Blurb:
A barrage of threatening letters, a car bomb, and a heart attack
rip apart what was once a close-knit family of adopted brothers. Randy and
Bobby, along with fellow band member and best friend, Danny, receive fan mail
that turns menacing. They ignore it, but to their detriment. The sender turns
up the heat. Violence upends their world. It rocks the relationship between the
boys and ripples through their family, nearly killing their dad. As these boys
turn on each other, adopted brother Brian flashes back to that event in Arizona
where he nearly lost his life saving his brothers. The scars on his face and
arms healed, but not his heart. Would he once again have to put himself in
harm's way to save them? And if faced with that choice, will he?
Purchase Link:
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fan-Mail-Joseph-Lewis-ebook/dp/B0BLNTBTMG/
US - https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Mail-Joseph-Lewis-ebook/dp/B0BLNTBTMG/
Excerpt
When I wrote this book, like any author, I had a story idea and I wrote it. It wasn’t until after it was completed, with all the edits finished, did I realize just how much each chapter or paragraph or sentence impacted the whole and led to the climax.
In this short segment, Jeremy, the father of the family, had a heart attack because of the stress of the threatening letters two of his boys and their friend are receiving. It is the combination of the heart attack and the strain of the letters that threaten to tear apart an otherwise close-knit family of adopted brothers.
The passage below takes place in the Evans kitchen. Billy,
a twin of Randy, works on a landscaping project for his class with a friend,
Tony. Randy has an issue with his brothers, but takes it out on Tony. Brett,
Bobby, Brian and Billy come to Tony’s aid and it almost comes to blows:
“We
can add some Knockout Roses spaced out between the green bushes if you like,”
Tony said. “That would make things pop, without distracting from the house.”
“You
sound like the guy from Queer Eye,” Randy muttered.
“Why?
Because he’s an artist? What the hell is wrong with you?” Bobby asked.
“It
was meant as a joke,” Randy said, turning his head away from everyone.
“The
hell it was! It wasn’t funny. It was disrespectful and rude. You could have
said Flip or Flop, Fixer Upper, Property Brothers, or even Maine Cabin Masters.
But you went with Queer Eye. That’s offensive,” Bobby said.
Billy
was fuming. “Last night at the restaurant, you were all over Tony’s ass,
butting in when it had nothing to do with you.”
Tony’s
face was beat red. He put an elbow on the table and his hand over his eyes.
“Look, I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. I’m sorry.” He turned to Billy
and said, “Maybe you can do this presentation without me.” He looked up at
Brian and said, “Maybe I should go home.”
“No,
Tony! Please don’t,” Vicky said as she came around the table to hug him from
behind. “I know Brian would be disappointed if you did, and I think the others
would be, too.” To Randy, she said, “You owe him an apology and I don’t want to
hear anything else coming out of your mouth! Is that understood?”
Randy
shrugged and said, “I’m sorry.”
“That
was dripping in sincerity,” Brett said. “I’m sure Tony feels welcome now.”
“Randy,
leave the room,” Jeremy said. “You will not treat a guest in our house like
that. He’s not only Brian’s friend, he’s everyone’s friend.”
Brian
and Billy were seething. Both stood with their hands clenched into fists.
“Randy,
I’ve been thinking for a while now. Remember, a couple of years ago when the
guys and I were in the hospital in Chicago after we were freed from that shit
hole? You would go from room to room and talk to us, listen to us, and encourage
us?” Brett asked. “I miss that Randy. I don’t know where he went, but
he’s been AWOL for a while.”
“Screw
you!”
“Yeah?”
“Oh?
What? What are you going to do?” Randy spat.
Brett
slammed Randy into the wall with a forearm and grabbed the scruff of his shirt
around his neck. A picture fell to the floor. In a small, but menacing voice,
he said, “Dad told you to leave the room. If you don’t, I’ll help you leave,
but you might not be in one piece. Tony is our friend. All of ours. You will
not treat him disrespectfully or rudely. You will treat him as you treat Bobby
or Danny.”
“Or
what?”
“You
really want to go there? Because I’m ready if you are.”
George
and Jeremy quickly pulled them apart. Bobby, Danny, and Two stood in front of
Brian, who was more than ready to come to Brett’s and Tony’s aid.
Jeremy
grabbed Randy by the arm and pulled him outside. George held Brett only as long
as Jeremy needed to get Randy out the door.
Randy has been one character in my
books that is a peacemaker, is conciliatory, and compassionate, as evidenced by
Brett’s comment about the “old Randy.” There are other reasons within the
chapters why Randy has an issue with Tony, and why Brett, Billy, and Brian
quickly come to his defense. This is one example of the strain the letters and
Jeremy’s heart attack has on the family, especially the seven brothers, and all
of it leads to a dramatic confrontation at the finish.
Author Bio
–
After having been in education for forty-six years as a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator, Joseph Lewis has semi-retired and now works part-time as an online learning facilitator. He uses his psychology and counseling background to craft thriller/crime/detective mysteries, and has taken creative writing and screen writing courses at UCLA and USC.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Lewis has been happily married to
his wife, Kim. Together they have three wonderful children: Wil (deceased July
2014), Hannah, and Emily. He and his wife now reside in Virginia.
Social Media Links –
Author Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.blog
Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/joseph.lewis.author/
Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /
Blog at: https://www.simplethoughtsfromacomplicatedmindsortof.com
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