This book consists of two short stories and one poem from award-winning author, Jan Sikes, in response to a writing challenge from the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB.
Obsessed:
How far will one man go to satisfy an obsession? The price could cost him his life.
Maggie:
Is it possible to pray up a baby? Frank and Mary Pyburn are convinced that is what they’ve done.
Friends Instead of Lovers:
Sometimes it’s better to remain friends, instead of giving in to desires and crossing a line.
For almost eighteen years, Jewel has known little beyond hopelessness and hunger. Barely existing in a ramshackle cabin, on the edge of a Louisiana swamp with her little sister and their mother, she sees no way to stop the downward spiral. When her mother falls gravely ill, Jewel learns that her life is about to take a drastic turn. But will it lead to joy or more devastation?
Take a heart-warming journey with Jewel as she struggles to rise from the clutches of poverty and shame.
At the tender age of fourteen, Jennifer shoulders the full responsibility of running a household and caring for her seven-year-old sister. It’s bad enough that their father is lost at war in Afghanistan, but troubles multiply when their so-called mother abandons them for another man. Hardships and struggles are constant companions. Family is whatever Jennifer can make it. That’s the way the cards have been dealt, and that’s the way she’ll play them.
This strong young girl meets every obstacle head-on, while never losing hope for a better tomorrow.
War-torn drifter, Jack McClean is left with nothing but bad memories, scars, and a restless soul. When he stumbles upon a burning homestead, and an unconscious woman, beside the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, he stops to render aid. Grieving widow, Savannah Logan, sees no reason to live, and only wants to join her husband and children in their graves. But, Jack refuses to let her die. In saving her, he might somehow find redemption for himself and hope for a new tomorrow. Is it possible that both Jack and Savannah can find a new destiny in the changeable flow of the Brazos wind?
Grand Prize Winner – 2020 International Short Story Contest
Quentin Marks is sure he’s sacrificed enough for his little brother Rowdy, but when a man turns up dead, he finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation.
Forced to protect his brother from going to prison, Quentin lacks the courage to take a stand against his mother’s harsh demands. He soon discovers that the truth may be more than he bargained for.
Will Quentin be able to find a way to save his brother without sacrificing himself in the process?
Fantasy meets reality when a young man is forced to choose his punishment for crimes committed. Jonah must decide between imprisonment in a concrete box beneath the earth or be exiled to a deserted, barren island. He chooses the island, but nothing can prepare him for the deadly creatures, and poisonous plants at every turn. Then there’s the maddening isolation that drives him to the brink of insanity. There is only one way off this island and it’s more difficult than anything he’s ever imagined. It’s much easier to face mortal danger than the demons within. Will he find redemption, or another unexpected offer?
For generations, the Harbor Pointe Inn has been both a blessing and a curse to the Hawthorne family. Now, it serves as the backdrop for Brandon Miller’s high-stakes proposal to Angela Cooper.
Brandon has everything except the commitment he craves. Angela, scarred by a painful divorce, has no intention of ever saying “I do” again. But their romantic getaway at the historic inn quickly turns into a nightmare when they stumble upon a literal horror.
Country superstar, Cole Knight, has it all—fame, fortune, fast cars, and willing women. Yet, he’s dying inside, drowning in a swirling pool of self-contempt and relentless guilt. It’s easier to lose himself in a whiskey bottle than face the hard truth—he hasn’t delivered on a sacred promise made to his father. And it rips out pieces of his heart and soul each time the memory surfaces.
It’s almost Christmas, and the sting of that failure drives him back to the tiny cabin in the Cumberland Mountains where he lost his entire family.
But has he waited too late to put the shattered pieces back together?
Claire Winters is heartbroken when her husband of many years says he’s found a new love and wants a divorce. While having a pity party with her best friend, Jade, they come up with a daring idea. Together, they construct a Voodoo doll and with the help of several bottles of wine, create a ceremony to bring the same heartbreak to Daniel Winters as he brought to Claire. But do they go too far? You decide!
A wild black stallion has cautiously watched a beautiful white mare, from the safety of the forest for many years. He longs to be with her, and ventures close to the barn nightly to communicate with her. They share their deepest desires and secrets. Now it is winter, and the rest of the wild herd has moved on, but the stallion stays. He cannot stand the thought of being so far away from her. The scent of sweet alfalfa hay and the enticing lure of the white mare is too much for him. He must find a way to be with her. But will it be worth the risk? Satin and Cinders is a story of courage and determination.