Excerpt from “An Ode for Orchids.” The upcoming novel by James Fant

Karen returned to her apartment to find Cicely lounging on her couch. Cicely had put on a pair of tattered blue jeans, a wife beater tee, and a pair of Air Force Ones. Her feet were propped up and she was reading a magazine like nothing had ever happened. When Karen entered the apartment, Cicely only looked up enough to roll her eyes.

“Cicely, I want you out of my house.”

Karen was supremely calm when she spoke those words; words that were not acknowledged at all by Cicely. So Karen walked over to Cicely, gently tapped her on the shoulder, and again politely asked her to leave. But Cicely slapped Karen’s hand extremely hard and sneered, “Get your hands off me!”

Karen jumped back and this caused Cicely to leap to her feet.

“Yeah, come with it!” Cicely shouted. “I’ll beat you down in your own living room!”

Karen retreated to the front door; her steps quick and purposeful. Karen thought about the beat down in Ma Geneva’s living room. The pain she felt then as Cicely pounced on her. It was as fresh in her memory as yesterday. So yes, Karen retreated to the front door.

But perhaps retreat is not the proper word to use for Karen’s movement. Indeed she appeared to be running from Cicely, just like she always did. But in actuality, she was rushing to lock the front door.  She locked the knob, the deadbolt, and then the chain latch. She wanted to make sure that Cicely couldn’t escape. Karen had finally snapped.

***

An Ode for Orchids is a novel about four young women and the challenges that they face, such as making bad choices in men, dealing with infidelity, struggling with promiscuity, and dealing with rejection. But perhaps the most daunting challenge is dealing with the animosity that one woman can have for another woman. Time will reveal whether or not each of them will be strong enough to face the challenges that life will offer them.

For more information about this novel and other works from James Fant, please visit www.jamesfantbooks.com

Excerpt from “The Secret Branch” (a short story by James Fant)

Story overview:  Sergeant Harold Hobbs returned from a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq to find that the baby boy that he and his wife Tracy conceived before he left looks exactly like his best friend, Peter Beasley.  Of course Harold believes that the baby is Peter’s and not his own, no matter how much Peter and Tracy deny it.  Did his wife and his ace really commit the ultimate betrayal?  Or are there secret forces at work that aim to rob Harold of his sanity as well as his family?

Excerpt: 
Peter looked in his rear-view mirror and glared at his reflection. He looked at his green eyes with their oriental shape, his fair, tannned skin, his dimples, the cleft in his chin, his curly hair. This was the first time in his life that he wished that he didn’t look the way he did.

Nevertheless, Harold persisted.

“You ain’t got no kids yet, do ya?” Harold asked. “I hope you don’t get any of them chicken heads pregnant ‘cause if their babies come out lookin’ like you, you ain’t gon be able to deny it!”

Peter slammed hard on his brakes.

“This is some bull…” he said with stress, running his right hand through his coiled tresses. He looked around as if to say, ‘Where are the cameras’

“What’s the matter with you?” Harold asked in shock.

Peter had to be quick with a response. Even though he was becoming unglued due to this unusual situation, he found some resolve and said, “I forgot the way to your house.”

“You goin’ the right way. Just take this left,” Harold said. “I really appreciate you lookin’ after Tracy for me while I was over seas. When I found out that she was pregnant, I was real discouraged, ‘cause I knew that I wasn’t gonna be home until after the baby was born. But you bein’ here made me feel better, young bruh.”

You would almost think that Harold was about to shed a tear when he spoke those words, when he let the truth flee from the sinews of his heart. Afterwards, Peter let out a desperate gust of air.

“Harold, there’s something you need to know,” Peter said as he pulled into the driveway, but it was as if Harold Hobbs heard none of his statement.

“Come on, help me with my stuff,” Harold said with glee, happy to finally be reunited with his rib, happy to finally be able to see his seed.

Peter Beasley closed his eyes tight as he began his discourse, his countenance shaped with discontent, voice weakened by dread and trepidation.

“Listen Harold, I don’t know how this has happened. But while you were away…well, see Tracy had the baby and all, but…I really don’t know how to explain this at all…

Words jumbled as Peter mumbled, nearly coming to tears. He opened his eyes to see if he had Harold’s full attention before he dropped the bomb.

But Harold was gone.

Peter raced out of his vehicle, his feet hitting the pavement with statement. He stammered as he scampered to the wide open front door of Harold Hobbs’ domicile. And when he got there he saw a stiff staff sergeant standing silent in front of his woman and child. An eerie scene it was indeed. In fact, Peter’s initial instinct was to turn and run, but his feet were frozen in place. Imagine the look on his face as he faced his ace Harold Hobbs, Harold’s wife Tracy, and the baby boy she was embracing…

…a baby boy that looked exactly like Peter Beasley.

“The Secret Branch,” a new short story by James Fant, is available for only $0.99!  Download this exciting and suspenseful eBook right now from Amazon.com http://amzn.to/tCHJFL or from Barnes&Noble.com http://bit.ly/vptT6L!

Excerpt from “The Mended Fence” by James Fant

Grey’s brow was raised as he made his way to the
front porch. Buzzed, yet collected, he connected with
the front steps. And that’s when he heard it.
“Oooooooh.” Moans coming from the other side of
the front door.
“Oooooh, Ahhhhhhh.” Wild, desperate moans,
seasoned with grunting; feral, heady moans, hefty
cries of zeal and excitement.
And that’s when he saw it through the front glass;
the micro-braids Zion had become famous for
bouncing freely atop her bare shoulders as she
made sweet love to an unknown brother. Huffing and
puffing. Grunting and grinding. Curse words and
carpet burns.
The two lovers strove with each other like two wild
beasts chafing each other with reckless abandon
amongst the briars of the thicket, speaking to each
other in some unknown speech, not speaking any
words recognizable, mumbling actually. Their
members becoming entangled, in fact.
A few stomps of the work boots later, Grey found
himself searching under the front seat of his truck for
his gun.
“Got it!”
Cocked it!
No diamond for Zion. Lead would have to do.
Bloodshed was inevitable.
Then he thought about it; how she was forgiving of
his mischief, pardoning of his misgivings. He didn’t
want to kill her. She didn’t deserve death nor did the
unknown brother whose sweat was drenching her
flesh. And then Grey’s mind began to wind every
which-a-way.
“I don’t wanna lose my wife. Have I lost her
already? I can’t take her life; that would be like
taking my own breath, stealin’ my own soul. I need
her. I NEED her; to get her back, to win back her
affections. I have more questions than anyone can
answer. What will I do if I can’t have her?!!!”
And it all built within Grey and ultimately, as his
sports watch beeped midnight, he let out a
deafening yell and let off seven earsplitting,
thunderous shots from his glock that pierced the
dark sky, leaving his left hand trembling, tremulous,
rickety.
Wickedly, into his truck he hopped, not caring at all
about who heard the shots.
And then, things seemed to move at speeds so fast
that he could only hold on and abhor the ride ahead
of him.
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Want to read more?  Download “The Mended Fence” for only $0.99 from Amazon.com.  http://amzn.to/sGKmL6