
Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. I am bumping this one with the lack of a post last week… Family is gone and I’m still recuperating from surgery. I’m not in as much pain as I anticipated, but that’s not to say I’m not uncomfortable. The word is still out on the pathology. They probably wont have that until later this week. So were not out of the woods yet. The good news is that the surgery was quick, meaning that the mass had not spread beyond my appendix. We shall see.
Elissa Celebrates Christmas and Elissa Learns Thankfulness are available through Amazon!! I’m too excited to offer both books side by side for the holidays. Pick up your copies today to get in time for a stocking stuffer for your little reader.
SYNOPSIS:
With NaNoWriMo, I am taking you on the journey with me and giving you snippets from the book I’m writing. Keep in mind that these will be raw and unedited. So, excuse errors and grammar.
My piece for NaNoWriMo will be The Five Barred Gate III. Considering that The Five Barred Gate II will be released on January 5th, it would be my next logical piece to pen. Enjoy.
The Five Barred Gate is a dystopian world where the government has enacted laws against freedom of speech. This has hurt the religious community the most.
SNIPPET:
Summary:
The Five Barred Gate III picks where The Five Barred Gate II leaves off. Derrick Andrews is talking with his wife, Rachel, and feels he needs to go with is dad, Jacob, to Austin to talk with the authorities. They’ve been demanding Jacob to release his sermons for scrutiny before they are delivered from the pulpit. He has refused. Facing arrest, he now wants to make his appeal.
Here is a bit from last week. (I posted last week, but I guess I didn’t input my linky. Here is the link to last week if you want to catch up.
“I want to know what I can do to avoid being prosecuted, D.A. Wood—”
“Since we are already on first names, just call me Megan. Let’s just save time here.”
“Thank you, Megan. Megan, I don’t want to go to jail. I want to avoid being prosecuted and want to know what my options are. I know your letters are clear about the law. But what exactly am I up against and what can I do to keep my privacy and maintain some sort of semblance of abidance with the law?”
We pick up right just about we left off. Jacob and Michael are in the meeting with the DA in her office.
Megan sighed. “I’m afraid that my hands are tied, Jacob. The law is the law.” She nodded to the other end of the room, behind them to another bookshelf. This one had several photo frames. Smiling faces of children of various ethnicities with bright smiles. You could tell they were of lower income, most in poverty. One of them was of her and a gentleman in a dark suit and an equally gleeful expression, an obvious wedding photo.
“My husband and I minister to needy children across the border once a month. We adore those children. They are like family to us. So, you can see, Jacob, I understand where you are coming from. There is nothing more I would love to do than to use my position to further their cause. But both of us know what that would do. I would either end up out of a job, or in stock and chains, figuratively, of course.”
::There is your ten, or so, but let’s continue a bit with the scene.::
“Certainly, you can do something about the menacing letters I am receiving. These are putting me in the spotlight and seem to be placing me on your office’s agenda of bringing me before the firing squad, figuratively speaking, of course.”
Megan sighed again. “Jacob, again, my hands are tied. I send letters to those whose names are placed on my desk.”
“I can understand that. And I feel that Kendrick Edwards had something to do with that.”
“Who is Kendrick Edwards?”
Jacob sighed. He was tired of explaining the situation. It went back too far to discuss it and their fifteen was nearly up.
“Wait, are you talking about Nathan Edwards?”
Jacob and Michael exchange glances, “Yes. In a way. Are you familiar with him?”
“I am with the laws that he placed on the books.”
“Well, I am the reason those laws are in place.”
Megan Woodland’s head tilted at Jacob then with clarity she picked up the file in front of her. “You are the same Jacob Andrews from twenty years ago that Nathan Edwards tried to assassinate in Pleasantville?”
“Yes, Megan. I am.”
Megan grabbed her phone and dialed, “Tracey, I will need an hour blocked out for Mr. Andrews. Thank you.” Then she hung up. “Okay, Jacob. You have my attention.”
Ahh, maybe now we are making some headway. If you have questions yourself, you can read all about his first events in the Five Barred Gate. You also have Elissa the Curious Snail’s holiday books available. Check out the links below.
Featured Titles

Little Reminders of Who I Am (2020)

The Transference (2022)
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It looks like he’s going to get somewhere. I can’t wait to see what happens.
I hope you are feeling better and have a quick recovery.
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Felling much better today. And yes, Jacob and Michael have found a supporter.
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