Review – Body Parts by Caitlin Rother @pumpupyourbook

Posted on March 14, 2025 by fundinmental

Title: Body Parts by Caitlin Rother

Publisher: Citadel Press

Publication Date: February 25, 2025

Pages:384

Genre: True Crime

MY REVIEW

I know it might sound odd, but I love serial killers….I mean reading about serial killers. I love getting into their minds, searching for the reasons they do the things they do…and Wayne Adam Ford deserves a close look and the sentence that was handed down to him. I am also intrigued by the legalities. Why does it take years?

I got ticked off at those who felt empathy for him. I don’t believe there was anything wrong with him, other than he is a monster that gets off on killing women. I believe that he was able to manipulate people, never letting them see the real him, until they take their last breath.

Body Parts has been updated by Caitlin Rother and I think she did have some things I didn’t like. The story was easy to follow along, but I don’t believe it was family or a brain injury that was the cause of him being a serial killer. That is where the nature or nurture question comes into play. I am not an expert, so I can’t say what is what, but I feel they will use whatever excuse they can come up with to make themselves less of a monster.

My thanks go out to Caitlin Rother for the opportunity to read and review Body Parts.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 3 Stars

BOOK BLURB:

BODY PARTS takes a deep psychological look at serial killer Wayne Adam Ford. A long-haul trucker, Ford confessed to picking up dozens of prostitutes and troubled women along California roads. He tortured and repeatedly choked them during sex, revived them with CPR, then did it again. Only four of them didn’t survive, he said, claiming that was an accident. After dismembering two of his victims, he dumped their bodies in the California Aqueduct and other waterways in Humboldt, Kern, San Joaquin, and San Bernardino Counties. Ford’s complex death penalty case made national news because he is one of the only serial killers to turn himself in and help authorities identify his victims. He was recently transferred from death row at San Quentin to a state prison in San Luis Obispo.

Originally released in March 2009, this new edition of BODY PARTS has been updated with 32 pages of new developments about the identification of Kerry Anne Cummings, Ford’s first victim, whom he dismembered and who went unidentified for 25 years. If there is such a thing as a happy ending to a book about a serial killer, this is it. The new material takes the reader through the investigative process involved in solving a cold case like this one so many years after the fact. Kerry now has her name back and her family has closure after so many years of not knowing what happened to her, after being prevented from reporting her missing to police because she was using drugs. Rother is the first to interview the Cummings family about Kerry and her troubled life before she went missing in late 1997.

Overall, the book is based on exclusive information Rother uncovered during her extensive research and exclusive interviews with Ford’s father and brother. She also interviewed, the prosecutor, sheriff’s detectives from all four counties, the defense’s sole investigator, and a woman who survived after being raped and tortured by Ford. By obtaining a court order to release sealed court files and digging through boxes of evidence and investigators’ reports, Rother was able to paint comprehensive and compelling portraits of Ford, his family and his victims. Rother’s book shows readers how Ford’s family dynamics, his severe head injury, his bouts of mental illness, and his compulsive sexual perversions led to his tragic killing spree, tearful confessions, and dramatic trial.

This is a re-release with 32 pages of new developments about the recent identification of Ford’s first victim, Kerry Anne Cummings, through genetic genealogy 25 years after her murder. So, now she has her name back and her family has closure.

BODY PARTS is available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Body-Parts-Serial-Killers-Compulsions/dp/0806543914.

Book Excerpt:

Kathie Cummings had recently moved from the Seattle area to the small town of Addy in northeastern, Washington, after leaving a job with the University of Washington as the director of operations in finance and research.

The new number Detective Fridley tried for Kathie went to voice mail, so he left her a message, saying that he was calling from the sheriff’s department in Eureka.

Kathie immediately assumed that he was calling about her long-missing sister, Kerry, though she was expecting him to say that Kerry had overdosed, and they had finally identified her. But when they connected, she didn’t mention any preconceived notions. “I let him do the talking,” she recalled.

“I’m calling about an unusual situation,” he told her. “Can I ask if you have any family members who are missing?”

“Yes, I do, my sister.”

“How long has she been missing?”

“Since 1997 or 1996,” Kathie said, feeling a little dizzy from the stress of the call and unable to remember exactly.

“Does your sister have any identifying marks?”

“She has a ring of flowers around her left ankle, a nose piercing, and her ears are pierced.”

“Can you tell me, did your sister ever give birth?”

“Not to my awareness,” she said, but inside, she was thinking, oh, s***. She knew he was talking about Kerry, so she started to panic, jumbling the chronology of events in her mind. There’s a baby out there. No, there’s an adult now.

Just the thought of a baby she never knew about broke her heart, especially not knowing if the child had lived.

“We may have connected her DNA to a close relative,” Fridley told Kathie, clearly trying to be sensitive and careful with his words. “Jeff Cummings, do you know him?”

“Yes, he’s my cousin.”

“I would like to talk to you about what we know, but first we’ll need to get DNA confirmation that the person that we have here matches your sister.”

Hearing that said so directly, Kathie felt faint. “I’d been expecting it, but I hadn’t been expecting it that day,” she recalled.

“What do we need to do?” she asked. “We need to get a copy of your DNA and compare it to the DNA that we have.”

After determining the location of the nearest police agency, Fridley said he would arrange for her to get tested.

Over the next three days, Kathie went even further down the rabbit hole than Jeff had. Not only did she read all the news stories she could find, but she listened to podcasts and downloaded the first edition of this book, published in 2009, on her Kindle.

“When I searched on the internet and all those pages came up with him, I went into complete shock. I never imagined, honestly, that this would be the kind of information and news I would get.”

She had to read this book three times, because she couldn’t absorb all the gruesome details on the first go. “The first time I just read through it, and I could hardly remember what I read, other than a few identifying markers that convinced me that this was the right person. I went back for pieces that I missed, [thinking], what did I read? I just kept going through it.”

She kept wondering why Ford had started off “so gruesome,” by cutting up her sister so violently, but then didn’t do the same thing to his next victims, other than slicing off the woman’s breast that was in his pocket when he surrendered.

“Knowing my sister, she was willing to be intimate with him,” Kathie said. Based on her last conversation with Kerry, when she “was more wasted than any other conversation I’d had with her, I figured she was on something new, so he suggested, ‘Let’s try this,’ and she said, ‘Okay, whatever,’” until she choked, passed out, and died.

– Excerpted from Body Parts by Caitlyn Rother, Citadel Press, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 15 books, ranging from narrative non-fiction crime to thrillers and memoir. Among her recent titles is an updated edition of BODY PARTS with 32 pages of new developments about the Wayne Adam Ford case, and DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, the story of the Rebecca Zahau death case. Coming out in June is DOWN TO THE BONE, about the McStay family murders, and in 2026, DOPAMINE FIX, the first in a two-book deal for a new crime fiction series with Thomas & Mercer. An award-winning investigative reporter for 19 years, Rother’s stories have been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The San Diego Union Tribune, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and The Daily Beast. Her more than 250 TV, radio and podcast appearances include 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia’s World News, and numerous shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, HLN and REELZ. A popular public speaker, she also works as a writing-research coach-consultant and website designer. For fun, she binges on limited series, swims, and plays keyboards and sings in a jazzy bluesy trio called In the Lounge with her partner. Rother earned a bachelor’s in psychology from UC Berkeley and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ https://caitlinrother.com

Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/caitlinrother

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/caitlinrother/

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/the_real_caitlin_rother

BlueSky ➜ @caitlinrother.bsky.social

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Virtual Book Tour for The Golden Deficit @pumpupyourbook

Posted on January 22, 2025 by fundinmental

Unexpected solutions to unanticipated problems with the Golden Harvest.

Title: The Golden Deficit: Book 3 of the Golden Harvest Series

Author: Joni Parker

Pages: 401

Genre: Fantasy

Lady Alex, the Elfin Keeper of the Keys for the Council of Elders, begins an epic adventure when she returns to the magical land of Eledon. The final talley of the Golden Harvest is in, and it’s far from the hundred million gold knots required. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the deficit is even larger, caused by the deceitful Rock Elves. These cunning creatures have been paying other Elves with fake gold knots for years, and no one had a clue until now. The Mentors demand the Elves pay the five million knot deficit in ninety days, but no one has any gold left. The pressure is on, and everyone is at a loss for how to come up with the gold, until Lady Alex devises a brilliant plan. But it will require equipment and expertise the Elves don’t have, and time is running out. Can she gather what she needs and save Eledon from financial ruin before it’s too late?

The Golden Deficit is available at Amazon at https://amazon.com/dp/B0DL6G4GB2.

Book Excerpt

This sucked! I came home expecting a warm welcome, but instead, I’ve been chewed out twice. Or was it three times? I should have kept score, but I had no idea what I was walking into. I had returned to Eledon because my mortal boss in Paris, Étienne, a world renown fashion designer, went into the hospital for a ruptured appendix. He had delayed treatment because he had top billing during fashion week in Paris, and it consumed him. We worked extra-long hours to get the clothes done in time, and the results were brilliant. Although he could have died, he didn’t, but when he was taken to the hospital, all work in the design studio came to a screeching-ass halt although I had to finish up some photoshoots for a magazine spread. Work won’t start up again until Étienne gets back at the end of March. So, I came home to Eledon.

Eledon was the home of the Elves, and was given to us by our Mentors when we were forced to leave Earth. I was part Elf and mortal, well, mostly mortal. My father was a mortal man from a place in outer space called Oltria, and my mother was the daughter of a Water Elf and a Titan. I hardly remembered them since they died when I was four. When I grew up, I lived with my mortal foster parents until I turned sixteen. Then I moved in with my Elfin grandmother, Lady Lestin of the Water Elves. Talk about a culture shock. I’m still learning about Elves.

– Excerpted from The Golden Deficit by Joni Parker, Joni Parker, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Joni Parker was born in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Japan with her family when she was 8, so her father could achieve his dream of becoming a pro golfer. Upon return, her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where Joni graduated from Camelback High School. After a short stint at Arizona State University, she joined the U.S. Navy. After 22 years of military service, she retired and traveled the country with her husband in their RV until he passed away. Joni went back to work for the federal government for another 7 years until she could retire and devote her time to writing. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona with her sister.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ http://www.joni-parker.com

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoniParker

Happy Book Birthday for Celia Bonaduce’s Smooth @pumpupyourbook @CeliaBonaduce

Posted on July 5, 2023 by fundinmental

We’re thrilled to announce the release of Celia Bonaduce’s new book, SMOOTH: LIFE HACKS TO GET YOU SMOOTHLY THROUGH CHEMO today! To help celebrate, we are asking our readers if you can please pretty please pick up a copy at Amazon and come back and tell us how you liked it? Or, leave a review while you’re there!

Congratulations, Celia, on your new release, Smooth: Life Hacks to Get You Smoothly Through Chemo!

Is Now Available in Paperback!

Title: Smooth: Life Hacks To Get You Smoothly Through Chemo
Author: Celia Bonaduce
Publisher: BookBaby
Pages: 100
Genre: Nonfiction

When cancer got in the way of Celia traveling for her day job as a field producer on the hit HGTV show, House Hunters, she did not let it stop her creativity. While the road to her first nonfiction book was anything but SMOOTH, it was a path that Celia felt compelled to explore. This collection of life hacks comes from Celia’s own experiences living through chemo.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pmQoFa

One test had led to the next and then the next. I’d had two mammograms, an ultrasound, and a biopsy. So when the call came, I was ready.

“Hi, Celia…” my doctor said, her voice trailing off. “It’s cancer.”

“Yeah,” I said, picturing my life as a novelist and a TV producer grinding to an immediate halt. “My village would have to be missing its idiot for me to not have suspected this.”

So then I did the breast cancer thing—lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. I learned a lot about breast cancer (for example, that mine was Stage 1-B triple-negative breast cancer). But here’s a secret: while there are lots of books out there about women’s personal stories during their breast cancer journeys, when you’re going through it, you don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone else’s story. You just want to know how to get through it yourself.

This isn’t a personal retrospective, nor is it a medical journal. But I do have some recommendations I’d like to pass along—just some ideas that might make your life easier during this most stressful of times. All the products mentioned are my personal favorites from my own chemo adventure. No company has endorsed, sponsored, or bribed me. The photographs of the products are beautiful and professional looking because my beautiful and professional friend Justine shot them.

As you start your journey, you will wonder where you will get the mental as well as physical strength to voluntarily show up for chemo month after month. But you will find that strength or that strength will find you. I hope these tips will make your trip easier.

Because it’s all about you.

As it should be.

About Celia Bonaduce

Celia Bonaduce is an award-winning novelist, podcast writer, and television producer. Celia spent fifteen years as a producer-director in lifestyle programming on shows that include ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and HGTV’s House Hunters and Tiny House Hunters. As a novelist with Kensington Publishing, Celia has written three trilogies: the Venice Beach Romances, the Fat Chance, Texas series, and the Tiny House Novels. The Tiny House Novel series won top honors with a Grand Finalist nod from the New Apple Official Selection, first place in the Book Excellence Awards and Gold from both the National Federation of Press Women and the Elite Choice Awards. Celia is also a co-author of A Texas Kind of Christmas, an Amazon #1 Best Seller in Historical Romance that took Gold from the National Federation of Press Women.

Website: https://www.celiabonaduce.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CeliaBonaduce

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBonaduceAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celiabonaduce
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/celia-bonaduce

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Review – The Secrets That Shape Us by W L Brooks @pumpupyourbook #WLBrooks

Posted on May 11, 2023 by fundinmental

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

After reading Let The Dead Lie by W L Brooks, I had to know ‘the secret’ and here I am. The girls have grown up and have lives of their own, but they are still thick as thieves…except for Casey, who had left town after finding out ‘the secret’. Brooks keeps me hanging for a while, not giving anything away until I have been updated on what has been to the family happening since we have been gone.

The girls hire Ryan Keller, a private detective, to find Casey. She comes back to a dire situation. Fletcher is in trouble and Casey has always been the one closest to her. Can she reach her?

“You’ve never backed down from a fight in your life. Not one! But now–now when you have to fight for your own life–you quit? I say fuck you, Jamie McKay. I want Fletcher back!”

There was a hiccup, when they don’t believe Fletcher…well, about the fire and the locket. I guess it’s feasible, because of the hallucinations, but it bothers me none the less.

Jake’s first meeting with the one of the girls is hilarious. A little arrogance brought down by a litle girl. I wonder if he will get his own book. I think I know which of the girls, women, he will hook up with, if it does happen.

There is something about Fletcher’s spirit that speaks to me and she has always been my favorite of the girls. They are all hellcats, and it would behoove the men that are attracted to them to keep that in mind. And…trouble seems to be a part of their life. They have many enemies who are not shy about making an appearance.

“Almost fifteen years ago, someone else was after the McKays…”
“What the hell is wrong with you people?”

The McKay family is constantly cracking me up. The writing and dialogue is spot on, making it easy to visualize their actions and become so wrapped up in their story that I cannot stop reading until the last page is read. The Secrets That Shape Us by W L Brooks did not hit me as hard as Let The Dead Lie, but it still makes me eager to pick up the next book in the series, Unearthing The Past.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Secrets That Shape Us by W L Brooks.

GOODREADS BLURB

After uncovering a devastating secret, Casey McKay left her beloved home town and pretended not to look back. For years, the truth her sisters hid from her has kept her away. Now, in desperate need of Casey’s help, her sisters have hired a PI to find her.

As a private investigator, Ryan Keller is used to getting into sticky situations, but nothing could have prepared him for the likes of Ms. McKay. Unable to resist her appeal for help, Ryan returns with her to Blue Creek. Little do they know they are walking right into a deadly plot to destroy the McKay sisters.

The closer they get to the truth, the harder it is for them to resist temptation. But succumbing to their desires puts Ryan in the crosshairs of a vengeful foe. To save them, Casey must face her past and the secrets that have shaped her.

Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2018 The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Original title: The Secrets That Shape Us
Series: McKay (#2)

ABOUT W L BROOKS (from her website)

W.L. Brooks was born with an active imagination. When characters come into her mind, she has to give them a life- a chance to tell their stories. With a coffee cup in her hand and a cat by her side, she spends her days letting the ideas flow onto paper. A voracious reader, she draws her inspiration from mystery, romance, suspense and a dash of the paranormal.

A native of Virginia Beach, she is currently living in Western North Carolina. Check out the latest book in her McKay Series, The Truth Behind the Mask, and stay tuned to see what’s next!

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / TikTok

MY W L BROOKS REVIEWS

Let The Dead Lie

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Review – Altered by Rob Kaufman pumpupyourbook #multiplepersonalities

Posted on March 1, 2023 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

Four ‘for the price’ of one.

I like the cool cover for Altered by Rob Kaufman, and when I read the blurb, I had to have it. I mean, a guy with four personalities, or alters, who, when threatened will defend themselves…or at least one of them will step up.

Justin Wright, a clinical psychiatrist, has no clue how Frank Devlin, a man with multiple identities, alters, will change his life. Frank had a dad who didn’t care about him and was now dead, a drunken mother who gave him to his uncle…for a few months…who, when he entered his room, Frank would go to his safe place. I figured he had to have an awful childhood if he has multiple identities. He has to have some way to escape the horror. The only good thing was a window, where he could look out on the street and watch the kids and dogs play.

As Justin and Mary share their mystery, her words bring tears to my eyes, a very well written scene. The guilt people carry for the death of a loved one is not always rational, unless they pointed a gun at the person and killed them.

A mystery solved. Love and loss shared. Happiness and anguish shared.

I love psychological thrillers, delving into a damaged mind. Whenever I deal with a mystery, a thriller, I am many times more in love with the villain than the victim. I don’t care so much about how they did what they did, but I want to dig into the whys of their actions. All too often that is never known, so let’s see how Rob Kaufman deals with Frank Devlin’s actions…and the other three identities. I will be sticking around for Book II.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Altered by Rob Kaufman.

About the Book:

Title: Altered (Justin Wright Suspense Series – Book 1)

Author: Rob Kaufman

Publisher: Independent

Pages: 276

Genre: Psychological Suspense Thriller

When Frank Devlin walks into Justin Wright’s office, the renowned New York City clinical psychiatrist decides to take on one of the most challenging cases of his career.

After their first session, it’s obvious Frank has multiple personalities (“alters”) and each one couldn’t be more different than the other. Justin must get to know each individual alter in order to discover the best route to take so that Frank can live a full and happy life. He must also delve into Frank’s past, one filled with mystery, darkness and trauma — the true causes behind his personality split.

As Justin deals with Frank’s issues, he’s also confronted with his own demons: the kidnapping of Michael, his youngest son, seven years earlier… a wife he adores, Mandy, who refuses to accept her son is gone… a constant struggle with his oldest son, Dylan, who was watching over Michael the day the boy was taken. And his problems get worse as, unbeknownst to Justin, Frank and his alters are secretly weaving themselves into his life in ways that will affect the Wright family forever.

A suspense-filled story driven by emotion, angst and the ultimate revenge, “Altered” brings readers down a twisted path of uncertainty and mind games — leaving them shocked, heartbroken and questioning what could possibly come next…

“Crazy-good plot lines and shocking information that had me gasping for breath at every turn!” – Anne F., Amazon Vine Reviewer

“It was an amazing ride with tension building throughout until the final twist ending.” – Patricia G., NetGalley Reviewer

Release Date: November 15, 2022

Soft Cover: ISBN:979-8358757523; 329 pages; $13.99; Kindle $7.99; FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BlpCjs

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdLxyAEoQY4

Book Excerpt:

The frigid breeze whipped across his face. He ran up the city blocks, wiping melted snowflakes from his eyelids so he could see where he was going. By the time he reached 49^th Street, he was out of breath and had to stop. He leaned against the steel pole that held both the street signs and traffic lights. After a few deep breaths, he wiped the liquified flurries off his cheeks and walked as quickly as he could until he reached 50th.

He made a right off Park and because the office was so close to the corner, he could see a glow of light coming from the window. Breathing a sigh of relief, he went through the building’s glass front door and made a quick left. He didn’t stop long enough to ring the bell to let anyone know he was about to enter. Trying to catch his breath, he opened the office door.

The first thing he saw was a man holding a gun up to his own temple.

He yelled, and before he could say a coherent word, he watched the man turn toward him and heard a loud bang. And then another.

His legs wobbled, then his head banged on the wooden floor. He brought his hand up to his throat and felt warm liquid oozing from a hole in his neck. He was surprised at the lack of pain and how rapidly numbness was spreading throughout his body. His throat felt like it was swelling up, closing his airway. He fought out a gasp and heard a soft gurgle. Did he just make that noise? Was blood filling his throat?

He tried to take another breath and heard the same sloshing liquid. His mind went void of thought, his body, frozen.

Suddenly there was muffled yelling, unintelligible screams. Something that felt like a hand cupped the back of his head and soft skin brushed his cheek. As time passed, seconds… minutes… hours… he couldn’t be sure, everything faded except a weightlessness enshrouding him, a gentle sense of calm. He closed his eyes and listened to the blood pump, with each heartbeat, through the opening in his neck.

From some obscure corner of his mind, reality edged its way back in and he struggled to open his eyes one last time.

Through the haze of his dissolving vision, he saw a familiar face hovering over him. Anguish twisted it, and as if from a long distance away, he heard the cries and moans falling from the man’s mouth.

He wanted to cry, grieve for them both, but once again his heavy eyelids fell down. The weeping and mumbling became a fading hum and then ultimately silence.

His final thought was not about this man who sobbed above him, his killer or the “why” behind what just happened. It was the hope that he’d see the loved one he’d lost — a hope that made him smile inside as a comforting warmth enveloped his body like the most snug of blankets warmed by the sun itself.

About the Author

Rob Kaufman novels are known for having characters with whom people can relate, while at the same time, bringing them on a journey from which most people would crumble.

His degree in Psychology was the first step toward getting beneath the surface of the people in his life. What followed was a lifelong search for what makes people tick – what forces them to become evil when deep down they are yearning for love. Rob’s characters walk this search with him, deep into the human psyche, creating psychological thrillers from everyday events.

Rob’s books are perfect for those who enjoy thrillers but also need strong emotion to keep them deeply involved with the characters.

“All my books hit home for me,” says Rob. “There are always parts that make me laugh out loud as I write them… and many, too many, that make me cry. And the great thing is, I’m finding that many readers of my books experience the same emotions.”

Rob’s books receive both national and international praise with most reviews noting that his storylines are extremely “unique” and “sobering” and the twists and turns are “masterful”.

Website or Blog: www.authorrobkaufman.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorKaufman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobKaufman
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/745558.Rob_Kaufman

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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Spotlight on Murder in the Neighborhood by Ellen J Green @EJGreenBooks @pumpupyourbook

Posted on July 21, 2022 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

As soon as I saw the tagline, ‘The true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting,’ I had to read it.

September 6, 1949.

Non fiction. Historical fiction. Camden, New Jersey. Twelve minutes. Thirteen dead. A missing gate.

Howard Unruh. He had been bullied his entire life. He was a war veteran.

Ellen J Green used all the available tools of research that were available, putting them into an easy to read and follow story. I like the way it was written.

Murder in the Neighborhood shows has far reaching a tragedy like this is and the fallout for those left standing.

Mass shootings seems to me to be a uniquely American phenomenon. There is no blanket solution to the problem, no easy way to predict who will do what when, but judging by current events…

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Murder In The Neighborhood by Ellen J Green.

Murder in the Neighborhood—the story of the first mass shooting in the US

Ellen J. Green

Genre: True Crime

Publisher: Thread Books, Hachette UK

Date of Publication: 4/28/2022

ISBN13: 9781909770706

Number of pages: 324

Word Count: 85k

Cover Artist: Thread books

Book Description:

On 6 September 1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey. The shocking true story of the first recorded mass shooting in America has never been told, until now.

The sky was cloudless that morning when twelve-year-old Raymond Havens left his home on River Road. His grandmother had sent him to get a haircut at the barbershop across the street—where he was about to witness his neighbor and friend Howard open fire on the customers inside.

Told through the eyes of young Raymond, who had visited Howard regularly to listen to his war stories, and the mother trying to piece together the disturbing inner workings of her son’s mind, Murder in the Neighborhood uncovers the chilling true story of Howard Unruh, the quiet loner who meticulously plotted his revenge on the neighbors who shunned him and became one of America’s first mass killers.

Amazon Audible AppleBooks

Excerpt:
That September morning started much like any other. Camden, New Jersey, the sparkling little sister of Philadelphia, connected by the high arches of the Delaware River Bridge, was waking up to heat nearing the mid-seventies—by nine o’clock the humidity was sitting high above the city, waiting to descend.
Cramer Hill, a small section of Camden, bound by the Delaware River to the west, the Pavonia Train Yard to the east, State Street to the south and 36th Street to the north—a grid of streets twenty-four blocks long, and about five or six blocks wide contained within—was about to draw the focus of the world but nobody knew it, not that morning at nine o’clock.
River Road cut a swath through Cramer Hill where open-bay trucks rumbled through all day long, overloaded with tomatoes headed for the Campbell’s soup factory a few miles away. The clearly visible cargo was only held in place by wire mesh caging along the sides. The loud engine sounds called to children to get out of the street, to stand and watch, waiting for a tomato to break loose and fall into their small hands. They were often rewarded when a bump in the road threw a few of the greenish-red fruits into the street.
The smells of the river wafting in, the sounds of the boats, the hint of tomatoes cooking at Campbell’s, the smoke from the stacks of Eavenson and Sons soap factory a mile away—it was all there. But mostly it was the shoemaker’s pungent aroma of tannery oils, the lingering, savory fragrance from Latela’s Italian luncheonette on the corner, the endless din of Engel’s bar across the street, and the music that poured out of its doors after the sun went down that filled every home.
Five businesses shared one side of the small block—a cacophonic mix of a pharmacy, a barbershop, a cobbler, a tailor and a café. The other side only had two: a grocery and a bar. Most of the owners lived there, nestled in their small apartments above their establishments. They all knew each other well enough on that small stretch of River Road. Enough to pull a chair out onto the sidewalk on summer nights for a chat. Enough to get a drink at Engel’s now and again. Enough to keep an eye on things and on each other. But not one of them saw it coming. Not the Pilarchiks, the Hoovers, the Hamiltons, the Zegrinos or the Cohens. They’d safely shared that space together for years, but not one of them was spared.

About the Author:

Ellen J. Green is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Ava Saunders novels (Absolution and Twist of Faith) and The Book of James. She attended Temple University in Philadelphia, where she earned her degrees in psychology, and has worked in the psychiatric ward of a maximum-security correctional facility for fifteen years. She also holds an MFA degree in creative writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Born and raised in Upstate New York, Ms. Green now lives in southern New Jersey with her two children.

Website https://ellenjgreen.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/ejgreenbooks

Amazon Page https://amzn.to/3Hnikh2

Newsletter Sign Up https://ellenjgreen.com/newsletter/

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I Buried Paul by Bruce Ferber @pumpupyourbook

Posted on July 5, 2022 by fundinmental

About the Book:

Title: I BURIED PAUL
Author: Bruce Ferber
Publisher: The Story Plant
Pages: 304
Genre: Adult Literary Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

Jimmy Kozlowski has a regular gig playing Paul McCartney in the Beatles tribute band, Help!. The band is part of a cottage industry built around mimicry, where each group strives to be the ultimate Fake Fab Four. And none strives harder than Help!, thanks to Gene Klein, its John Lennon and leader. Gene’s just gotten his Medicare card and spends much of his time caring for his ailing mother. But he hasn’t lost a step on guitar or vocals, and is determined to take Help! to the top, his goal being to perform in Liverpool one day. Though the notion of the UK clamoring for a group of Long Islanders with fake British accents seems far-fetched, Gene has a plan.

Unlike his boss, Jimmy has limited bandwidth for high-quality Beatle wigs or bespoke Nehru jackets. He works a straight job, entertains at a nursing home, and yearns to connect with the daughter he’s never met. He also wants a shot at recording and performing his own original compositions. No matter the odds, Jimmy is determined to realize his creative dreams, even if it means “burying Paul” in the process.

I Buried Paul is a love letter to the power of music, a humorous yet moving exploration of the sacrifices its disciples are willing to make in service to its magic.

“Funny, heartfelt, and unafraid… A book for anyone who loves music or has ever tried to keep a dream alive.” — Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying

“First, the good news: Paul isn’t dead, and this isn’t an autopsy. Rather it’s a funny, moving novel about trying to find your way home from the Abbey Road of your teenage fantasy life, while simultaneously escaping the shadows cast by your father, your older brother, many failed relationships, and a world that doesn’t like to see people doing what they love – such as making their own music. Reminiscent of Anne Tyler and Richard Russo (if either could keep a steady bass beat), Bruce Ferber writes humorous fiction for grown ups.” — Scott Bradfield, author of The History of Luminous Motion

“In his touching and funny novel, Bruce Ferber comes not to bury Paul McCartney but to celebrate his true believers, the dreamers who carry the torch of their youthful rock dreams well into pension age, and who refuse to sacrifice their passion despite high cholesterol counts and the possibility of embarrassing themselves. I Buried Paul is a tender paean to the music that changed us all, its revivifying and enduring power.” — Marc Weingarten, author of The Gang that Wouldn’t Write Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, Capote, and the New Journalism Revolution

“Funny, deep, and compulsive, I Buried Paul is a tribute to family, lifelong friends, and the Beatles tunes that unite them. Told with Ferber’s trademark wit, literary verve and big-heartedness, it’s a veritable magical mystery tour of growing up and finding love and meaning in a complex world.” — Michaela Carter, author of Leonora in the Morning Light
“Reading Bruce Ferber’s latest novel is like being told a great tale from your favorite and funniest pal ― the one who really seems to know stuff―the one you trust―the one who gets you when nobody else does. Long live Paul.” — Jason Alexander

“Bruce Ferber’s prose is music to my ears. I Buried Paul is very funny, and very insightful.” — John Densmore

“Bruce Ferber has captured lightning in a bottle, chronicling a generation’s obsessive attachment to The Beatles. His love for their music and legacy is evident on every page. And as the poets said, ‘With a love like that you know it can’t be bad.’ (Yeah-yeah-yeah.)” — Bob Spitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Beatles

Book Information

Release Date: June 14 2022

Publisher: The Story Plant

Soft Cover: 978-1611883282; 329 pages; $16.95; E-Book, $7.49, Audiobook, Free with Audible Trial

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3yS5ip5

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-buried-paul-bruce-ferber/1140012044?ean=9781611883282

Chapters: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/i-buried-paul-a-novel/9781611883282-item.html?ikwid=I+Buried+Paul&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=1#algoliaQueryId=96d8ff50907af587efe58127490ab077

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-buried-paul

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/I-Buried-Paul-Bruce-Ferber/9781611883282?ref=grid-view&qid=1642224849678&sr=1-3

Book Excerpt:

Milestones are seldom what they’re cracked up to be, unless you’re a charmed preppie who inherits the Hallmark gene. My first time kissing a girl turned out to be a mercy stunt, engineered by some douchey linebacker on the junior varsity. The most memorable thing about getting my driver’s license was that I had no car, and my parents’ station wagon was never available. When I put on the cap and gown for high school graduation, it felt like I was going to a Halloween party, dressed as a fraud.

As I went on to achieve my own versions of milestones, none of them would adhere to society’s definitions or timetable. Instead, they appeared out of the blue like stealth jack-in-the-boxes. How was I to know that the fourth kiss from my third girlfriend would be the portal to life-changing sex? Or that on my first solo plane trip at eighteen, I’d be moved to First Class and treated like a VIP, despite having accomplished nothing? Or that shortly after the plane touched down, I would never again look at the world the same way.

It’s not that I’m against the element of surprise. I’m just convinced it would be a lot less stressful to be the Hallmark guy.

About the Author

Bruce Ferber built a long and successful career as a television comedy writer and producer. A multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, his credits include Bosom Buddies, Growing Pains, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Coach, and Home Improvement, where he served as Executive Producer and showrunner. In addition to being recognized by the Television Academy, Ferber’s work has received the People’s Choice, Kid’s Choice, and Environmental Media Awards. He is the author of two previous novels, Elevating Overman and Cascade Falls, along with the nonfiction book, The Way We Work. He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife, large dog, and assorted musical instruments.

I Buried Paul is his latest release.

Visit his website at www.Bruceferber.net or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Happy Book Birthday – I Buried Paul by Bruce Ferber @pumpupyourbook

Posted on June 14, 2022 by fundinmental

We’re thrilled to announce the release of Bruce Ferber’s I Buried Paul (The Story Plant) today! To help celebrate, we are asking our readers if you can please pretty please pick up a copy at Amazon and come back and tell us how you liked it or leave a review?

Congratulations, Bruce, on your adult literary fiction new release, I Buried Paul!

I Buried Paul is a love letter to the power of music, a humorous yet moving exploration of the sacrifices its disciples are willing to make in service to its magic.

“Funny, heartfelt, and unafraid… A book for anyone who loves music or has ever tried to keep a dream alive.” — Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying

“First, the good news: Paul isn’t dead, and this isn’t an autopsy. Rather it’s a funny, moving novel about trying to find your way home from the Abbey Road of your teenage fantasy life, while simultaneously escaping the shadows cast by your father, your older brother, many failed relationships, and a world that doesn’t like to see people doing what they love – such as making their own music. Reminiscent of Anne Tyler and Richard Russo (if either could keep a steady bass beat), Bruce Ferber writes humorous fiction for grown ups.” — Scott Bradfield, author of The History of Luminous Motion

“In his touching and funny novel, Bruce Ferber comes not to bury Paul McCartney but to celebrate his true believers, the dreamers who carry the torch of their youthful rock dreams well into pension age, and who refuse to sacrifice their passion despite high cholesterol counts and the possibility of embarrassing themselves. I Buried Paul is a tender paean to the music that changed us all, its revivifying and enduring power.” — Marc Weingarten, author of The Gang that Wouldn’t Write Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, Capote, and the New Journalism Revolution

“Funny, deep, and compulsive, I Buried Paul is a tribute to family, lifelong friends, and the Beatles tunes that unite them. Told with Ferber’s trademark wit, literary verve and big-heartedness, it’s a veritable magical mystery tour of growing up and finding love and meaning in a complex world.” — Michaela Carter, author of Leonora in the Morning Light

“Reading Bruce Ferber’s latest novel is like being told a great tale from your favorite and funniest pal ― the one who really seems to know stuff―the one you trust―the one who gets you when nobody else does. Long live Paul.” — Jason Alexander

“Bruce Ferber’s prose is music to my ears. I Buried Paul is very funny, and very insightful.” — John Densmore

“Bruce Ferber has captured lightning in a bottle, chronicling a generation’s obsessive attachment to The Beatles. His love for their music and legacy is evident on every page. And as the poets said, ‘With a love like that you know it can’t be bad.’ (Yeah-yeah-yeah.)” — Bob Spitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Beatles

Book Information

Release Date: June 14 2022

Publisher: The Story Plant

Soft Cover: 978-1611883282; 329 pages; $16.95; E-Book, $7.49, Audiobook, Free with Audible Trial

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zeFK68

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-buried-paul-bruce-ferber/1140012044?ean=9781611883282

Chapters: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/i-buried-paul-a-novel/9781611883282-item.html?ikwid=I+Buried+Paul&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=1#algoliaQueryId=96d8ff50907af587efe58127490ab077

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-buried-paul

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/I-Buried-Paul-Bruce-Ferber/9781611883282?ref=grid-view&qid=1642224849678&sr=1-3

About the Author

Bruce Ferber built a long and successful career as a television comedy writer and producer. A multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, his credits include Bosom Buddies, Growing Pains, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Coach, and Home Improvement, where he served as Executive Producer and showrunner. In addition to being recognized by the Television Academy, Ferber’s work has received the People’s Choice, Kid’s Choice, and Environmental Media Awards. He is the author of two previous novels, Elevating Overman and Cascade Falls, along with the nonfiction book, The Way We Work. He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife, large dog, and assorted musical instruments.

I Buried Paul is his latest release.

Visit his website at www.Bruceferber.net or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Your Mid Career GPS by John Neral @john_neral @pumpupyourbook

Posted on January 3, 2022 by fundinmental

Create your professional roadmap to find the job you love or love the job you have…

By John Neral

YOUR MID-CAREER GPS, Nonfiction, LLH Publishing, 281 pp.

Are you considering a career change but doubt yourself or get easily overwhelmed by the entire process?

Are you a mid-career professional ready to level-up, but unsure of what steps to take?

What if there was an easy and supportive way to plan your next career destination?

Your Mid-Career GPS will guide you to create your own professional roadmap so you can find the job you love or love the job have. John Neral, Certified Professional Coach, will help you strategically position yourself in the marketplace while teaching you how to leverage your unique skills from a place of value and service for any organization.

Learn how to prepare, position, and promote yourself as you create a tactical and strategic plan by building Your Mid-Career GPS. Let this book be your guide to answer many of the current questions you have about creating your next advancement opportunity.

PRAISE

“This book is for those of you who feel like you know everything and nothing about what’s next, you can’t fathom writing yet another cover letter, and you wonder “why bother” when it comes to updating your résumé. If you are feeling alone on this journey, bring this book, and all of the insight and tools it contains, along with you. You will have John’s company along the path and you will be one step closer to finding your way!”–Natalie Siston, Best-selling author of Let Her Out: Reclaim Who You Have Always Been and Founder, Small Town Leadership

“John expertly guides readers through the trials, tribulations, and common pitfalls of mid-career professionals and managers. He also provides information on the effective career strategies and mindset needed to be successful. This book is a must read if you are looking for professional support and could use a career GPS! — Porschia Parker Griffin
Founder and CEO of Fly-High Coaching Millennial Coaching Institute

“LinkedIn is the most powerful tool to help you network, build professional relationships, learn, search for jobs, and much more. I always say if you are not on LinkedIn you might be left out. Your Mid-Career GPS provides valuable tips and guidance to help you navigate LinkedIn and start growing your network and create your next advancement opportunity.”— Rhonda L. Sher, LinkedIn Specialist, Author, Speaker

“I picked up this latest book after enjoying John Neral’s previous book, SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career. In Your Mid-Career GPS, John Neral provides clear, actionable steps to put his six strategies into play quickly and effectively. I really enjoyed his conversational writing style as well. As a mid-career professional, I love that my cohort is the focus of his attention and expertise. He demonstrates throughout the book that he knows the benefits mid-career professionals bring to an organization and his thoughtful observations and exercises will help anyone define their professional value and market not only their skills but themselves. Reading and employing the strategies in this book can position you to be a more valuable resource to your current employer or challenge you to spread your wings and find your next, great career opportunity. The underlying message is one of empowerment and encouragement and that’s a message everyone can benefit from.”–Victoria A. Bourgeois

In this book, I will ask you to define certain moments of your career. One of the most defining moments in my career happened in my 11^th year as a middle school mathematics teacher. I loved where I was working, the people I was working with, and I certainly had a fantastic time with the students I got to teach every year. One day, as I was beginning to teach a lesson on multiplying fractions, I looked at 25 students’ faces staring back at me, and the voice in my head said, “You can’t do this anymore.” It was as if that voice came out of nowhere, but it was loud, and I needed to listen to it. I felt happy. I enjoyed what I was doing. But I wasn’t satisfied knowing that this could be it for the rest of my career. I wasn’t ready to settle. As I continued to deliver the lesson, I gave myself permission to question what I was doing with my career and why I wanted more from it. Have you ever had one of those moments?

What transpired over the next few months was an opportunity to honestly evaluate where my career was going and what I wanted. I had a fantastic consulting relationship with a Fortune 500 company along with a successful tutoring business outside of my teaching duties. I was learning that I wanted to shift my focus from teaching students to working with teachers. This would look like some kind of administrative position or an opportunity to level up, but I was unsure of what that was.

I talked to my closest friends and colleagues and told them I was considering making a significant career change. I had my résumé professionally written. I updated my LinkedIn profile. I started networking, looking for jobs, and sharpening my interviewing skills. And then the rejections came.

I got to several last-round interviews for a handful of positions that I not only wanted but also believed I would’ve been great at, only to learn I wasn’t the selected candidate. If someone were kind enough to give me some honest feedback, I would hear things like, “You made it a difficult decision for us, but we went with someone who had more experience.” These are comforting words amid disappointment and perhaps something you also have experienced recently.

My opportunity to make such a change came three years later, when I was 40. I accepted a position as a Professional Development Specialist for the District of Columbia Public Schools. In this role, I would work with and supervise 21 instructional coaches across 13 middle schools. I was going to help teachers be better teachers. I got the job I wanted and a fantastic opportunity to stretch and grow. While the job came with an advanced title, it also came with a pay cut. I relocated from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., for a professional and personal opportunity. My husband and I had been dating long distance for two years, and because he was happy with his job, I decided I would be the one to make a move since I was looking for a new job. Yes, you could say I made a move for love, but it was not only for the love of my husband but also for the love of my career. Relocating wasn’t part of my plan, but it was a welcomed detour and new destination for my Mid-Career GPS.

That move over 10 years ago accelerated my career. It gave me opportunities I would have never had if I decided to stay in my previous position. I had an opportunity to work as an administrator in a larger and high-profile district. From there, I went to go work at the State Superintendent’s Office. From that position, I leveled up to take a job at an educational nonprofit as a Training and Staffing Director. And then, I took an even bigger leap into entrepreneurship. I have never regretted any of these moves, and I continue to have an exciting career. I get to go to work every day. I get to coach amazing clients and help them figure out what’s next for them professionally by helping them create their mid-career roadmap to find a job they love or love the job they have. I’ve launched two podcasts. The first is called #SHOWUP2020 and highlighted everyday people who do extraordinary things because of how they choose to SHOW UP. My second podcast is “The Mid-Career GPS Podcast,” and it’s an extension of this book. You can listen to it wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

BUYING INFORMATION

is available at:

John Neral, MA, CPC reawakens, energizes, galvanizes, and innovates the mind think of employees, corporations, associations, and systems. A celebrated executive/career and professional development coach and in-demand, mindset-shifting public speaker, John’s professional walk included a 25-year career in education and a longstanding corporate consultant for Fortune 500 giant, Casio America, Inc. He now leads John Neral Coaching, LLC, one of the most progressive, mindset-shifting professional and organizational coaching and public speaking firms in the U.S. He is the author of Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next and SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career and the host of “The Mid-Career GPS Podcast.”

As a Master Practitioner in the Energy Leadership Index, John’s experience has made him an impactful and valuable coach to his one-on-one and group coaching clients and organizations. With Energy Leadership™, John identifies where people perform at their optimal levels and when they are under stress. Combining the Energy Leadership™ principles, a client’s workplace strengths, and their “unique professional value,” John helps his clients create their career GPS so they can take action toward achieving their professional and personal goals.

A former church organ prodigy, John is an avid traveler–having sojourned to 5 of the 7 continents, a professional bowler and the winner of a Professional Bowlers’ Association Regional Title (2010), and a game-show fan, having appeared on previous episodes of GSN’s Chain Reaction and Make My Day. John is happily married and lives with his spouse and their rescue cat, Amy Farrah Meowler (named after the Big Bang Theory character), in the heart of Washington DC’s Dulles Technology Corridor, Tysons Corner, VA.

You can visit his website at https://johnneral.com or follow him at Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

Buried in my Past by Eva MacKenzie #EvaMacKenzie @pumpupyourbook

Posted on February 21, 2020 by fundinmental

BURIED IN MY PAST
By Eva Mackenzie
Domestic Romantic Suspense

She’s desperate to stop the panic attacks. But the truth won’t set her free…

Jamie Kendal sees life through the bottom of a bottle. After surviving assault and betrayal, she is forced back to her hometown to care for her mother. Not long after her return, she’s plagued by terrifying slivers of memories from the night her twin brother disappeared forever…

Unearthing new evidence, she’s shocked to learn she’d been found wandering in the woods that same night—covered in blood. More than one person from her past hid the haunting truth that’s bubbling to the surface. The deeper she digs into the horrors from her past, the more she fears almost anyone could be a killer, including Jamie herself.

Can Jamie expose what happened that night, or will she join her missing brother?

http://evamackenzie.com/buy-now/

Taylor

“Hello, my name is Taylor, and I’m a sex addict.” He looked around the room at a few familiar faces. He’d never told his story to them, but he always liked to introduce himself to the group. Of course, Taylor wasn’t his real name. And perhaps his burden was not exactly sex addiction, but it was in that vein.

“Hello, Taylor.” The group welcomed him.

He quickly took his seat and cast his eyes to the ground.

There was a big group tonight at Sex Addicts Anonymous. The dusty space occupied the third floor of the public library, rented to them every Tuesday night.

Marcie, or so she claimed to be, stood up and moved to the front of the group.

She always liked to share all the gory details of her sex addiction. Taylor secretly wondered if she was getting off telling the group about her promiscuity. Too willing, if you asked him.

 He glanced around at the men and women captivated by Marcie’s passionate relapse. He imagined some were fathers and mothers. Some were possibly divorced or in open relationships. Heterosexuals, homosexuals, and anything in between. All looked like average people. 

Marcie was maybe a four on a scale of one to ten, so he barely raised his head as she continued.

This was his fifteenth meeting, and every time he walked through those doors, he wondered what he was doing here. Of course, he had a problem, but he wasn’t interested in fixing it. Maybe problem wasn’t the proper classification.

Was his issue a lack of moral character? If so, who was the judge? Society? That was a joke. No one on this earth was free from lust.

 All of these people were suffering. Not him. He lived the dream. But on most Tuesday nights he found the time to drive two and half hours to this meeting. He didn’t ask himself why—he knew why—and the anticipation offered a giddy sensation that nudged his crotch. He was a bastard, for sure;                  

There was no one in this room he was interested in. Hell, who wanted cheap thrills. He was looking for a ten.

He wasn’t a handsome man, although he wasn’t ugly either. Some might say his nose was a bit too sharp or his hair too thin. His features weren’t coveted, and he wasn’t charming or even funny. But he only had sex with women who were nines, at minimum; it was sort of a rule he had. 

The group around him broke into applause as Marcie took her seat. She didn’t give him a come-hither glance. Her eyes were glued to the other man she sat next to. As he stood up to introduce himself, Marcie rested a friendly hand on his arm—encouragement. Right. 

He would be Marcie’s next relapse.

It was too easy. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

Not him—he wanted a real lay.

He stood and removed a cigarette from his coat pocket and headed for the door, his movement swift. He had forgotten the time.

Once out on the street, he was greeted by a blast of hot air. The pavement had soaked up the sun and continued to heat the city at night. He lit his smoke and waited while keeping his eyes on the steady stream of people moving down the sidewalk. The working crowd hustled along in and out of Virginia’s metro station in Arlington.

A woman in her early thirties hustled past him. Her Clinique perfume teased his nose as he closed the space quietly. Her feet slid into two-inch heels revealing that sexy muscle on the sides of her calves. She wore a business suit fitting her well in all the right places. Her smooth, pale skin flashed in the intermittent streetlights. She was a ten.

He dropped his smoke, not missing a step as she chose her watering hole.

A pub for working adults and cliques. High-end place. He knew before she even went inside that she would take a seat at the bar.

She graciously held the door for him without a backward glance.

Inside he took a seat at a table with a full view of the restaurant; Virginia didn’t have bars—they had places that serve fried food to patrons consuming large amounts of alcohol. The place was packed, noise assaulting his senses. Just the way he liked it. Much of the same crowd was here last week. He watched Ten take her seat, order her drink, and immediately pull out her cell phone.

“What can I get you?” a waitress asked.

“Gin and tonic and a margarita for my girlfriend.” He patted the table beside him as he nodded to the bathroom. She scurried off without another word.

 He watched as a large group of men entered the bar. One of them spotted Ten and boldly joined her.

“Fifteen seventy,” the waitress said as she placed the two drinks in front of him a few minutes later. Opening his wallet, he counted out eighteen dollars and handed the money to her. He imagined the police asking her a list of questions. “What did he look like? How tall was he? Did he have any tattoos?” She would remember none of these things, the tip not large enough or small enough to trigger any memories.

He sipped his drink and watched.

He knew his number ten would be stood up this evening. Her profile picture online, to his delight, was an accurate depiction. In the dim bar light, her skin was as creamy and flawless as he recalled. She scanned her phone once again, her mannerisms jerky. She was looking for a man that didn’t exist. At least he didn’t live in Arlington, Virginia. 

 Best to travel in groups. There are a lot of assholes out there, Julie.

He pulled a small bottle from his pocket. A clear liquid inside promised adventure as he poured it into his second drink. Number ten was still at the bar, an unhappy pout dressing her full lips. The bold admirer continued a conversation with her. Perfect.

He slunk to the bar and pulled up next to her, careful not to gain her attention yet as she faced away from him. Bodies pressed in all directions. Her margarita sat barely touched in front of her.

“Can I get another gin and tonic?” He held up his empty glass. He scanned faces quickly but discreetly.

Placing his margarita next to hers, he gently tapped her on the shoulder as the bartender turned for his refill.

“This is mine, right?” he asked, pointing to her drink. She looked dazed for a second as she glanced at the two glasses. She nodded absently as he took her drink and left his cocktail instead. After paying the bartender, he went back to his table.

He watched as she drank the whole glass. Shadows danced over his face as he looked at his watch; it had been twenty minutes. Almost time.

Her movements were becoming loose as she swayed gently on the stool. Her admirer smiled at her dolefully as she seemed to lose her inhibition. Her current company mouthed, “I’ll be right back,” and took off toward the restroom. Time to make his move.

“There you are!” he said as he approached her. She looked over at him, glassy warm brown eyes accompanying a silky smile. He didn’t have much time.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic was a mess.” He put his arm around her and kissed her softly on the lips. She didn’t object.

“Let’s go, sweetheart.” He was already moving toward the door.

No, I don’t have a problem. He looked down at his new girl. None at all.

Eva Mackenzie is an author who enjoys twisty, emotionally engrossing tales. Her debut novel has been a work in progress for over a decade. Under the urging of a loved one, it’s finally finished.
She is a wife and mother living on the east coast. When she isn’t writing, she is spending time with her family, training for her next marathon or reading stacks of suspense novels. Some of her favorite authors are Minka Kent, Dean Koontz, Tami Hoag, and Lisa Jackson.
Her latest book is BURIED IN MY PAST.