Latest book nearly finished -- excerpt

[Tina Tempest]

Hey gang,

I'm putting the final touches of my latest work, tentatively titled "Tiny Sweets" The stories this time are a sudden breakup leaves a tiny woman bereft. A schoolmarm in the 1880s, a story inspired by current events, "ripped from the headlines" so to speak, and the final story which I will allow you to read the first part yourself.

Love, luck, and lollipops, Tina Tempest

The Cabin

“I don’t like your friend,” stated redheaded Ashley to her brother Freddie.
“What? Jack’s OK.”
“I don’t like the way he looks at me! And why did we have to meet him all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“I have my reasons, sis, you’ll see why in a little while.”
Outside the remote cabin thunder roared and rain poured down.
“So much for your promise of a fun trip to the country, Freddie.”
“I saw some board games in the pantry. I’m sure Jack has at least a couple of decks of cards, Ashley.”
“I’m not playing cards with Jack. He’ll no doubt suggest we play strip poker! How do you know him anyway?”
“Business connection.”
“What’s the truth, Freddie? You have a solid brass touch when it comes to business and you’ve never held a job longer than a couple of months. I’ll ask again, tell me how you came to know this guy?”
“It’s complicated, sis.”
“Try me!”
“Well you see…”
“Coffee’s ready! Breakfast!” came a booming voice from the kitchen of the rustic cabin.
“Saved by the bell!” gasped Freddie in relief. “Come on Ashley let’s eat!”
The brother and sister exited the small room they shared and made their way to the breakfast nook where plates of flapjacks and steaming mugs of coffee sat waiting.
“Ashley, you are right here,” indicated Jack.
The lovely, trim, ivory-skinned girl took her assigned seat. She looked askance at Jack. Dressed in a flannel shirt with jeans and suspenders the huge man resembled a lumberjack in the mold of Paul Bunyan. His black inscrutable eyes and unkempt short black beard also made him the spitting image of Bluto, Popeye’s eternal foe, from the cartoons Ashley watched as a girl. He made no attempt to hide his leering when he gazed in Ashley’s direction. “Let’s hope, his cooking is better than his manners!” said Ashley to herself as she reached for the mug of steaming Joe. Ashley noted that her mug was adorned with a picture of Minnie Mouse and added “sexist” to the list of his many imperfections.
Freddie and Jack began to discuss something amongst themselves. It seemed to Ashley that their conversation was especially vague and elliptical, as though they were trying to hide something from her. She began to fear that a drug deal was about to go down. Selling drugs would be something that Freddie would try, Lord knows he struck out at everything else! That would explain his dragging his little sister to this godforsaken place. She’d be involved up to eyeballs and therefore couldn’t call the police and rat her brother out. Sometimes Ashley truly loathed her brother. She found the flapjacks quite tasty and the coffee especially delicious. She drank a deep draught from the mug. Freddie and Jack’s weird conversation continued.
Suddenly, Ashley felt lightheaded and the cabin began to spin about her. She left out a massive belch and sagged atop her stool. Her body tingled all over and even though Ashley was sitting firmly on the stool, it felt to her like she was falling from a great height. Then she was swimming in fabric. The epiphany struck Ashley at once; she had been shrunken! No doubt her Coffee and flapjacks had been spiked with something. She’s heard the rumors of tiny people, who hadn’t? She’s even channel surfed through a documentary about the phenomenon. But Ashley, until now thought that was complete bull.

I hope this whets your appetite. Now off to finish this thing!

-- Tina

[LeopolKai09]

Awesome! Can't wait for it to come out!