R E F L E C T I O N S

CHAPTER FOUR     Back at his apartment, Tom immediately returned to where he had left off on chapter three, "Initiation Ceremony". The illustration was of a man on a road that ended.   There it split into two paths.   The path to the left was wide and straight.   It gently sloped downward. The path to the right was narrow and had several sharp turns.   It was a steep climb. On this Y-shaped road, the man headed down the path to the left. The chapter began with the reassurance that if he later changed his mind and believed the new direction in his life was not right for him, he could easily go back.   The following chapter held the key to reversing the ceremony. Tom decided to read over the next chapter quickly to be sure it would be possible to change his mind.   Even though he did not believe that anything in the book was real, he was curious. He was having such good luck; meeting Angela, an expensive gourmet meal for free, re...

  I just found out about "Baritenors". I love it! Music is NOT one of my strengths. I can't read music. I don't play an instrument. I don't know most of the famous personalities from the past nor from today. But, I enjoy listening to good music, popular or classic.  I wish I'd spent more time learning about and listening to it. Here is an explanation of Baritenor: A little mix: Tenor:

 Chapter Three is mostly in my post about  Too Realistically Scary for Halloween! So you can go back to see it again if you like before going to Chapter Four.  There's no need to repost it here.  Chapter Four is next.

  Photo is for blog post, not book. CHAPTER TWO     After leaving the bookstore Tom headed for the Bus Stop Diner where he usually had supper.   It was on the way to his apartment. Snow began to fall with a cold wind blowing the icy snowflakes in his face.   He wiped the melting flakes away from his eyes as he squinted to see.   The diner was only half a block away.   By jogging he was soon at the front door. The familiar smell of stale coffee and greasy food made him nauseas.   Standing inside the doorway he stopped for a moment.   Across the street was Café de France, a restaurant he always avoided.   It was too expensive for a student like himself with a part time job and an ever-growing student loan. The excitement of getting away with stealing the book put him in the mood to take a chance, to try somewhere new even if he could not afford it. “What’s the worst that could happen?"   He asked himself. He went back ...

 

  Tom ran out of the apartment before she could see his tears forming All he wanted now was to go home. He decided to spend some time in the bookstore he passed every day on the way home after work.. He wanted to calm down  and distract the  thoughts of the best way to kill himself.  He would never actually do it but the old suicidal feelings he once had were coming back.  page 7 This bookstore was not one of the large chain stores with bright lights, coffee shop and couches.  It was a  small independently owned store The faded and chipped gold lettered sign on the door of the bookstore was barely legible.   Aba...don...d Boo...s was all that remained of the intended Abandoned Books lettering.   Sleigh bells attached to the inside of the glass-paneled door jangled loudly when he pushed the door open and stepped up into the store.   A thin shorthaired teenager wearing wire framed glasses sat behind the cash register at the counter...

 I just found out that there is an author with my same name!  Also, he has a book title which is similar to mine. I'm sure it was all a coincidence. He has other works out. Should I use a pen name? Should I change my books title? It must be some sort of mix up.    There is a page on the Amazon e-books called  "Bookshelf". It has several of my older books, but not my two newest books. However, the books are listed on Amazon for sale if you search. I tried looking for help on the Amazon sight but could not find any human to help me. It was a great mess. When I searched using an AI called Bard I found some help: "Is there a human help contact on amazon eBooks to fix problems with presenting my books?" I typed. Yes, you can contact human support for help with problems presenting your eBooks on Amazon. There are two ways to do this: Call customer service: You can call Amazon customer service at 1-888-280-4331 and ask to speak to a human representative about your eBoo...

I want to see what happens.

I'm starting this novel from the beginning and adding a bit at a time between other posts.  This way at least a few people might read it. Last week I sent a query email to an agent looking for novels. On her blog she had a list of books that she sold. I think my novel is the type that could fit in. But I'm not getting my hopes up. The images are not actually in the book. They make a good way to set up the story for a post. I have to apologize for the print spacing and letter size. Once in a while it's off. I don't know how to fix it but it's still easy enough to read. The original copy is not like that, thank goodness.  The Reluctant Killer A Thriller of Identity and Evil John A. Mallozzi COPYRIGHT © 2021 by John A. Mallozzi CHAPTER ONE “In each of us there is another whom we do not know. It comes over you like the night, with black shadows.” -Carl Jung  Page 1 and 2 Tom Bianco walked down the street to his lover's apartment,   cellphone to his ear, a packa...