The Diaries of Sun City - short story by Mike Russell

The Diaries of Sun City

By Mike Russell

From short story collection Nothing Is Strange

Published by: StrangeBooks

Dear Diary,

Hello. It is Monday. I live in Sun City. Sun City is a city that is entirely contained inside an enormous concrete building in the shape of a sun. Its rays house our living quarters; its circular centre is where we work and shop. No one has ever been outside of the city; it is generally suspected that the environment outside of the city is uninhabitable.

 People write diaries for a particular reason here, where our social etiquette is constricting. Diaries are so popular that they have their own shop. The shop is called ‘We Are Diaries’. I have not owned a diary until now. The idea of placing my most secret, most sacred feelings out in the world terrifies me but today I bought a small, black book with blank, white pages and the word ‘Diary’ embossed on its cover.

 I walked from the shop and through the city centre with the diary in my pocket and caught the bus that runs up and down the concrete ray that houses my apartment.  My apartment is at the very end of the concrete ray.

 Inside my apartment, I sat facing the far wall. I lay the diary on my lap, opened it at the first page, then began to write in it with pen and ink.

 Why can I not tell Miss Baraclough that I care for her? It would be wrong to of course, inappropriate. She would be offended, that would be expected of her. Reluctantly, her associates would be obliged to sever their relations with me; my associates would be informed and forced to sever their relations with me also. I would feel ashamed because it would be expected of me. Yet I would not feel ashamed when talking to you dear Diary; I would be proud. But I cannot say it to her so this ink is wasted.

 Dear Diary,

 It is Tuesday. Despite my dismissal of its worth, I have decided to write to you again. When I opened the diary this evening I discovered the first page to be blank! My memory of writing on the page is clear. Is my memory lying to me?

 Dear Diary,

 It is Wednesday. When I opened the diary this evening the first page was blank again. Is the ink fading? I am scared. Imagine saying that to a colleague. ‘Mr Barton, I am scared.’ Imagine his horror, his embarrassment, his contempt. Tomorrow, I will whisper it to his back.

 Dear Diary,

 It is Thursday. When I opened the diary this evening, the first page was blank again. I decided to count the pages. I counted 362. The pages are disappearing. Someone must be stealing the pages. I have begun constructing elaborate scenarios from my suspicions. Who would want to know my secret thoughts? But had I not once wished to see inside Miss Baraclough’s diary? If I had spied it when visiting her in her apartment and she had briefly left the room to make a cup of tea, would I not have been tempted to steal a glance at a few words? From this confession, dear Diary, I deduce that the pages could have been stolen by absolutely anyone.

 I expect that by tomorrow evening this page will also have disappeared.

 Dear Diary,

 It is Friday. I was right; the page has gone. Today, on the bus, I wanted to shout obscenities and bare myself to the other passengers. My confessions to you, dear Diary, are becoming more honest with the thought that they are being read. I am no longer scared of my words being seen because they are evidently being read by someone who welcomes them, who needs them. But I am fantasising.  My door is bolted from the inside at night and there are no windows in my apartment. How then are the pages disappearing? Am I destroying them myself in my sleep?  Is there a part of me that abhors these words, that would rather I was a perfect citizen with no feelings that need to be hidden? I will stay at Miss Baraclough’s tonight.

 Dear Diary,

 It is Saturday. The page has gone. The ‘We Are Diaries’ shop is wrong; they are not diaries. I do not write to them and it is not this book that I am writing to either. I am not addressing these paper pages or their cardboard cover. Dear Diary, who are you?

 Dear Diary,

 It is Sunday. I want to leave the city. What is outside of the city? Is that where you reside? Do you have a throne on the other side of the world?

 Dear Diary,

 It is Monday. I am hammering a chisel into the far wall of my apartment, the end of the concrete ray. Bang follows bang with no lessening of passion. My desire grows as my energy fades. Bang. Bang. It falls away in chunks.

 I can see a little light that grows.

 The hole is big enough to crawl through.

 I crawl through.

 It is so bright! The ground is covered in pages, knee deep, for as far as I can see. White pages covered in writing in different hands lay naked, exposed, pressed against one another. It is overwhelming. I wade through them.

 I walk in a straight line all day, bewildered but purposeful, towards Diary’s throne.

 In the distance I can see other people. They are also wading through the pages, striding from every direction towards the same destination, fearless, with nothing to lose. Could it be that everyone has broken through their respective concrete rays at the same time and for the same reason as I?

 When we reach a distance where Diary’s throne should be in sight, we all realise that it is not there, and that it is not the throne that we are walking towards but each other.

 The air is full of unrestricted speech.

 We now no longer live inside the sun but are illuminated by it.

 Now we become the throne.

 Now we are Diary.

Copyright © 2014 Mike Russell. All Rights Reserved.

Interested in another short story from the book, check out "Dunce" here.

Update: Check out Nadaness In Motion's book review of Nothing Is Strange by Mike Russell on the blog.

About StrangeBooks:

www.StrangeBooks.com is a new Indie publisher based in the UK. Their first publication is a collection of 20 mind-expanding short stories titled 'Nothing Is Strange'.

www.StrangeBooks.com believes in the transformative power of the story:

“We wish our readers the highest possible outcome from their reading experience. We believe that stories have the potential to be life-changing. So let us not limit the power of the story; let us read with an expectation of the highest possible outcome and allow every story to work its magic.”

Mike Russell, the author of ‘Nothing Is Strange’, adds this:

“For me, creating is discovering and storytelling is bringing into the world dreams that are universal. They come from a deep place; they want to be known and they want to help us. Storytelling is a way of turning the world inside out, which I believe it desperately needs.”

Inspiring, liberating, otherworldly, magical, surreal, bizarre, funny, disturbing, unique… all of these words have been used to describe the stories of Mike Russell so put on your top hat, open your third eye and enjoy… Nothing Is Strange!

Available from amazon here: viewBook.at/nothingisstrange

Are printed books making a comeback? + Coffee Table Books – Guest Post by Christopher Logan

Today, I'm featuring author and actor Christopher Logan, who has written this guest post exclusively for Nadaness In Motion about books, printed books and Coffee Table books.

Books can surprise you. It may be the killer's identity, or even a sudden shift in who's narrating the tale you've been reading, but there is always a twist and turn that delights. The latest delight for me is that books are coming back strong.

 

With everyone able to download a novel at the click of a mouse or the tap of a button, you'd think the printed book was well on the way out. It almost seemed it was, but now there seems to be a resurgence. It's the books that don't translate well to downloads, that are leading the way. Books with high-end photography, painted pictures, complex graphic work and old school art print quality are catching people's eyes again.

The difference in the rich details, the deep inky blacks and the vibrant complicated colour schemes, leave the Facebook and Tinder photo surfer in awe. It seems downloadable books have lowered the expectation of what a printed book can be and people who now happen across them, are more than simply charmed…they are blown away.

I've been producing books for a short while now. First, a lovely tribute to the drag performers that have coloured my world for so long, and now I'm following it up with a big tome on the world of Burlesque. From men with too many fashion choices for one gender to women who just leave it all on the floor, we're exploring the subcultures of the arts in vivid, impactful photography. These images stay with you.

The thing about putting a book project like these together is that there are so many people involved. Usually when you think of a book, there is just the one writer. These books are huge collaborations, orchestrated events and a balancing act all at the same time.

And even though they can be the cause of many stressful moments during the process of putting them together, there is one thing that makes it all worthwhile: Connection. Books connect writers with their audience. My books have connected an audience with an entire cast of an artform, introducing a new group to an old school.

Bridging the gaps between downloads and print, between fringe elements and the mainstream, and between the printed word and the ever visual image, books are still surprising me.

About the Author:

Christopher Logan is an actor (X-Files, Tron Legacy, Connie and Carla, Once Upon A Time) and author who compiled two coffee table books in his 'performance arts' series through Bookthefilm Publishing. The books 'dr.a.g.' and 'Burlesque' are available for order through his website www.bookthefilm.com

Follow Christopher Logan on Twitter and Facebook.

Twice Upon a Time - Book Review

Book: Twice Upon a Time

Author: Hope Irving

Publication date: 31 October 2015

Genres: Paranormal, New Adult, Romance

Twice Upon a Time by Hope Irving is the first instalment in the Black Angel Book series. It is the story of the witch Deidre, who, being in love with the calligrapher monk Morgann, casts a spell to reunite their souls in the future. However, while Morgann's hosts remember everything, Deidre's do not.

We later learn that the tale of Deidre and Morgann is believed to be legend, especially amongst calligraphers.

The opening chapter though informative is narrated in a casual manner, not from a once-upon-a-time monk; it wasn't light either. Afterwards, the narration shifts between Rose and the man carrying Morgann's time-travelling soul.

I liked how Hope Irving kept the second narrator's identity a mystery (obviously I'm doing the same).

The idea that Morgann's current form may or may not appeal to Rose or Deidre is interesting and leaves room for possible problems.

"Somehow my soul remembers it all, hers doesn't.
But how will she remember who she was, who we were?
Will seeing me be enough?
Will I need to trigger her memory?
Will she accept me as I am now?"

Twice Upon a Time sets the backdrop for the upcoming books in the series. There is a lot of action, although not much with regards to bringing Deidre's and Morgann's souls back together.

Rose is an ordinary girl, whose heart has been badly broken in previous relationship. Here, she comes to spend the summer with her American side of the family. She deeply seeks to get her mind off the previous relationship and the man who broke her, G.

Rose is also a cutter and I particularly liked how Irving maintained this trait throughout the novel, even when Rose was happy, giving a realistic side to a paranormal story.

"Gifted Deirdre cast the spell that enabled our souls to eventually be reunited. She couldn't bear for us to be apart, and neither could I."

I did not enjoy the too much drinking part of the novel; I felt it was overdone. But that's just me.

Having been in the search for Deirdre's soul for-ever, Morgann or his host seems unable to comprehend that he may have found her, putting him off balance, and making him think irrationally. I liked that. Although, I felt sometimes he was way too irrational (but that's the norm in relationships now, especially when you make assumptions).

Getting viewpoints of the two protagonists allows the reader to guess at events and see beyond what is going on. There were parts when I was biting my nails with worry and others when I was telling off the characters or just going on "No. No. Nooooo!" (So you can probably say it's a bit of an interactive novel.)

"She had faith in me, so I have no choice but to have faith in me, too."

Twice Upon a Time is filled with active, fun, interesting and recurring characters, giving the novel a realistic side. The group barely sleeps; however, they do give Rose a breather, allowing her to get her mind off G. often.

Falling under the romance and new adult genres, the novel includes more than just kissing. In addition, Rose's desires are awakened all of sudden and need to be satiated.

"There is no way to find a logical way to deal with this when logic isn't involved."

There isn't major character development for the two protagonists, however, this is expected considering the tale will continue in other parts and hasn't seen major progress in this book. Although Rose does develop a bit, at least she figures out what she wants and that she can't wait for her crush to grow up or take a decision, Morgann's host seems to require several hard slaps on the face to wake him up.

Although there aren't many profound images in the novel, Twice Upon a Time has many beautiful quotes. I also liked the idea of calligraphy and how it connects the characters together, including Rose and her new crush. The following bit will you give you an idea on what I mean.

"To make it work, I have to focus like I do in calligraphy with the ductus; its' the same mechanism: one step at a time in a specific order. I have to remember to breathe. To ensure the fairytale ends well, I will stand by her side until she trusts me and she's ready for me. At last."

I liked that the ending to Twice Upon a Time was different from what I expected.

Overall rating: 4 stars

Note: I received a free copy of Twice Upon a Time from author Hope Irving in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading the next part(s) in the series, which I've been told are likely to be published in 2016.

Also, check out these extracts/excerpts from the novel, here and here.

Connect with Hope Irving:

Her newsletter: http://goo.gl/zXx2ho

Facebook: https://goo.gl/qPcwkO

Twitter: @HI_author

Pinterest: https://goo.gl/vBCeIKEndFragment    

Goodreads - Book page: https://goo.gl/4HSedH

Goodreads - Author page: https://goo.gl/cqRkhW

Blog: https://goo.gl/s53bEM

Twice Upon A Time playlist on YouTube: 

She Carries the World - Flash fiction

"It is said that Atlas carried the world on his shoulders as punishment for going against the gods," Sarah said during her English presentation. "While others claim that he carried only the heavens or the sky," she continued pointing upwards.

"People can argue all they like. But what I am sure of is that mother earth held and continues to hold the earth till today," she said her voice rising with pride.

"And can you prove that, oh wise one?" Mocked Ed from one of the backseats in the classroom.

"Actually, I can." Sarah answered confidently, shutting him up. "But I will have to extend my presentation to beyond the classroom."

Murmurs erupted in the previously silent room.

"Well… er.. clap your hands for Sarah, everyone," Mr. Oakman said uncertainly, clapping slowly.

"I wasn't joking about the evidence. I can show you after school today."

The teacher had no idea what she was talking about but – under unchallenged persistence - agreed to do a quick field-trip with the rest.

After classes ended, Sarah invited her classmates, all of whom had continued to talk in hushed whispers about her strange request and possibly weirder presentation.

"It's a bit of a walk since we don't have a school bus, nothing you can't handle though," she informed her classmates, directing them towards the edge of a nearby forest.

"We're going into the forest?" Ed questioned, his tone uncertain.

"Yup!" Sarah answered confidently and led the way. "You can turn back if you want but you won't see what I have to show you," she said over her shoulder.

Not wanting to be doubted over his manhood or be called a 'scaredy-cat', Ed followed along with Mr. Oakman and the rest of the class.

"How much farther?" Whined one of the girls a few minutes later.

"Not much. We're almost there," answered Sarah.

"I think we're lost," Ed said.

Sarah turned sharply at him and responded "We are not lost. And if you're scared you should go back, in which case, you will get lost. Now stop trying to create panic."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are and yes that's what you do when you're not in charge," she snapped at him, her eyes almost glowing with anger.

"We're almost there. I promise," she called aloud to the others trailing behind.

As promised, they reached a clearing. Huffing and puffing, most of the students bent over, their hands on their knees to rest, even those from the football team.

Clearly not as athletic as they claim to be, Sarah thought.

"Well?" said Ed, panting and not looking up.

"You need to look up," Sarah answered, her voice filled with excitement.

Before them stood a large waterfall.

"Look closely behind the water," she instructed.

Mr. Oakman followed her gaze, accompanied by several other students. Gasps followed as they began to see what she meant.

Behind the falling water were patches of pink, blue, green and red, hanging on top of finger-line mountain ridges.

"Look further up," Sarah continued.

Above that they saw houses seated at the top of another ridge. In the centre of the ridge was an opening, marking the source of the waterfall.

"It looks like-" began one of the girls.

"A hand carrying the houses, and the water coming from its centre or heart," continued the teacher.

Sarah smiled proudly and mouthed "I told you so" to no one in particular.

Completed on Tuesday, 29th of March 2016. This piece was inspired by Takhayyal prompt no. 32.

Lyrics and Such - Poetry Collection Book Review

Book: Lyrics and Such 

By: Layden Robinson

Genre: Poetry Collection

Publication Date: 19 April 2015

Lyrics and Such by Layden Robinson is a collection of 58 poems, songs and lyrics on a variety of topics and themes with different ideas, tones and messages.

The collection is divided into several parts, with pieces taken from the author's various lyric and poetry collections. Each of these is mentioned here and underlined.

I felt that there was a need for punctuation especially in terms of commas that would better help with the flow of several pieces. There was also an overuse of 'within' to mean 'in'. I would have preferred the use of the latter.

While, I would like to mention my comments on all, I will just note a few recommended pieces to read in this collection:

Part 1: Songs from "Verse:

"Epitome (Wishing)" is a lovely piece; dark with lots of imagery (just the way I like it); however, I did not like the repetition at the end. Four stars to this one.

As smooth as glass our love should have lasted

Lasted, through the miles of time

Amongst the tragedy, across the tides

In the distance the sculptor rides

"Already There" has a good refrain but I felt the last line was a bit confusing, while the piece titled "Now" enjoys a good rhythm and word choice.

So now let us forget yesterday

And indulge within the now

The future will have its say

But the now still needs to be found

"Angel from Above" is a five-star piece. A must read! Similarly, the final piece in the first part of the book is titled "Unity" and is brilliant. Five stars for this one as well!

Part 2: Songs from Music Meets Emotion

"Become Free" is a beautiful song. Reading it I could feel and hear the words "become free" being said by a chorus. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Part 3: Songs from Adversity

"Mother's Side" is an emotional and beautiful piece dedicated to mothers. However, I felt the second half of it was a bit confusing. Still it's a good read.

"Disarray" is an enjoyable dark-ish poem. The conclusion is powerful and I would love to hear this recited out loud someday. Meanwhile, "Confession" is a super short piece. I did not feel the confession part as the title suggests and I wanted to read more. The opening line, however, took hold of me and I couldn't stop reading it "Dance within the masquerade as your virtue attempts to discover".

The poem "When We've Won" is a hopeful with a strong feel to the words in it.

Short, hopeful and enjoyable, "Strength and Love" is another recommended read, followed by the holding-on-themed piece "Before You Leave". The words are just full of love.

Songs from "Within"

"Forbidden" is a deep and emotional poem. A must-read, while "Floating" is an interesting piece, although I did not like the ending.

On the other hand, "Rest for Me" is a staggeringly beautiful piece. I love the music in it and would love to hear it sung or recited someday. Five stars to this one.

"Claim the clouds

The vision of the shining sun

All wrong has become undone

A romantic and his warfare

His theme and his crushing tears"

Words from The “Blues Love Undiscovered” Days

"The Moment" is five-star must-read (and sing-to) lyric. Loved it!

"Dirty Mama" is a fun song. I listened to it on YouTube and enjoyed the lively metal-ish music.

Song Lyrics from "The Vault"

"Free the World" is a stunning song and poem. A must-read that reminded me a bit of Michael Jackson's "Heal the World".

I enjoyed the piece titled "Where" with its rhythm and sense of searching.

I was once the hunter

But now I am the prey

Have you ever wondered?

Where is the way?

Other recommended pieces from Lyrics and Such Poetry include:
"Fade (I don't know)", "Life and Death", "Starlyn", "Wishing on a Rainbow", "Rise", "The Other Way", "Answers", "Warmth", "You Are" and "Better".

Overall rating: 3 stars.

Find the book on Goodreads here.

The World You Write In - Guest post by R. Michael Phillips - Between Good & Evil blog tour

Between Good and Evil

(Auburn Notch Mystery)

(Volume 1)

By: R. Michael Phillips

Genres: Crime - Mystery

Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc. 

Publication date: 24 January, 2016

ISBN-13 for hardcover: 978-1620066607

ISBN-13 for paperback: 978-1620067291

E-Book ASIN: B01B12YPTC

Synopsis

Years after the Willis Asylum closed, the secrets of its past lingered in its decaying halls as a reminder to the good people of Auburn Notch—when Evil closes a door, he also opens a window. Sheriff Promise Flynn was new to the town, and she was about to find out some windows should never be opened.

Promise Flynn is an overly impulsive Metro Detective whose disregard for procedure finally resulted in her being shot and left for dead during an investigation. To repair her bruised ego and splintered confidence she abandons the callous dark alleys of Chicago to patrol the quiet, birch-lined streets of Auburn Notch—a favorite vacation spot of her youth. For two years everything was idyllic, until the body of a young girl found in the abandoned asylum outside of town awakens the insecurities she thought her new life would insulate her from.

As the new Sheriff she begins her investigation refusing to accept the similarities between the young woman’s death and her own case, oblivious to being unexpectedly recognized and penciled in at the top of a clever murderer’s To-Do list. Her internal struggle intensifies when a discredited crime reporter from the past suspiciously arrives in town to resurrect his threadbare reputation, along with an FBI agent chasing down a lead in a cold case. Both men quickly become entangled in Flynn's investigation and her attempts to finally put her past to rest.

Flynn reluctantly accepts the murder of the young girl might be the work of the two men responsible for her hasty departure from Chicago, but Agent MacGregor insists the evidence points to a man he’s been chasing. As the rising current of her past threatens to pull her under, Flynn finds herself unprepared for option three.

The World You Write In

By: R. Michael Phillips

Author of Between Good and Evil

It may sound easy, but it takes a good deal of imagination to create the world characters in a contemporary mystery novel live in. Your plot, characters, conflicts, etc. are going to take up most of your gray cells, so when you start creating your environment I’ve found it best to stay as close to a real place as possible and get the details down on paper. You allow your memory to do the bulk of the work, while your imagination fills in the details.

Between Good And Evil is the first book in a new mystery series set in a small New England town. When I decided to start the new series I went through the usual steps to create a strong protagonist, antagonist, and an assortment of secondary and tertiary characters. All this is accomplished with character mapping. This is an interesting topic for discussion also, but I’ll leave that one for another post. What I will tell you is, you can use the same formula for mapping the characteristics of the town in your novel.

 Auburn Notch is the name I chose for the town in the new series. It’s a town I made up, but based on my memories of a couple small New Hampshire towns I spent a good deal of my youth in. The memories are as fresh in my mind as they were years ago, and I took creative license where needed to fill in the rest. As a result, I describe the town this way in the book:

As small New England towns go, Auburn Notch could certainly be the picture below the word “quaint” in the dictionary. It’s a rural New Hampshire community, quietly nestled equidistant from the base of the White Mountains, the Atlantic coast and every shop not specializing in flannel. It’s the type of town you would see featured in the travel section of the Sunday paper laying in a neat pile on a wicker table on the front porch of your favorite aunt’s house. It’s the type of town Time pats thoughtfully on the head as it passes by, promising to return some day with marvelous stories of the future world. But mostly, it’s the type of town mentioned in articles about maple syrup and snowy tree lines—but never in the same article with murder. They always seem to leave those articles out of the travel section.

A large portion of the 1,586 households lie across from each other on thin, birch-lined roads dissecting Collier Avenue, the main thoroughfare through town, like a fish skeleton; the largest concentration being behind the gills—that area of town surrounding Town Hall. The remaining homes can be found along the two meandering roads at the edge of town; Maple Way, leading out to Route 16, and Lakeview Drive, circling Lake Auburn. A fortunate few—families well established in town through generations—have primary or secondary homes on the east side of the lake, accessible by private drives off the main road. Auburn Notch is just a sleepy New England town where 2015 looks remarkably like 1955, which looked remarkably like 1915, and that’s just the way they like it.

It’s a brief description, but it is enough to set the mood of the town my characters live in. As the book progressed, I added in additional descriptions, citizens, and town officials. Even though I made this town up, it still needs everything a real town has. From here, and with a little help from Adobe illustrator, I take all this information and make a digital map of the town. I indicate the mountains, the lake, main roads, etc. As I write the book I’ll add in important landmarks (real and imagined), incidents, and roads. It may sound a bit anal, but because this book is part of a series this mapping is extremely helpful to me as each new book comes along. You certainly don’t want to call the main road through town Collier Avenue in one book and Maple Street in the next. I can’t tell you how much I referred back to this map as I was writing the second book. As time goes on, you develop an entire town, with shops, homes, recreation areas, everything a town map would have. That takes care of a fictional town.

Then there is using a real city in a book. It’s done all the time, and really helps to establish the story. Using a familiar town diminishes the need to go into any detail about the particulars; the reader will already have a preconceived notion of the basics. In my Ernie Bisquets Mysteries I use contemporary London as the setting. I’ve spent a great deal of time there, so I know the city pretty well. I like accuracy in my books. I think it’s important. I work off a street map of London when I’m writing those mysteries. Some of the street names are changed where needed, additional shops or buildings are added/taken away, or a fictitious event is developed for the plot, but I try to stay true to the basic layout of London as much as possible. It’s such an incredible city with a remarkable history. It really becomes a character in itself when portrayed right.

Whether you make up the town, use a common city, or some combination of both, it’s still located in a work of fiction and is the product of the author’s imagination. Writing a book is both tough and rewarding, and creating a town from scratch is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the task.

Note from Mike to Nadaness In Motion and Readers:

Thanks so much for inviting me to your site. It’s been a delight to be here and I’m thrilled being able to share a few of my thoughts about the writing process with your readers.

Cheers,

Mike

As part of the tour with Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, there is a giveaway that you can enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Keep up with the rest of the tour here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael is a classically trained artist turned mystery writer. By combining his creative talents with a passion for mysteries he conceived his first series—The Ernie Bisquets Mysteries. It introduced Ernie Bisquets, a retired London pickpocket who decided he was going to assist the London police with their most difficult cases—whether they want his help or not. Michael has completed 3 books in the series, and has plans for at least five additional books.

Michael travels a bit, especially to Great Britain, but also has a fondness for New England. He spent many winters in the shadow of the White Mountains, skiing and enjoying the beautiful countryside. Those fond memories are the backdrop now for the new Auburn Notch Mysteries being published by Sunbury Press. The main character is Sheriff Promise Flynn—an ex-metro detective who left a dark past and her big-city detective shield behind and moved to a small New England town. What follows is anything but therapeutic.

When he’s not painting or writing Michael is an avid antique collector, filling his current home—an 1894 Queen Ann Victorian he, his wife, and son are restoring—with an assortment of antiques from around the world. Michael also enjoys cooking, working in the garden, and playing in the yard with their two rescues, Beau and Pup.

Author Links

Website- http://www.rmichaelphillips.com
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/R-Michael-Phillips-104782886282707/?ref=tn_tnmn
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2995205.R_Michael_Phillips
Twitter- https://twitter.com/rmpbook
A Fifer's Blog- http://rmichael-fifer.blogspot.com

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N SUNBURY PRESS

More Books by R. Michael Phillips