
With your help, the help of your friends, and their friends help we can share our support for
the writing community and help these authors continue to have this amazing venue to showcase their
work for years to come.
Anyone that donates will have their name put on our Helping Hands for Authors page on our
website and in our magazine for the whole Indie Industry to know that you support them and what
they do.
P a g e 1 3 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
25% OFF
All design orders in the
month of May get a
special promotion
launch offer of 25% off
the total order. Hurry
and get your order in
today!!
P a g e 1 4 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
B O O K S
May 15, 2013
Children of Time
By: Eric R Johnston
Shawna McCullough is enjoying a quiet evening with a book when her six-year-old
daughter, Alexis, awakens and talks of dreaming about her own death, describing it
in vivid detail. They fall asleep next to each other, but when Shawna wakes up just
after midnight, instead of her daughter, she discovers a strange man in her bed.
She also now has two daughters, neither of them Alexis, and she’s nine months
pregnant.
This is only the beginning of the strangeness as she discovers the man is just as confused as she is. He is Mark LaValley,
a police officer who claims to have been killed in this same house years earlier while answering a domestic dispute be-
tween her and her husband, a dispute that led to his death. Except in this reality, he is no longer a police officer but a
substitute teacher.
It isn’t long before Shawna and Mark realize they have been entrusted with guarding “the children of time,” as a demon
known as Zuriz Falcon, who has been exiled to another realm, sends his henchman to kidnap the girls, including the one
she’s pregnant with. Only with the powers of these three “children” and that of a collection of unique books can Falcon
be released from the dark realm to unleash his evil upon the world.
May 1, 2013
Hellhound
By: Kaylie Austen
Selene is the Hellhound, a powerful and ruthless descendent of the Greek gods.
She is bound by tradition and tied by bloodlines to lead her people against the
mortals. Although she is arranged to marry Nathanial, she falls for Demetrius, the
self-professed Black Angel, and things take a bitter twist. When she stumbles
across the corpses of her father and Nathanial, all eyes move in on Demetrius.
Selene must take the assignment to hunt down her accused lover. Facing the un-
trustworthy cerebral chamber, powerful shape-shifting sentinels, superhuman
archers, and a deceitful Council, the Hellhound must work quickly to uncover the
truth before she is forced to annihilate her lover.
P a g e 1 5 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
May 5, 2013
Ryland ( Golden Streak Series Book 1 )
By: Kathi S Barton
Bronwyn didn’t need this crap and she certainly didn’t need it from a bunch of rich pricks
that seemed to be out to make her life worst than it already was. She stepped off the ele-
vator and headed for the door. No way was she working for these idiots.
Ryland tried his best to tell the woman what she was going to do but she thwarted him at
every turn. When he found her living in one of his abandoned warehouse set for demoli-
tion he nearly went through the roof. Until he saw her in action, using powers that he’d
never seen before. Then nothing could keep him from her.
She was his mate, someone he was sworn to protect. But it didn’t work out that way. She was the protector and he was man
enough to realize it, and none too soon because the men after her were playing for keeps and Ryland was afraid his streak,
his family of weretigers were going to need all the help they could get from her.
May 15, 2013
Revelations ( Bloodlines Series book 3 )
By: Lindsay Anne Kendal
In this final installment of the Bloodlines trilogy, Keira and her friends face their toughest
battles yet. Not only with the ones they believe have set out to destroy them, but also
with themselves and each other.
A shock revelation throws the group into confusion, torn between what each of them
think is right and wrong. Keira now has to make a hard choice – does she stay with the
people she loves, and fight with them – Or does she leave them, join forces with the per-
son they originally thought was heartless, cold and brutal, but in fact, is doing something
she actually agrees with. Something that could benefit and comfort almost every person
who has ever lived.
Revelations will take you to a place you never could have imagined existed. Heart-wrenching passion, death-defying friend-
ship, treachery and pain, mixed with extreme battles, powerful magic and self-belief, make for an unbelievable climax that
will stay with you until the end of time.
P a g e 1 6 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
B O O K S
1. What is your full name?
My full name is Skye Hope Eve.
2. How old are you?
I am 14 years old 3. What fashion style do you prefer? I'm more of a vintage gal.
4. Music choice?
Pop, and pop forever and always.
What if you got stuck in a cave, and
discovered you couldn't escape? Two
girls will stop at nothing to get free.
They meet some people... Some good,
some bad. Will they make it out alive?
Buckle up, or shall I say swim, because
this is an adventure you don't want to
miss.
Available on Amazon
P a g e 1 7 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
5. Who is your best friend?
This might sound totally cheezy, but my best friend is my sister, Alexis.
6. Who is the love of your life?
The love of my life is this cute guy at school, named Adam.
7. When did you know something was wrong?
When I discovered I was stuck in a cave with my sister, and strangers.
8. Being a Dare-Devil did you ever have a moment when you thought this is the end?
Yes, indeed I did. It was a looongggg time ago, when I went to Hawaii... I came across a volcano... in which I was extremely close to... I didn't think it would erupt, but I got injured PRETTY bad... I didn't know any better.
9. Do you believe you have anger problems?
Uhh.. Umm... Totally not.. Okay, I might yell at people once in a while... Okay... really often... FINE.... at least once or twice a day I will break out into a tan-trum, and curse at someone, or get detention. So yes.. I have anger problems
10. Are you accepting of new people often?
Not at all.. I wanted to kill Autumn and Audrey, the strangers who I was stuck in the cave with. I told my parents not to let me go to a new school, and they should have listened. I threw a brick at my teacher.
11. When did the answer to the problem finally click in your doesn’t need wi-fi brain?
When I WASN'T freezing cold in the water.
12. Any last words or thoughts you want to tell someone or wish you got to tell some-
one?
Some mermaids can be nice, and some can be grouchy. Be the one you want to be a role model for.
P a g e 1 8 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
Authors/Books on TOUR with I.O. Book Tours
http://www.iobooktours.com/
P a g e 1 9 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
UPCOMING Authors/Books on TOUR with I.O. Book Tours
P a g e 2 0 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
Authors/Books on TOUR with Bewitching Book Tours
P a g e 2 1 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
Alpine Attraction Aphanasian Stories
Beauty of the Beast
Blood Flows Deep in the Em-pire
Caged Heat
Carry Your Heart
College Bound
Dark Flight
Demon Inhibitions
DiSemblance
Faelon
FALL
Fiery Edge of Steel
Forever and Ever, Amen
Heart Murmurs
Heart of Vesuvius
Her Heart's Secret Wish
Highland Persuasion
I Remember You
Love and War
Love by Premonition
Love is Darkness
Lucid
Magic Seasons Series
Magic’s Daughter
Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf
Naughty Girl
Paranormal Properties
Plus One
Prince of Shadows
Protecting His Own
Relics
Rubenesque Rapture
Ruby
Slayer's Kiss
Soul Mates
Superstition Mountain Trilogy
Tessa Dare
The Blood Hunters Series
The Brazen Amazon
The Chronicles of Darkness
The Harvesting
The Hunters and the Queen
The Zombie Story
Three Wishes
Trust : A New Beginning
Vampire Elite
Water’s Blood
Werewolves Be Damned
£6.19 per Witching Hour
UPCOMING Authors/Books on TOUR with Bewitching Book Tours
P a g e 2 2 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
Authors/Books on TOUR with Virtual Book Tours Cafe
P a g e 2 3 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
UPCOMING Authors/Books on TOUR with Virtual Book Tours Cafe
P a g e 2 4 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
Chapter 6: The Little Red House
It was later that same evening when Scott pulled up on his Harley on a quiet back road a long way from the bar, but just down the street from the trailer park where he had grown up. He slowed down and shut off the engine as he rolled to a stop in the shadows cast onto the pavement by the large trees that occupied one side of the road. Across the street from where he was parked stood a random collection of small houses: older homes that had been built in the sixties and seventies, most of which hadn’t seen a new shade of paint since. Dusk had already set in, and the darkness sur-rounding him was getting thicker with every minute that he stood there. This suit-ed him just fine as he settled in with a clear view of a little red house just a few doors
down from where he was parked. He hadn’t been waiting very long
when he saw the porch lights come on and the front door open. Scott watched as the light hit the man’s face and then shone down on him, elimi-nating the previously blackened silhouette. Instantly, Scott rec-ognized the uniform as that of the prison guards down at Bay State Correctional. This had to be Kane—the man who had hand-delivered Tommy to No Prayer and was therefore directly responsible for his resulting death. Kane was smaller than Scott had expected. With a slender build and a shaved head, he very much had the appearance of a security guard who was still in complete denial of having flunked out of the police academy as he strutted his way down the small side-walk. Quietly, Scott watched as Kane approached the old,
THE MCCARTHY MEN WERE ONCE STRONG AND
PROUD. Now they are a family torn apart by lies.
With both years and distance between them,
they must now come together and seek justice
for one of their own. Soon they discover that the
truth lies within a core of crime and corruption;
buried there by someone they'd never suspect.
Will the shared thirst for vengeance finally repair
the bond that once held the McCarthy men so
close together? Or will it lead to their ultimate
destruction?
Grab your copy on Amazon!
P a g e 2 5 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
beat up pick up that was parked in the road in front of the house. He had a small lunch cooler in his hand, which he tossed into the passenger’s side before walking around to the driver’s side and getting in himself. Shortly after, the engine roared to life and the truck took off in the opposite direction from where Scott was carefully hidden from Kane’s view. He listened to the sound of the motor fade in the distance be-fore getting off of his bike and creeping out of the darkness. Carefully, he walked across the street, looking around every few sec-onds for anyone who might be looking, as he made his way toward Kane’s house. He surveyed the area once more prior to jump-ing the fence and disappearing in the back-yard and the safety of the darkness that once again sur-rounded him.
Cautiously, he maneuvered his way around the dark and empty house, stopping at each window and door as he passed them to see if any had mistakenly been left unlocked. At last, he got lucky with the small window above the kitch-en sink. Pulling himself up by the rain gutters run-ning along-side the edge of the roof, Scott slid his body inside feet-first, in the pro-cess breaking a plate that had been left in the sink after dinner.
Once inside, he pulled out the gun he kept tucked in the back of the waistband of his pants and began to explore the inside of the house using what little light there was. Thankfully, Kane had left a small lamp on in the hallway, and it gave off just enough of a glow for Scott to make out his surroundings. He held his gun up in front of him, allowing it to lead the way as he
went from room to room to assure that he was truly the only person in the house. Within minutes he had cleared every part of Kane’s home. Scott then proceeded to rummage through all of his belongings in search of any kind of information that could lead back to Tommy and the night that he had died. It wasn’t until he reached the last room at the end of the hall that he finally got lucky. It was a small space, no larger than the average laundry room. It had been converted into some sort of an office, with a little desk and a chair taking up the majority of the room. Scott had a seat, set his gun down on the edge of the desk, and began to leaf through the various stacks of bills and papers that were strewn all about. He had just reached for another pile to flip through when a single sheet of paper—no larger than a post-it note—slipped out of the stack. Scott set down the stack and picked up the note. At first glance, all he saw was a ran-dom arrange-ment of numbers, but upon further exami-nation, he realized that someone had writ-ten down a phone number and a date. Not just any date, either. It was the date of Tommy’s sentencing—the night that he had died. With-out a second thought, Scott stuffed the note into the breast pocket of his jacket and moved on to searching through the rest of Kane’s desk.
Unable to find anything else that would be of any use, he returned to the kitchen. There, he unplugged the toaster ov-en and removed it from the kitchen coun-ter. He held it un-der his left arm as he con-tinued to look through the kitchen, pulling open several drawers in the process before
S H O R T S T O R Y W I N N E R ! ! !
P a g e 2 6 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
finally locating some duct tape in what ap-peared to be a junk draw-er. With the toast-er and tape in hand, Scott made his way back down the dimly lit hallway to the back bedroom, where he disappeared into the blackness.
It was dawn before Officer Kane re-turned home from work. Completely un-suspecting, he put his key into the lock and turned it, stepping inside just a few sec-onds later. No sooner had he shut the door behind him than he heard Scott’s voice.
“How was work? Have a good night, Kane?”
Startled, Kane spun around and searched the room for the person who had just spoken to him. Terrified, he reached for his gun just as he heard a quiet clicking sound stemming from Scott’s revolvers he pulled back the trigger. Still out of Kane’s sight, Scott spoke again.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” he warned as he carefully approached Kane, leaving behind the safety and obscurity that the unlit kitchen had so easily offered. Kane’s face fell at the sight of Scott, the barrel of his gun pointed directly at Kane.
Kane was shaking from anger, furi-ous at the thought that anyone would have the audacity to break into his home and hold a gun to him. Nevertheless, he let go of his weapon and raised both arms into the air, allowing Scott to get close enough to remove the gun as well as the holster from Kane’s waist. When he was certain that Kane was unarmed, Scott stepped back.
“Who the hell are you?!” Kane de-manded.
“That's not how this is going to work,” Scott replied, shak-ing his head. “See, since I'm the one with the gun, I'll be the one asking the questions.”
Kane looked confused and irritated as he spat, “What...what questions? What are you talking about?”
“What did I just say?!” Scott shook his head at him once more, this time exag-gerating his disappointment. “Unbelievable,” he muttered as he grabbed Kane by the shoulder and began to lead him through the house.
Kane gritted his teeth as Scott shoved him along the nar-row hallway. “You'll never get away with this,” he snarled as Scott pushed him a tad too far to the right, causing him to collide with the wall.
“Why not? You did,” Scott replied, sounding a little too jo-vial, given the situ-ation.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Scott stopped and held Kane up against the wall to get a better look at his face.
“No? Maybe you're tired. Working a twelve hour shift can't be easy,” he said with amplified false sincerity. “Let's see if a bath will help freshen you up a bit, help you think more clearly. Come on.” He pulled Kane back away from the wall and toward the small bathroom just to the left of where they were standing. Kane strug-gled a little as Scott forced him through the narrow doorway. Then horror struck him as Scott flipped on the light, enabling Kane to fully see the sce-ne laid out before him. A
P a g e 2 7 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
metal clothes hanger had been bent and looped over the showerhead above the bathtub. It was being used to thread a rope—consisting of several shoe-strings tied together—which in turn had been tied to a toast-er oven sitting on a small shelf just above the tub. It was un-plugged for the moment, but Kane had a sneaking sus-picion that that was a temporary condition, given that the bathtub itself had been filled to the brim with cold water.
Scott looked at Kane, taking every-thing in, and then nod-ded at the tub.
“Go 'head.” “What?!” Scott pointed his gun directly at
Kane. “Get in the tub!” Reluctantly, Kane followed his order
and put one foot after the other into the wa-ter. He stood there, looking back at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror above the sink, still clothed in his heavy prison guard uniform. Scott used the tip of his gun to indicate the water and gruffly grumbled without unlocking his jaw or moving his mouth, “All the way.”
Slowly Kane sat down and stretched out his body as much as he could in the small tub. Panic was beginning to spread across his whole face, as his gaze went up and caught on the toaster oven, so seem-ingly out of place in the bathroom, and yet clearly strategically placed here for a very specific purpose. Kane’s thought process hadn’t gone unnoticed by Scott who had watched as he put the pieces together.
“There, doesn't that feel much bet-ter?” Scott asked, smirk-ing as he reached for the toaster’s cord and plugged it into
the socket beside the door. Sure that every-thing was properly connected, he began to pull at the shoestrings that were still neatly looped over the showerhead and through the hanger. As he continued to pull the rope, the toaster oven slowly began to move. Carefully stretching the rope as far as it would reach, Scott then bent down and handed the very end of it to Kane to hold in his hands. By doing so, he yanked the toaster oven off of its high shelf and caused it to swing back and forth precari-ously while hovering no more than an inch above the water's surface. Kane looked ter-rified.
“Please! What do you want from me?! I'll do anything! Just please get me out of this tub!” he begged, his eyes widen-ing in fear.
“Scared?” Scott asked as he casually leaned up against the counter beside the sink to get more comfortable. He made sure to maintain a good visual of Kane the whole time and kept his gun locked direct-ly on him.
The blood had completely drained from Kane’s face now, leaving him as pale as the white tiles that surrounded him.
“Yes! Fuck!” It would have been a scream if his voice hadn’t given out half-way through. Scott leaned toward him.
“Yeah? Good. How scared do you think Tommy was?”
“Who?!” “Tommy! Don't tell me you don't
even remember his name, you son of a bitch!” Scott hollered as he pushed the tip of the gun’s barrel into Kane’s forehead, who was now starting to come apart, caus-
P a g e 2 8 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
ing words to start spilling out of his mouth. “McCarthy? Tom McCarthy? Is that
what this is about? I had nothing to do with that! It was a suicide!”
Kane appeared surprised as Scott’s expression changed again. He stood up and took a step back as a sly grin spread to the corners of his mouth.
“I know... Think that's what they'll say about you, too?”
“No…please! You've got to believe me! I didn't kill McCarthy!” Kane pleaded.
“No, Richie “No Prayer” Praier did. But you set it in motion. Why?” Scott said as he returned to his spot by the counter.
“I don't know why,” Kane gasped, turning his focus to the small rope in his hands in an effort to avert his eyes from Scott’s. It didn’t work.
“Bullshit!” “No, I swear. I don't know why...I
don't even know who. The week be-fore...No Prayer stopped me on my rounds...said I'd be getting a call and that I’d better not question it. Just do what I was told if I knew what was good for me,” he replied hysterically.
Scott watched him, waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, Scott nudged him a little. “And?”
“And the next day my phone rang. I answered it...it was a man, deep voice, ac-cent...not sure where from...he told me that McCarthy would be booked within the week and that it would be my job to make sure he found himself in a cell with No Prayer,” Kane said, desperately hoping he was saying what Scott wanted to hear. So far, he wasn’t impressed.
“And what?! You just went along with it?” Scott asked dis-believingly.
“Well...yeah. I didn't have a choice!” Kane exclaimed, near-ly losing his grip on the shoelace as he motioned with his hand without thinking.
“Why?” Scott pressed. “Why what?” Kane was still busy
trying to secure his grip. Meanwhile, all the commotion had caused the toaster to swing back and forth rather recklessly just above the water.
Scott snapped him back to their on-going conversation as he continued to question Kane. “Why didn't you have a choice?” he demanded.
“Look...they offered me money...a lot of money! I would have been a fool to turn it down!” Realizing after the fact that perhaps it wasn’t the best of reasons, Kane added, “Be-sides, I didn't know what they were going to do!”
“Huh...so, rather than be a fool, you decided to be an accessory to mur-der...interesting choice,” Scott sneered.
“No! I am telling you: I had no idea they were planning to kill him!” Kane shouted, exchanging hurried glances be-tween Scott and the makeshift rope in his hands.
“Right. You thought No Prayer and Tommy were old friends just looking to be reunited,” Scott replied sarcastically.
“No...I don't know what I thought. It wasn't any of my business...” Kane knew there would be no right answer now.
“You're a prison guard, Kane!” Scott leaned over the tub, towering over him. “A prison guard who hand-delivered an inno-
P a g e 2 9 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
cent man to a psychopathic serial killer. But you didn't care why because it wasn't your business?!”
Kane frowned, “I'm sorry! If I had known...”
“What?! If you had known, you wouldn't have done it?!”
“No!” Kane had meant for it to sound certain, but the high pitch of his voice left traces of fear and lies ringing be-hind it.
Scott shook his head. “Fuck this.” He reached into his pocket and
pulled out a bottle of cooking spray. “You want to know what I think?!
Huh? I think you figured you were just feeding one animal to the other. They're all just guilty pieces of shit anyway, right!? And Tommy—well, one look at him would have told you that he was never going to make it in there anyway.” As he spoke, he began to spray the shoestring rope in Kane’s hands with the oily liq-uid. Kane’s expression was one of sheer horror.
“Wait! What are you doing?” “Shut up! So, since it would only be
a matter of time be-fore someone fucked Tommy up, you didn't see the harm in speeding things up a bit if it meant you were going to get paid. Tell me: how much was his life worth?”
“What?!” Kane lay there completely paralyzed. Between the gun Scott had pointed at his head and the toaster about to dive into his bubble bath, his prospects weren’t looking too promising.
“Tommy's life! How much was it worth?! Huh? How much did they pay
you?” Scott pressed on as he watched the rope beginning to slip through Kane’s fin-gers. Alarmed, Kane began to yell.
“Ten thousand dollars! They paid me ten grand! Please, help me!”
“Ten grand. Okay. Where is it now?” Scott asked, completely unfazed by all the shouting.
“It's in the kitchen. In the oven!” Kane had shut his eyes now, unable to watch what was about to happen.
Scott looked suddenly amused. “Different, but alright…”
“I don't cook. Don't know how...please...I can't hold on much longer.” Kane had opened his eyes again and was staring directly at Scott, begging him for help, but he remained detached.
“So?” Scott asked, uninterested in Kane’s plight.
“Please!” No sooner had he let out that plea
for help than Kane lost his grip, and the fi-nal piece of shoe lace slid through his greased-up fingers. Terror spread across his face as the toast-er oven plunged into the water. He thrashed around frantically, an-ticipating the deathly shock, but it never came. Meanwhile, Scott stood idly by, watching him, amused by the chaos.
“What happened? Why didn't it shock me?!” Kane asked, completely be-wildered.
“Not sure. Might have something to do with the breaker I flipped in your power box that was marked ‘bathroom out-lets,’” Scott answered as he stood there, resting against the counter with his hands folded in his lap, still entertained by Kane’s frantic
P a g e 3 0 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
movements. “I thought you were going to kill
me.” “Yeah. That's what I wanted you to
think. I wanted you to feel what Tommy felt that night you sent him to die. How'd you like it?” Scott’s voice hardened toward the end, piercing Kane with his question. Feeling as though he were still treading water, Kane avoided answering it and chose to move on to whatever was next.
“So...what now?” he asked tentative-ly.
“Now I'm going to take the blood money you've got roasting in your oven and leave. Then you and I will never cross paths again,” Scott said as the toaster bobbed its way through the water, bumping into Kane along the way, causing him to jump and squirm.
“No. You have my word. I won't breathe a word of this to anyone. It never happened.”
Scott knelt down beside the tub and looked directly at Kane.
“Oh, no. It happened. But you're right...you won't be telling anybody. You just leave that to me.” He patted Kane on the back of the shoulder with the tip of his gun. Then he stood up to leave. Before he walked out, he stopped and turned back one last time.
“One more thing. Why you?” Kane didn’t even bother to look up.
He had been defeated. There was no reason left to fight.
“Because a while back, No Prayer did me a favor,” Kane said quietly.
“What kind of a favor?”
“I was having some problems...No Prayer made them go away.”
“What kind of problems?” Scott asked, growing increasing-ly agitated by how long it was taking to get the infor-mation he wanted.
“I was being sued...some stupid sex-ual harassment thing.” Kane shook his head dismissively.
“Charming,” Scott said disdainfully. “Yeah, well...” Kane continued,
“Somehow No Prayer found out about it, said he could help. Had this lawyer friend who could take care of the crazy bitch.”
“Yeah, okay. That's lovely. Keep it up and I'll find an outlet that works for that toaster,” Scott threatened, pointing at the outlets in the hallway.
“No, I'm sorry.” Kane scrambled to sit up straight as he spoke. “Anyway, his lawyer friend called me, and before I knew it, the case had been dismissed. And No Prayer just wanted a few perks in return. Pack of smokes...an extra hour in the gym...that was all. Until Tom McCarthy.”
Scott pressed his lips together in an angry grimace.
“Sounds like a fair transaction,” he said, each word drip-ping with disgust and sarcasm. Kane lowered his head in an at-tempt to hide from Scott’s revulsion. Sud-denly, Scott seemed to remember some-thing.
“Oh—just in case you feel a sudden rush of stupid later on...” he said as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out his phone. He held it down, closer to Kane, as he pushed a button, prompting the phone to replay back a por-
P a g e 3 1 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
tion of their previous conversation. Kane carefully lifted his head as fear flooded his face once more. Finally satisfied, Scott straightened himself up and left the bath-room. Kane was still submerged in the tub, fully-clothed, with the toaster floating about his feet.
On his way out, Scott stopped in the kitchen and opened the oven, pulling out a large roasting pan that was filled with cash. He chuckled at the sight and at Kane’s stu-pidity as he
tucked the pan under his arm and proceeded to leave the little red house the same way he had entered it.
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P a g e 3 2 T U R N I N G T H E P A G E S
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P a g e 3 3 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 5
My One And Only Love
By: Tyrone Conyers
Someone to kiss
Someone to hug
Someone that I can really trust
Where are you?
Are you closer than I think must I continue to wish on a star
Am I overlooking something maybe I'm searching to far.
Are you a model in a magazine I can only imagine how you look
Do you believe in fairytale do you like to read books.
God knows you're special to me you're all I ever think of
Even though I never seen your face my future lady, wife, my one, and only love.
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