A Novel Idea
The Complete First Chapters of 12 Different Novels by
Award-Winning Author Melissa Bowersock
Melissa Bowersock
Copyright © 2014 by Melissa Bowersock
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.
First Printing
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Camp Verde, Arizona
Dedication
Table of Contents
Books by Melissa Bowersock
Dedication
This book is dedicated with great fondness, respect and gratitude to the founders of Indies Unlimited, Stephen Hise and K.S. (Kat) Brooks. Through their boundless determination and largely unappreciated hard work, they have crafted the premiere community for independent writers, editors, publishers and authors. Before I was invited to join IU, I led a mostly solitary writer’s life with only a handful of writer friends with which to commune, commiserate and share setbacks and celebrations. Most of the people who knew me had no inkling of the writer’s process, neither the creative journey nor the work involved in writing, editing, publishing and promoting books. As soon as I joined the ranks of IU, I realized I was home. These people understood me, and I them. They know the joy of having a story pour out of their hearts through their fingertips. They know the frustration when that river ceases to flow and words must be dragged out stubbornly, one by one, like digging precious stones from a dry riverbed. They know the work involved in marketing, the constant search for new ways to promote, the satisfaction in connecting with appreciative readers. They know and understand everything that I do, that I feel, that I am. And I know and understand them. There is just no way to put a value on this amazing sense of community and sharing. It is beyond priceless.
Specifically I would like to thank Kat for her unflagging support and generosity of spirit. It was she who gave me the idea for this book, and for that I am forever grateful.
A Novel Idea
Table of Contents
I am a multi-genre writer. I will write whatever kind of story captures my attention, whether fantasy or romance or action or paranormal, whether male or female protagonist, whether dramatic or comedic or somewhere in between. Because of my eclectic tastes, one story may be vastly different from another, but I feel certain there is something here for everyone. I have listed below my twelve novels by genre and supplied a short summary of each, and clicking on the name will take you to the first chapter (and in a few instances, the prologue). I sincerely hope you enjoy each and every one. --MJB
Action/Adventure
Queen’s Gold
Hal Thompson is a pretty ordinary guy. A widower who owns his own small business, he's doing his best to raise his two nearly adult children alone. When they convince him to undergo a hypnotic past-life regression, he is unimpressed that his "memories" reveal the hiding place of ancient Aztec gold. Other people, however, take it very seriously and when his family is threatened, he is forced to plunge into the jungles of Mexico, battling treacherous terrain, lethal wildlife and the haunting feeling of a love that spans centuries. Can he find the gold before it claims more lives? Or will he lose the love of his life ... again?
The Appaloosa Connection
When Ross Garvey's prized Appaloosa is stolen from his Colorado ranch, he fully intends to hunt down the thieves in their New Mexico hideout and regain his best broodmare. What he doesn't count on is bull-headed, fifteen year old Jaimie Callahan, whose horse was also stolen by the same thieves. And he certainly does not anticipate the beautiful Mexican girl who's dealing with the thieves, nor the fact that an entire company of Mexican troops is in on the deal!
Fantasy
The Blue Crystal
In the realm of Zor, the tyrant Mal-Zor is maniacal in his quest for the mythical Blue Crystal of power sends generations of innocents to their deaths in the crystal mines. Jared, a young farmer from a small isolated village, has paid scant attention to the distant troubles until his younger siblings are taken as slaves. Jared vows to free them and his quest soon becomes enmeshed in the most magical power struggle imaginable. Accompanied by a recalcitrant halfling, mounted on a huge black lion and supported by an aging wizard and his daughter, Jared prepares to challenge the king and claim his hidden destiny.
Ghost Stories
Stone’s Ghost
Matthew Stone doesn't believe in ghosts … until he meets one. He owns a successful business in Lake Havasu, Arizona, home to the famed London Bridge that was brought over stone by stone and rebuilt over the Colorado River. He has a gorgeous girlfriend, a doting mother, and more money than he needs, but no time for stories about the ghosts who were transplanted from England with the famed bridge. When a chance encounter with a female ghost leads to unexpected friendship, Matt and the ghost are forced to rely on each other as they confront the pasts that haunt them.
Burning Through
When Jennifer and Robert Stinson buy a beautifully restored Victorian house, the last thing they expect is to share their home with a ghost―especially one with a penchant for setting fires. Unfortunately the ghostly arson only creates more tension in their already strained marriage. Jen launches her own investigation into the history of her house and discovers a surprising ally in a sympathetic fire captain. But can she unravel the mystery of the fires before they consume her home, her marriage … and her life?
Paranormal/Romance/Suspense
Fleischerhaus
Newly divorced Julia Martin is still reeling from her husband’s infidelity and takes a much-needed vacation to visit old college friends in Germany. While touring a little-known concentration camp and museum, she spontaneously experiences a violent past life memory of being murdered in this very camp during the Holocaust. Efforts to understand her memories only lead to more questions, the largest being: is her killer still alive? Supported by her friends and comforted in the arms of a handsome doctor, Julia strives to uncover the mysteries of her past life and find justice for the person she used to be.
Romance - Historical
The Rare Breed
The daughter of a white woman and an Indian brave, Catherine Boudry had spent the first thirteen years of her life among the Cheyenne. Restored at last to her mother’s wealthy parents, Cathy blossomed into womanhood surrounded by all the “civilized” comforts of the white man’s world. But at the age of twenty, the lure of her Indian heritage drew her back to the western plains. It was a journey that would awaken her to the joy and agony of passion in the arms of two very different men—Jory, the virile young trapper, and Barred Owl, the Cheyenne brave to whom she had been pledged in marriage long ago.
Superstition Gold
Married and widowed within a 24-hour period, beautiful Leigh Banning watches as her storybook New Orleans life crumbles away piece by piece. In a heartbroken attempt to start over, she travels to the wilds of frontier Arizona in an effort to understand the father she never knew and is rewarded with gold from the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. The gold comes with a price tag, however—the murder of innocent people. Leigh’s quest for justice leads her to a remote Apache camp in the company of a proud Pima Indian and a handsome cavalry officer. Torn between the fiery kisses of the Major and the respectful love of the Pima, Leigh joins forces with the Apaches to battle gold-hungry killers and in the process discovers her true self and her one true love.
Romance - Contemporary
Lightning Strikes
Jessie Evans is a free-lance journalist, emphasis on the "free," with no plans to tie herself down. While researching a story in Flagstaff about Indian influences in Arizona, however, she encounters Lucas Shay, a smoldering paradox who is part Indian, part architect and all man. Whether igniting her temper with his arrogance or challenging her beliefs with his laser-like insight, Jessie can't deny that Lucas sets fire to her soul as well.
Remember Me
Elly Cole wakes up bruised and battered in a hospital-and has no idea who she is or how she got there. Her brooding giant of a husband informs her that she had been fleeing with her lover who was killed in the car accident that left her injured, that she is pregnant with that lover's child and that she has nowhere else to go but home-with him. Struggling against the threat of her husband's dangerous rage and jealousy, Elly strives to regain her memory and reconstruct the life she left behind, wondering how she could ever have loved this man who hates her.
Romance - Satire
The Pits of Passion by Amber Flame
Sealed to the man in an arranged marriage, Elizabeth Montgomery rides the surging tide of shock and denial, lust and love, as she is swept from the manicured gardens of England to the savage shores of Africa and the wilds of the New World, never quite sure which Captain Elliott is the man she loves. Warning! This satiric romp is NOT your mother's romance novel!
Spiritual
Goddess Rising
It is the future, and a global geologic holocaust has destroyed civilization, leaving only a tiny fraction of people to rebuild scattered colonies. Reduced to a primitive state, they live close to the earth and cultivate a Goddess worship, and chosen ones dream a prophecy that Greer, a female savior, will return them to greatness. An epic and magical story of one woman’s exceptional destiny during exceptional times, Goddess Rising follows Greer’s journey from simple obscurity to prophesied reign. Acknowledged as the face of the Goddess on earth, Greer discovers the rewards of power—and its price—as she struggles through her own labyrinth of fear and desire, sexuality and sacrifice, love and death.
Action/Adventure
Queen’s Gold