Ghost Writer (Raven Maxim Book 1) (2 page)
This book is dedicated to all the weirdoes of the world, the cynics, the lovers of the absurd written word, and the die-hard believers in things that remain unseen.
For you are imagination fuel, the stuff I live for…
The air you breathe is the same air I exhale.
Let’s take over the world, one breath at a time…
Chapter One: The final nail in the coffin of wedded bliss
Chapter Two: Yo’ Mama Ain’t Shit…
Chapter Four: Tall Drink of Fine as Hell Wine
Chapter Five: It’s Time To Face the Music
Chapter Six: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Chapter Seven: A Comedy of Errors
Chapter Eight: Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall
Chapter Nine: Restoration of the Heart
Chapter Ten: Snakes in the Grass… Boom! A Loud Crash.
Chapter Eleven: A Picture is Worth…
Chapter Twelve: Drafting an Eviction Notice
Chapter Thirteen: Pour Some Sugar On Me
Chapter Fourteen: I Can Read You Like a Book…
Chapter Fifteen: The Naked Truth
Chapter Sixteen: Fetch a Pail of Water
Chapter Seventeen: A Ghost of a Chance
Chapter Eighteen: It’s a Cutthroat World…
Chapter Nineteen: When a Man Loves a Woman…
Chapter Twenty: Daddy’s Little Girl
Chapter Twenty-One: Maxim Hospitality
Chapter Twenty-Two: Through the Eyes of a Child
Chapter Twenty-Three: A Million Diamond Smile
Chapter Twenty-Four: I’m Not Boo Boo the Fool and I’m Not One of Your Little Friends…
Chapter Twenty-Five: Lost a Father, Gained a Friend
Chapter Twenty-Six: Beans Don’t Burn On The Grill…
Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Blast From the Past
Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Labor of Love
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Forever Children of the Damned
Chapter Thirty: Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Chapter Thirty-One: Simply the Best
Epilogue: The Past, the Present, and the Future
Music Directory for “Ghost Writer”
You have now entered the dark side of Tiana Laveen’s mind. Don’t say you weren’t warned. (((Imagine bats flying around an old castle, lightning striking, and a deep, raspy laugh tinged with just the right notes of insanity.)))
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I first want to say “thank you” to all of you who have purchased this book, “Ghost Writer” – Book 1 of the Raven Maxim series.
This book was written for many reasons, but most notably, it’s an idea that has been jammed in my head for years. It began innocently enough, I suppose. My mother had had an odd dream; I believe she’d been eating late at night but she never confirmed that theory. Regardless, she told me about the nightmare, and one tiny detail stuck out in my mind after she relayed it to me, bit by disturbing bit. What really strange mental images to behold once my mind took grasp of her words and spun them around. These were a tiny kernel from her recollections, but disconcerting ones all the same… the kind that could make one nauseated, quite frankly. I believe that’s why the idea embedded itself in my mind and then, my imagination ran wild with it.
She and my father tease me about various book subjects I could delve into and explore, none of which have transpired, but the conversations are amusing nevertheless. So I say all of that to say, what was supposed to be initially a horror story morphed into something much more – something multifaceted. This is not to say that horror novels can’t be complex. In fact, if you’ve ever read a Dean Koontz or Stephen King novel, then you know that they can; but in that genre, we are less likely to see what I call ‘heavy’ in-depth character development as it pertains to the characters’ personal thoughts or their childhood, unless these relate directly to the story, etc. If you are new to my work, you need to understand that I am known to go heavy on description, as well as character development, so if this is not your thing, please be advised. If, on the other hand, this is your shtick, then, by all means, enjoy. Now, back to my original point.
With horror, you have to do a fast build, provide a shocker, and then begin to plant strategically placed seeds of terror all along the way for the next big ‘blow up’. With romance, you have a bit more wiggle room with timing and in my own personal writing style, character development is actually essential, and this book is no different. I love horror novels; though I wouldn’t classify myself as a gore lord, I do enjoy a well-told ghost tale. When I sat down to write this, I was going to write a horror story, but something else happened, because, well, I listened to the characters and that’s not what they wanted. Almost the entire original outline got scrapped, and as I went along with the flow of things, I saw quite clearly that this was turning out to be a true blue love story with a twist.
What makes this story unique is that there are in fact some horror/suspense elements, but not the kind that detract from the main genre, that is, romance. Do I want you to be consistently scared while reading this? Not particularly. Will you be frightened during a few scenes? It’s definitely possible, but again, the scenes in question are not the gist of this read. They do not monopolize the tale, nor do they detract from the main focus. My objective was to offer just enough of that to move the story along in the direction I wished it to go, but not season it too heavily with macabre salt and revulsion pepper. Besides, I had a chance at bat before. I wrote a romance horror novella entitled, “In My Sister’s Shadow”, many years back. It’s still available for purchase.
My handle over my writing style is much more controlled now than when I penned that book, so though I appreciate that story for breaking my horror book cherry, so to speak, and I adore the premise of it, I believe I have a better idea of how to execute scenes with terror elements and I will more than likely try my hand at a fully fledged horror novel in the future due to my craft’s evolution. It is rather peculiar to be a lover of horror
and
romance, simultaneously, yet so many people are. Merging the two is a difficult task, so keeping an objective clear in your mind is key; and, as stated, truly listening to the characters helps provide some solace along the way.
Speaking of characters, as in most Laveen novels, you have your hero and heroine and more times than not, there is something a bit off-putting about one or both of them. I consider this to be a true reflection of life as we know it – a mirror of ourselves, if you will. No one is two-dimensional; we all have layers, regardless of whether we are allowing others to see those layers or not. Sloan Steele is quite a complex character, yet easily understood. He shows the world a side of him that is legit, unlike some.
It’s not that he’s a phony, or hiding behind a façade; you truly do see who this man is from jump. The problem is that what he shows is not
all
of him, and he rarely allows even the people he loves the most to get close enough to find out what is truly going on with his inner workings. He is a famous science fiction novelist with an almost cult-like following. The man is witty, a bit aloof at times, and has a dry sense of humor – clever, yet relatable. Most especially, he is also my first 50+ Hero.
Sloan is very attractive, in good health, but he is no youthful, inexperienced, bumbling idiot still trying to figure out who he is (not saying all people under 25 are this way! I know some very self aware, mature twenty-somethings and some childish 60+ year olds, but you get my point!), which I also believe is something many of my readers can relate to. Sloan’s love interest is also experienced in this thing we call life… Emerald St. Claire is, to me, very much like most of us.
We can watch this woman, get into her thoughts, hear her speak and relate on some level. Even younger women, I believe, will find commonalities with her and connect to her trials and tribulations. She is who we are, and a bit of our mothers, too. She is smart, approachable, sexy and loving, but she, too, can be somewhat closed off from the world. Not necessarily cold, but protective of herself. Like Sloan, she has not always had it easy, and, at times, it shows.
Emerald is skilled, funny, and patient – some of the characteristics that attract Sloan to her in the first place. She is struggling with a few things in her life, aspects of her you’ll discover as you read on. I love her complexity, but also adore her ability to deal with them in a constructive manner. The two meet and fall in love, but of course, love can’t progress without being challenged somewhere along the way. There are some true twists and turns and burdensome concerns along the perverse path of this relationship. The forks in the roads are ones that may be considered troubling, even upsetting, while other infrastructures and thoroughfares throughout the tale can be seen as humorous and endearing. But, of course, that is for you to decide. So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to “Ghost Writer”. Come along. I want you to meet Sloan Steele and Emerald St. Claire and become a part of a reading experience that will leave you chilled and thrilled to the bone.
The City of Maxim welcomes you…
WELCOME TO
THE CITY OF MAXIM
The city of (Raven) Maxim is a bustling metropolis with rural and suburban areas sprinkled throughout. The city is named after its founder, Raven Maxim, a wealthy eccentric who wished to create a place that would fit a variety of needs and to attract people from all walks of life. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1821 to an unwed couple, a Ukrainian father and an Irish-American mother. She had been a bit of a tomboy in her early years, was a rather talented self-taught poet, and enjoyed studying nature. Her upbringing did not offer much stability as her mother was rarely there due to work obligations and her father had left early on in her childhood. Not surprisingly, Raven became a runaway due to the hardships of home life, and, at age sixteen, headed off further east to embark on a new journey. She travelled in the direction of the State of New York.