Part of Chapter 4 of “Uninvited” (1,180 words)

Read the previous entry here.

Chapter Four 

Mal’s fourth day in his grandparent’s house began with the phone ringing. Mal was confused at the sound – he couldn’t recall the last time he owned a phone that actually rang like a bell. By the time he untangled himself from the sheets and stumbled into the living room, the ringing stopped. He stared down at the old corded phone and wondered who tried calling him. Very few people knew this number. His lawyer and Elise were the only two he could think of. He wanted to speak with neither.

After a shower and breakfast, Mal had nothing to do. He finished unpacking before he went to sleep the night before. Out of habit, he turned on his laptop and sat down. Only after booting up completely did he realize he had no internet connection. Without cellphone reception, there was no way for him to connect wireless, and he didn’t know if the local phone company offered internet.

Chapter 3 of “Uninvited” (1,865 words)

Read the previous entry here.

Chapter Three

 

The following morning dawned early for Mal. He was always an early riser, except for the five years he spent on mids – the graveyard shift of the police force. Those were the first five years of Alice’s life. He spent most of it asleep or in a patrol car. No wonder he had trouble developing a relationship with her. By the time she was a teen, he had made detective and was working more normal hours – if constant overtime, weekend, and late nights at the station reviewing evidence or interrogating drug addicts could be considered normal. Mal was forced to concede Alice made far more effort in attempting to connect with her father than he did with her. He was always busy, always working, always rationalizing it with “maybe later.”

Second half of Chapter 2 of “Uninvited” (2,347 words)

Click this link to read the first part.

Chapter 2 (Continued)

A few blocks down – nearly the length of the entire town – Mal spotted the tavern with several cars and trucks outside. A few neon beer signs flickered by the door. There was no sign proclaiming a name. It was the lone tavern in the town. No need to get fancy.

The interior of the squat, brown structure was utilitarian. A single pool table dominated the northwest corner, with a few small tables around it. A bar ran the length of the east wall – tended by one overweight woman. Mal guessed she was at least ten years older than him – close to fifty. Of course, the cigarette hanging out of her mouth might have added a few years to her face.

Didn’t Washington ban smoking in bars and restaurants? Yes, now that he thought about it, they did. At least five years ago. He let a wry smile dance across his face. Must take a little longer for news to reach Copperside.

Excerpt from Chapter 2 of “Uninvited” (2,888 words)

The chapters in “Uninvited” can be somewhat long, so I am breaking this one up into two parts.  One today, and one later on.

Click this link to read Chapter 1.

Chapter Two

  

The bottle of scotch between his legs was half-full. He smiled. What would Doctor Reynolds say to that? Maybe he wasn’t as cynical or depressed as she claimed. Maybe he was getting better. Maybe he was…

Maybe he was losing his train of thought. Maybe he was drunk. He looked to the television. He couldn’t focus on it. An infomercial, he thought. Something about cooking, either way. He brought the bottle up to his lips and swallowed. It didn’t have a taste or burn. Just the sensation of liquid flowing down his throat.

“Uninvited” – Chapter One (revised) (4,247 words)

Over a month ago now I put up the first version of the introduction to a new novel I’m working on, tentatively titled “The Uninvited” or “Uninvited” – still not sure if that will stick.

Well, I haven’t been updating much here, or on my Facebook page, but I have been working.  Over the next few days I plan on putting the first ~12k of words here on the blog as a way to show what I’ve been doing.

So, without further ado, here is the revised, and somewhat edited, Chapter One: