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.

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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.

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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.

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No, Smartphones Haven’t Destroyed A Generation

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Did you know that people who rely on food stamps are less likely to make six figure salaries than those who don’t? Or that people who don’t attend AA meetings are more likely to suffer from liver disease than those who do? It’s true. And you should be very concerned.

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Pareidolia Bonus Features

So you’ve read every word of my self-published sci-fi novel Pareidolia, and you just can’t bring yourself to admit that the journey is over.

Never you fear! Below are some sweet Pareidolia bonus features to keep the freaky vibes flowing.

DELETED CHAPTER: BALERO’S JOURNAL

DELETED CHAPTER: SETI STUDENT GROUP

DELETED CHAPTER: ZEKE IN PORTLAND

DELETED CHAPTER: HOLCOMB’S INTERVIEW

DELETED CHAPTER: VAN ZORN’S INTERVIEW

AUGUST 1ST 2000 TIMELINE

PAREIDOLIA IRL

THE IDEA TREE

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.

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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.”

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Pareidolia: Chapter Ten

Enjoy this excerpt from my first novel, Pareidolia. The premise is available here, and the table of contents can be found here.

(PART TWO)

MARCUS

Powelton Village, Philadelphia | Saturday July 29th, 2000

“OK, so you’re all set then?”

“Roger that. All set. All systems go. Christ on a cracker, I don’t want to do this.”

“No, I know.”

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