Moments for the Heart

Hey Writing Community. It was an exciting week of getting back into my writing job. I had taken a respite to get back on track. Now I’m feeling much better and able to focus on writing. My confidence is back and my keyboard is smoking from all the words being written. My wife is glad too because we have the second source of income making its way back into the household.

This week, I’ve closed the door on Little Reminders for now. I may give a snippet or two as we near October’s release date. Until then, keep an eye on FB and Twitter as well as the Little Reminders of Who I Was tab for all the latest info.

As for our new snippet piece, I’m a few chapters into writing The Five Barred Gate II. This is where we’ll be through the month of March. Those of you who’ve been around a while may remember when I took you through snippets of the first novel a couple of years ago. Here is a link to those snippets if you want to read up on them.

The sequel takes place roughly 20 years after the events of the first book and will follow the life of Michael; Jacob and Renae’s son. He was two-years-old in the first novel. The U.S. has grown much darker due to new laws, and the action will grab from the get-go. This novel will definitely get interesting.

One final reminder, The Transference will hit shelves on May 11. This is the Crime Thriller I introduced you to last year. The cover is a bit behind, but will be coming soon, I am eager to promote it.

Okay, we are all caught up. Here we go for this week’s snippet.

SYNOPSIS:

(more of an outline right now) – Our main character is Michael Andrews. He is the son of Jacob and Renae, the MCs of the first novel. He was two-years-old then. He is now 24. Michael is married with twin daughters. His wife, Rachel is the granddaughter of Frank Dunham. He is the owner of a restaurant mentioned in the first novel and part of the original group that met.

Twenty years later, the laws have gotten stricter. Several amendments have been added to The Federal Speech Act. People are now more apt to turn someone in when they are offended. This has especially affected the religious community. Churches are sparse, even Our Saviour’s Cross, the local church that existed during TFBG has disbanded and gone into hiding again. Jacob had been the pastor since the end of the first novel.

SNIPPET:

We are starting from page one here. So, yes we are diving straight into the action from the get go. Michael is at home when he receives a phone call:


“Can you say that again?” Michael said, almost dropping the phone.

The monotone voice on the other end of the line was unmistakable. Never in a million years did he believe he would be receiving this type of call. It was a courthouse liaison known to make these types of calls.

“Again, Mr. Andrews, we have your wife, Rachel Elise Andrews, aka Rachel Elise Dunham, in custody.”

“On what charge?”

“She was arrested by Official Jaspar Aachen on the charges of solicition and violating subsection 12 of the JSI2399 Federal Speech Act.”

“Federal Speech Ac… What was she doing?” Michael asked. Rachel had gone to the grocery store, not a political rally.

“I am not at liberty to say, Mr. Andrews. She is being processed as we speak. This phone call is a courtesy as required by law. You have the option to seek outside representation or to have the court appoint your spouse an attorney. Mrs. Andrews has also been advised of her rights. Do you have any questions for me?”

“When can I see her?”

“As I stated, she is being processed as we speak. Then she will be taken to the courthouse, where she will be given an opportunity to plead. Those preceedings are closed door. She will be asked if she wants a court-appointed attorney or if she will be represented. This is part of the point of my call. If you inform me she has representation, then I will pass this on to the judge, and we can continue from there.”

There you go, Writing Community. Your first look at The Five Barred Gate II. Looking back at my first novel to where we are today, it has been an amazing ride. I am excited to revisit this literary world.

It is also interesting that I’m revisiting this piece amidst the craziness the world is now going through. I had started to write this long before the world flipped upside down. It is more confirmation to me that this book needs to be written. The book is supposed to be futuristic, I just hope that it doesn’t turn out to be old news by the time we go to print.

Visit Jeff S. Bray Facebook and Twitter pages for more!!

I have a Facebook and Twitter page that has something going on every day of the week. I’ve also started to build my Instagram page as well. Come on over, follow, and interact with my pages and share them out!! Here’s what you can expect to find there.

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

—Tuesday is Two Twenty-Two Tuesday – I post a weekly video where I talk about writing or something that’s been on my heart, all in two minutes and twenty-two seconds. This will be posted on my YouTube page and shared on Twitter and Facebook.

—Wednesday is when I post my blog for the week. – I’m attempting to make this regular, but it is sporadic at best.

—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 interesting or obscure facts.

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

I’m trying to make my site and pages fun and engaging. Something that people look forward to visiting. It’s been something that has been on my heart (pun intended) for a long time and I’m now acting on it. I’d love your support!! I’m also finding ways to link these over to Twitter because I’ve been more active on that platform lately than on 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 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 a somewhat weekly blog that is posted in between these snippets. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can also follow me on Twitter as I am a regular over there.

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

Check out Weekend Writing Warriors!!

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 into how the mind of a writer works and a behind-the-scenes look at works before they hit bookstands everywhere.