Dolphin Dance (Short Story Sampler)

By Karen Sandler

Dolphin Dance
When Megan's husband neglects her on what should have been a romantic birthday cruise, a dark stranger on the ship pursues and seduces her, ripping her all at once from her husband and reality.

Mom
Fifth-grader Benjamin knows his mom will save him when a violent ex-con breaks into their house--but only if Benjamin can survive until it's time for his mom to wake.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen Sandler
• Release date: Aug 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301412389

Karen Sandler

Sign up for my newsletter HERE: https://www.karensandler.net/newsletter.phpKaren Sandler is the author of 24 books for adults and teens. Her adult romance novels include her Hart Valley series, her Pen Pal Sisterhood series, and her Transcendent Love series. Her mystery series, Janelle Watkins Investigations, features gritty stories and a hard-edged heroine.Karen's YA science fiction Tankborn Trilogy (TANKBORN, AWAKENING, and REBELLION combines multicultural science fiction with current day themes. Tankborn is also being developed for television. Woo hoo! If you're looking for time-travel adventures for grades 3-6, check out Karen’s book TIMEWRECKED.In her free time, Karen takes long walks, reads voraciously, and engages in daily battles to keep the squirrels out of her fruit trees. She lives in Northern California with her husband and dance partner, Gary, and two cats, skittish formerly feral Zak and love-bug ginger cat Alani.

Book preview

DOLPHIN DANCE

&

MOM

Karen Sandler

Copyright © 2013 by Karen Sandler

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author through her website: www.karensandler.net.

Mom Copyright © 2002 Karen Sandler, originally published in THE BLACK SPIRAL: TWISTED TALES OF TERROR

Cover Copyright © Covers by Rogenna

These are works of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

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Table of Contents

DOLPHIN DANCE

MOM

HEARTS REDEMPTION Excerpt

Other Books by Karen Sandler

All About Me

When I first wrote Dolphin Dance,I had recently gone off on a cruise to Mexico’s West Coast with my two older sisters and stepbrother. I had a fantastic time, over-indulging in the fabulous buffet for breakfast and lunch, and elegant dinners in the evening. We visited Señor Frog’s in Mazatlan and went galloping on horseback along a river in Puerto Vallarta. And we did see at least one dolphin out in the waters.

It would be unfair to say the character, Robert, is drawn from my husband. After all, hubby stayed home with our two young boys while I went on that cruise. But there have been times in our long marriage that my husband has gotten very caught up with his work. He’s never neglected me the way Robert does Megan, but my husband’s dedication to his job and that cruise gave me a jumping off point for Dolphin Dance.

DOLPHIN DANCE

I’d like to go up on deck, Megan said to Robert.

Robert grunted in response, his attention fixed on the screen of his laptop.

Megan squeezed past the unopened suitcases taking up floor space in the tiny cabin. She sat next to him on the bed, hearing the crunch of paper under her.

Hey! Robert tugged the sheets free. I need those. His hands returned to the keyboard.

Megan scooted away, putting space between them. I wanted to go up on deck. To watch the ship disembark.

Robert nodded without looking at her, his eyes scanning a list of figures on the screen. Go ahead. Be up in a minute.

Megan stared at him through the curtain of her straight blond hair, willing him to look at her. She traced the line of his profile, his strong Roman nose, iron gray eyes, slicked back brown hair. After seven years of marriage, she knew every detail intimately.

Just as she knew he’d never join her up on deck. She’d barely persuaded him to come with her on this cruise in the first place. It had been her idea, not his, to celebrate her thirtieth with a trip to the Mexican Riviera. Robert’s top priorities in life—his job, his career—did not include birthday celebrations. Megan herself seemed to be an afterthought he’d scrawled on his list.

I’ll go, then, she told him. No response this time, not even a grunt. She rose and left the cabin.

Megan navigated the labyrinth of corridors and stairways, surfacing finally in the ship’s stern. Squeezing between