Moments for the Heart

Hello, Weekend Writing Warriors. I cant believe I missed a week. I guess I got so busy that the link posting deadline came and passed. Well, here we are. I remembered this time around. So let’s get back to it!!

If you remember, my novel is set in a Dystopian world where it is illegal to be offensive. Federal laws exist that prohibit people from saying certain things, especially anything against those in authority. To violate these laws would bring legal consequences. The government has appointed a special law enforcement agency to enforce these laws; their representatives are called Officials.

The lead Official for Jacob’s area is named Edwards. We get the pleasure, or perhaps the displeasure, of meeting him in this week’s snippet.

Here again is the novel’s Synopsis:
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Non-Offensive Movement in the United States became federal law? What would happen to the freedoms guaranteed to us through the Constitution? This is the story of Jacob Andrews. He is faced with the decision to follow his heart and disregard what the law says about how he should live; even if it means his life.

We last left Jacob in a diner with Eric, the man he had spent time in prison with due to the laws that exist. They were discussing the freedoms that had been lost with the passage of the Anti-Dehumanization Act. They are realizing how far these laws are being taken.

However, we are moving backward in the novel this week, as I opened with, we are going to meet one of the Officials in charge of enforcing the laws that now exist. To properly introduce him, we need to see Edwards before Jacob is imprisoned.

So here we go: (and yes powers that be, this is 9 sentences)

When Jacob regained consciousness he was sitting in a chair with his hands cuffed behind his back, his muscles still contracting from the Taser strike. A cigar is smoldered in an ashtray on a table that supported a lamp with a shade. The smoke danced a lazy pirouette within the light, then drifted into the darkness above.

Jacob jumped at the sound of a throat being cleared. A man stepped from a dark corner and into the light. It was the Official who had arrested him.

“Good afternoon, sunshine,” the Official said. “I was wondering how long it would take you to wake up. I am Official Nathan Edwards, and you, my friend, are in a great deal of trouble.”

Thank you for reading this week’s snippet. Stay tuned for more from The Five Barred Gate next week. Just wait, Official Edwards is only getting started.

The Five Barred Gate is available for purchase on Amazon. The link is at the bottom of this text box.

You can also purchase direct from me by visiting the Home Page of this website. The ink to buy now is at the bottom of the screen. The benefit of buying direct is that you will receive a signed copy.

Below that link is my Children’s book series Elissa the Curious Snail. A series of books about an adorable snail that teaches children about prayer and believing in themselves. Series at 4 books. More to come for 2020.

You can also read about updates regarding my next novel due out in August of 2020, Little Reminders of Who I Am as well as my current Untitled work.

****I have also started a multi-contributor-journal that will document the events of Coronavirus2020. This is a message board forum. While I plan to input regular entries, I hope you will leave messages in the comment field at the bottom. I encourage you to share what you are going through where you are at, as we all have different points of view across the country, and possibly the world. Please take the time and visit the link, if not to read what others have written, to leave your own comment and share what’s going on with you regarding the Coronavirus2020 Pandemic.****

In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

The Five Barred Gate is Available on Amazon

Elissa the Curious Snail Series

Check out other amazing established and emerging writers at Weekend Writing Warriors. Each week we post new snippets from either our published works or our works in progress for each other to comment on. Get an insight on how the mind of a writer works and the behind the scenes of works before they hit the book stands everywhere.