2513 will soon be available on Nook!

Link to follow!

Christmas at Back 2 Good (2014)

Rebekah entered Back 2 Good and looked across the bar.  She removed her coat and sighed with happiness at the warmness that engulfed her.  She sniffed and detected the scent of pine and cinnamon in the air.  She smiled.

"Reggie!" she called out as a familiar shape came out from the back of the room. 

"Bekkah!" Reggie called out, he hurried over to her and gave her a strong hug.  he stepped back and looked her. "Girl, you are rocking that dress tonight!"

"Happy Christmas Reggie." she giggled, 'Thanks!"

"Come," he replied, "The gang is in the back."

Reggie reached behind her and locked the door and clicked off the Open sign.  "it is Christmas, time to close up shop and have a party! I don't allow my staff to work this evening, tonight I serve them drinks and food."

Rebekah smiled, "You are a great employer, Mr Fezziwig."

Reggie laughed at that. "Where do you think Charles Dickens got the idea for Fezziwig from?"

Rebekah just shook her head while smiling.  Reggie stopped and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"And believe me, Charles was everything his last name implied."

Rebekah blushed and laughed. "Reggie!"

He gave her a innocent looking smile, "What?"

He led her to the back.

"Ladies and Vamps!" he bellowed as they walked in

"Let the party begin!"

The room was brightly decorated with a large tree, the group sat at various tables around the room.  Reggie had arranged them so they were close enough to allow for a cozy atmosphere, but far enough to allow room for privacy and intimacy.

Rebekah smiled as she took in the beauty of the tree.  "Reggie, that looks amazing."

Reggie beamed, "I am glad you like it."

"I do."  She walked over to the bar and noticed a large punch bowl.

"You seem to be in a joyful mood Reggie."

Reggie just laughed, "Christmas is a time to have fun. A time to forget about the drudgery of running this fine establishment."

"The finest eggnog in all the land!"  a voice boomed out.  Rebekah turned to see a large blonde man barreling up to her and engulfing her in a hug.

"Hans!" she called out, "You made it!"

"Ja!" Hans answered, "I would not miss a chance to be festive!"

He handed here a large cup and filled it with eggnog.  "Come sit with us!"

They walked over to a table and sat down.  Rebekah noticed that Jake Mackenzie was sitting there, nursing his drink slowly. A tired look on his face.

"Where's Nick?" she asked.

"Death never takes a holiday." Jake Mackenzie answered, "he had to make a few house calls."

Reggie sat down next to them, "Say let's get this party started!"

He sat his cup down and went of to join the others.  Their laughter filling the room with noise.


Rebekah pushed a strand of her fiery red hair from her face.  "Jake you seem to be preoccupied tonight."

"Mass always takes a lot out of me." Mackenzie went on to say, "to find the right words to honor this day. After a few hundred years, it gets hard to keep things in perspective."

"It must be a tight rope" Rebekah observed, "Keeping your faith in the world we live in.  To stay hopeful in the face of such evil."

Jake Mackenzie, just smiled.  He felt glad to be around he friends.  A quiet night were the only screams were one of joy and happiness.

'We each keep Christmas our own way."

"Christmas should not be about sadness!" Hans cried out, "it is a glorious day of revelry and joy. Time to be happy with those you care about! After all, we Germanic people invented Christmas!"

"True Hans," Rebekah laughed, 'can't really argue with the guys that invented Christmas after all."

Hans let out a deep laugh, "Nein!  Make merry!"

With that, Hans grabbed one of the waitresses and began dancing as the others clapped and laughed.  Rebekah smiled as she grabbed her drink.  

Rebekah sat down next to Malcolm "MacDuff" Davies, who had been brooding in the corner the whole time. his drink sat in front of him untouched, he face expressionless as he alternated his stare between the drink and the tree.

"You saw her again."

Macduff didn't really answer, just gave a slight nod of his head.  His eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Rebekah softly touched his arm and sighed, "sometimes you just have to let life take its own course.  I know it is hard, but you need to let go."

Macduff stared at the tree, thinking in silence of all the Christmases that he had missed out on since that day.  How different his life would have been had circumstances been different.  What he could now only watch from afar.  The family and life that was no longer his.

"MacDUFF!" Hans creid out in his booming voice, "You are more Teutonic than i am.  Kome, be meeryyy, EAT! DRINK! BE MEERRY. For tomorrow we may all be dead!"

Hans lifted his cup and downed the contents in one gulp. Laughing, he turned to the group and the Christmas tree and began to sing.

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'

Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

Macduff sighed and starting singing along with Hans.  Slowly the others joined in.  Each feeling at ease for this one night.

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, oh how laughs
Love out of your divine mouth,
Because now the hour of salvation
strikes for us.

Sleep in heavenly peace!
Christ the Savior is here!


Miles sat on the couch staring at the lights on the tree.  He seem mesmerized by the way to light bounced off the ornaments.  It reminded him of a star lit night.  He felt oddly at calm.  The room was silent except for the strains of Christmas music on the radio. His wife had gone to bid a few hours earlier, and the roads out side were eerily quiet.

 With his left hand he reached down and gave his dog, Jada, an affectionate rub.  Her response was a load thump of her waving tail as it hit the floor.

"Sounds like your guys had a nice night."

Miles looked to his right to see Hades sitting next to him.  'Strange,' Miles thought, 'after a while you kind of get used to the sudden appearance of the God of the Underworld.'

"I am a acquired taste, my boy."

Miles chuckled and went back to looking at the tree.  Jada gave Hades a brief look and then put her head back down, content on the rubs from her master.

"So," Hades said, "Your people seemed to have fun this evening."

Miles nodded, "They did. It is fun to let loose every now and again."

Hades looked contemplatively, "It is."

They both sat there in silence for a while, lost in thought.

"It is going to be a hard year for them." Miles said breaking the silence, "they deserved a night of fun before it all started."

"Do you know what they are facing?"

Miles just shook his head.  

"Tomorrow never knows."

I was watching the Neil De Grasse Tyson version of Cosmos last evening to take a break from writing (and of course tons of ideas sprang up in my mind that will find their way into the series). I was struck by five simple laws of science and life

1) Question authority. No idea is true just because someone says so, including me. 

(2) Think for yourself. Question yourself. Don't believe anything just because you want to. Believing something doesn't make it so. 

(3) Test ideas by the evidence gained from observation and experiment. If a favorite idea fails a well-designed test, it's wrong. Get over it. 

(4) Follow the evidence wherever it leads. If you have no evidence, reserve judgment. 

And perhaps the most important rule of all...

(5) Remember: you could be wrong. Even the best scientists have been wrong about some things. Newton, Einstein, and every other great scientist in history -- they all made mistakes. Of course they did. They were human. 

I am happy to announce the launching of this blog post as well as the publication of the first book in the “Journey” Series!!!

Order it here today!

2513