Without me, you will hit rock bottom before you know it

The celebration has just gotten underway in the main space. Hearing the hoots and the chest beating, I sneak out of the back room to watch the gang up-close. 

Colorful confetti—leftover from the out-of-business party store that used to rent this space—is being tossed all around. Vlad himself is blasting out one party popper after another with unbridled delight.

His men, too, are in a festive mood. A bit tipsy already, they crowd around the long table, now covered by a paper tablecloth. Mrs. Komarov stands at the head of the table, ladling cold Russian soup from a large plastic container into plastic bowls for all of them. From here, it smells a bit like sour milk.

“Thank you, thank you!” says the first in line, having gulped it down hungrily. “What a delicious Okroshka, with boiled potatoes and raw radishes and cucumbers. Just like my mother used to make.” 

She gloats ever the compliment. “More food yet to come,” she says, with a matronly smile.

Some of the men set crates of beer at Vlad’s feet, others—pour drinks over his head. The anointment is rowdy, but Vlad seems to bask in it.

I notice that the main door has been unlatched, perhaps to bring in the food. This is my chance to flee—if not for Mrs. Komarov. She is the first to notice that I’ve slipped out of the back room. 

“Why are you here?” she demands, gruffly. “Did I not tell you to stay put? Your job is to figure out how I can shake the damn insurance companies off my back—”

“Ah, stop it, Mamushka,” says Vlad. His British accent makes that single Russian word sound out of place.

“No,” she counters, shaking the ladle in his face. “You stop!”

He claps a hand around my waist and pulls me to his chest. His mouth reeks of cheap beer. “Let her join us! What’s a party without a beautiful woman?”

Her face reddens. She grabs my arm angrily and wrenches me from his hold. 

Her eyes blazing, she tells him, “Zacroy rot!”

“Shut up? Me?” Vlad gnashes his teeth. “How can you even say that—especially now, when everyone here celebrates my success? Don’t you see, I am on top of the world?”

Mrs. Komarov gnashes her teeth, way louder than he did. If this were a competition, she would get the gold. “Without me, you will hit rock bottom before you know it. So, pay respect. Do not dare cut in when I am talking. And I mean, ever!”

Overdue

(Volume IV of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

 Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

"There's never a dull moment in this one ... and that's just the way I like it."

~Aurora Dawn, Audible reviewer

I promise not to hurt you

 You may have heard those rumors about me: how I escaped by moonlight, how I hid inside each one of the seven wells of Beersheba, with nothing in my possession but the shirt on my back, how I eluded my enemy, my brother, and then, how frightened I was, how alone. I’m afraid you have been, at best, misinformed—or, more probably, mislead by some romantic foolery, some fiction and lies, the kind of which can easily be found, and in abundance I might add, in the holy scriptures.  

I insist: it was not moonlight but rather, high noon. I was wearing no shirt whatsoever—nothing, really, but a goatskin sleeve. There was only one well in which I could hide, not seven. And most importantly, I was hardly alone, for the entire camp—all the maidservants, the shepherds, the guards—stood aghast all around me. So now, you must see that I could not, despite my best intentions, escape stealthily out of there, nor could I elude anyone.

Instead I was flung out, kicking and screaming, with tugs and pulls loosening the remaining shreds of my clothes, and whacks and smacks coming at my bare back from all directions. My left eye swelled up to such a degree that out of necessity, I resorted to use the right one—only to discover, once I raised my head from the dirt, that my brother was standing right over me. His foot could be seen coming straight at me, at an easygoing, unhurried pace, until it turned into a full blown kick.

I managed to roll away, mainly by flailing my arms wildly over my head. With a great sense of urgency I crawled on all four through the crowd, and hid inside the closest well. Luckily it was bone dry, thanks to a yearlong drought. And so for a second, I could hang there by my fingernails and pant, and catch my breath. Then I tiptoed behind the corner, right into the shade of my mother’s tent. 

From there I took a plunge and hurled myself downhill—where, to my utter disappointment, I found out that my brother had already caught up to where I was headed, and was waiting there for me with open arms. He made a point of letting me know that his hate for me would, by no means, stand in the way of our closeness. 

“Come, Yankle,” said Esav. “I promise not to hurt you.”

“Really,” I said. “Can I trust you?”

“Aha,” said he. “I will just kill you.”

A Favorite Son

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

"The narration by David Kudler that was in Jacob's point of view was outstanding. The author Uvi Poznansky masterfully retold the biblical story so that a reader could understand the anguish Jacob felt when he fooled his blind father to giving his blessing intended for his older brother, Esau."

L.D. Tanner, Author and Audible Listener

Meet my author friends

My author friends have joined forces with me!

We bring you amazing stories

Narrated by great voice actors

just in time for Thanksgiving! 

Join us as a GOING guest

for a chance to win our audiobooks:

HOME for the Holidays

Uvi Poznansky "I paint with my pen, and write with my paintbrush.” @UviPoznansky Blog Art Site Facebook BookBub
Allen Kent Award-wining author of the popular Unit 1 thrillers series and the Whitlock Trilogy. "Each book takes you places you have never been in ways you will always remember." @AllenKent19 BookBub Website Facebook BookBub
A.L. Butcher ““A. L. Butcher is an award-winning author of alchemical dark fantasy, historical fantasy, short stories and twisted verses.” @libraryoferana Facebook Website BookBub
Angelica Kate “Writing happily ever afters for life's toughest challenges!” @AngelicaKate5 Facebook Website BookBub
Barbara Goss “ ” @Barbee44 Facebook Website BookBub Audible Hearts
Casi McLean Escape into imagination ... discover the magic of Casi McLean—romance, suspense, & mystery thrillers. @CasiMcLean  Blog Website Facebook BookBub
Chariss K. Walker “I write to inform, delight, and inspire readers.” @chariss walker Website Facebook BookBub
Colleen Mooney "I live in a New Orleans where Mardi Gras Balls, festivals, parades, are always going on. The hardest part is to pick one thing to write about because there's no place like New Orleans to have a good crime!” @Mooney_Colleen Website Facebook BookBub
Cynthia Woolf “Cynthia Woolf writes historical western romance, specializing in mail-order brides.” @CynthiaWoolf Website Facebook BookBub
J.C. Fields "Suspense Thrillers that keep you turning the page" @TheJCFields  Website Facebook BookBub
Kathleen Harryman “Unlocking vivid images through the comprehension of words." @KathleenHarrym1  Website Facebook BookBub
Libby Fischer Hellmann “Author of compulsively readable thrillers” @libbyhellmann Website BookBub
Linnea Tanner “An Epic Celtic Tale Weaving Forbidden Love, Sorcery, and Political Intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia.” @linneatanner Website BookBub
Marta Moran Bishop “I walk in the shoes of my characters and weave the tapestry of their lives with the threads of my dreams.“ @moranbishop  Website Facebook BookBub
Mary Anne Edwards “I write what I feel and I feel like murder.” @maedwards58 Website Facebook BookBub
Mimi Barbour "Mimi's been known to say.... It's all about my characters being people who I'd love to know personally and have them exist in my world." @MimiBarbour Website Blog BookBub
S.R. Mallery "History is woven into my stories with a delicate thread." @sarahmallery1 Website BookBub
Inge-Lise Goss Award-Winning multi-genre author. “In my former life I was a CPA and now I love the journeys where my characters take me.” @IngeGoss  BookBub Website Facebook
Eric J. Gates “Our small blue marble in space is replete with the unexplained, just sitting there, waiting for a thriller writer to come along and have some fun with it.” @eThrillerWriter  BookBub Website Facebook

I dab the chocolate from the corner of my mouth, rise up, and call his number

I cover the saucepan, letting the onion cook until it is tender. From time to time, I stir it. For good measure, I mix in chili powder and flour.

Ma comes in just as I start whisking in her chicken broth.

“Oh no!” She purses her lips in disapproval. “Why are you wasting it?”

“Relax Ma,” I say. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, Ma! This is going to be great over chicken and rice. Mole sauce celebrates the flavors of traditional Mexican cuisine. And it has a special nutritional ingredient, which I find absolutely essential for my diet these days.”

“Which is what?”

“Chocolate.”

She raises an eyebrow but says not a thing. 

Meanwhile, I increase the heat and cook until the liquid is reduced. Then I remove it from the heat, whisk in large chunks of dark chocolate. As they melt, I season the sauce with a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper.

The aroma is simply exhilarating. When I pour the sauce over chicken and rice, the only thing Ma says is, “Mmm.”

“Have a seat, Ma,” I say, carrying both plates to the table. “Today, we’re going to have a gourmet meal.”

“Yes,” she says, looking at Browny, who is licking a drop of the sauce on the floor. “I’m hungry.”

We eat. We lick the plates clean. We hug.

Then she says, “This was delicious. Give me the recipe.”

“I got it from Michael,” I say.

And she says, “Oh, him.”

A moment later, she adds, “I’m glad you’re not seeing that guy anymore.”

Rebellion quickens my heart. “Oh, Ma,” I say. “What d’you have against him?”

And she says, “Just like your Pa, he can’t stick too long with one thing.”

“You’ve convinced me, Ma.” 

I dab the chocolate from the corner of my mouth, rise up, and call his number. After all, it’s time for a new beginning.

Coma Confidential

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

Ash finds herself in the ER diagnosed with coma. She has no memory of what has happened to her, but what she can do--despite what everyone around her might think--is listen to the conversations of her visitors. Will she survive the power outage in the hospital and then, being kidnapped out of it? 

Home for the Holidays

A select group of authors has joined forces with me

To bring you amazing audiobooks, beautifully narrated.

Looking for a stories to enjoy during the holidays? 

Join us as a GOING guest

for a chance to win one of them:

Home for the Holidays

With a story to share

(Just ahead of Thanksgiving)

Uvi Poznansky	Coma Confidential	Marriage before Death
	Overdose	A Favorite Son
	Overdue
Allen Kent	River of Light and Shadow	Wild Whisling Blackbirds
	Suzanna’s Song
A.L. Butcher	The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles	Echoes of a Song
Angelica Kate	Out of Solitude	Scars of Yesterday
Barbara Goss	Marissa’s Choice	A Horsewoman for Harlan
	Jesse
Casi McLean	Destiny Short Story Anthology	Between the Shadows
	The List: Alyssa’s Revenge	Reign of Fire
Chariss K. Walker	A Medium’s Birthday Surprise	Kaledoscope
	A Medium’s Thanksgiving Table	Salazar
Colleen Mooney	Rescued by a Kiss	Voodoo, Victims and Vows
Cynthia Woolf	Mail Order Outlaw
J.C. Fields	The Last Insurgent	A Lone Wolf
Kathleen Harryman	The Promise	When Darkness Falls
Libby Fischer Hellmann	An Image of Death
Linnea Tanner	Apollo’s  Raven	Dagger’s Destiny
	Amulet’s Rapture
Marta Moran Bishop	The Divide	Dinky
	The Nurse Mare’s Tale
Mary Anne Edwards	Brilliant Disguise: A Charlie McClung Mystery
Mimi Barbour	Special Agent Finnegan	Special Agent Charli
S.R. Mallery	Tea, Anyone?	Tales to Count On
	When in Rome	Endangered Spells
Inge-Lise Goss	Compelled	The Cost of Crude
Eric J. Gates	The CULL - Bloodline	The CULL - Bloodstone