Moments for the Heart

Good afternoon Weekend Writing Warriors. We are back with another writing snippet from The Five Barred Gate II. As I researched, I learned that The Five Barred Gate snippets were posted when I first began with you. Now here we are, almost three years later. Wow how time flies. So many books and snippets. Now to be introducing part two? So exciting.

Each of you has a lot to do with this project. All of your comments on those snippets kept me going on to publication. Now here we are getting into the sequel. If you weren’t part of the first thread, I have it all hashtagged and you can catch up on those snippets. Here is a link to them if you want to read up on the first novel.

The Five Barred Gate sequel takes place roughly 20 years after the events of the first novel and follows Michael; Jacob and Renae’s son. He was only two-years-old in the first novel. The U.S. has grown much darker due to new laws, and the action grabs from opening paragraph. This novel will definitely get interesting.

BEFORE WE BEGIN:
The Transference hits 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 continuing from where we left off last week. Michael has received a phone call from a court liasion telling him that his wife has been arrested. Why, he does not yet understand. We pick up where we left off. But first, let’s give you a couple of sentences from last week:

“When can I see her?” Michael asked.

“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.”

AND WE CONTINUE ON:

“Yes, I will have an attorney for her. When can I see her?” Michael asked again, more firmly.

“If you have a licensed attorney that meets JSI-2399 standards, he can submit his request to the court at the hearing. If the judge approves, then he will be allowed to represent your wife.”

“And if not?”

“Then she will be appointed one by the state at your cost,” the stern voice informed him.

“And until then?”

“Your wife will remain in county custody until the hearing tomorrow.”

“Can I see her?”

“After the hearing in the morning, sir.”

“Can I call someone to speak to her at least?”

“Again, Mr. Andrews, after the hearing in the morning,” the voice didn’t break its monotone cadence. There was no remorse or concern. There would be no getting through.

“Do you have information on what time her hearing will be?”

“The courthouse opens at 8:30 AM. The docket should be printed and on display. Just know that no firearms, drug paraphernalia, or recording devices including cellphones are allowed inside the courthrooms.”

Michael rolled his eyes, “Yes, thank you. I will leave my arsenal at home.” He hung up the phone and sat in his recliner. He could feel and hear his heartbeat between his ears. What in the world is going on? It was a good thing that…

Michael pulled out his phone and flipped a couple of screens, and pressed on the face of a smiling older gentleman. The phone rang three times, and the voice that went with the face answered, “Michael, what can I do you for son? These kiddos are giving their grandad a run for his money.”

“I bet they are. One just feeds off of the other. It’s like they have it all planned out.”

“I’m sure they do. Rachel should be here before long. You lookin’ for her?”

“Actually. No. She’s the reason why I’m calling,” Michael said trying not too sound panicked.

“What’s happened?” grandad asked, the conern immediate in his voice.

“I was hoping you knew. All I got was a call from an Official’s booking office that she had been taken into custody.”

“On what charges,” Frank Dunham said with the same questioning tone he had given the clerk.

“They said something about soliciting and violating some other laws of the Federal Speech Act.”

“That usually means she was saying something she oughtn’t.”

There you go, Writing Community. Another peek into The Five Barred Gate II. We’ve given a little bit more info on what’s going on. And our first name drop: Frank Dunham. This snippet may mean a little more to those who have read the first book. Frank Dunham was a secondary character in the first novel. He is the grandfather of Michael’s wife. He would have a pretty good insight to what is going on because of his experiences in the first novel.

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

Come on over and check out my Facebook and Twitter pages and follow them both. They have something new and exciting happening every day of the week. I’m also building up my Instagram page. Like, follow, and interact with my pages and share them out!! Here’s what you can expect to find there:

—Monday is Memory Monday – I find and 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 will post my blog for the week. – I speak from my heart on various topics from writing to my faith.

—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 do my best to make this site 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 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 available on Amazon in Hardback, Paperback, and Kindle versions.

–You can purchase Little Reminders and TFBG direct from me on my Home Page. The benefit of buying direct is you will receive a personalized signed copy!! Great as gifts for the reader in your family.

–My Children’s series, Elissa the Curious Snail is 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. The release date will be May 11, 2022. Visit the link above for where I will be appearing and other release info.

Little Reminders of Who I Am

The Five Barred Gate

Elissa the Curious Snail Series

Fellow Warriors, I also have a weekly blog that is post in between these snippets. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can also follow me on Twitter. 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. These 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. They make great bedtime or anytime short stories.

Thank you for visiting and your support. God bless you!!

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