Moments for the Heart

Hey Weekend Writing Warriors. It feels weird not having a project to work on. The Five Barred Gare II is ready to be submitted. I am in a stall pattern with The Transference. So there is no writing going on. Some helpful folk on Twitter suggested that I pick up a hobby. Heh. Writing was my hobby. But lately I feel so empty that other than my job, I don’t do much of it. I guess I can pick up my guitar that forever stares at me from the corner of the room. On another note, I finally got the Synopsis written. I still may revisit it as we near publication. It’s not as tight as I would like it to be.

Don’t forget to wear green today, y’all. Eat or drink something green and hug someone Irish. Cheers.

**If you’ve missed out on anything and want to can catch up on past snippets, you can click here.**

SYNOPSIS:

Michael Andrews thought he was far removed from the events his father went through twenty years ago. He heard the bedtime stories, so much so he had driven them out and was barely speaking to his dad. Religion was the last thing he wanted, until it became the only thing that mattered. A new threat arises; his wife is arrested for talking about God to the wrong person. Now Jacob Andrews may be his only hope. He must lean on him, Rachel’s attorney, and close family who understand what occurred twenty years ago and may be happening now when an old adversary returns to wreak havoc and use current federal laws to his advantage and exact revenge on the Andrews family. Will he succeed, or will justice prevail to set Rachel free?

>>>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:
This Five Barred Gate sequel, is a Dystopian Suspense about what would it be like if it our freedom of expression liberties were taken from us. These laws existed in the first novel, but are much stricter it being twenty years later. Now you cannot challenge an authority figure or be arrested. This spills over into the religious community as churches are no longer allowed to speak freely, out of fear that a sermon would violate the law. Pastors must submit sermons and speeches for scrutiny before they are spoken in a public forum. If you fail to do so, you are threatened with closure. This is where we find Jacob Andrews. He was the MC in the first book, he is now the pastor of a church and faced with the challenges of obeying the laws. This book surrounds his son Michael and how the laws now impact his life, wife, and children.

**Officials are like police officers, but not. The are federal government law enforcement officers placed into districts to enforce federal laws.**

Here is a bit from last week:
The patented white uniform of an Official stood before him. The grin behind the reflective lenses seemed all too familiar.

“Now, was that so hard, Mr. Andrews?”

“What can I do for you, Official?” Michael asked.


—We are continuing where we left off. Jacob, our MCs father, is with his visitor, an Official.


“I was just in the neighborhood and saw the car parked in the lot. It was early, and I wanted to ensure you were not in distress. We’ve had reports of unauthorized activity in the area, and I wanted to confirm your safety.” The Official’s eyebrows raised as he nodded back at Jacob’s truck. “Sorry about the comment about your vehicle. I just needed you to open the door.”

“I’m sure you meant no harm,” Jacob replied in a monotone cadence.

“Of course not,” he shrugged. “I’m here to serve and protect. After all, when law enforcement isn’t available, I’m your only hope. But I’m sure you understand the responsibilities of an Official, don’t you, Mr. Andrews?

There is your ten, but let’s continue for a bit:

“All too well, Official—? I don’t believe I have your name.”

“I don’t believe I gave it.”

“Mmhmm.”

“It’s quite all right. You will understand who I am soon enough, Citizen. I’m just around to ensure our neighborhood remains secure. You want that, right? You wouldn’t want any illegal activity to occur around your place of business, would you, Mr. Andrews?”

“No, I wouldn’t. And you are here to ensure that doesn’t occur.”

“Now you are catching on,” the Official said, patting Jacob on the shoulder. “As long as we have an understanding, you and I should be good friends.”

“I have enough friends,” Jacob said.

“Now see, why would you say that? I’m trying to be friendly, and you’re being difficult.”

“I’m just trying to find your angle.”

“Why would I have one?”

“We haven’t seen an Official around these parts for almost fifteen years. Why now?”

“For that very reason, Mr. Andrews. Your area doesn’t have an Official to monitor activity. We can’t have folks creating havoc and disobeying local, or worse, federal laws, now, could we?”

From writing this character and writing my villain in The Transference, I learned something. I like writing villainous characters. They are so much more fun that writing the hero. What does that say about me? Yikes. Don’t worry. I don’t have a secret basement or have a drawing board with a plot set on world domination. This is fiction… for now.

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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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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.