Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 15

Time to look in on the other player in this game... ------   Chapter 15. Jared checked himself in the polished glass of his car’s windows one last time before walking up the white gravel pathway to the villa. He was already somewhat concerned; there was no sign of the level of security he felt was necessary, given the circumstances. There had been adequate security on Aphrodite’s yacht, a few years ago when he had first met her, but here there seemed to be no more than the standard for any private villa. He reached the door; [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 14

Dylan learns a bit more, but all they know is, things are bad... -----   Chapter 14. Word from Filipe confirmed Dylan’s suspicions. Roberts had graduated from Dobson’s school and was indeed being funded by the "Healthy Undead" special interest group. The organization had been created in the eighties, after the League accepted more diverse groups of undead and paranormals into their ranks. Cornelius Aston had founded it… and Aston was a close friend of Wilfred Blackwell. Tying it all even closer together, Dobson had recently [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 13

There's always an aftermath to a disaster... -----   Chapter 13. One problem with being a witness to murder, Dylan knew from his time in New York, was that the police would want to talk with you about it. At length. The paranormal division of the Jamaican Constabulary Force was no exception. He and Tina spent the next several hours separately and together, being carefully questioned about every aspect of the event—which was, Dylan had to admit, strange even from a paranormal point of view. The whole process was uncomfortable [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 12

The investigation continues... and takes a turn Dylan did not expect... -----   Chapter 12. Since two of the three politicians were in Kingston and Dobson was staying at a resort in Negril, it was decided to focus on David Leo and Nicolai’s business meeting and conservation hobbies. It was possible other European investors were involved, and they just didn’t have enough information to assume it was a territorial dispute (at least, according to the more rational members of their group). That left the Caribbean Sea Turtle [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 11

Let's look back in on our other viewpoint... -----   Chapter 11. Jared waited for the signal that Walküre had been chocked, and then began the process of shutting the aircraft down, going over every item on the checklist, down to physically verifying that the plane was, indeed, properly chocked and secured by the attending personnel. Jet aircraft were finicky things and needed proper care—and if you were going to depend on them when you were at thirty thousand feet above an ocean, three thousand miles from land, you had better [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapters 9 and 10

Due to power outage and computer problems, I missed Friday's, so we'll start with two today. -------     Chapter 9. "Are you a witch-hunter?" Aphrodite Nicolai asked. They sat on the marble deck of her two-story beach villa overlooking the ocean. The ethereal woman was pale, with puffy eyes, and unkempt graying hair in her face. She was nothing like the vibrant, glowing being she had been the previous night. She sat on her cushioned beach chair with her legs up. "Eurydice said you were investigating the murder of my [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 5

They say it never rains but it pours, and Dylan's about to find that out... -------   Chapter 5. "Christ on a pogo stick! I’m away for, what, a few days and the world goes to hell in a handbasket!" Dylan paced restlessly across the parking lot of a Jamaican grocery store. It was better reception out here than his cabin and Louis had wanted to pick up some beer. "Sorry to freak you out, dude," Filipe said apologetically. "But it’s better I told you now than wait for Qui to tell you. When things get too hot around here, we [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 4

Dylan doesn't know it, but things are about to get a lot weirder...   ------     Chapter 4. "His name is Dobson," John said, as they walked along the white sand beach. Behind them the soft tones of the band echoed in the distance. The crowd around the stage had grown considerably, making it impossible to hear, so Dylan and John had decided to take their discussion to the beach, while the others enjoyed the band and each other’s company. "That was quick," Dylan said. "You guys haven't lost your touch. But, [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 2

We saw some of the past -- now let's go to the present, where Dyl is supposed to be relaxing on vacation... -----   Chapter 2. Jamaica, 2010 It had been years since he thought of how his parents died. Was it a memory or a vision? Memories and visions were often difficult to tell apart, especially now. Did it matter? Anna’s death had dredged up a whole dark load of baggage. It was hard to sort it all out. Why couldn’t everything stay buried where it belonged? Then again, he hadn’t stayed dead, so why should bitter [ Continue reading... ]

Jamaica Blue Magic: Chapter 1

I'm doing some snippeting now of Jamaica Blue Magic, the second in the Fall of Veils series (but still a fine place to start), coming soon from Ring of Fire Press. Fall of Veils is an urban fantasy series that will touch on pretty much every subgenre from action to murder mystery, courtroom drama and political thriller, and during which the world is transformed; Kathleen is the prime mover in our writing of this series; I'm supporting and co-authoring. On to Chapter 1 -- it's a long one! ------   Chapter 1. Kansas, [ Continue reading... ]