CURIOUS
STORIES
By Gregory Eaves
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
If you like
mysteries with a surprise twist at the end, then Curious Stories is for you.
This is a small diverse collection of mystery short stories, ranging from the
noir detective story to supernatural suspense. Neurotic characters and strange
turns populate the pages of this quick and entertaining read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT ONE
THE EDITOR
IS ALWAYS RIGHT
Marchand sat
down and stared dumbly at his computer screen, not knowing where to begin. He
had tried creating outlines and character profiles, but no ideas surfaced. He
took his hands and buried his face in them. They moved up to his forehead and
slowly began a descent over the mounds of his closed, bulging eyelids, then
over his bulbous nose and rough, reddened cheeks. He shifted his oversize torso
in the direction of a buzzing noise; his body felt heavy, leaden with humidity
and the salty crust of baked-on sweat. With uncharacteristic speed and violence
he smashed a fly with his flyswatter, then turned his attention back to the
screen.
He made a few
tentative stabs at the keyboard, trying to grease the wheels. Nothing. Then he
noticed the smell again, the same stench from yesterday that hovered somewhere
between sweet and putrid. It irritated him not knowing what it was. The more he
thought about it, the angrier he got. Marchand got up and crisscrossed the room
several times, sniffing the air, trying to home in on a location. The dusty
books were possibilities; he walked slowly past them, examining the
gold-striped and leather bound volumes the same suspicious way a Nazi
commandant would inspect prisoners-of-war. Some of the books were very old,
with yellowed pages and stitched bindings that disintegrated when handled. They
were musty with age and produced a very intense odor, to be sure, but that
wasn’t it. He stood over a bologna sandwich, considered it, but rejected that
as the source of the smell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Gregory Eaves
was born October 18, 1950, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Speedway High
School and Indiana University. In his twenties, he traveled extensively
throughout the United States, with an eight year stay in San Diego, California,
where he studied and practiced meditation.
Gregory moved
to Florida and completed a master’s degree in Library and Information Science
from the University of South Florida.
Library
school rekindled his interest in reading, which had been his favorite activity
as a child growing up. Mysteries had been his first love, and he devoured his
first mystery books with singular passion and zeal. Nothing else seemed to hit
the sweet spot like reading The Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, and Poirot. He
later enjoyed authors like Raymond Chandler, John D. McDonald, Graham Greene,
Patricia Highsmith, and others.
SCHISM is
Gregory’s first novel. His prior
experience with writing included poetry and short stories. One of his
short-shorts won runner-up in a contest in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
He now lives
on the east coast of Florida, and when he isn’t writing, he enjoys playing
guitar and collecting vintage stereo gear and vinyl records. He is a member of
American Mensa.
Links:
Gregory will be awarding $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner during the tour via Rafflecopter
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'd like to thank the host for having my book here today. If anyone can tear themselves away from the turkey, and has a question or comment, I will respond. I'll check back in later.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt, I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, glad you liked it.
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks. That's one of my favorite stories.
DeleteThe bible is my fave holiday read
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the excerpt. I love intriguing and suspenseful books and it sounds like this one fits the bill. I will definitely be adding this book to my "to-read" list.
ReplyDeleteI also love suspense and intrigue. I try to put those elements in my writing that I love as a reader, and mystery/suspense is right there at the top of the list.
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