L.S. Caldwell author of the Anna Mae Mysteries, shares an excerpt of The Golden Treasure.
Chapter One
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Heat lightening crackled in the swirling sky above jolting my already raw nerves. I wanted to jump up into the air, but my feet refused to move. Raul Garcia, my best friend from sixth grade, dragged me forward into the schoolyard. My eight-year-old brother Malcolm trudged beside me. None of us wanted school to start yet, summer had seemed far too short. I noticed that Raul’s normal smile drooped a bit too.
“It won’t be so bad this year,” Raul said. “I won’t let Pit Bull hurt you. You’ll see. I’m stronger and bigger.”
“Yeah, right,” I said.
I peered down at my new pink sneakers with red shoelaces. Dust and dirt clung to the white rubber edges. I loitered in the yard, wishing school was over and we were on our way home. A thin, whistling wind blew across my cheeks, cooling them from the last oppressive heat of summer.
“Anna Mae, look out!”
Malcolm’s trembling voice broke through my daydreaming. He shoved some old gnarled rotten thing under my nose. My eyes watered. I sneezed and looked down.
“Yuk! What is it?”
Raul pushed his stolid body between us. He picked up the offensive object from Malcolm’s palm and held it up in front of his eyes.
“It’s…a…ginger…root!”
The breeze whipped through the schoolyard. Swings swung forward and crashed b
ackwards, their chains interlocking. Loose papers skimmed the ground. The tin garbage can fell to the ground, banging against the packed dirt and loose stones. Two raindrops fell and bounced off my nose. I looked up and gasped.
Floating in mid air, a large black, disembodied manacled fist blocked our path. It appeared from out of nowhere. Malcolm ducked and hid behind me.
“I don’t believe it’s really there,” Raul said
He stepped out in front of me and raised his own puny fists. The root fell from his hands. The black fist hovered in sight, but out of reach. I know, because Raul jumped into the air, swinging at it.
“Anna Mae…”
Malcolm’s voice ripped through my mind. I inched backwards and grabbed his arm.
“Look!”
I followed his pointing finger. The root crept forward; its tendrils waving. It reminded me of the sacred roots that Granma Zora used in her mojos. The root mimicked the movements of its counterpart overhead. What I wanted to know was where the rest of its body was.
Short Blurb About Me:Sometimes I think about my life and look back at the path that brought me to this place and time. As a child, I was very lonely, knowing few people well and even fewer could I call friends. I did not excel in academics. In fact, to the contrary, I resisted school and failed to push myself either socially or academically. I attended college, but never completed my degree.Life led me, as I was not at the time really leading my life, into an early, unhappy marriage resulting in the birth of a lovely son who I soon began raising as a single parent. Drifting through life, trying to make a living as best I could, struggling with health issues, I began writing. I’ve written four books and seen three of them published.I have had some success in marketing my past books, but mostly, I have enjoyed the rewards that writing brings. The craft has seen me through difficult times by allowing me to sort through issues as I transfer my thoughts to the page. My latest book will be released in the fall of 2008 – the first book in a series - The Anna Mae Mysteries – The Golden Treasure. I wanted to write a book that would inspire girls to do more with their ‘tween and teen lives than use cosmetics, wear short skirts, and get pregnant. I wanted girls to recognize that there's a world out there and that they should aim for the top just like the boys do.All of this has led me to a place in my life, thanks in part to my husband whom I married in 1989, where I can reach for the stars myself. I have overcome the odds, grown as a person, and am surrounded by friends - all of which gave me the courage and determination to create my own radio station – Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio. PIVTR, started in 2005, has grown tremendously through lots of hard work, terrific co-workers, great partners and my own sense of self worth, a hard earned state of mind. It’s my way of giving back to those who have been there for me – from our fine military to the many authors who have supported my efforts to the great audience who keeps me going. We're now reaching thousands of listeners in hundreds of countries around the globe.Now, I know the anything is possible, and I have the highest hopes and expectations for the success of my Anna Mae Mystery series and the growth of PIVTR. Thank you all.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Heat lightening crackled in the swirling sky above jolting my already raw nerves. I wanted to jump up into the air, but my feet refused to move. Raul Garcia, my best friend from sixth grade, dragged me forward into the schoolyard. My eight-year-old brother Malcolm trudged beside me. None of us wanted school to start yet, summer had seemed far too short. I noticed that Raul’s normal smile drooped a bit too.
“It won’t be so bad this year,” Raul said. “I won’t let Pit Bull hurt you. You’ll see. I’m stronger and bigger.”
“Yeah, right,” I said.
I peered down at my new pink sneakers with red shoelaces. Dust and dirt clung to the white rubber edges. I loitered in the yard, wishing school was over and we were on our way home. A thin, whistling wind blew across my cheeks, cooling them from the last oppressive heat of summer.
“Anna Mae, look out!”
Malcolm’s trembling voice broke through my daydreaming. He shoved some old gnarled rotten thing under my nose. My eyes watered. I sneezed and looked down.
“Yuk! What is it?”
Raul pushed his stolid body between us. He picked up the offensive object from Malcolm’s palm and held it up in front of his eyes.
“It’s…a…ginger…root!”
The breeze whipped through the schoolyard. Swings swung forward and crashed b
ackwards, their chains interlocking. Loose papers skimmed the ground. The tin garbage can fell to the ground, banging against the packed dirt and loose stones. Two raindrops fell and bounced off my nose. I looked up and gasped.Floating in mid air, a large black, disembodied manacled fist blocked our path. It appeared from out of nowhere. Malcolm ducked and hid behind me.
“I don’t believe it’s really there,” Raul said
He stepped out in front of me and raised his own puny fists. The root fell from his hands. The black fist hovered in sight, but out of reach. I know, because Raul jumped into the air, swinging at it.
“Anna Mae…”
Malcolm’s voice ripped through my mind. I inched backwards and grabbed his arm.
“Look!”
I followed his pointing finger. The root crept forward; its tendrils waving. It reminded me of the sacred roots that Granma Zora used in her mojos. The root mimicked the movements of its counterpart overhead. What I wanted to know was where the rest of its body was.
Short Blurb About Me:Sometimes I think about my life and look back at the path that brought me to this place and time. As a child, I was very lonely, knowing few people well and even fewer could I call friends. I did not excel in academics. In fact, to the contrary, I resisted school and failed to push myself either socially or academically. I attended college, but never completed my degree.Life led me, as I was not at the time really leading my life, into an early, unhappy marriage resulting in the birth of a lovely son who I soon began raising as a single parent. Drifting through life, trying to make a living as best I could, struggling with health issues, I began writing. I’ve written four books and seen three of them published.I have had some success in marketing my past books, but mostly, I have enjoyed the rewards that writing brings. The craft has seen me through difficult times by allowing me to sort through issues as I transfer my thoughts to the page. My latest book will be released in the fall of 2008 – the first book in a series - The Anna Mae Mysteries – The Golden Treasure. I wanted to write a book that would inspire girls to do more with their ‘tween and teen lives than use cosmetics, wear short skirts, and get pregnant. I wanted girls to recognize that there's a world out there and that they should aim for the top just like the boys do.All of this has led me to a place in my life, thanks in part to my husband whom I married in 1989, where I can reach for the stars myself. I have overcome the odds, grown as a person, and am surrounded by friends - all of which gave me the courage and determination to create my own radio station – Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio. PIVTR, started in 2005, has grown tremendously through lots of hard work, terrific co-workers, great partners and my own sense of self worth, a hard earned state of mind. It’s my way of giving back to those who have been there for me – from our fine military to the many authors who have supported my efforts to the great audience who keeps me going. We're now reaching thousands of listeners in hundreds of countries around the globe.Now, I know the anything is possible, and I have the highest hopes and expectations for the success of my Anna Mae Mystery series and the growth of PIVTR. Thank you all.
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