It's that time of year when we celebrate the digital reading experience.   If you've never read a book on your laptop, on your smartphone, or that Kindle-thingy you got for Christmas, this is a great time to try.  Thousands of publishers and independent authors are offering their books at 25% - 75% off the list price.  Some are even free!

In the mood for romance?  Need a good chuckle?  Perhaps you need a little action to get the heart pumping, or a trip back in time.  Zombies?  Mobsters?  Mad Scientists?  Dirty Politicians?  Devout or Demonic, there is probably a book for you at Smashwords.com during Read An E Book Week.

Now's the time to treat yourself to a new author, or a new genre. 

Inknbeans, along with our authors, are pleased to offer the following books as a special price this week:

Emjae Edwards:
Calling All Hearts - Free
Learning To Be Irish - Free
No Greater Love - Free
Once in the Moonlight - Free
The Lady Must Decline - 25% off
Wife in the Mirror - 25% off

Micheal E. Benson:
The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins - 50% off
Epiphanies - 50% off

Steven Revare:

Raw - 50% off

Jim Burkett:

Declaration of Surrender - 50% off

Susan Wells Bennett:

The Thief of Todays & Tomorrows - 50%

In addition, Susan is offering something special at her blog.  Review one of her books, and get another free.
Details here.

Stock up on great books now. 

The Boss Bean

I know we already did one update this week, but this is too important not to mention. 

First of all, Susan Wells Bennett has reduced the price of her funny and poignant Circle City Blues to $0.99.  If you haven't read this very human look at the seven stages of grief, now's the time to try it.  If you haven't read any of Susan's work, this is a great opportunity to sample it, at a sample price. 

And second, Jim Burkett's exciting debut novel, Declaration of Surrender is still $2.99, but he's donating all of his profits from it through the rest of 2011 to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Tampa, Fl.  As Emjae Edwards says 'A big Yay! for Jim'.  A big Yay! for you, too, when you buy this book and help this very reputable and worthwhile organization.

Prices and links are available on the Menu Board.

The Boss Bean

Here's a new addition to our Gallery of Good Taste.  Emjae Edward's Learning to Be Irish appears to have a fairly famous fan.  Let's see your picture with an Inknbean title and we'll post it in our Gallery and send you an Inknbeans treat. 

Susan Wells Bennett's newest book, An Unassigned Life, had a pretty good opening last week.  Lots of our mailing list members took advantage of the coupon to get the book free, and her reading on the Spinning Wheel at Amazon.com garnered a lot of positive response. 
Susan's ability to find a new voice for every situation makes her books exciting and enjoyable, whether you're in the mood for a humorous look at breaking up, a heartbreaking look at dreams gone astray, or the rules and regs of the afterlife.  Her book covers help, too.  She works with a very talented, up and coming artist, Nikki McBroom,  who seems as devoted to the process of helping authors realize their vision as we are.   Ms. McBroom has made a very generous offer to our Beans and all our Bean fans.  Her usual rate for front and back cover art is $300.00, but between now and March 21st, she'll prepare your cover for half price.  If you have a book which needs a cover, or want to freshen up a cover you've had done, or you know someone who does, contact Ms. McBroom at [email protected] and mention code MARCHART.    If you want to see some samples of her work, look at Susan's page right over there. 

Michael E. Benson is currently working on sequel to Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins.  Right now, Sonny is hip deep in World War II.  Michael, like Susan, skips around genres to bring you gritty crime dramas based on actual events, or a love story bound to last for eternity, as well as his retelling of his grandfather's life in the Sonny Tompkins series.

Gritty is an excellent way to describe Jim Burkett's Declaration of Surrender, too.  Who do you trust when the world just tore up your scorecard?  How do you know whom to believe when the bad guys take off their black hats, and the good guys look very dirty?  DHS agent Nick West just found out something that's going to upend everything he's ever believed about right and wrong.   And then he's going to save the world.

What do college football, a one handed bartender, a mysterious tattoo, a washed up writer and the plains of Kansas have in common?  They all go better with unpasturized milk.  Steven Revare's Raw, a Novel, continues to get great reviews and make people laugh out loud.  Find out what's funny in Manhattan...Kansas, that is. 

The Boss Bean

The new book is An Unassigned Life, live today at all the usual ebook distributors (25% discount at Smashwords this week, use code: KK54P.)  Susan Wells Bennett has done it again.  It's about writer's block, suicide, and technology in the afterlife.  And it's funny.  Susan's also our author of the month, so check out what she has to say in What Writers Write.

New bean number one is Rusty Coats, whose amazing book Out of Touch comes out in March.  It's about psychics, charlatans and basketball - what more could you want?

New bean number two will be announced next week, but trust us when we say we're awfully pleased he's joining us. 

Rusty is not only bringing us his heart-in-your-throat-or-in-your-shoes book, he brought a great idea.  Send us a picture of you reading an Inknbeans book, and we'll post your picture in our gallery, and send you a cool treat.  It could be coffee, it could be a copy of that book for a friend, it could even be another title from our bookshelf.  Send us your pictures and find out.  The relaxed looking fellow above is the aforementioned Rusty.  He has good taste in books, don't you think?

The Boss Bean

We were doing a little photo shoot for our first official Inknbeans Catalog last week, and we had the proof prints stacked artfully on a table, surrounded by some logo cups and our private label coffee.  After we'd found the picture, Alan, our 'Strunk & White Guy', was stacking the books back on a shelf in my office.  I mentioned to him that we had three more books on the way between now and April.  He turned to me, books in hand, and said 'We're going to need a bigger shelf.'

Isn't it wonderful?

One of the aforementioned new titles comes out next week.  An Unassigned Life is Susan Wells Bennett's fourth title, and the first one exclusively ours.  It's a ghost story.  It's a story about writer's block, suicide and technology in the afterlife.  And it's funny.  Susan's found yet another voice to talk to the reader about the joys, sorrows, successes and failures of the human condition - or in Tim Chase's case, the inhuman condition. 

If you're a member of our mailing list, watch for a coupon for a free copy of An Unassigned Life next week.  If you want to know a little more about it before you purchase it, and happen to hang out on Amazon chats and forums, Susan will be giving a reading in the Spinning Wheel thread on Thursday, February 17th, and she'll be passing out coupons for 25% off the $2.99 digital copy price. 

Susan will also be our Featured Author on What Writers Write next week, but in the meantime, take a look at some of our previous authors, and their words of wisdom. 

Lent is only a few weeks away, but please don't plan to give up coffee - we have a great drawing coming up.  Details coming soon. 

Stop in and look at our menu board.  We've got a wide range of styles, genres and stories, something for almost everyone - and more brewing every day.

The Boss Bean

We promised some more reviews, and here they are:

Arthur Levine said of Raw, a Novel:
Bravo!  Good read.

And Midge Redmond added:
I love how chapter two so perfectly captures the horror (and humor) of writing workshops.

(Comments from an online chatroom reading).

Michael E. Benson's super fan, Terri, had this to say about The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins:
It is with great regret that I have finished reading the masterpiece written by my favorite author, Michael E. Benson.  It is truly a piece of art.  I was captivated from the first page through the very end.  I could visualize the faces, the land, and parts made me cry.  I look forward to the sequel with great anticipation.  Thank you, Mr. Benson, for sharing your thoughts, intelligence, and art with those of us that truly are your greatest fans.  The novels you have written are the best gifts I could ever ask for.  I will cherish them forever and I will pick them back up and read them for a second time.  I would pay big money to see Young Sonny made into a movie.  I think it would be fantastic! 

(sent in via Got Something to Say?)

And there was this lovely bon mot from jag01234 about Declaration of Surrender:
I found that I could not put the book down, & enjoyed each and every page of this timeless thriller. I am anxiously looking forward to further adventures with Nick, in what I hope will be a very successful series of books.

(posted at Amazon.com)

We're going to start offering free samples of our authors' works, particularly upcoming titles in the next week or so, but in the spirit of 'ladies first', here's a touch of Susan Wells Bennett's upcoming release, An Unassigned Life:

Prologue – The End…Tim slammed his cell phone closed in disgust. The barely audible clack it emitted only served to infuriate him more. When he was a kid, the phones were heavy; when you hung them up, you had to be careful not to set them down too hard or the party on the other end would think you were angry. Not so with these modern-day phones: the only way for them to make a loud noise was to break them. Tim did just that, shattering the phone into five or six pieces and leaving a good-sized dent in the wall.

Damn her, he thought, sitting down in front of his still-empty computer screen. Ellen knows I have writer’s block. He let his fingers click angrily on the keys, creating a few lines of gibberish.

His first novel was a critical and popular success, but his second novel had been a disaster. The New Yorker book critic had called it “florid.” Hah! Working for The New Yorker, you had to wonder how that hack would be able to recognize floridity. Now the publisher was demanding that he produce the third book due on his contract or return the advance he’d received. Tim didn’t have their damned money – he’d used it to buy the old bungalow he was sitting in right now. He’d thought the house would inspire him, that the previous residents of the past century would show up and tell him their stories. They hadn’t, though.

Looking around the sparsely furnished house, he thought he missed Tina’s things – the comfortable sofa, the antique dining set, the king-sized bed. He paced through the rooms, taking inventory of the missing furniture and art. She’d left him only a few items: his desk and chair, the old computer that served as his long-term writing partner, and a recliner that had seen better days. After she was gone, Tim had visited a second-hand shop and dragged home a mistreated dining room set and an old twin-sized bed. A twin was big enough for him and might keep him from inviting others to stay the night.

The doorbell rang and Tim hid behind the dining room arch and peered around the corner to see who might be there. He could see it was a man – probably that same bum that kept coming around asking for a handout. The guy must have circled Tim’s house on his map of easy marks. The first time the unshaven, filthy man showed up, Tim had been in a benevolent spirit. He had opened his door, invited the man – Tim remembered his name was George – to have a sandwich with him and had even given him a few dollars when the meal was done. Ever since then, George rang the doorbell every few days, despite the fact that Tim had never opened the door to him again.

It rang again, and Tim’s heart raced in his chest as he continued to hide behind the dining room arch. Finally, Tim heard the man’s boots clomp across the porch and down the stairs. Slumping against the wall, he breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to slide to the floor, hitting the wooden slats with an audible thump.

Life wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was a damned good writer – better than Nicholas Sparks, that was for sure. Yet that hack kept turning out book after book while he sat in front of a blank screen day after day. He glanced toward his desk and saw the lines of gibberish filling up the screen. That was the most he’d written in months. He didn’t even have an outline to show Ellen or the publisher – nothing to convince them that he was working on the third book.

He thought of Dorothy Parker’s ode to suicide, “Resumé.” Nooses give, he thought. Not if they are tied right. He’d had a therapist since that incident a few years ago with the pills. His therapist had told him to call if he had suicidal thoughts again. He slid himself around the corner into the living room and eyed the pieces of his phone. He smiled. Sorry, Doc. The phone’s out of order.

With renewed sense of purpose, he exited the house to the garage, where he located a length of nylon rope he had purchased a few years ago for a camping trip that he and Tina had never quite gotten around to taking. Carrying the rope inside, he sat down in front of his computer and researched nooses. It didn’t take long to find instructions for tying a noose on the internet. He thanked his father for insisting he participate in Boy Scouts when tying the knot proved a simple job. With a real sense of accomplishment – the first he’d felt in a long time – he put the noose aside and went back to his page of gibberish. He opened a new Word document and wrote a flowing and detailed suicide note, assigning blame and praise appropriately to everyone in his life. When he reached the end, he reviewed it. Remembering The New Yorker critic’s accusation of floridity, he deleted the whole thing and replaced it with a simpler, all-purpose note: Fuck you all. I’m out of here. He saved it as “suicide note,” printed a copy that he left on his keyboard, and emailed it to his sister and his agent – neither of whom would see it until Tuesday morning, since it was a Friday afternoon before a long weekend.

He walked out his back door without locking it, went into the garage and threw one end of the rope over the exposed beams. Standing on the hood of his old silver Honda Civic, he secured the rope with one of the knots he’d learned in Boy Scouts, slipped the noose over his head, and jumped off the car.

Believe it or not, this actually a very funny story.

An Unnassigned Life is coming in February. 

The Boss

What a start!  What a year!  New books, new beans, great reviews, and our Ban is back! 

Let's start off with some wonderful reviews:

Earleen Smith said this about Thief of Todays and Tomorrows:

This was a great read! I enjoyed Kate's many adventures. This story starts in Chicago, rather innocently, and gets progressively more sinister. Then, Kate is forced into a choice she may not have made for herself and finds a humble new life in Phoenix. This tale is woven with skill and, like the other book I have read written by Susan Wells Bennett, shows this author's promise.

I am recommending this book in my book club this month, so clearly I would recommend it to you.

(posted at Smashwords)

Linda Mihay described Declaration of Surrender this way:

A chance flat tire in a rain storm, and a good Samaritan set off a wild chase to find a missing document that could destroy the USA. There are the good guys & the bad guys looking for this document. As it turns out, one of the bad guys has a good streak, and in the end does the "right thing" as the really evil one catches up and unleashes murder and mayhem.

This is a really good book about rotten eggs in the government, towards the end of WWII, and how a Dept of Homeland Security agent on leave, stumbles into a major case, and saves the day.

(posted on Amazon.com)

And Arthur Levine described Learning to Be Irish:

Have you ever read about a place that you’ve never been to and felt that you knew it intimately because the home and the people were so well described? I could practically smell the fire in the fireplace and hear the Irish brogue of the town gossip. That’s how I felt when I read Learning To Be Irish, and that’s how I felt about the main characters, the strong willed Daire, and the man she came to love, Padraic. I felt I knew them both and was a part of their lives. This is a place where a homespun instant wedding takes place, a child is conceived and a grand father’s fondest wish comes true in a land of Leprechauns and faeries.

Learning To Be Irish is about finding love and happiness. It’s a beautiful tale of a simpler time and a lush small village in Ireland where true virtue was really important, the simplest gesture could easily be misinterpreted, the community of gossip prone towns people worked together to help a stranger, and a tinge of mystery and strange goings on was always in the air. This is a wonderful place where people can walk around so enjoying life that they feel like they have a pocket full of emeralds. Charmingly told and heart warming—you will laugh and cry. This novel deserves five stars.

(posted at Smashwords)

And Sandra Smith commented on Openers:

Michael,
I just finished reading the book. It was captivating, very well written.
Your neighbor,
Sandra Smith

(sent in via Got Something To Say?)

We'll be posting more of our reviews next week, but we wanted to announce that we have another New Bean!  Rusty Coats has joined us, bringing a little basketball, a little romance, a little scandal and a psychic.  More details coming soon.

Michael E. Benson just keeps surprising everyone.  His first two books were crime - thrillers, based on actual events during his years in law enforcement.  Then just last month he gave us a warm, touching, biographical account of a boy growing up during the Great Depression.  Today, we're proud to release a completely different type of book; a sad, wonderful, heartbreaking and hopeful story of a man reviewing his life after the death of his wife.  Epiphanies is the story of Rob Stuart and the quest literally of a lifetime.  Warning:  Read this with tissues nearby.  Some of the events in this book are true, too. 

We're not done, yet!  We've got some amazing books coming up in the next few weeks.  We've got discounts and treats for our mailing list, too.  If you're not on our mailing list...well...why not? 

Welcome to 2011, friends. 

The Boss Bean

What a big week! 

Susan Wells Bennett's Circle City Blues is in print, her Thief of Todays and Tomorrows is available in all the usual digital formats. 

Jim Burkett's Declaration of Surrender is out in print, as well. 

Steven Revare's Raw, a Novel, is featured today at Indie Spotlight. 

Emjae's our featured Author in this month's What Writers Write.

The big news is Michael E. Benson's The Life and Times of Young Sonny Tompkins is available everywhere.  If you're used to Michael's taut crime dramas, this gentle coming of age story is going to be a surprise and a treat.   Think of it as Tom Sawyer in the Great Depression.  Check out the trailer here. 

Dear Father Christmas, we've been very good. 
We've all been writing as good writers should. 
We've plotted, we've planned for happy endings angling.
We've dotted and crossed and left nothing dangling.
When you go through the wish lists that come in your mails
please remember little writers just want readers and sales. 
So on Emjae!  On Steven! On Susan, Jim and Mike!
We'll write for our readers - not dolls, cars or a bike.
Whether you say Happy Hanukkah/Solstice/Kwanzaa/God Bless
Merry EVERYTHING from Inknbeans Press!
Emjae Edwards
 

Well, here it is, the day traditionally held to be the biggest shopping day of the year, the beginning of the biggest shopping season of the year.  Your mail box and in box are probably as stuffed as you are; everyone's got big savings on that thing you must have, or the toys Santa must bring.

Well, we at Inknbeans are no different.  We've got a couple of Black Friday treats just for you.

Emjae Edwards' Christmas themed book, Cactus & Mistletoe is free Friday, November 26th.  After a long day of shopping and listening to All I Want For Christmas Is You nine hundred and six times, who wouldn't enjoy a heartwarming story of a woman who learns that family and traditions can be found anywhere, in any weather.  And it's free! 

And if heartwarming holidays aren't your cuppa joe, what about a heart pounding thriller like Declaration of Surrender? You can have the book and the coffee Friday for the mailing list price of $5.00 plus s/h. 

Happy Holidays.

It's time to reflect, to rejoice, to regroup, to join with others to give thanks in whatever way you choose.  It's time to recognize that, yes, it's been a rough few years, and tomorrow won't necessarily be bright and shiny, either, but there are things for which we can be glad and grateful.  For some of us it's just the fact that we're still here. 

Here at Inknbeans Press, we have a lot to be thankful for.  This has been an amazing year for us, and it ain't over yet.  This time last year it was just the Boss, the ever able Ms. Pupps and Emjae Edwards, sharing ideas and a great big dream.   One year later, we've added some good people; good writers, great dreamers to our our hill o'beans.

Michael E. Benson was the first to believe in us, to share our dream.  He became our champion and friend.  A man of vast experience and wisdom, he brought so much more than his books to the table, he brought constant support and encouragement, both of which are priceless.  Michael's newest book, The Life and Times of Young Sonny Tompkins, weaves a fictionalized account of the people, the beliefs and values that shaped him. 

Michael also introduced us to Steven Revare, a man whose skewed view of life and twisted sense of humor fit in perfectly in our off beat, no rules, socks only business model.  Steven brought unflagging enthusiasm and the same vision for the future of books and publishing to our group.  Raw, a Novel, is getting amazing reviews from pretty impressive voices, such as the venerable Kirkus Reviews.

Our Ms. Pupps introduced us to Jim Burkett.  Jim was already independently publishing his first novel, Declaration of Surrender, and working on the sequel American Sanction, but he seemed to like what we offered and we liked what he offered.  Jim's friendly, funny personality has made him a favorite in writer forums and his personal values and worth ethic make it a pleasure to work with him.  American Sanction promises to be even more frightening and exciting than Declaration of Surrender.

Susan Wells Bennett introduced herself by writing one of those great reviews for Raw, a Novel.  We had a warm and thoughtful correspondence during which time she expressed interest in what we are doing, and wanted to know how she could be a part of it.  Like Jim, Susan had independently published three books and was working on book number four.  When she signed on the dotted line, she brought her professional experience, her friendly, encouraging and eager personality and Circle City Blues, The Thief of Todays and Tomorrows, The Prophet's Wives and her upcoming An Unassigned Life to the blend. 

Of course, we cannot forget Emjae Edwards.  She's been here from the beginning...and that beginning goes back more than a dozen years, when the Boss first foresaw this future for writers and their work, and they made a pact to build this company when the technology caught up with their dreams.  Emjae's written six contemporary relationship fiction books; A Plane Proposal, Wife in the Mirror, Learning to Be Irish, Calling All Hearts, No Greater Love and The Lady Must Decline.  Her books all feature real people, in challenging circumstances, with the requisite stresses and misunderstandings, but always with a satisfying conclusion.  One of her reviews called her work journeys rather than destinations.  Her Christmas themed story, Cactus and Mistletoe will be available later this week.  She's a mere four thousand words away from finishing her NaNoWriMo 2010 project, Once in the Moonlight, which will probably end up on our shelves next spring. 

And we would be so remiss not to mention Ban, Alan and Edie, without whom there would never be enough laughter or fresh coffee and Inknbeans would literally grind to a halt. 

And finally, our readers.  Oh, how we cherish each of you, for there is nothing more precious to a writer than those who read his words. 

Have a joyous holiday week, and from each of us, thank you for making this year so wonderful for us.

Alan, Ban, Edie, Emjae, Jim, Michael, Steven, Susan and The Boss

We got this great photo in our mail this morning.  Jim's family had the cap made for his birthday, and he felt we ought to see.  Note the tasteful display of his Inknbeans business cards. 

Take a look around the hill o' beans today, folks, there are lots of new things to see.  The menu has been updated to reflect many of our new and upcoming titles.  Ms. Pupps reviewed The Love Investigator - 527 Naked Men and One Woman, by Barbara Silkstone.  Emjae can already see the finish line in her NaNoWriMo run.  Michael shared an interview he did with the Lone Jack Corridor.  Steven L. Revare has a couple of readings in the Kansas/Missouri area in the next couple of weeks.  Susan, our newest bean, is away on a well earned holiday. 

If you're on our mailing list you got a link to a secret page here where you can get Jim's book and some official Inknbeans Press coffee for a special price. 

If we haven't said so recently, we're glad you're here.

The Boss Bean, Ms. Pupps, Emjae, Michael, Steven, Jim and Susan

We're happy to announce that our own Emjae Edwards is a participant in this year's NaNoWriMo.  Like thousands of others around the world, Emjae has committed to writing fifty thousand words in thirty days.  As of last night she had written over eighteen thousand words. 
NaNoWriMo raises funds through donations and sponsorships to encourage young people to stay in school, read and develop their writing skills.  Perhaps next year Inknbeans Press can field a team of writers.  Mike?  Steven?  Jim? Susan? 

We're just moments away from adding Declaration of Surrender to our bookshelf.  It's a fast paced, gritty story of a DHS agent who literally stumbles into a sixty year old plot that could end the United States as an independent country.  The author, Jim Burkett, applied hours and hours of research to his own life experience growing up in the military to weave an accurate and sometimes frightening picture of what our government will do to keep its citizens - and its secrets - safe. 





We have some other new books coming up, too:

Susan Wells Bennett's serio-comedic story of a man lost in love on the highways of America, Circle City Blues;
Michael E. Benson's coming of age story, based on experiences of his own family during the Depression, The Life and Times of Young Sonny Tompkins; and
Emjae Edwards Christmas themed story of a woman trying to rebuild her family by finding her only living relative, Cactus and Mistletoe.

And we've got coffee.  Inknbeans Private Label Beans are available.  They're specially blended, smooth and rich, roasted on demand just for us.  Right now we have Sumatra and Guatemalan, ground for a standard drip coffee pot, but amazing in a french press, too.  If you're on our mailing list, you'll be getting an offer to buy Jim's new book and a two oz. packet of coffee at a special price, so watch your mailbox. 

Many of our regular friends and fellow Bean enthusiasts already know Jim's work, Declaration of Surrender, which he published independently.   Regulars of the various writers forums also know him for his wit, his sense of fun and his devotion to family.  We are so pleased to welcome him to our little family.  Declaration of Surrender will be re-released through Inknbeans Press sometime in early November. If you've already read this intriguing 'what if' thriller, you'll be happy to know he's currently hard at work on a sequel.  If you'd like to know more about Jim, check out his page:  Jim Burkett, Secret Man of Mystery.

Welcome to the Bean, Jim!

ETA:  Because people asked, the cute blond in the photo is Maggie.

The Boss Bean, BG Pupps, Emjae Edwards, Michael E. Benson and Steven Revare. 

You've enjoyed the ink in Inknbeans Press for almost a year and now we're adding the beans. 

We've been working with a gourmet roaster in Florida called Blessed Blends, and they've helped us create our own private label coffee.  If you like rich, smooth, roasted on demand coffee to go with your book, Kindle, iPad or other reading device, you'll enjoy InknBeans Press Private Label Sumatra, Guatemalan, and coming soon, Costa Rican and Kenyan origins.  Starting in November we'll be offering book n bean combinations and gift sets, just in time for your holiday giving to friends, loved ones - even yourself. 

For those on you on the mailing list, Debbie Coe won our drawing this week.  She'll be getting an assortment of our new private label coffee.  Congratulations, Debbie and thank you everyone who participated.

Steven Revare is out proving that, not only can he write, he can read, too.  He's been in the other Manhattan this week. 

Michael E. Benson's been on the road, too, on his way to winter by the warm waters of the Gulf, but he's settling in and be back at the keyboard soon.  His latest book, due at Christmas, is a departure from the gritty crime thrillers he's been writing, and tells some stories of his family's experience in the Great Depression.  It might take place in Kansas and Utah of the late thirties, but the message couldn't be more contemporary; self sufficiency, hard work, love and honor.    Watch for The Life & Times of Young Sonny Tompkins in December. 

Emjae Edwards has a new book coming out with a holiday theme; Cactus and Mistletoe.  It's a collision of cultures and false impressions. The story of a woman trying to honor her family's wishes, longing to go home to her familiar traditions at the holidays and yet unwilling to abandon her quest.   Coming November 26th.


Our Ms. Pupps is still collecting entries for her next Win a Review contest.  Send her your first chapter at [email protected]

We have a few more surprises in the weeks ahead, so come back soon.

The Boss Bean

Tonight Steven Revare is appearing in Manhattan, Kansas, the home of his new book, Raw, a Novel.  If you're in the area, drop in at the Dusty Bookshelf around eight pm for a meet and greet.  At ten thirty, he takes over the mic at Auntie Mae's Parlor for a reading, some chatter and a few other goodies.  He promises to take his five-hour-energy-drink and take on dairies, computers, electronic publishing and David Hasselhoff during his discourse. 

If you miss tonight's gatherings, watch this space.  When Steven Revare and monster bull beverages meet, he could end up anywhere. 

If you're on the mailing list and purchased one of the qualifying books, time's running out to get your entry in for our drawing.  Get your secret question by Thursday, the fourteenth, and answer before the twenty first. 

Michael E. Benson's book, Alvarado's Woman - A Frank Petrovic Mystery, is featured at Spalding's Racket today. 

Emjae Edwards and Michael Benson both have books coming out in time for the holidays, so if someone you love is getting a new Kindle, iPad, Nook or Blackberry, they might like to have it decorated with a holiday themed contemporary romance, or a touching and inspiring historical novel. 

The Boss Bean

A couple of great reviews for our most recent releases:

Terri Taylor says this about Alvarado's Woman:

The book is wonderful!  I read about 5 pages each day because I don’t want to ever finish it.  It’s a great story.  I love every word!   I’m so into it that I would rather be home reading.  I love getting caught up in good stories

And Whitney Terrell, author of The Huntsman and King of King County, says:

Steve Revare is the freshest satirical voice to come out of the Midwest in many years.  His new novel, RAW, is a hilarious send up of state school politics, writing gurus, and the seamy underbelly of the dairy world.  Wry, vibrant, a master of invention and surprise, Revare establishes himself in these pages as a Calvin Trillin of the plains.  It’s a debut readers from coast to coast shouldn’t miss.

And if that isn't enough excitement for you, if you're not on our mailing list, you've missed out not only a discounts for Raw, a Novel, but a fun contest and an exciting preview of an upcoming feature of Inknbeans Press. 

Buy a book.  Leave a review.  Read a review.  Join the mailing list and get discounts and prizes.  Inknbeans Press.  One stop wonderful-ness.

The Boss Bean

It's here!  Raw, a Novel, our newest addition to the bookshelf, by our newest addition to the Hill o' Beans.  Steven Revare's affectionate look the center of America is something of a cautionary tale for those who believe the Midwest means mundane.  Steven makes Manhattan Kansas as much a character as his self absorbed writer - cum - Creative Writing professor, his one handed bartender, the ex wife who won't stay ex or the proprietor of the underground dairy.  When Carl Krauthammer decides to simplify his life, he discovers his Big City ways just might make him walking entropy in the Li'l Apple.  Available in all the usual places.   If you're on our mailing list, watch for a twenty five percent discount! 

Then get dressed!  Get a tee shirt inspired by Raw, a Novel.  Be the best dressed Lactivist in town.  Steven Revare's tee shirts and other oddities.

Yesterday, Michael E. Benson's chilling crime - thriller Openers was featured on the very popular blog Indie Spotlight.    It's a great interview and sample, and our thanks to Greg Banks and Edward C. Patterson for providing such a great venue for indie writers and small press.

And last week our newest Bean, Steven L. Revare, was featured in the Manhattan Mercury.  That's Manhattan, Kansas, the setting for his Raw, a Novel.  Here's an excerpt:

For most people, the word "Manhattan" conjures images of the Big Apple.  And for Carl Krauthammer, it did, too - until in an effort to simplify his life, he decided to try out the small-sized  version in Kansas. 

Krauthammer is the central character in "Raw", a new fiction novel focused on an English student starting afresh in Manhattan (Kansas, that is) after a stint in New York.  His creator, author Steven Revare, said he chose the location for Krauthammer's new life deliberately:  Revare himself lives in Prairie Village, and he's an admirer of Manhattan.

And further down the page...."I think his character is a little model for what's going on in the country," [the Boss Bean]
said.  "He starts out very successful in one direction and that falls apart on him, so he has to pick up and rebuild, and take off in search of his dream.  I think there a lot of people right now in the country who are in the same position."

And in conclusion, it says....Revare writes, "After living in the town for a while, seeing its physical beautify, getting to know the people and enjoying how simple it was to live there [Krauthammer] felt the town deserved a better self-image.  It didn't need a Johnny Kaw to attract people.  It didn't need comparisons to other places.  So far, he thought, Manhattan was putting on a good face all by itself."  Kimber Wallace.

Raw will be available in all the usual places September 30th. 

Speaking of Steven L. Revare, he'll be our featured writer at What Writers Write next week.

The Tag Team Expedition is doing great.  We're getting a lot of books linked there.  If you want to add your titles to the list (and check out some other writers, too) send your Amazon product links to [email protected].  Ms. Pupps will make sure they're listed right away.  

Check out our bean poll before it closes at the end of the month. 

Are you on our mailing list?  We've got a couple of very exciting promotions coming up, plus discounts on our next two releases. 

Come back soon.  The coffee's always on.

The Boss Bean

btw - Thank you, Michael, for catching my typo. 

We're busier and busier here at the Hill o' Beans, and we like it.  September 30th draws nigh, and with it the release of Raw, a Novel.  Steven L. Revare is going to be out in a few select cities talking not only about his new book but innovations this applications entrepreneur is bringing to the digital reading experience.  If you're in NYC, Chicago, New Orleans, Kansas City, San Francisco or Los Angeles, and you'd like to have him speak at your civics gathering or book group contact us at [email protected]. 

Michael E. Benson promises us some surprises before the end of the year.  Rumor is Frank Petrovic might be going to London.  Check his blog for details.  But don't wait for his next book - go read Openers or Alvarado's Woman now.  Both are available for most digital readers and in print.  Check the menu for details. 

Emjae Edwards has two new titles coming up before the end of the year.  Watch for Just Doing Her Job, coming soon, and she also promises us a Christmas treat in November. 

Probably the hardest working bean in the brew these days is our faithful assistant, BG Pupps.  She's got her blog, she's started maintaining a tag list (if you want your books tagged at Amazon send her your links, if you want suggestions for books to tag check her list), and now she's become a book reviewer.  This week she reviewed P.A. Woodburn's Cries in the Dark.  Hit her Bones To Pick to find out what she says about this dark story. 

We've also got a poll going and we'd love to have your opinion.  We have a few surprises ahead, too.  New flavors and sweet treats will be added to the menu in the coming weeks.  Come back for a refill soon.  We're always open.

The Boss Bean. 

Our thanks to Emjae for the picture.   9/11

Yes, despite the red line stubbornly hovering on the searing side of the thermometer, despite the hurricanes battering our shores, and brush fires eating grass, trees, and houses, Autumn is here.  How do we know?  The calender still says summer for another three weeks, but Starbucks, the ultimate arbiter of the seasons, has brought back Spice Pumpkin Lattes and Frappes.  This isn't a promotion of a competitor.  This is confession of an addiction. 

Even with the Beanmobile permanently parked in the drive thru at our local purveyor of creamy-pumpkiny goodness, we're getting a lot done atop the Hill o'Beans.  Ms. Pupps, our intrepid assistant, has posted her first review for a non bean writer.  Take at look at her impressions of Lighting Out by Maria B. Murad. 

Michael E. Benson is working on some new projects, some for the Bean and some for other venues.  If you want to know what the creator of the Frank Petrovic Mysteries is up to, check out his blog. 

When he's not promoting his upcoming Raw, a Novel, Steven L. Revare is making music...or something.   It seems he's the drummer in a band that has no drums.  KMBC, the ABC affiliate that brought us an up close look at Steven L. Revare last week, is now featuring his band. 

Speaking of Raw, it's coming out 30th of September.  Read it with a cow you love.

Come back soon, the coffee's always on.

The Boss Bean

We're in the last lap in our run up to releasing Raw, a Novel, Steven L. Revare's step by step instructions on simplifying your life while complicating the life of everyone around you...and cheese.  The trailer for Raw is on Steven's Author Page (Who is this Steven L. Revare and why does he want us to get Raw?).    Steven was also featured on KMBC last weekend.  KMBC is the local ABC affiliate in the great plains of Kansas.  

Our Featured Author is still trying to corral all her naked men, and asks us to...um...bare with her.  We'll have Barbara's revealing essay by next week. 

Michael E. Benson's starting his own blog.  Stop in and say hello.

Our own Ms. Pupps has taken on the role of book reviewer, and to that end, offered to review a non-bean book in September.  So, she's going to review four books.  Watch her blog next month. Note to Bean...do not use Ms. Pupps as our accountant. 

We're keeping this update short to give you plenty of time to check out Steven's trailer for Raw, and his interview at KMBC.  Enjoy.

The Boss Bean

From Steven L. Revare's website Slugworth Entertainment Inc.

Judging a Book’s Cover By Its Content As we embark on the mad pace to get RAW ready for publication within a few months, one of the first items to check off was the design of the cover.

My publisher (InkNBeans Press) and I wanted the cover to have a single dramatic image because it would need to look good on Amazon, as an iPad icon, and in grayscale on the Kindle. We didn’t want it to feel sterile or artificial. The book takes place primarily in a rural area. This is a book in which the prairie and raw milk play a role. It would need to have an organic feel. We decided on a milk bottle in the middle of an expanse of grass.

My wife procured for me some antique milk bottles from her mom’s antique shop, Log Cabin Antiques in Lone Jack, Missouri. These are the kind made of thick, clear glass, thinner at the throat and then broad at the mouth.

I called the namesake of Julia Shapiro Photography to take the pictures. Julia prides her self on her analog approach to photography: real film camera, black and white stock, hand tinted prints. She does beautiful work.

We went out on a hot July afternoon to see if we could get the perfect picture of the milk bottle (filled with cold, whole milk). Oddly enough we located a bit of native prairie grass on the Sprint Campus, of all places. They have an area of native grass there, which you can see in the background. The stuff in the foreground appears to be mowed, so I dont think it counts as tallgrass.

Here’s a map that shows where we shot the pictures for the cover and the video for the trailer.

Looks sort of silly from this angle.

Julia shooting the cover image

So here it is, the final result:

The latest iteration of the cover.

We think it turned out great. It has the dramatic single image, a definitely non-Photoshop feel, and my name in big white letters on it.

So what do you think? Would you buy this book?

Nick Spalding recently decided to see what would happen if he sat down to write a book...and didn't get up.  The result? 
Life With No Breaks.  But he's not just an exhausted writer...he likes to promote other exhausted writers and today he's promoting our own Michael E. Benson on his blog, Spalding's Racket.  Go check it out.  You'll not only find Openers, but lots and lots of other good books from indie writers and small presses.  Ta, Nick.

Alvarado's Woman is available now at all the usual places.  If you're on our mailing list, you received a discount code for twenty five percent off the list price.

If you're looking for this month's InknPage, it will be a little later in the month.  Our featured author, the ever sizzling Ms. Silkstone, is re-releasing her intimate little conversation with five hundred or so men around the twentieth, so watch for her thoughts on What Writers Write (and How They Write It) then. 

Coming in September, we'll be cooling things off a bit with tall, refreshing glass of Raw.  Steven L. Revare - our newest Bean - brings us his look at readin', writin', 'rhythmatic and...cheese. 

Ms. Pupps, our office assistant extraordinaire, is offering a chance to do what she does best - give her opinions.  If you're a non-Bean writer who'd like an honest, fair and unpaid review of your work, submit the first chapter of your book to [email protected] by the 20th of August.  She'll choose the one she likes best, ask for the rest of the book, and write a review for you in September.  Who doesn't need another review for their work? 

The Boss

It's not just hot because it's summer, it's hot because we've got a brand new Frank Petrovic Mystery coming out in just a few days and because we've got a very spicy InknPage this month.  Our guest writer will be Barbara Silkstone, the author of The Love Investigator - 527 Naked Men and 1 Woman.  Whew!  Watch for it. 

Alvarado's Woman - A Frank Petrovic Mystery is the second in Michael E. Benson's series about the by-the-book cop with a gift for following procedures until they lead him to the bad guy.  If you want to know more about this bulldog with a badge, read last week's update featuring an interview with the character himself. 

Next month, our newest author comes aboard to answer the burning question; what do cheese, Wall Street, post-modernism and  La Leche League have in common?  The answer is Raw. 

Stay cool out there.

The Boss

FRANCIS ANTON PETROVIC

Kansas City Homicide Detective

 

Francis Anton Petrovic was born in the Strawberry Hill section of Kansas City, Kansas, a Slavic community.   A short time later his parents moved across the river to Kansas City, Missouri, where he grew up.  He attended Catholic schools and graduated high school when he was eighteen.  A year later, he enlisted in the Army for two years.  After basic training, he was sent to military police school and stationed in Germany.

When his tour of duty was over, he returned to Kansas City and joined the police force. He worked patrol for several years, and then switched to the K9 unit. He became an investigator and worked in all of the department’s investigative units except the one he really wanted to be in . . . the prestigious homicide unit. Finally, during the last few months of his active duty, he was offered an assignment in homicide and teamed with the unit’s only female detective, Maria de Leon, to work on cold cases perpetrated by a psychotic serial killer, the Riverside Strangler.           


               


1)  Have you uncovered any new evidence in the Riverside Strangler murders?

No, but we have looked at the old evidence in a new way which revealed a connection between the victims that was not discovered before.  We are hopeful that this connection between the victims will be expanded to include the killer.

2)  Without jeopardizing an ongoing investigation, what can you tell us about the Riverside Strangler? 

He’s probably a white male around thirty years of age, give or take five years.  He’s had serious problems with the dominant female in his life, probably his mother.  When he is on the prowl, he’s like an animal.  His senses are heightened.  He feels invincible.  The sex acts he forces on his victim before he strangles them are brutal.  In all probability he does these things to get even for some perceived injustice done to him by the dominant female in his life.

3)  Do you believe you will capture the Riverside Strangler?

Absolutely.  We have made great strides in determining his identity, and I believe it’s only a matter of a little time until we arrest him.

4)  Has there been a specific unsolved case in your career that you wish you had solved?

If you look at the statistics, you’ll see that most crime is unsolved.  Murder has the highest clearance rate and is the most serious offense.  Rape and robbery are also serious felonies, but only four out of ten rapes result in an arrest, and only about one in four robberies.  I don’t dwell on the failures.  I’m just happy I was able to solve as many cases as I did.

5)  Has working with a female partner changed you?  Has it changed your approach to dealing with suspects? 

No, not really.  Except when it comes to Hispanics.  When possible, Maria deals with them because they know her and she speaks their language.  A successful partnership depends on compatibility, and Maria and I are very compatible.  And her gender has never been an issue.  I’ve been in love with the same woman since I was ten years old, and I’m a good twenty years older than Maria.

6)  You are rumored to really enjoy surveillance technology.  What is your favorite new piece of equipment?   

Oh, the surveillance van without a doubt.  I’m really enamored with all that electronic gadgetry.

7)  What advice would you give a young person considering a career in law enforcement? 

Stay in school at least until you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree.  The degree is the key that will unlock many doors for you.  Law enforcement isn’t just working for a police department.  Every bureau in the federal government has an investigative branch.  You have to have the degree to qualify and expand your options.

8)  Who is your favorite fictional detective?

Elementary, my dear Watson.  Sherlock Holmes, of course, because of his scientific approach to solving crimes at a time when forensic science was in its infancy.  Sherlock had a very ordered approach to crime which we still use to some extent today.

9)  Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

That is a question for a philosopher, not a criminal investigator.  But since you asked, I’ll tell you.  It has now been scientifically proven that the chicken came first.  There is an ingredient in the composition of egg shells that only comes from the ovary of a chicken, hence there could be no egg until a chicken produced it.  And if you have any more stupid questions, don’t hesitate to ask someone else.

10)  Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Well, I’m retiring in a few months and I’m also getting married to the love of my life, who has finally moved in with me.  I’ve waited for her for forty years, and now it’s finally going to happen.  After that, I plan on starting an investigative agency.  So in ten years, I see myself as a partner in one of the most prestigious private investigation agencies in the country.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Read more about Police Detective Petrovic and the Riverside Strangler in Openers by Michael E. Benson.

We've been at war, here at the Hill o' Beans; battling time, an ever growing to do list, vacationing staff, and one sick writer.  Emjae Edwards managed to deliver her sixth book, and retired to her swooning couch for the last week.  We're hoping she'll be back at her keyboard this week. 

Emjae's not the only one who made an addition to our shelves.  Michael E. Benson's second in the Frank Petrovic series, Alvarado's Woman will be available in August.   Also in August, you'll get to meet the newest addition to the pot, when Steven Revare is featured on Inknpage. 

We're on Facebook now, too.  We're not exactly sure what this means, but Emjae says it is a good thing, and would a woman who believes in chivalry, afternoon tea and that the Dodgers can still make a comeback lie to us?  We think not.

Pick up her new book today. 

If you're not on our mailing list, you missed out on a 25% discount for The Lady Must Decline.  Don't miss the next discount - sign up today.  

Boss Bean

We're pleased to announce Kristie Leigh Maguire as our featured author this month.  She's given us yet another wonderful insight into What Writers Write, on our InknPage.    If you enjoyed her essay, drop in at her website and let her know...or pick up one of her books! 

Emjae's virtual booksigning continues through the fifteenth.  Pick up your copy soon.

Emjae's sixth book, The Lady Must Decline, will start off with a coupon for everyone on the mailing list.  If you want to get her newest title at twenty five percent off, and get updates and announcements of other fun stuff, join the mailing list today. 

Stay cool out there...

The Boss and Ms. Pupps.

It's July and we've got a full bodied pot of goodness going for you.

Our virtual booksigning is ongoing.  Emjae clutches her Sharpie to her breast, and waits, ever poised to sign and say thank you.  It's a pretty good deal.  For $2.59 plus S&H ($0.28), you get a suitable-for-framing/bookmark/decorating/fanning yourself postcard featuring the cover art of A Plane Proposal, signed by Emjae. On the back, you'll find, along with our thanks, a code for a free digital copy of A Plane Proposal in any e-reader format available at Smashwords.com 

Emjae has been doing more than autographing books, however.  Her sixth contemporary relationship fiction will be out this month.  The Lady Must Decline is a romantic suspense boomerang of action and emotion. 

Michael E. Benson has been working so hard he blew up his computer!  It died valiantly, however, delivering two new books; Alvarado's Woman, the next in the Frank Petrovic series, will be out in August, and then there is his foray into the Young Adult market with a semi - biographical work that reads like Tom Sawyer in the Great Depression.  Watch for details. 

Kathie Leigh Maguire, author of Second Chances, among other pretty steamy romances, will be our featured author this month on InknPage.  Watch for that fun look at the writer and her work on the eighth of July. 

We'll be back soon with more updates and announcements.  In the meantime, have a safe and sane holiday. 

The Boss Bean (and Ms Pupps)

It's more than half way through June, and it has been a busy, uplifting and occasionally disappointing few weeks.  Openers had its best sales day yet, thanks in large part to the folks at KindleKorner groups at Yahoo.  Overall, sales are picking up, and we're delighted. 

If you enjoyed Openers, and Frank Petrovic, you'll be happy to know there's another in the series, coming out in August.  Alvarado's Woman is a quick story, featuring Frank going after the kidnapper and killer of little girls. 

Speaking of Openers, and its author, did you read Michael E Benson's column this month for InknPage?  If not, check it out. 

The booksigning has not been as successful as we'd like.  We hope that will change by end of month.  Doesn't everyone want a 4 x 5.75" suitable for framing postcard featuring the cover art for Plane Proposal and Emjae's autograph?  Oh, yes, it comes with a book, too.  On the back is a coupon for a free digital copy of the book redeemable at Smashwords.  Order yours today. 

We'll be back soon with more exciting announcements.

It's a virtual booksigning for Emaje Edward's A Plane Proposal.  Go to our Book Signing page for details. 


No Greater Love is live at Amazon, finally!

Openers had its best sales day yet June 10th.  Thanks, bOb, and all the great readers at KindleKorner (Yahoo Groups).  If you have a Kindle (or any e reader) or want to get one, join KindleKorner at Yahoo Groups.  They know everything - and they know it. 

No Greater Love is now available.   If you're on our mailing list, check your email for a twenty five percent discount at Smashwords.

There's a lot brewing this month at Inknbeans Press

June 5th is the release date for Emjae Edwards' fifth book, No Greater Love.  If you are on our mailing list, watch for a coupon code for twenty five percent off at Smashwords. 

June 10th will be our next edition of InknPage, this month featuring the thoughts of our own Michael E. Benson.

June 20th will be our first book signing.  Details to follow. 

Got a question?  Have a comment?  Want discounts, previews and special offers?  Drop us a line at Got Something To Say or sign up to be included on our mailing list.  We'd love to hear from you. 

Fiona has loved Tremaine since she first understood what made a girl's heart do a little dance inside.  He's handsome, successful, charming, moody, needy, and completely clueless.  He loves Paullette, who is not above stepping on his heart to get where she thinks she belongs.  Fiona has the power to stop the romance, and achieve everything she's ever dreamed about, but sacrifices her chance of happiness for the hope of his. 

Dane has the power to take Fiona's life from bleak to bright even though his heart lies elsewhere, and he sacrifices his happiness to help hers. 

How much sacrifice is too much?  When is love no longer enough? Find out June 5th.  No Greater Love, by Emjae Edwards.

If you're on the mailing list, you can get twenty five percent off cover price.  Sign up now.

Emjae Edwards' new release, No Greater Love.  Love so often means sacrifice.  What would you do for the person you love? 

Two promotions are coming up in June.   If you're on the mailing list, you'll get a chance to buy Emjae's new book at a discount.  And...for the other, well...we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. 

Also, look for a new edition of What Writers Write, featuring our own Michael E. Benson. 

Openers is now available at Amazon.com for $1.99 

Openers is a chilling look into the mind of a killer, and into the minds of the men and women who hunt him.  It's CSI with street cred.  It's based on actual events, and written by a former police investigator.  And Openers opens for business, Wednesday, May 5th.  Join our mailing list and get 10 percent off the price at Smashwords.com this week. 

New to Inknbeans

We're taking names and mailing stuff.  Join our mailing list to get advance previews of new releases, updates, special offers and discounts, and a chance to ask our authors questions. 

Coming in May

Openers, a chilling view into the mind of a serial killer, and the policemen and women who are trying to stop him before he kills again.  Told in a clinical and informative style, it is 'part police report, part diary'.   This isn't CSI, this was written by a former police investigator and instructor, showing all the progress and failure of a criminal investigation. 

Inkinpage - an occasional feature, written by writers in various genres, about their particular process in developing a story, and getting the story to the page, and ultimately to the reader. 

The Ultimate Reading Experience, a special, unique way to enjoy the books offered at Inknbeans.  Details coming soon.

Scottie McArdle had never known the love of family until she met the Howards.  When they asked her to distract their eldest son before he made what could literally be a fatal mistake, she had no idea that she'd be asked to make decisions that could affect her for the rest of her life. 

Lane Howard was rich, handsome, powerful,  miserable and dying.  He blamed all women for the actions of  the woman he could not forget.  Despite Scottie's willingness to do whatever would make the all too few and all too precious months of his life happy ones, he doubted and suspected her, and even tried to destroy her.

 

WARNING:  This book contains reference to a non consensual physical encounter. 

On Sale Now. 

 

Calling All Hearts will be released Thursday, April 15th.  Here's a sample:


It was on the first page of the second section:  a picture of Marjean and Lane, her head on his shoulder, him smiling, the back of Scottie’s head, a caption that read that Marjean Harris and her old ‘beau’ were renewing old acquaintances at Sardi’s, along with an unidentified companion.  Scottie closed her eyes and tried to remember Lane smiling when that photograph was taken.  It seemed to her he had just looked painfully embarrassed. 

She put the paper aside, and stood.  Inside, Lane was in the bathroom, showering.  She made the bed, even though she knew it annoyed Burton, laid out her clothes for the day and waited, wondering what she was supposed to say to Lane, yet sensing that something must be said.

In a few moments he came out, a black bath towel knotted at his hip.  She had to catch her breath at the sight of him.  No matter how miserable he made her by loving another woman, there was no denying that he was a good looking man, a man who knew how to give a woman pleasure, and if she wanted to exercise her legal rights, she could keep him from giving that pleasure to anyone but her.

He stalled when he saw her.  He opened his mouth, but nothing would come out.  Finally he stopped struggling to find some innocuous thing to say and sighed.  “You saw the photo?”

What else could she say? She looked away and nodded. 

He became uncharacteristically defensive.  “Scottie, you were there, you know how all that happened.  You know you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Oh, I know.”  She lowered her eyes.  She understood now why he had been so distant and unhappy that morning, and she didn’t want to make him any unhappier, but she had a desperate need to convey to him that if he was still interested in Marjean that she did not want to know about it.

“Listen, Scottie, I know would be a lot easier on both of us if there wasn’t any history between Marjean and me,” he dropped the towel almost defiantly and sat to put on underwear and socks, “but we can’t get around the fact that I was engaged to her at one time, and she and I had had a very passionate relationship for a while, even after that.  But it was over a long time ago.”

Scottie went to his dressing room to select a shirt for him.  “Of course, Lane.”

“You don’t believe me, do you?” he challenged.

She didn’t, but she wasn’t going to enflame the situation any more by admitting it.  Instead, she employed an old interrogation tactic she had learned on the Force.  “Of course I do.  Why shouldn’t I?  Why would you lie to me, Lane?” she asked, laying the shirt out on the bed beside her own things.  “It’s not as if we have to live with this hovering between us forever and ever.”  She jerked away from the sting of her own words.  What was happening to her, that she wanted to say such cruel things to him?

He didn’t seem to see it as cruel, only honest.  “Well, we do.  At least for my forever and ever,” he answered, taking the shirt and sliding into it.  “Scottie, I know we both came into this trying to be practical, to leave out feelings out of it, and that may have been a mistake.”  He paused, trying to choose words carefully.  “But it’s not a mistake we can undo.  I just want you to know that…that…” he stumbled, staring at the floor, bewildered.  “I just want you to know…” he stopped again, and pressed a fist to his chest.

Scottie turned around.  Lane was staggering against the bed, his eyes round with surprise, his dark face going pale, his lips faintly blue, his breath coming in great, heaving shudders.  “Lane?” she began, nervously, “Lane?”  She ran to him, trying to support him, as he lurched forward, still pressing his chest. 

He tried to push her away, but seemed to have no strength in his hands.  He fell against the bed again and slithered down to sit on the floor at the foot of the bed.  “I…I can’t breathe,” he gasped.

“I’ll call 911,” Scottie said, fighting panic, trying to be the trained responder she was supposed to be.  “Where is your doctor’s number?  Does Burton know it?  Just nod.”  She ran to the door to shout for the butler.

“Scottie,” Lane wheezed, struggling for air.  “In the…drawer,” he pointed weakly, “there’s a…”

Scottie obeyed quickly, fear pounding frantically in her brain.  This was it.  It was over already.  Not now!  I’m not ready! She protested feverishly, pawing through his things, finding a bottle and glancing at the label.  Nitroglycerin tablets, of course.   “Here.”  She knelt beside him, twisting the cap off and spilling the tiny rectangles into her hand.  “Open your mouth.”  She dropped one under his tongue when he obeyed.  She reached for the phone beside the overturned drawer. “I’m going to call 911, now. Shh…let the medications work.” 

As she made the connection, identified herself and the emergency, Burton arrived, helping his employer into a more comfortable position against the edge of the bed.  He seemed to know exactly what to do, and once he was assured that Lane had taken the medication, and that 911 had been contacted, he put a blanket over Lane’s legs and went downstairs to direct the Emergency team when it arrived.

Lane let his head fall back against the bed, still struggling for air, but the color was coming back into his face. “Oh, that’s better,” he sighed, letting his hands fall from his throat to his lap. He shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again.  “I think that was the worst one, yet.”

“What was that?  What just happened?” Scottie was trembling all over, the bottle clenched so tightly in her hand she was in danger of breaking it.

Lane waved it away with an insubstantial gesture.  “Nothing to get yourself worked up over,” he said, breathlessly.  “It’s not a heart attack.  It’s just my heart’s way of protesting when I get upset or stressed.”

“Has it happened often?” she asked, kneeling beside him again.  “Is it safe for you to drive?  Is it safe for you to travel?”

He nodded faintly.  “They don’t happen often, and never so bad as this.  I’m sorry, Scottie.  I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Well, of course I was scared.  What do you expect?”  Scottie was so scared she was almost angry.  “I thought this was it.  I thought you were going d-die right here.”

“Oh, I promise I won’t do that to you.”  He reached up and pulled her down to sit beside him.  “I’ll be very quiet about it.”

“That’s not funny.”  She pushed away from him.  “I was so afraid you were going to…to go and I felt so helpless.  Oh, Lane, I don’t think I can handle this.”  When she turned around, he was laying very still, his eyes closed once again.  “Lane? I’m sorry.  I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“It’s all right, Scottie, don’t apologize,” he said resignedly.  “I’m glad you feel comfortable being completely honest.”  He opened his eyes and searched her face.  “Are you saying you want out, now?”

Scottie looked down at the bottle in her hands.  Did she want out?  Never.  “No, you said this was a mis…this was something we couldn’t undo.  I’m here as long as you want me to be here, Lane.”

He gave her a faltering smile.  “To the bitter end, eh, Scottie?”  He began to push himself off the floor.”

“Lane, be careful.  Please, sit down…the ambulance will be here any moment.”

“Oh, no…I don’t need them, now.”  He eased up until he was sitting on the edge of the bed.  “Once the nitro does its work, except for a headache, I’m fine.”  He gestured toward the dressing room.  “Get me a pair of navy slacks, will you?  And stop worrying, Scottie.  Actually, this is a good sign, it means all my nerves and things are still working properly.  Oh, and thanks for the help.  Dad always said you had nerves of steel.”

Scottie looked again to her shaking hands.  “Not much like steel now,” she confessed. 

“Oh, come on, you’re a cop, you face down desperate men with guns before breakfast.”  He rubbed his chest.  “Don’t tell me a little myocardial infarction is going to scare you.”

“You know, my job isn’t like that.  Even when I was a beat cop, most of it was traffic enforcement and public relations.  The desperate men with guns were the exception, not the rule.”  Realizing that he was merely trying to distract her from the very real and alarming event, she held the bottle up and examined it.  “Sublingual Nitrostat.”  She shook her head and put the bottle on the bedside table.  “It says you should sit or lie down after taking them.  So…” she pointed to the bed, “sit or lie down.  I always associated nitroglycerin pills with old people with bad hearts-“

“Scottie, what do you think I am?”  He started to stand up, but she moved to block his efforts.  “Well, I’m a not so old person with a bad heart.  It runs in my family.  Didn’t my father tell you that?”

Scottie nodded slowly as a new fear gripped her.  This defect was congenital.  What if their child should suffer the same condition?  “Yes, I understood that.”  Well, I knew it, she conceded to herself, that doesn’t mean I understood it, until now.

Lane watched the ill concealed fears dance behind her eyes and he sat down again, his mouth screwed up in a frown.  “As soon as possible after you get pregnant, the baby must be tested for this condition,” he said, heavily.  “You can talk to my doctor and get the details.  Will you do that?”

“Of course,” she promised hastily.  He must hate me for being so afraid of something he’s meeting head on, almost liked an anticipated and welcomed friend.

“You don’t need to be too worried,” he said, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt.  “The chances are about one in four that our child would have this defect.  My grandfather was one of four sons and the only one to have it.  My uncle was one of five children, and the only one affected.  Trent’s heart is as sound as a dollar.  So is Dad’s.  And it only passes to male children.  So, really, there’s not a lot to worry about.  Now, will you get me my trousers?”

Scottie shook her head.  “You’re not going anywhere until you’re checked out.”  She turned to the dressing room.  “I’ll get your pajama pants if you don’t want to meet the EMTs in flagrante.”

“Ever practical, Scottie.”  He smiled.  Except for a greyishness around his eyes, there was really no indication of the man who, just moments before, was too weak to lift his hands, who had to fight for every breath.

Scottie tried to match his smile.  “Thank you for telling me about your family history.  That’s reassuring.  How did…how did…” She couldn’t make herself invade his privacy any more and ask the questions for which she wanted and needed answers.

“How did I find out about it?”  He took his pajama pants and stepped into them, carefully.

Scottie nodded, holding out a hand in support which he ignored.  “I suppose, even knowing it ran in the family, it must have been a bit of a shock.”

“Not really.”  He sat down again, sighing as if that little bit of effort had been more than he expected.  “We’ve always know I had this problem.  I was a sickly baby.  I guess I was a real burden to my folks, just starting out in life, trying to make ends meet on a patrolman’s salary, knowing that – back then – a kid like me usually didn’t survive.  But, against the odds, I survived.”  He bit down on his lip, frowning.  “The odds ran out a couple of months ago when I went in for an insurance check up and they found that my condition was deteriorating at an accelerated rate.”  He shrugged.  “I can’t complain.  I figure I got thirty more years than I was entitled to have.”

The siren they had both been ignoring screamed up the drive.

The Boss is away on personal business, so I'm going to take this opportunity to make you a great offer.  The next seven people who purchase A Plane Proposal and leave a review at Smashwords.com or Amazon.com (or both) will receive their choice of  either Wife in the Mirror or Learning to Be Irish absolutely free. 

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This offer is limited to free digital copies. 

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Ms. BG Pupps

Get swept away for free.  A Plane Proposal and Wife in the Mirror will both be free at smashwords.com next week.  All we ask is that you read, encourage someone else to read, help someone to read.  And when you're through, let us know what you think. 

Boss Bean and Ms Pupps

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