Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. Things are calming down here, I suppose. It was a quiet week. I was even able to dabble in editing The Transference II. I hadn’t touched that in months. If you recall I had been in a funk of not wanting to do much writing or editing. I knew I’d get out of it, and while I really didn’t want to open the file, I did, and was glad I did.

I fell in love with my characters again and before I knew it, I had edited three chapters. I have time on this book, it wont be released until October 2025, but I know it needs heavy edits, so I do need to get started, this one is 125K words, the longest piece I’ve ever written. So, here I go.

As for Johnathan, we near the end of the courtroom scene. Let’s get into it and see what our characters are up to.

**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:

“Sustained,” the judge said, her voice gaining an edge, “Once more, and you will be held in contempt, Mr. Clarke. Either ask a question that pertains to the facts of this case or close your case. Anything else, and I will close it for you.”

“Understood. Thank you, Your Honor.”

This time, he had all eyes on him. Mission accomplished. His heart was racing, bringing him to the envelope’s edge. Now, it was time to present his case. Let’s hope it was worth it.

–We pick up right were we left off. —

“Mrs. Andrews. Can you explain in your own words what happened in the Shop and Save market on the date in question? First, take us through your day. How did it begin?”

“It began with dropping my kids off with my grandparents. I planned to take them with me that morning, but I just wanted to get in and out of the store. And Pop…”

“Who is Pop?” Johnathan asked.

“I’m sorry. My grandparents, Frank and Dorothy Dunham, wanted to spend the day with the kids. It wasn’t long, so I dropped them off and headed to the market.”

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


“Mrs. Andrews. Can you explain in your own words what happened in the Shop and Save market on the date in question? First, take us through your day. How did it begin?”

“It began with dropping my kids off with my grandparents. I planned to take them with me that morning, but I just wanted to get in and out of the store. And Pop…”

“Who is Pop?” Johnathan asked.

“I’m sorry. My grandparents, Frank and Dorothy Dunham, wanted to spend the day with the kids. It wasn’t long, so I dropped them off and headed to the market.”

“Once you arrived at the Shop and Save, what happened?”

Rachel looked at Johnathan, then toward Xavier and Dr. Houston, then up to the judge. Johnathan picked up on Rachel’s apprehension.

“Your Honor, may my client speak freely without fearing consequences? I believe she fears that her testimony may cause further repercussions.”

“Counselor?” the judge looked at Xavier.

Xavier turned to his client, who shrugged. Xavier said, “We will allow the accused to testify freely without further implication.”

“Go ahead, Mr. Clarke.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Johnathan said. Then to Rachel. “What happened while you were shopping at the market, Rachel?”

“As I’ve testified, while walking through the market, I kept passing Dr. Houston. While I didn’t know who she was at the time, I did feel the urge to speak to her the more I passed her.”

“Did you speak to her at any time before your contact in the produce section?”

“No.”

“Any eye contact that would give you the inclination that approaching her would be welcomed?”

Rachel looked up at him with a questioning scowl. He knew what it meant, not a question a defense attorney would ask, but he knew where he was going with it.

“We made eye contact but didn’t say anything to each other. We didn’t speak to each other until the produce department.”

“And how did that exchange take place?”

“I asked her about a type of onion.”

“An onion?”

“Yes. I asked her about the difference between a sweet and a white onion.”

“And she was able to help you?”

“Yes. Gave me more than I needed. Even gave me a great recipe for fajitas.”

“And what happened next?”

“She mentioned she was new in town.”

“Objection,” Xavier stood and stated. “My client has testified and is above reproach that living conditions were never mentioned.”

“Overruled,” the judge stated. “But noted. Let the accused give her testimony, Counselor. You can dispute it through cross-examination. You may continue, Mr. Clarke.”

That, ‘you may continue’, could be interesting leading into next week as we wrap up this scene and chapter. This wont be the first ‘objection’ Johnathan receives. Stay tuned, my friends. We are just getting warmed up.

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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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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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