Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. April is in full swing. And for the Bray’s it is a month of firsts. It is the month we met, had our first date, and began courting. Nine months later we were married. Yeah, pretty quick. But here we are 25 years later and still rolling on. God knew what he was doing. It has been a rough and windy road, but we have endured and have enjoyed the ride. We look forward to the future. What’s your story?

Tell me about it in the comments. Now, let’s get to this week’s snippet:

**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 experienced twenty years ago. He heard the bedtime stories so often, 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 those who understand what occurred twenty years ago and may be happening now when an old adversary returns to wreak havoc, using federal laws to 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 freedom of expression liberties were taken from us. In this installment laws have gotten more strict. One could be arrested for simply speaking their mind if another chose to press charges. This multiplied for the Christian community. The laws were strict for Jacob in the first novel, now twenty years later, his son Michael must face his own battles.

Here is a bit from last week:

Michael stood again and walked the length of the hall. He looked down the corridor toward the elevators. He could see the wind blowing the trees through the window on the other end of the hall. Daylight was dimming; a storm was blowing in. He thought about the kids. Aiden was afraid of thunderstorms. Angela, not so much. He considered giving them a call but didn’t want to have to answer questions about Mommy. How selfish was that? Again, he was leaving providing comfort to his in-laws. He heard a rumble of thunder and pulled out his phone.

—We are picking up right where we left off. Let’s go.

“Hey, Pop. How’s Aiden?” Michael asked, skipping the pleasantries.

Pop laughed. “Nothing out this way. Sky is dark, and the wind is blowin’, but the heavens haven’t opened up. Yet. Kids don’t even know about the weather.”

“Good,” Michael said. “Sometimes, if you turn up the TV, Aiden won’t even know what’s going on.”

“Yeah. I have a game on. When they are in here, it should drown anything God dishes out.”

Michael snickered. “Who’s winning?”

Pop sighed. “Them.”

“Sorry.”

“How’s it goin’ over there?” Frank asked.

“Johnathan’s in the courtroom now. I was walking around to keep my mind occupied when I noticed the weather.”

::There is your ten, but let’s continue for a bit, and finish out the chapter.::

“Well, Aiden’s doin’ all right. Angela too. Peanut butter and jelly for lunch and Veggie Tales on the TV in the den. Maggs makes a mean sandwich. So blessed to have her.”

Michael could hear a rumble of thunder and a child holler through the line.

“Well, that is my cue. Maggie stepped out to the store for some ice cream. I’m on duty,” Frank said and called to Angela.

“Alright, Pop. I’ll talk with you later. Give them my love.” Michael ended the call.

The sky outside the window lightened up, and the winds died down. A beam of sunlight glared off the floor, causing Michael’s eyes to squint. He could feel its comforting warmth hugging him with hope. He knew his children were safe with Frank. He smiled as he walked back around the corner toward the courtroom.

As Michael neared the courtroom, the doors they flung open, and Johnathan exited. His eyes were bloodshot and darting back and forth. He paid no attention to Michael, beelining to the restroom.

“Johnathan, what’s wrong?” Michael said, close on his heels.

Johnathan didn’t reply, entering the restroom, and into the first stall, losing whatever lunch he had had.

Michael stood back, wondering how bad it could’ve been. The case before them ended with a flustered attorney threatening the judge. Now, their case drove his attorney to physical illness. This was not a good sign. What happened in that courtroom? And what’s happened to my wife?

This closes out Chapter 14. Something serious occurred in the courtroom. But what could bring an attorney to physical illness? And what a way to bring Michael down off a high. Next week we shall delve into what happened, as the way I wrote the book switches POVs. The next chapter will be from Johnathan’s POV and it begins from when he enters the courtroom.

I enjoy writing multiple POVs. It makes a much more interesting book, in my opinion. I never go crazy, just two or three usually. In this book I have Michael, the MC; Johnathan, Michael’s attorney; and Jacob, Michael’s dad, who was the MC of the first novel. Next week we will get a peek into Johnathan’s POV and his experience behind the curtain.

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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.