Moments for the Heart

HEY EVERYBODY!! Guess who is back? Well, just for one final peek into the novel I had been working on. From the no longer UNTITLED WIP tag, you can guess that this work is finally complete. Many of you have followed the first five chapters. If not, an you would like to check them out, they are still available on my blog. They are under the Weekend Writing Warriors tab. Then find the UNTITLED WIP posts.

The Transference, if you have forgotten is a Crime Suspense/Thriller novel. You can read the Synopsis below to refresh your memory. This novel was hard fought. It took me a year and a half to write. But it’s now complete and has been approved by my publisher for a May 2022 release. I am now in the editing stages. I have completed 10 chapters, 23 to go, then off to their editors. I am excited about this one. I have never written anything like this before.

Now that it is complete I wanted to share a snippet with my fellow warriors in celebration of wrapping this baby up. Thank you for your support. I am not sure if any of you purchased Little Reminders of Who I Am, but you were mentioned in the Acknowledgments. Your support has meant the world to me. It will in this work as well.

So without further ado, here is a snippet from Chapter 27.

SYNOPSIS — UPDATED:

Detective James “Grady” Gradiosa, is a Savannah, Georgia detective who recently transferred from Atlanta. He relocated after his wife, Elizabeth, was promoted with her real estate firm. He is placed under the charge of Lieutenant Daniel Masters, a gruff 27-year Major Crimes veteran. They are immediately handed a case that will change their lives. Grady is the first to see the abnormalities. But will the rest of the team listen in time? There is a murder on the loose in South Georgia. For some reason, the killer leaves their final victim alive just before committing suicide by cop. But why? Masters and Grady must find out before it’s too late and the killer strikes again.

SNIPPET:

For this snippet let me give you a reminder of who the characters are in this scene:
LaCrosse and Branson are partners that are part of the team of officers that are investigating with Grady at the beginning of the book.

Let me set up this scene. The team is closing in on who they believe to be the murderer. The murderer has secluded themselves within a cabin near a creek. Part of the team is on the creek approaching the rear of the cabin on boat while LaCrosse and Branson are on foot approaching the front. Grady is leading the team from a Command Center at the entrance to the remote area they are in. While approaching Branson and LaCrosse are fired upon.

+++++

The front door splintered behind the force of LaCrosse’s kick. “Savannah Police,” LaCrosse yelled as he entered the cabin, weapon held high, aiming straight ahead.

Branson crouched low and looking left. Neither officer saw evidence of a shooter. The cabin was dark. The only light that lit the room came from the one window with the blind drawn. Their outside vision only made the darkness worse. “Dammit,” Branson said.

“Didn’t you close your eyes before we entered?” LaCrosse snickered.

Branson didn’t answer, which gave LaCrosse his. “Just hush and sweep the room.”

LaCrosse did as instructed and inched forward. From what he could see, the room was clear of activity. It was empty for the most part. A wooden table and two chairs sat in the center of the room. A tall cabinet was against the far wall that lined up with the window that had the open blind. Near the door they entered to the right was a table with various items he could not make out in the darkness. He pictured keys, change, and other pocket items. There were two doors that lined the wall ahead of him; all were closed. Finally, there was one entry that appeared to be a hallway that immediately made a right turn.

“This is a bad idea,” Branson said, his eyes adjusting to their surroundings.

LaCrosse keyed his radio. With a whisper, he spoke, “We are in. The living space is empty—two doors to our front. One hall leading to the rear. About to sweep the rooms. Stand by.”

“10-4,” Grady replied.

“We should have a third,” Branson said, sweeping his weapon across the door behind him.

“We’ll be fine. We’ve handled worse,” LaCrosse said. “Let’s do this.”

As you can see our detective have made much progress. This book has been a beast to write, but I have enjoyed writing every word. I am glad to finally get over the hills and through the valleys. Not sure if any of you have been through writing a genre that was against the grain for you, this was one for me. But it was something I felt I needed to write. Now the battle of editing begins.

With the groundwork of the novel being written, I am confident that I can build upon what is there. This piece can be fairly dark in places, but I hope I can still bring light to it when I need to. The Thriller aspect of it is what makes it most difficult to write. But looking forward, I think the edits will be interesting.

Visit Jeff S. Bray Facebook page for more

I have a Facebook page that has something going on everyday of the week. Come on over, follow, and interact with my page to check it out! Here is what you can expect to find there. I have been quite lazy lately. But with the new year, it is my resolution to get back on track and keeping up with posting on schedule and being more interactive with my audience.

—Monday is Memory Monday – I share an important event that occurred on that Monday or sometime that particular week.

—Tuesday is Talk About it Tuesday – I post a weekly video where I cover a topic that has meant something to me over the past week.

—Wednesday is when I post my blog for the week.

—Thursday is This or That Thursday – A weekly two option poll that raises the question, do you like this, or do you prefer that?

—Friday is Fun Fact Friday – I find and share an interesting or obscure fact.

—Saturday is for Weekend Writing Warriors – This is when I post my 8 Sentence Snippet from a current or past work.

I really am trying to make it fun and engaging. Something that people look forward to visiting. It has been something that has been on my heart (no pun intended) for a long time and I am now acting on it. I would love your support!! I am also finding ways to link these over to Twitter because I find that I have more interaction on that platform over Facebook.

Important Links!!

– Little Reminders of Who I Am is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.

–The Five Barred Gate is still available on Amazon in Hardback, Paperback, and Kindle versions.

–You can purchase TFBG direct from me on my Home Page. The benefit of buying direct is you will receive a personalized signed copy!!

–My Children’s books, Elissa the Curious Snail are also on Amazon. There are 4 books about an adorable snail teaching children about prayer and believing in themselves.

–You can see all updates regarding the progress of The Transference, publication dates, and appearances.

Little Reminders of Who I Am

The Five Barred Gate

Elissa the Curious Snail Series

Fellow Warriors, I also have have a somewhat weekly blog that is posted in between these snippets. I would love to hear your thoughts.

AND if you have little warriors running around I now have many of my Children’s Short Stories on this website. They were originally on my Elissa the Curious Snail publisher’s website, but I now control that domain and have moved that content here. There are many stories for your little reader. These are great bedtime or anytime short stories.

In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

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