Moments for the Heart

Hey Weekend Writing Warriors. What a week. If you follow me on social media you know by now that my sister passed away on Monday. She had Congestive Heart Failure. It is times like this I wish I was still in California. My sister and I are the only children our parents had. Our father passed away when we were young. So my mom is taking care of things. Yes, she does has other family to assist; that is a whole other story. But it is difficult being 1500 miles away nonetheless. I fly out next weekend for what isn’t a funeral, but a celebration of her life.


The Five Barred Gate is a Dystopian Suspense novel that takes place about 20 years after the events after the first novel. It surrounds the life of Michael, Jacob’s son. He faces the same, but different challenges his father faced. Times are much more difficult. I am excited to revisit this world. I love my characters and getting to revisit the Dystopian genre. You can catch up with past entries here.

SYNOPSIS:

Still working on a full synopsis:

Michael Andrews is Jacob’s son. He is now the main character. His wife has been arrested for talking to someone on her trip to the store about God. Now he must find a way to fight for her release and raise their twins. He has the help of Rachel’s grandfather Frank Dunham, his parents, and a supportive attorney that will do their best to protect Rachel. But they must fight Federal and local laws that are even more strict than what his father had to deal with. They must also struggle with a corrupt accuser and an old family adversary to ensure justice is served and Rachel is able to come home to her family.

>>>If you are curious about the first novels snippets, I have them archived: Here is a link to them if you want to read up on The Fiver Barred Gate <<<

SNIPPET:

Summary:
In last week’s snippet Michael found an interesting mark on his garage door. Much like Johnathan found on his court documents: A five-barred gate. We left Michael on his way to drop off his kids with his dad, at the Rec Center. As a reminder his dad, Jacob Andrews was the MC of the first novel. You can catch up with last weeks snippet here.

—First, here is a the tail end of last week:

“Well, how long are you planning on being there?”

“Not too long. Just wrapping up a few things. Should be no more than a couple of hours.”

Michael growled under his breath but relented. He needed to get to the courthouse to see if they would allow him to visit Rachel.

We are picking up right were we left off. So we don’t lose momentum, let’s get into it.

“I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes,” Michael said and hung up. He knew he shouldn’t have been upset. His dad was doing him a favor, not that spending time with family should ever be considered a favor. But when it came to his father, it sure felt like it.

When he pulled up to the rec center, aka church, several vehicles were out front. He did have to admit, the facility his father chose did give the impression it was a fitness center. There were silhouettes of musclebound men in the windows. What many fail to notice is that their arms and hands are in a prayer pose at their chest, signaling the power of prayer. “Your strength comes from within you,” was written beneath one. “Never doubt your inner strength” was beneath another.

::There is your ten (or so). Here is a bit more to finish out the chapter.::

In reality, it was a full gym inside. There was workout equipment and treadmills—the church’s idea to keep up the front should they be audited or visited by their past. It was utter nonsense to Michael. He knew the façade and was embarrassed by the lies. He had little respect for the man who hid behind a front. At least his grandfather-in-law knew how to run a successful business. He knew when to give up and let things go. He let what happened 20 years ago rest and move into the future. It was why he had grown into two new restaurants. His dad? His church is gone now; he lost. Now he was in hiding.

Michael found a spot and parked. Once the kids saw where they were, their excitement exploded.

“Grandpa!!” Angie gushed.

“Yay!!” Aiden started kicking in his seat.

Although Michael wasn’t excited, he was glad they were happy. Their feelings could’ve been his, and he would feel even worse by leaving them with him. And he knew their excitement was also his father’s. So much so that even before he clicked the door lock key on his fob, his father approached them, and two child-like streaks were beelining toward him.

“Grandpa!!” two kids hollered in unison.

Jacob laughed as he knelt to grab both necks in a hug.

“So, how are my two little munchkins?” Jacob asked, kissing Angela on the cheek and Aiden a head rub.

Both kids gave him their life story of the past couple of nights of missing mommy in unison, with his dad’s head dancing back and forth, nodding in concern and chuckling over their concern at mommy’s inconvenient timed illness. His way of comforting the children was admirable. He was glad about it. His dad again took the kids in his arms when they seemed to get their stories told. He looked up at him, his smile vanishing, “Come on inside. We need to talk.”

Those four words can be ominous. Not many like to hear them. They usually carry bad news. What could Jacob have to tell his son? Could it be the reason why he chose to meet at ‘the Rec Center’ instead of his home? Next week we shall see.

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Monday is Memory Monday
We remember an important event that occurred on that Monday or sometime that week.

Tuesday is Two Twenty-Two Tuesday
A weekly vlog where I talk about writing or something that’s been on my heart, all in two minutes and twenty-two seconds. — I am way behind on this… sorry.
This is posted on my YouTube channel.

Wednesday is when I post my blog for the week.
I speak from my heart on various topics from writing to 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?
I host this on this on Twitter, IG, and Facebook.

Friday is Fun Fact Friday
I find and share interesting or obscure facts on my pages.

Saturday is for Weekend Writing Warriors
Saturday is for Snippets from a current piece or past work.

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Featured Titles

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THIS WEEK’S WRAP-UP

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT:
Thanks for reading this week. And for your continued support.

Drugs are never a joke folks. If you know someone who has a problem, don’t keep quiet, say something. My sisters heart condition was the result of years of drug use. She got clean, and spent YEARS clean. But by then it was already too late. So, if you know of anyone who uses, your silence can only hurt. I was silent over my sister years ago when I discovered she was using. If you know someone… say something. Help them help themselves.

Catch up with everything. My latest blog written, and a recent vlog. They are a bit outdated, but if you haven’t seen them, they are good to go for you.

Here’s to living the dream. God bless Writing Warriors!!

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In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

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.

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