Gabriel’s heart pounded in his chest when Melissa embraced him. He returned her hug and held her briefly. When the tension marginally escaped her arms, Gabriel released her. To his surprise, she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and said good night.
Dizzy with emotions from her affectionate gesture, he walked to his car in a dream-like state.
His dream quickly transformed into a nightmare, however, as his cell phone beeped alerting him to missed calls. Twenty-three calls had been missed, all from the same number, Terzini’s cellular phone number. And a single message awaited him.
Terzini’s call meant his maker knew of his disobedient behavior. Rebellion would not be tolerated. Gabriel’s involvement with the police may warrant his demise.
Another new emotion arose within Gabriel. He was scared.
He had seen Kevin’s face, the wild-eyed anger; the malevolence. Melissa would need him, of that he was certain. It was imperative that he live to help her. After all, Gabriel knew Eugene’s arrival was imminent. Eugene’s presence granted Terzini unprecedented leverage, made him more dangerous to Gabriel than he already was.
Terzini undoubtedly knew of his transgression, that he had attended the bonfire. Once his maker was apprised of the magnitude of the situation along with the coming of Eugene, Gabriel’s life would be in grave danger.
About the Authors
Jennifer and Christopher Martucci hoped that their life plan had changed radically in early 2010. To date, the jury is still out. But late one night, in January of 2010, the stay-at-home mom of three girls under the age of six had just picked up the last doll from the playroom floor and placed it in a bin when her husband startled her by declaring, “We should write a book, together!” Wearied from a day of shuttling the children to and from school, preschool and Daisy Scouts, laundry, cooking and cleaning, Jennifer simply stared blankly at her husband of fifteen years. After all, the idea of writing a book had been an individual dream each of them had possessed for much of their young adult lives. Both had written separately in their teens and early twenties, but without much success. They would write a dozen chapters here and there only to find that either the plot would fall apart, or characters would lose their zest, or the story would just fall flat. Christopher had always preferred penning science-fiction stories filled with monsters and diabolical villains, while Jennifer had favored venting personal experiences or writing about romance. Inevitably though, frustration and day-to-day life had placed writing on the back burner and for several years, each had pursued alternate (paying) careers. But the dream had never died. And Christopher suggested that their dream ought to be removed from the back burner for further examination. When he proposed that they author a book together on that cold January night, Jennifer was hesitant to reject the idea outright. His proposal sparked a discussion, and the discussion lasted deep into the night. By morning, the idea for the Dark Creations series was born.
The Dark Creations series, as well as the Arianna Rose series, Planet Urth seris and Hunter of the Light series, are works that were written while Jennifer and Christopher continued about with their daily activities and raised their young children. They changed diapers, potty trained and went to story time at the local library between chapter outlines and served as room parents while fleshing out each section. Life simply continued. And in some ways, their everyday lives were reflected in the characters of each series.
As the story line continues to evolve, so too does the Martucci collaboration. Lunches are still packed, noses are still wiped and time remains a rare and precious commodity in their household, but it is the sound of happy chaos that is the true background music of their writing. They hope that all enjoy reading their work as much as they enjoyed writing it.
Books by Jennifer and Christopher Martucci:
The Dark Creations Series (A YA paranormal romance series)