I am trying to step lightly on the keyboard this week, but I can’t pass up the chance for bonus points. Linda G Hill, the kind and generous host of Stream of Consciousness Saturday has given us the following prompt:
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is starts with ‘u.’ Find a word that starts with the letter ‘u’ and use it however you’d like. Bonus points if it’s the first word in your post. Enjoy!”
If we were having a beer, we’d be cooler and relaxing after a tough week.
“Unless I’m mistaken, Cheryl, my young friend is late.”
“You keep saying I’m late, David. I am here, and it’s not yet three o’clock.”
“Yes, but I was early, and I wanted to start drinking. Cheryl, I have the tab today.”
“OK, David. Dan, are you having a Corona?”
“No, Cheryl. My friend, West Coast Dan said I should try something different. Is the City Steam, Naughty Nurse the IPA or the amber?”
“It’s the amber.”
“Sold!”
“David, sticking with John Howell’s Bourbon or did West Coast Dan call you, too.”
“I am drinking John Howell’s Bourbon.”
“Cool. I’ll get those.”
“Unless there are any other surprises. Dan?”
“Not really, David. It’s been too hot for surprises.”
“Are you still working on Book-two of your series? I mean, I thought you said all three books were written.”
“The other books are written, but what’s that saying, not ready for prime time?”
“As in prime TV viewing or Amazon Prime?”
“Here you go guys. One John Howell’s Special and one Naughty Nurse. I’m going to check the patio. I’ll be back to see if you want some food.”
“Have you decided on a cover for Book-two, Dan?”
“I have.”
“The Evil You Choose…dark and foreboding. Is that the message I’m supposed to get?”
“Yeah, you can go with that.”
“I see it’s set in Pittsburgh. I guess that’s a thing with you.”
“It is. All three books are set in Pittsburgh.”
“So, does Book-two pick up where Knuckleheads ends?”
“Yes and no.”
“Do you know how many times you give that annoying expression as an answer to a yes/no question?”
“Perhaps…”
“That can’t be a valid answer.”
“Unless it is.”
“OK, explain, please.”
“If you recall, Knuckleheads covers two time periods. The Evil You Choose begins, within a few days of Zach’s retirement party, but it’s not a continuation of the story he was telling Abbie. He and Billy are both retired, not recent high school graduates.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Why?”
“Well, I served in the Coast Guard, so I don’t want to hear about that. And I really don’t want to hear about Zach’s career as a technology consultant.”
“I didn’t think that would be a big selling point.”
“Seriously, Dan. You wrote fiction. Zach could have been a heart surgeon or an astronaut. You made him a consultant. You guys want anther round? Some food?”
“I was never planning to focus on his career, Cheryl. Besides, technology plays a role in this story.”
“I hope it’s a small role.”
“Message received, David. Cheryl, do you have any specials?”
“We have a chicken and rice dish. A stir…”
“Rice? You guys never have rice.”
“Unless it’s summer, Dan. A stir fry for the summer. Lots of veggies and rice.”
“I’ll have that.”
“I will, too, Cheryl. And bring us another round.”
“You got it.”
“As I recall, Dan, Book-two is/was really the first book you wrote, and it’s has a bit of a criminal conspiracy going on.”
“You’re correct, David. It’s a struggle between organized crime, a potentially corrupt politician, and a clearly corrupt FBI agent.”
“And Zach is caught in the middle?”
“Correct again.”
“What about Billy. You should know that I like Billy, Dan.”
“No spoilers today, David. Suffice it to say, if you like Billy, you will be pleased.”
“Any new characters?”
“I really have to be careful on this one, David. There are many new characters.”
“Any that I’ll like as much as Billy?”
“Perhaps Uncle Mike. He’s a likable sort.”
“Is that Zach’s older brother?”
“It is.”
“OK, I guess I’ll wait for the book to be released. The end of this month? Right?”
“There abouts. I’m still new to this whole publishing thing, so I haven’t specified a release date.”
“Actually, you’re an ex-IT guy, so you don’t like deadlines.”
“That too.”
All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.
No Facilities 
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