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Book Excerpts
By C. Michael Bennis
Chapter XIII: Carl Cody Jake and Ralph parked the red truck at the side of the Victorian mansion while Carl, Cassidy, and Montana pulled their truck alongside and parked as well. The five of them entered into an exuberant, rambunctious scene in the mansion living room. Juan and Daniel were singing at the top of their lungs in Spanish, and Sam was howling (Juan’s singing hurt his ears). Melissa was sneaking around looking for mischievous ghosts while holding a spray bottle of ammonia. Tiger was emitting low-throated growls at Fazzula, who was juggling coffee cups. Jeanne was tipsy and swinging back and forth from one chandelier to another. Meme was following below Jeanne, yelling at her to stop her foolishness. Carla was watching the chaos and yelled, “Incoming!” when she noticed their guests had arrived, whereupon Jeanne let go of the chandelier and dropped into her mother’s arms.
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Ralph's Place By C. Michael Bennis
Ralph Creston is heartbroken as the only life he has ever known disappears in the rearview mirror. He and his family are off to a remote Victorian mansion, where his father has taken a new job.
There, Ralph meets an older boy who can't stop crying. He urges Ralph to tell a three-legged dog named Sam he's loved—and then to go talk to the fish in the lake. "You have no idea of where you're going," he says. "I did't either."
Soon, Ralph will befriend a pie-thieving beaver, a fugitive vampire, and other mysterious creatures in a wondrous fantasy world—all thanks to a determined college professor who also explored Ralph's Place as a child.
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By C. Michael Bennis
When Claudia calmed down, she carried Nieves into the bedroom and bathed her with a washcloth and cleansed the remaining mascara from her face. When finished, Claudia towel-dried Nieve's unconscious body and placed her gently on the bed between purple silk sheets. Before leaving, she studied Nieve's color-less face, and then Claudia went on a tear.
Her tears were streaming when she reached the ranch cantina where she heard boisterous partying. Before entering, Claudia set aside her rage and entered into a hyper state of awareness as she drew her matched pearl-handled 1911 handguns Julio had given her and entered suddenly through the cantina's swinging doors. All sound ceased as Claudia walked to the table where three drunken Spaniards were seated.
Chapter XV Culiacán
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By C. Michael Bennis
Periodically fingers of sunlight capriciously poked through gray cloud-boulders above and darted toward mysterious places in the city and then the rain would suddenly hesitate. Madrid was a splendor glistening beneath sprinkling rains and darting sunbeams.
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Rules of Engagement
Chapter III, London, July 1964 Alec ventured out into the great metropolitan ambience of London after a full English breakfast that included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding, mushrooms, baked beans, hash brown potatoes, half a tomato and English breakfast tea. The morning's humid seventy-plus-degree weather beckoned delightfully as Alec walked happily amid the smells of exhaust and the sounds of traffic. The morning was an orchestra of sounds. He was now being entertained with the chirping of unseen birds, and the strange dialogue of rapid speaking Pakistanis at the corner launderette. Alec's keen senses were totally alive. Now he smiled delightedly with the smells of Balkan pipe tobacco, while ahead a young couple stopped to kiss.
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