Blood Fugue, Moonsongs Book 1

By E.J. Wesley

“Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted.”

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried.

Life has pummeled her heart into one big, lonely callus. She has no siblings, both parents were dead by sixteen, and her last grandparent—and caretaker—was in the ground before she turned twenty-one. She’s the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thinks...

“We found my ‘grandfather’ sitting at his dining room table. An entire scorched pot of coffee dangled from his shaky hand. His skin was the ashen gray shade of thunderclouds, not the rich mocha from the photo I’d seen. There were dark blue circles under each swollen red eye. A halo of white hair skirted his bald head, a crown of tangles and mats. Corpses had more life in them.”

Suddenly, instead of burying it with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

Blood Fugue, by E.J. Wesley, is the first of the Moonsongs books, a series of paranormal-action novelettes. Just under 13k words, Blood Fugue is the perfect snack for adventurous readers who aren’t afraid of stories with bite.

• Language: English
• Publisher: E.J. Wesley
• Release date: Sep 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301730261

E.J. Wesley

Growing up in small-town Oklahoma, there were limits on the amount and types of entertainment at my disposal. Perhaps that’s why I set my imagination free. After collecting degrees in psychology and counseling, life brought me to Missouri, Texas, and Northern California—where I currently read, write, and live. I fill my spare time playing video games, watching movies, planning for the zombie apocalypse, reading graphic novels, and playing with my dogs.

Book preview

Blood Fugue

Moonsongs Book 1

E.J. Wesley

Blood Fugue, Moonsongs Book 1

Copyright © 2012 by E.J. Wesley

Smashwords Editions

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or critical analysis. If you didn’t legally obtain this book, please respect the author’s efforts and purchase a copy via an authorized retailer.

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities between the details found herein and the real world are fictitious or a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.

All copyright inquiries can be directed to:

[e-mail]

Editing by:

Labelle’s Writing on the Wall Editorial Serviceshttp://labelleseditorialservices.com

This is for Erin. To call you my rock would be an insult to mountains. The volume of your love and support left little room for doubt.

Acknowledgements

A very special thanks to all of the family and friends who’ve offered their support and encouragement over the years. You are my resolve. I’d also like to thank the vast writing community for all of their insight and support. I began this journey as a lone writer, but I continue on as part of an army of my peers. My drill instructors: Ravi, Angela, P.K., Michael, and Libby—thanks for whipping me into shape. Finally, I’d like to thank my editor, Lynnette, for her tutelage and guidance.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Beginning

About the Author

Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted. For me, dwelling on the past was akin to keeping a picture of an ex-boyfriend who had cheated on me with the town whore, stolen my favorite t-shirt, and given me Chlamydia. There’d be no value in holding onto that kind of torment. Personally, if I bumped into yesterday at the grocery store, I’d punch it in its shitty face and take my shirt back.

In reality, if there had been happiness in my life, people hadn’t had much to do with it. That’s probably why I made technology my first choice of company. Friends hadn’t followed me from town to town on my father’s boring-ass research trips as a kid. No one lined up to entertain me while I waited in some foul smelling hotel room, or worse, a library. Video games had been my escape. Growing up, I couldn’t spend five minutes in the living room without getting yelled at, yet I could waste all day in my bedroom with a computer and not hear a word. The math seemed pretty simple.

Two failed semesters of junior college was all the motivation I needed to open up shop as a computer repairperson. I’d been left with little choice. Dad’s life insurance was all but gone. I’d spent a third of it on two vehicles, another third on my hobbies, and had been living off of the other third. But I was proud to say I never touched a dime of Granny’s money.

Although, my dwindling savings account and escalating credit debt was making me rethink my independent streak a little.

With thoughts of money and food dancing in my head, I scanned my messages, clicking the only one marked unread. The subject simply read, Help.

Not that unusual in the computer repair business. People got real desperate, real quick when their Facebook page wouldn’t load.

Jennifer.

My mind froze. No one called me Jennifer. At least no one alive did. This