Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. Here we go. What an eventful week. The Five Barred Gate II is now live and available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other book seller sites. The editing process excited me into writing a couple more chapters of Book 3 and giving me a bit more insight as to where I want to go with it. Stay tuned for more from TFBG3 as we take a break while I give you a bit from Book 2. Hope this gets you excited to pick up your copy.

The Five Barred Gate part One and Two are available on Amazon! Pick up your copies today!!

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?

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 become more strict. One could be arrested for simply speaking their mind if another chose to press charges. This only multiplied within the Christian community. The laws were strict for Jacob in the first novel, now twenty four years later, his son Michael must face his own battles.

Here we are within Chapter Seven of The Five Barred Gate II. I may have shared this piece before, but sharing now to give you a refresher of what Book 2 is about. We join everyone right after Rachels first hearing. Michael and Frank are at home discussing what happened at the court:

Tell me again what happened,” Frank said as he sat at the kitchen table.

“Nothing. That’s the problem,” Michael said, running his hand through his already tossed hair and leaning against the counter.

“Try. Maybe there are some clues in it that you missed.”

Michael took a deep breath and blew it out. He fixated on his cup of tea and let his mind dissolve back to the courtroom.

“The cases for the day started out fine. The judge seemed to be in good spirits. Even Jonathan felt we were in a good position when the bailiff called our case. But for some reason, the air in the courtroom changed.”

“Changed?”

“Changed.”


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



“How do you mean?”

“It was like a cold front blew through. You could almost feel it. The chatter behind us quieted, the light-hearted banter between the judge and bailiff stopped, even the room seemed to darken… I don’t know, Frank. The room just changed.”

“Interesting.”

“You had to be there.”

“I would imagine,” Frank said.

“Then the bailiff called the case, and the side door opened. I almost lost it. Rachel came through, and she looked like she hadn’t slept. There were bags under her eyes, and while her hair was brushed, it wasn’t like she would normally have it; I mean, not that I expected her to be dressed up.”

“Right. Michael, you need to remember. She’s in prison. It’s not like she could shower and get fancied up.”

“I understand that, but this was different. It…” Michael huffed. “It was just different, Pop. She wasn’t herself. Even for an unslept and unkempt Rachel.”

“Okay,” Frank nodded, “continue.”

“I obviously wanted to say something. It took all I had not to, but I remembered Dad’s advice that it could only make things worse for her. So, I gave her a half-smile, which I suppose she returned. She sat behind the desk and faced the judge.”

“They wouldn’t let you talk to her?”

“I will get to that.”

“Sorry. Go on,” Frank motioned.

“The bailiff reads off the charges, which I was grateful were identical to what was read at the preliminary hearing. Only the name of the accuser was given this time. It had been left out of the first hearing, Johnathan said.

“Was she there?”

“Finally, yes. Dr. Marsha Houston. I didn’t recognize her.”

“Houston. Hmmm.” Frank’s brows furrowed. “Doctor, you say? Never heard of her. And I know everybody. I will ask Margaret. If I don’t know her, she will. If she doesn’t know her, she doesn’t exist.”

“That’s what I figured. And that’s what scares me.”

“This whole plant idea?” Frank said.

“Yeah. I don’t want Dad to be right. But in a way, I do because I don’t want the alternative to be true either.”

“What that your old man is losing his marbles?” Frank said.

Michael chuckled. “I know he’s not. You guys have been through a lot. And I know he has our best interest at heart. I’m just scared for Rachel.”

Here we are back with our group and Rachel is in prison, Michael and Frank who is Rachel’s grandfather, are at a loss. This Dr. seems to have it in for them. I will continue with a few more snippets through February to celebrate The Five Barred Gate IIs release. You can get your copy through the link below.

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Featured Title

The Five Barred Gate II (2025)

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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
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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 n ew 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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