We went inside then and I closed the door.
I knew time was the only thing that would heal my broken heart. Demons had a stranglehold on Lacey and I wasn’t sure if she would ever get free. Even though her choices ruined her life, she had given me a reason to get up every morning and someone I would cherish for the rest of my days – Rio!
About the author
Penny Estelle was an elementary school secretary for 21 years. She says, “I heard every excuse and story in the book when kids were sent to the principal. I promised myself when I retired I would write stories about kids that got under my skin – in a good way.”
She is retired with her wonderful husband and they live on a fifty-four acre ranch in NW Arizona. Finding out it would cost over $100,000 to bring in electricity, they decided to go green. “We live on solar and wind,” she says. “I am the ‘greenest’ person and I know, even if I don’t want to be!”
Acknowledgments
To Solstice Publishing for taking a chance on my stories and being a wonderful company to work with that helps and supports their authors.
And a big thank you to Nik Morton who edited my story. His magic touch with changing a few words has made At What Price the best it can be.
Other Solstice Books that might be of interest
ALEX
Dianne Hartsock
Alex is twenty and confused. He always is. The world presses on him with its horrors and pain, with scintillating auras that pierce his eyes and drive the migraines deeper. He hears the cries of children, the screaming women. He sees the brutal images of the tortured victims. He feels out of control and his mind slips...
Severely abused as a child, he is left with horrible scars on his body and even worse scars within his mind. Even though it puts him in danger, he’s compelled to help those who call to him. He’s driven, motivated by his visions to rescue them and uncover the killer. When he can, he helps the police; yet some detectives suspect he’s the cause of the problem, not the solution. Often, Alex finds himself alone and afraid in a world he doesn’t always comprehend.
“Dianne Hartsock does an impressive job juggling the torture Alex endured as a child, the state of his mind as an adult, and the encroaching thoughts of the missing victims. One wants to know who's causing the disappearances. Can it be Alex? Not even he knows. The suspense is tight as he tries to hold onto sanity in the face of all that barrages him. With the help of his love interest Jane, and their good friends Justin and Angie, Alex realizes he isn't alone. The great characters Dianne has created bring a strong sense of reality to her work. By the end of the novel, I felt as if I knew these people and miss them.”
– Doug McClean, Amazon review
DEATH IS ANOTHER LIFE
Robert Morton
Where there is light, there is shadow…
This cross-genre thriller is set in present-day Malta and has echoes from pre-history and also the eighteenth century Knights of Malta.
Malta may be an island of sun and sand, but there’s a dark side to it too. It all started when some fishermen pulled a corpse out of the sea... Or maybe it was five years ago, in the cave of Ghar Dalam?
Spellman, an American black magician, has designs on a handpicked bunch of Maltese politicians, bending their will to his master’s. A few sacrifices, that’s all it takes. And he’s helped by Zondadari, a rather nasty vampire.
Maltese-American investigative journalist Maria Caruana’s in denial. She can’t believe Count Zondadari is a vampire. She won’t admit it. Such creatures don’t exist, surely? She won’t admit she’s in love with him, either...
Detective Sergeant Attard doesn’t like caves or anything remotely supernatural.
Now he teams up with Maria to unravel the mysterious disappearance of young pregnant women. They’re helped by the priest, Father Joseph.
And there are caves, supernatural deaths and a haunting exorcism.
Just what every holiday island needs, really.
“Dan Brown meets Dracula. Robert Morton's Death is Another Life is a fast paced, intelligent read that kept my pulse pounding until the last page. Vampires are certainly enjoying a revival, but Morton's take is entirely fresh, certainly not like those so overdone today. Once I started this, I couldn’t put it down.”
- Heather Savage, author, The Empath Trilogy, Staccato Publishing
THE MORTICIAN’S WIFE
Maralee Lowder
Emily’s special “gift” told her two things that Halloween night, so long ago. The first was that the story she heard about Ada, the old lady who lived above the old mortuary, being a witch was definitely not true. The second was that the scary story about the mortuary being haunted definitely was true.
The old lady was actually quite nice. The ghost, on the other hand, was not nice at all.
Now, Emily returns after many years away from her childhood home. She’s a registered nurse and is unexpectedly hired as Ada’s carer.
Ada is a complete recluse and at first resists Emily’s gentle intrusion into her life. Yet, gradually, their old friendship, forged so many years before, helps break down Ada’s reticence.
Finally, Ada tells Emily the story of her life. It’s a sad story, filled with pain and horrible secrets and, as it unfolds, Emily is forced to make a terrible decision…
Maralee Lowder's Mortician's Wife is an engrossing psychological tale. Her easy to read style takes the reader on a thought-provoking journey. Realistic characters jump from the pages, triggering a host of feelings from pity to rage, sorrow to joy, hate to love. The suspenseful and fascinating Mortician's Wife is a highly recommended must read novel.
– Elizabeth Sullivan, PhD (Calif)
Some stories linger long after the last page has been turned. This is one of them. You will remember and feel for Ada.
– Robert Morton, author of Death is Another Life
This story within a story has two basic themes: The tragedy of spousal abuse and the super human effort needed to finally extricate oneself from this most despicable form of tyranny. Lowder’s novel provides a glimpse of the desperation many women face when caught in an inescapable situation with nowhere to turn. Lowder reveals the story of Ada’s miserable secret life using vivid descriptions, a touch of surrealism, dramatic scenes and a breathtaking sequence of surprising events. The emotions Lowder evokes race from abject pain to extreme joy. Read "The Mortician's Wife" for a memorable literary experience.
- Nancy Curteman, author of Murder Down Under
HIS FIRST MISTAKE
Melissa Lowes
Set amidst the dramatic landscape of both France and Germany during World War I, His First Mistake traces the intersection of disparate lives during war.
Newlyweds Frances and Reginald retreat to the French countryside at the outbreak of World War I, but unseen events, and a brutal attack by a stranger, force them to leave for Dessau, Germany. It is in Dessau that Frances meets Elsha, a young German woman, and Derek, a Belgian art student – two people who will forever change Frances’ preconceived notions of friendship and love.
This romantic, tragic, and haunting story evokes the uncertainty of war, the sacrifices one must make, and the indelible force of love.
A story that is sweet, tender, and love- (and life-) affirming.
– Bill Kirton, author of The Figurehead, Material Evidence, Rough Justice, The Darkness
Lowes paints her romance on a rich, European canvas. With each brush stroke, the reader becomes more entwined with each character.
– Joann Keder, author, The Something That Happened in Pepperville
Blending the oppression of war with finding new love, (this) is an intriguing work of romance and life, very much recommended.
– Midwest Book Review
… has got to be one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve read in a long time. I found myself wanting to hate some of the characters along the way, only to find myself loving them even more as their lives took them through World War I and into the begin
ning of World War II. Ladies...this is a must-read book.
– Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
STRUMMIN’ THE BANJO MOON
Joyce Keller Walsh
Nineteen year-old Juanna Mae DelRio Lottery was abandoned by her husband and foreclosed out of her house in South Jersey. Left without any resources except for an old Buick, $264, and her own grit, she and Dell—her five-year-old daughter—moved their belongings into the car and drove to a secluded spot deep in the pinewoods. Juanna planned to stay there until she saved enough travel money to go home to her mother in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. But she made a mistake by applying for food stamps and now they have to leave right away because the Social Service is about to swoop down and take Dell into foster care . . . and if Juanna hadn’t lied about her age, they might even take her, too.
She should have known better, for as her mother always says, “The road to hell is paved with government intentions.”
Like Huckleberry Finn’s adventures on the river, Juanna’s adventures on the road thrust her into a world of oddball characters and precarious situations.
Her humorous, moving, and sometimes tragic journey spans thirty years and two continents, and often tests her belief that everything that happens has a purpose and a moral.
Over the years, I’ve read many books of fiction, the vast majority good and memorable; and some of these have given me glimpses of the human condition.
A few have introduced me to characters who live and breathe, whose journey becomes mine, albeit vicariously.
Juanna Mae DelRio’s narrative pulled me in and didn’t want me to let go. Through the years of her tumultuous life, I was there, sharing her heartbreaks and laughter. This is a powerful novel, a fascinating emotional roller-coaster that made me laugh and cry.
– Robert Morton, author of Death is Another Life
HEAR HIM CRY
Rachel Beam
A Solstice After Dark novel
Tessa: “I hate it when men cry.
I swear to Christ I’ll jump out the freaking window if I see you cry.”
Henry: “Good thing we’re only on the second floor then.”
Henry and Tessa are like two damaged planets, gravitating toward each other on a collision course. Henry’s fifty-eight, a remorseful man whose life crumbled after a stupid misjudgment fifteen years ago. Tessa is the daughter of Henry’s estranged best friend and she’s wasted ten years of her youth with a man who didn’t really want to grow up.
Hurting and bereft, the pair cling to each other, lost in the universe of sharp hurtful reality. Henry realizes that he can’t begin again with Tessa until he reveals his shameful secret. Yet, in the simple act of telling her, he risks losing her.
The past begins to unfold with raw, painful consequences.
When you’re ready for a book with a little meat on its bones, this is one you’ll want to pick up. It’s the kind of dark, deep and twisted tale that draws you in and stays with you long after you’ve finished it. Bonus if you’re a fan of the Florida Keys...the author’s detail of its historic streets and bars paints a vivid picture. This is a book that reveals the sad longing and unspoken fantasies that many others don’t dare to. Not for the faint of heart...you’ve been warned. Highly recommend.
– Review by Biba, Solstice website
The Author weaves a dark and sensual tale, which is mesmerizing. After downloading this book on my Kindle, after a friend’s recommendation, I could not put it down. Each chapter beautifully flows into the next... The author’s writing style was very lucid, descriptive and eloquent. The flashbacks were clearly linked with the present (unlike some books) and I was easily able to visualize each scene and each character. I would highly recommend this book.
– Arthur W, Amazon review
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At What Price? Page 3