Enjoy this excerpt from "Our Own Devil"

 "I know, right? I hit the table at the bottom of the stairs. Woke up an hour and a half later in the hospital."   

       His heart ached. What a terrible thing to hold inside for all this time. He felt sorry for her. He did not, however, pity her. To him, there was a difference. He wished he could have been there for her when this happened, even though she was not even a cop back then.    

       "Nurse told me I had a concussion and 14 stitches and that what I feared more than anything in the world had happened." Her face frowned but strangely peaceful. "Look."         

       Jenny shifted closer and gently grasped a small, oval pendant attached to a delicate gold chain around her neck. With a tiny click, it popped open, showing a tiny sonogram, the outline of a baby clearly visible. Jimmy was heartbroken.    

      "He was due on Christmas Eve. I still talk to him on Christmas and other times." she smiled, sadness on her lips. "Is that strange?"   

       "Jesus, no. I do the same. You Carried him, and he will always be your boy. They're only gone when we forget about them, you know?"     

       She did, by God; she knew.    

       "I feel him sometimes. Kicking. Here..." She took his hand and placed it under hers on her belly. She stared deep into his eyes, causing Rande to slip, momentarily in a daze, as if she could see his soul. He had never felt this kind of connection or vulnerability with anyone since Jamie. She was something out of the ordinary.    

        “Can I tell you something else I never told anyone before?”   

        “Of course,” he said. “Anything.” 

"I endeavor to create realistic characters with realistic, relatable real-life problems, relationships, and triumphs."  -  L. E. Bowen.

       “OK, Diva. Which part did you land now?”     

       “Odette. I’m gonna dance Odette in Swan Lake.”     

       Her friend was thrilled. “Oh, my God. You are amazing. I mean, I hate you, but you are amazing.” 

       Tossing the key into the small, yellow porcelain dish on the table to the left of the door, she pulled off her jacket and walked towards the bathroom, hanging her long, fluffy scarf over the railing at the bottom of the stairs. She had needed to pee for an hour, but the thought of using one of the gross, disgusting restrooms at the grocery store on her way home made her gag.    

       Clutching the phone between her shoulder and her chin, she began stripping naked as she reached inside the shower curtain and turned on the water, tapping it with her palm to ensure the correct temperature.   

       “So, yeah! I cannot wait, Steph. It’s a dream come true.” said Melissa.  

       “Wow. That is so cool. You can get me tickets, right?”     

        Melissa chuckled. “Try and stop me, misses. Listen, I’m getting in the shower. I’ll call you when I'm out, OK?”    

        “Hey. Go relax, girl. You earned it. Love you, girly.” 

        “You too,” chuckled Melissa before ending the call.    

        She placed her phone on the sink and turned back toward the steaming hot flow of refreshing water. She was just lifting her first leg over the side of the tub when two dull, hard metal teeth were pushed into her neck, followed by the pulsing of electricity through her neck, chest, and arms. 

        Her world went dark, and then, with a dull thud, her body hit the edge of the bath before falling limp to the cold, tiled floor.    

        "Epic," whispered the assailant. "A-1 sauce."

"I write what I enjoy reading: gritty, realistic drama where people are flawed, and hearts aren't always immune to being broken."  -  L. E. Bowen.