More of The Red Jacket

Dear Readers:

Sam has graciously allowed me to include more excerpts from my new ebook, “The Red Jacket,” in today’s blog. We hope you enjoy.

A Christmas present from his grandmother emboldens 16-year old Francis and gives him courage, but will he be strong enough to survive a fight with his stepfather and the floodwaters of Oregon’s raging MacKenzie River? 

From Chapter I 

A recurring dream I’d been having quite frequently was one where I was desperately trying to swim upstream against a flooding river, but the river kept clutching at me, sucking me down, drowning me in its mucky brown filth.
It was a pretty scary dream. Little did I know at the time that I was having a serious attack of clairvoyance.
I felt like I was doomed to die without even having the chance to do what I wanted to as long as I could.

From Chapter 2 

Nineteen sixty four was a season of massive flooding in Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. It had been pouring rain almost non-stop for thirty days and thirty nights.

Rampaging rivers and creeks had already killed five people and left several others missing.

From Chapter 3 

Candy was so soft though, and she smelled fantastic. Her perfume was Desert Flower, she said. As she floated around the dance floor with me, I kept my right hand rigidly light on the small of her back, like she was precious china, and my sweaty left hand securely inserted into her palm. I felt tingly and electrified by Candy’s smile. Her lithe, responsive, physical presence moved in perfect rhythm and harmony with my own physical presence.

I began to imagine what it would be like to attend college with Candace. After graduating maybe we’d get married and start careers. She’d be a famous model for a few years. Then, maybe we’d have a family. One thing for sure, I thought. We wouldn’t have eight kids. No way! Two at the most. Then Candace blew my dream away like she had waved an evil magic wand in front of me.

From Chapter 6 

Suddenly, I was jolted by the blast of a trucker’s air horn, the screech of brakes and my mom screaming hysterically.

I quickly tried to gather my wits, but all I could see was a silvery screen of raindrops pelting our windshield and the gleaming chrome radiator of a Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler looming directly in front of our station wagon. My mom was frantically cranking the steering wheel of our car to avoid a head-on collision.

I know I will never forget the blood curdling scream that tore from my own throat and the look of guilty terror that I saw on the truck driver’s face as the 18-wheeler jackknifed past us and somehow managed to miss us.

Our station wagon did a complete three hundred and sixty degree turn - several times if I remember correctly - and wound up headed southbound on the other side of the highway before mom could bring it to a stop.

The Red Jacket is available on Kindle devices and Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Blackberry, and Android-based devices.
Hope you read it. It's only $3.99