Storytime

This week I decided to share an excerpt from my novel, Secrets of the Apple. Let’s look in on Ryoki Tanaka and his assistant, Kate Porter, as they take a break in Kate’s hometown during a Porter family gathering.

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Ryoki was coming down the stairs for breakfast, when the doorbell rang twice in a row, followed by a thumping sound outside, like something heavy falling. He swung open the door, intending to jump out and startle whatever giggling niece or nephew he imagined was out there. Instead he found a middle-aged woman with hair the color of wheat rinsed in pink lemonade, wearing a black polyester cocktail dress with stretch wrinkles across the middle.

“Hi, I’m Susan Calvert, from down the street. My finger just slipped on that bell when I dropped my purse. Sorry about that.” She was nervously brushing invisible dirt from her bag and looking at Ryoki who smiled politely, his eyes drawn to the erratic motion of her hands.

“I understand all the girls are here today and my mother passed away two days ago and—” She put a lace-edged handkerchief to her eyes, almost concealing the white tissue protecting the delicate fabric from her mascara. Read More