Remember to keep reading for your free short story at the end of this newsletter. THE HARDEST PART So the book is finished. The manuscript has been written and edited countless times, with much red ink being expended along the way, so not a misplaced comma or errant typo remains. But now the hardest part of the job rears up in front of the writer: the cover. A cover must be eye-catching to attract readers – and buyers. Some colours are reputed to work better than others. What’s in an image? Should it be deep and meaningful, significant in some way, or maybe more cartoon-like? And then there is the back cover to consider. Should it be relatively plain or also echo the front cover images in some way? What about the blurb? What should it say and how long should it be? It needs to be enticing, but not contain spoilers. A book can find itself in limbo for some time while its author wrestles with the intricate and demanding task of finding a suitable cover. WHAT'S NEW Here at Eaglemount Books, nothing much is new since last month. It’s more a case of an ongoing story rather than stunning progress… Maybe the current spell of hot, humid weather is responsible. Neive Denis continues to struggle with producing a cover for her Growing Pains novel. While she had a clear concept for the cover almost from the start of writing, when laid out on paper, it wasn’t disappointing, it was rubbish. So, it was back to the sketch pad and a new concept. She reports her cover now might be ready to go within the next few days Kayla Danoli has nothing new to report. Her current new work continues to progress – at a snail’s pace. She blames spending time supporting Neive Denis during her cover crisis for her slow progress this month. SOME LIGHT READING Enjoy a spot of light reading with this month’s free short story below. This month our story has a different ‘flavour’ from those of the previous couple. No Answers Tonight Through an open window on the top floor of the building across the road, a man scrambles out onto the fire escape. A dog barks. Someone shouts a command. Boots – many boots – pound the street. The dog, its handler and several others sprint in pursuit of the absconder. More shouting, along with the crackle and static of radios, fills the air as the call goes out for reinforcements. Kate and James shouldn’t be here, but how could they stay away after the officer in charge of the investigation told them something big would go down tonight? It was their information that precipitated the investigation. There is no way they would miss the denouement. The full moon and quiet street make it difficult to find a place to hide, a place that offers a good view of the relevant site. Even in this dank narrow alley, and cloaked in its shadows, they don’t feel safe. The pair shrinks further back into those shadows, fearing their presence might have attracted the dog’s attention. With her back pushed hard against the brick wall, Kate feels her pulse racing and notices her breathing has become shallow and rapid. James can’t see what is happening and is becoming anxious. He leans forward to peer around his sister in the hope of a better view of the hotel across the street. Kate throws out an arm, slamming her brother back hard against the bricks. He lets out a soft yelp as the air is driven out of his lungs. It earns him a rebuke. Sshh, it’s hard enough trying to hide without you announcing our presence,” Jane hisses at him. But it’s okay. He doesn’t appear to have attracted any attention. They remain safe. The dog’s barking was only to alert its handler to the man on the fire escape. The dog and its handler are now part of the throng pursuing the escapee. In an instant, everything changes. Across the street, another person exits the top floor window and heads for the same escape route. A rogue shot rings out from somewhere above and behind where the pair hides. Kate switches her interest from the man on the fire escape to the first absconder now some way along the street. She watches the first absconder fall to the ground as, from above them, the marksman finds his target. The incident stuns the pursuers who rush to gather around the body now sprawled on the bitumen. For a moment, the shot disrupts the police while they try to take in what has happened. A moment of fear interrupts the second man’s escape. The shot startles the man then just starting down the fire escape. He twists around to assess his situation and reassure himself he isn’t the shooter’s target and isn’t about to feel the fatal pain of a bullet in his back. His sudden action causes him to lose his footing. With a blood-chilling shriek, he crashes to the ground. Then the final scene of the night’s performance unfolds. Grit stings the siblings’ every exposed body part as the air swirls violently around them. A helicopter now hovers above the street. Its glaring floodlight illuminates the area. The group of police previously in pursuit split into two groups. One group races to each of the bodies on the ground. A van arrives. The bodies disappear. The helicopter departs. More officers exit the seedy old hotel building across the road. They race across the street towards where Kate and James hide in the alley. Kate elbows James in the ribs and gestures for him to move further along towards the far end of the alley. The bricks grab at the threads of Kate’s Tee shirt as, with their backs pressed hard against the wall, they slide further away from the scene. At the far end, James peers around the end building to check the back street. It’s clear,” he whispers. “No coppers visible on this street.” Good; and they haven’t entered the alley from the other street. Let’s ease back to that patch of the deepest, dark shadow about halfway along to wait there to see what happens.” But she hears the police and they are close... Hears their boots pounding on concrete… Hears their angry voices… At last, she realises the group of officers from the hotel are searching for the gunman. They search the upper floors of the building behind them. A minute or so later, boots clatter down the stairs again and out onto the street, before their sound fades into the distance. The show is over. The black curtain of night comes down on the performance as the moon slips behind the clouds. Silence envelops the area. James whispers, “Thank God that’s over.” What is there to be thankful for?” Kate snaps. “With those two men dead, we will never know why our parents were killed or where their bodies are. Those two men were the only ones who knew.” That’s not true, Kate. Think about it.” We’ve done nothing but think about it since our parents disappeared. Have you gained some magical new insight into what happened and now have all the answers?” No, but think about tonight. Someone else, as well as the two who were killed tonight, knows the information we seek. And his actions tonight, made sure those others who knew won’t share their knowledge with us or anyone else. We have one more person to track down.” The moment James utters those words, he silently curses himself. Now Kate will insist on continuing their quest for the truth by pursuing the gunman. And already the thought of that terrifies James. Until next time
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