Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
PART THREE
Three’s my lucky number. And fortune comes in threes.
– Massive Attack
Writing
Pareidolia: Chapter Seventeen
Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
MARCUS
Spruce Hill, Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000
We’re back at my place this time, it’s like noonish, and we’re free to speak at normal volumes without the PO on the other side of the wall, or the dark, suspicious eye of Todd. Zeke explains that Roland worked with Holcomb back in the day on project FLANGE, spent most of his time in or around the FBI, is just as underground as Holcomb (if not more), and will be responsible for the custody and care of the device when and if it’s found. He’s only tangentially connected to the DOJ anymore, and very few people inside Holcomb’s circle have any direct contact with him. Mostly it’s just Holcomb. But in cases like these, when Holcomb isn’t quite—um—herself, Roland and his few contacts within the family move ever so slightly to the center of things and make sure nothing gets, you know. Dropped.
Pareidolia: Chapter Sixteen
Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
MARCUS
Downtown Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000
It’s early. Too early to deal. I’m back on the mirrored elevator with Zeke and Todd at the downtown hotel. Round two with Holcomb. I get this weird feeling that our reflections in the elevator doors are the old us from last time, and that they’re looking in wonderment at the future us, and I clearly shouldn’t have smoked up this morning like an idiot. The ride is just as uncomfortable as last time: we’re all doing our best to ignore our reflections.
Pareidolia: Chapter Fifteen
Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
BALERO
Society Hill, Philadelphia | Monday July 31st, 2000
I’m awake. I don’t remember where I am for a few seconds. There’s a phone in here, on the nightstand next to the bed. That’s a nice touch. I call home but get the machine. I don’t leave a message. I’m in one of Willow’s many guest rooms. It’s morning, still dark. I’m still in yesterday’s clothes. I need a shower.
Pareidolia: Chapter Fourteen
Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
BALERO
Society Hill, Philadelphia | Sunday July 30th, 2000
It’s weird to be back here. So quiet and empty. I’m back on one of the leather couches in Willow’s library. There’s no fire in the fireplace, no butlers, no party, no guests.
Pareidolia: Chapter Thirteen
Pareidolia: Chapter Twelve
Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
LEAH
Northwest Philadelphia | Sunday July 30th, 2000
There isn’t any moisture left in my head but somehow I’m still crying. Vicky, a neighbor two doors down, dragged me into her house and now we’re ducking under a living room window in case there are more shots fired and keeping an eye on whatever’s happening outside. Her son is in the kitchen, about to call the cops. I explain that under no circumstances should the police be involved, but I’m having trouble speaking. I’m trying to get it out between sobs that Dad’d never actually shoot anyone, and that anyway the gun was full of blanks. Vicky doesn’t understand me, or she does and she still isn’t going to risk it, and so we crouch between a La-Z-Boy and an end table. The trail into the woods is barely visible across the street and off to the left. Vicky is hugging me to her body. Her son has hung up the phone and is crab-walking back to the window.
Pareidolia: Deleted Chapter (Zeke In Portland)
Enjoy this deleted chapter from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
This deleted chapter finds Zeke attending the out-of-town astrophysics conference mentioned in the first chapter of the current version of the book (early on at the “birthday party”).
Originally meant to demonstrate Zeke’s journey into Holcomb’s secretive inner circle by way of Cory, a connection he later used to introduce Marcus to Holcomb, this chapter was cut for brevity after some personal heartache, given how much fun I had writing it; I’d tapped memories of real-life conferences to fill in the details of Zeke’s experience in Portland, and the whole thing just had a super fun air of silly adventure to it.
Zeke tells Marcus of his conference exploits in another deleted chapter (Roland’s Interview).
This was not the Portland Zeke signed up for. So fucking drab. Was there time to make it downtown? Just for an afternoon? There was not. The airfare and hotel room alone had destroyed his annual trip budget, but he was still determined to go. Even if it meant crossing the country to stay in a suburban hotel, like, by-the-airport suburban: surrounded on all sides by freeways and business parks and chain restaurants and sadness. Everything seemed to be either one or both of the same two shades of tan and grey, even in the summer sun. They could have flown him to Toledo or Kansas City and he never would have known the difference.
Pareidolia: Chapter Eleven
Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.
MARCUS
Northwest Philadelphia | Sunday July 30th, 2000
Leah’s distracted as she walks up the steps to her door, doing the backwards walking like her father. Something across the street has her attention. I look but don’t see anything. She asks if I brought anyone else with me.
“Christ, I hope not.”
Jason Herrboldt 