Jason had found a potential client for his client... Chapter 14: A Sudden Trip Downstate I opened the trunk and helped Sky get out his portfolio. Innocent that I was, I thought a "portfolio" would be a notebook-sized collection of pictures—reproductions, etc. Artists, of course, do not do things that way. Reproductions are often used, but they're done as near as possible to full size as can be managed, and Sky had a lot of samples. He was trying to show a number of things about his work (most of which I [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 13
July 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Jason had taken on a rather unorthodox client with an unusual request... Chapter 13: Interview With the Artist The apartment door opened in front of me, at least to the limit that the chain on it would permit. Two bright blue eyes looked somewhat up at me, framed by blue-black hair and set in a pretty, well-defined face. "Hi. Can I help you?" "I'm Jason Wood." "Oh, right, Dad's expecting you! Hold on, I'll get the chain off here." The door closed. I heard rattling, and "Dad! Your guest's [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 12
June 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Another completely new chapter! Chapter 12: Mystery of a Brother "Sure, Syl – I'd love to go out tomorrow. You want a movie or something else?" "How about Sabers of Twilight? I've heard that one's a lot of fun and just up your alley, Jason." I grinned into the phone. "Because of the pretty girls in interesting costumes? Sounds fine. Odd how you don't mention the pretty boys in tight leather outfits." "I didn't say it wasn't up my alley too," she said with a laugh. "All right, after we [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 11
June 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment
So Jason was now consulting for a vampire... Chapter 11: Personal History "All right," I said, "you can meet people in the daytime if necessary. Just not a good thing to do often. That's great—there are a lot of things, like signing papers, getting permits, and so on, that are close to impossible to manage if you can't get the principal to make himself available when other people are." I was going over the notes I'd gotten that night, while Verne answered my questions and read the work-for-hire agreement. "Yes, I [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 10
June 23, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Jason had accepted an invitation to visit a metabolically-challenged client... Chapter 10: Career Counseling It was, at least, somewhat more comforting to be pulling into the huge, curving driveway in my own car under my own control. My prior visit had been rather informal, ending with my being shoved into Verne's parlor while still in my pajamas. So this time I was not only here by choice, but I was also better dressed. The door opened as I reached the landing, and I saw the impeccably elegant butler/majordomo I [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 9
June 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Leaving aside the fact that we know something's *going* to be strange about Jason's new client, his life does seem to be going more normal... Chapter 9: Join Me for a Bite? It is an immutable law of nature in any business that just as you go to hang up the "Closed" sign, the phone will ring or a customer walk in. It gets to the point that you automatically hesitate for a few seconds before finally turning the lock and setting the security system, not because you've forgotten anything, but because you're giving the [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 8
June 16, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Jason had concluded one adventure. Now we move on -- and hit the first completely new chapter in the book! Part II: Lawyers, Ghouls, and Mummies May, 1999 Chapter 8: New Client, Closed Case For some reason, Syl's words echoed back to me at odd hours in the next few weeks. I did find myself glancing at shadows out of the corner of my eye more often, looking at mist-fogged streets with a different perception, but for quite a while nothing of any note happened. The only real reminder of the strangeness in my [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 7
June 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment
So, Jason had managed to keep from getting killed... Chapter 7: Unwrapped Wrap-Up "So what are the police going to do about this?" asked Sylvie. It was the next evening. I was lying on my bed with my left ankle's cast propped on a pillow. "I was lucky. It was Renee Reisman who got there first. Between us and the ME we faked up a story that should hold." "So what's the official line?" "Klein was running a sideline of drugs and protection and was going to set Domingo up to take the fall. The victims like Lewis [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapters 4, 5, and 6!
June 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
I'm posting these in a group to catch up to where I intended to be in the postings today. Snippets will be M-W-F until Baen releases the E-ARC. Chapter 4: Flirting and Clues Two hours later, I wasn't so sure. "Funny, Jason… that picture looks the same." "Oh, very funny, Syl." I stared at the screen, willing a faint outline to appear. "Sorry, Jason. But this is not exactly the most exciting date I've ever been on." "I'd have thought last night would have been all the excitement you could handle. Besides, we are not [ Continue reading... ]
Paradigms Lost: Chapter 3
June 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Well, Jason had accepted that Vampires were real... Chapter 3: Contingency Planning "What in the world are you doing?" Sylvie asked. I put down the loading kit. "Preparing. I figure that if I'm going to deal with a vampire, I'd better have something other than conventional ammo." She picked up a cartridge. "Silver? I thought I read somewhere that you actually couldn't make silver bullets; something about balance?" "I heard that too, but it's a silly statement on the face of it. Lead's softer and just as [ Continue reading... ]
What You’re Saying