The Beach by Jaye
Frances
Synopsis:
Alan
loves the beach. More than a weekend respite, it is his home, his refuge, his
sanctuary. And for most of the year, he strolls the sand in blissful solitude,
letting nature—and no one else—touch him. But spring has
given way to summer, and soon, the annual invasion of vacationers and tourists
will subdivide the beach with blankets, umbrellas, and chairs, depriving
Alan of his privacy and seclusion—the fundamental touchstones of his life.
Resigned to endure another seasonal onslaught
of beach-goers, Alan believes there is nothing he can do but prepare for the
worst.
But
fate has other plans.
Delivered to him on the crest of a rogue
wave, the strange object appears to have no purpose, no practical use—until
Alan accidentally discovers what waits inside. Now he must
attempt to unravel an ageless mystery, unaware that the final outcome will
change his life, and the beach, forever.
In the companion novella Short Time,
you’ll meet a respectable but bored middle-class executive, who exchanges his
future for six months of excess and extravagance, only to find out the price he
must pay for his hedonistic indulgence is beyond anything he could have
imagined.
Amazon link for The Beach
Review
I was given this book by author for honest review. It was interesting. The underlying messages in both The Beach and Short Time are meant to be learned from and taken to heart. I will say to be careful of “genies” in a bottle. Also beware of promised deals.
Excerpt:
“Is there someone you’d like me to call?” Alan asked. “Maybe
someone who usually gives you medication?” Alan’s initial frustration had
turned into curiosity. And while he was still apprehensive about finding an
intruder in his home, he no longer felt threatened. He was even deriving an odd
sense of amusement from this eccentric’s outlandish ramblings. He wondered—even
wanted to hear—what the guy was going to say next.
“Perhaps I can offer a few suggestions,” Efil said. “Let’s begin
with a review of the standard offerings. First, there is power. Always a
winner, very popular. Next on the short list is money and all that it can buy.
And then that old favorite—especially with the Greeks—love. Many of your
historians believe the Greek concepts of love and life to be virtually
inseparable. Frankly, it’s my personal preference, but I don’t push it as much
as I used to, especially after that incident with Job and his daughters, right
after his wife became a saltlick for the camels. So there you have it—power,
wealth, and love. Any of those sound appealing?”
The story was familiar, producing a flood of memories from Alan’s
childhood. This guy wants me to think he’s some kind of genie, like the one
from Aladdin’s lamp. He’s obviously gone to a lot of effort with the scripted
dialogue and the sleight of hand. And he’s never broken character. Not once.
Got to give him credit for that.
Alan decided to play along and get the charade over with. The gag
would surely end as soon as the would-be actor had granted him three wishes.
“Okay, I get it. You’re the genie and I’m the master—like in that story about
Aladdin and the magic lamp. And now I have three wishes coming, right?”
Efil cocked his head to the side. “I’m not acquainted with this
Aladdin fellow, but if it helps you to evaluate the possibilities of our new
relationship, then by all means use it to your advantage. I encourage you to
call upon all your memories, all your skills in our . . . negotiations.”
Efil waited for the echo to stop, the sudden look of delight confirming his
pleasure in listening to his own disembodied voice.
“I don’t understand. You saying I got wishes or not?”
“You have one negotiation.” The word was still
reverberating as he continued. “And with it, an outcome, a result. Perhaps even
a consequence. If it makes it easier to consider our exchange as the
fulfillment of a lifelong desire, then I encourage you to do so.”
It wasn’t the kind of rhetoric Alan had expected to hear. But if
it would move this windbag out of his house without having to complete a police
report, he’d go along with it—at least for a few minutes. “Okay, I got one wish
coming. You ready?”
Efil’s wide grin remained unchanged. “I am most certainly ready.
However, you my friend, are not. We cannot begin until I am confident you are
prepared to bargain in earnest—choosing your prize wisely, agreeing with the
price, and approving the final terms of payment.”
Alan
could feel the prickly sensation of static electricity, the very air in his
kitchen seeming to pulse with energy. Efil’s body began to rise and in seconds
he was hovering several inches off the floor.Jaye Frances
About the Author:
Jaye Frances is the author of The Kure, a paranormal-occult
romance novel, The Possibilities of Amy, a coming-of-age romance
novella, The Cruise-All That Glitters, a humorous adult satire
about love on the high seas, The Beach, a sci-fi
supernatural tale about the possibilities – and horror – of wishful thinking, Love
Travels Forever, a collection of poignant and touching short
stories, and the upcoming adult erotica series, World Without Love, to be
released Summer 2014. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits that her life’s
destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all
things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking,
traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of
pictures. Jaye lives on the gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one
husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes.
Website: http://www.jayefrances.com
Blog: http://blog.jayefrances.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayefrancesauthor
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/www.jayefrances.com
Guest
post content:
There’s
nothing I enjoy more than meeting new people. Sometimes it happens while I’m
waiting in the checkout line at the supermarket. Other times I find a friendly face—and
a willing ear–at the gym. I’ve even started up a conversation with the people
at the next table while having dinner at my favorite restaurant. Depending on
the circumstances and the situation, the subject can vary from the superficial
to the serious. During these impromptu exchanges, the question is often asked,
“What do you do for a living?” My answer usually spurs another in the form of a
challenge. “What would you write about me?”I suppose it’s a common fantasy, wanting to cast ourselves in the imaginary role of hero or heroine. And why not? I do it all the time, often jumping headlong into the lives of my characters, vicariously enjoying a rush of joy and passion one moment, then resigning myself to wallow in the self-pity of disappointment in the next.
So how do I answer them? I try to encourage a bit of introspection by asking who they would like to trade places with, or if that stumps them, what’s the first thing they would want to change about their lives. After they’ve had a moment to think about it, I follow up with, “Based on what
you would have to give up, is it a change you could live with?”
In The Beach, the main character, Alan, has a similar encounter with a stranger—a man who unexpectedly shows up in his kitchen. While Alan engages him in conversation, he doesn’t realize his uninvited guest is about to unleash his own set of interesting and somewhat bizarre dialogue.
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