Marnie and Zane's Spontaneous Choices Complete Series

By Shannon Muir

Before Marnie and Zane could embark on mysteries together, they first needed to find each other on the difficult to navigate road to romance. This collects their first meeting around Christmas through Leap Year and their struggle to get together in the previously released SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY, SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE, and SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY in a convenient box set collection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shannon Muir
• Release date: Feb 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463970577

Shannon Muir

SHANNON MUIR's short stories include suspense and mystery elements such as those found in her first full-length story from Pro Se Press, CHARLES BOECKMAN PRESENTS DOC AND SALLY IN "THE DEATH OF BUDDY TURNER". Additionally, she's written short stories for Pro Se Press such as “Tragic Like a Torch Song” in THE DAME DID IT from Pro Se Press, "Pretty as a Picture" in the anthology NEWSHOUNDS, “Tropical Terror” in CRIME DOWN ISLAND and “Hidden History” in EXPLORER PULP. She’s also written the Single Shot New Pulp tale “Ghost of the Airwaves,” a short story offered in electronic format only from Pro Se Press.From her personal self-published projects, her best known titles in this area include the rural crime series THE WILLOWBROOK SAGA.In other genres, Shannon's published short stories include “Meeting the Monster” in the Emby Press anthology SUPERHERO MONSTER HUNTER: THE GOOD FIGHT and "Cover Story" in ARIA KALSAN: MYSTERIES OF THE FUTURE.Shannon holds a BA in Radio-TV and English from Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, which she considers to be her hometown. She also holds an MA in Communications from California State University, Fullerton, along with additional education in screenwriting, project management, library technician studies, and most recently a certificate earned with distinction in General Business with Emphasis in Marketing from UCLA Extension. Currently, she is working on a Masters of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.She is married to FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY collaborator and fellow author Kevin Paul Shaw Broden. They live in California in the United States.She is a member of Sisters in Crime (national, Guppies, and Los Angeles, where she also served on the Los Angeles board for a two terms beginning in 2018), as well as the Toastmasters4Writers Chapter of Toastmasters International (where she serves as chapter Secretary), Women in Animation, and a Professional member of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Book preview

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COPYRIGHT

MARNIE AND ZANE’S SPONTANEOUS CHOICES COMPLETE SERIES

By Shannon Muir

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2019 Shannon Muir.

This collection includes:

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY Copyright 2014 Shannon Muir.

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE Copyright 2018 Shannon Muir.

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY Copyright 2019 Shannon Muir.

First Smashwords publication February 2019.

This ebook is for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be given away or resold to others. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy from Smashwords or a vendor partner. If you want to share this work with others please purchase a copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of artists and creators.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

COPYRIGHT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S NOTE - MARNIE AND ZANE’S SPONTANEOUS CHOICES COMPLETE SERIES

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY - DEDICATION

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – AUTHOR’S NOTE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – PROLOGUE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER ONE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER TWO

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER THREE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER FOUR

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER FIVE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER SIX

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER SEVEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER EIGHT

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – CHAPTER NINE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY – EPILOGUE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE – AUTHOR’S NOTE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE – MISSED OPPORTUNITY

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE – LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE – THE MYSTERY OF LOVE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – AUTHOR’S NOTE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – PROLOGUE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER ONE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER TWO

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER THREE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER FOUR

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER FIVE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER SIX

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER SEVEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER EIGHT

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER NINE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER TEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER ELEVEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER TWELVE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY – EPILOGUE

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

THE PHOENIX RISES COMPLETE SERIES

THE AIRAGOS COMPLETE SERIES

THE HEART’S DUTY COMPLETE SERIES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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AUTHOR’S NOTE – MARNIE AND ZANE’S SPONTANEOUS CHOICES COMPLETE SERIES

Marnie and Zane weren’t originally written about with a lot of character pre-development. The original challenge for their debut novella, A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY. The challenge I’d given myself involved three random objects I encountered one day and then I would craft a story around those objects, completely unscripted. That novella would be the result.

What I hadn’t expected was to create characters I’d be interested in doing other things with. Unfortunately, the original novella goes by with a skip of several months, down to the specific day of February 29th, from its Christmastime ending. So, in order to move forward with these characters, I would need to discover the space in between.

The results of that discovery, which meant unpacking in detailed steps about two months of the characters’ lives to really begin to understand Marnie and Zane, resulted in the short story collection A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF ROMANCE and the collected web serial A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF MYSTERY. The three short stories, followed by the web serial, are in chronological order between the events of the last chapter of A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY and its epilogue.

If you want to discover this couple now, or have found them cropping up in other stories of mine and want to know how it all began, this single collection allows you to see the rocky road to how their romance began. I hope you enjoy it. If you’ve previously purchased any part of the series, however, this collection doesn’t offer anything exclusive; the collection is more designed for newcomers to Marnie and Zane.

Wherever you are in this couple’s journey, I hope to see you continue.

Shannon Muir

February 2019

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A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY - DEDICATION

To all my friends that have stood by and supported me through the years.

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A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY - AUTHOR’S NOTE

A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY began as a challenge to myself. If I could complete three-fourths of the way through my tenth National Novel Writing Month (which I ultimately did complete), I'd follow up in December with a novella to be completed before Christmas Eve. This novella, following the crazy holiday season of a whole new cast of characters, is the result of that challenge. I hope you enjoy it.

Please feel free to get in touch with me by social media if any of these characters grab you and you would like to read more about them. I actually discovered interesting things about them while writing and would love to revisit them again.

Shannon Muir

Glendale, California

December 2014

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A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY - PROLOGUE

Marnie Hawklin always enjoyed spending the holidays with her mother and father. She knew that it disappointed them that her sister Tessa would hardly visit, either on her own or bringing the grandkids along. However, they skillfully kept their disappointment hidden.

She watched as her mother opened up the gift envelope that her father handed over for Christmas.

My dear, Marnie's mother said with a smile. You've already given me your home, your heart, and a daughter born on Christmas Day.

She stopped opening the envelope midway to give Marnie a hug.

Come on, Mom, open Dad's envelope and see what his present is, Marnie insisted while still being tightly held in her mother's loving embrace. She liked the fact her parents still cared about her so much, but sometimes she found their strong attitude of love and affection to be awkward.

I will, dear, just a minute. But I so want to treasure this moment. I'm so blessed for every year that goes by and I get another Christmas with you, Marnie.

Finally, Marnie's mother let go and finished opening the envelope. She took out a card depicting happy couples on a cruise.

This is for real? Marnie watched her mother ask, with a bit of shock in her voice. Not a joke?

You know me, love. I don't kid. I finally decided to suck up my fear of the water and book us for that cruise you always wanted us to take. I've made you wait too many years as it is. I'm so sorry for that. This coming year, we're going to do something different.

This time, Marnie hugged her father.

Dad, that's so nice of you to do! I hope you and Mom have a great time together. You both deserve it so much!

Little did Marnie Hawklin know that would be the last Christmas she would ever spend with her parents.

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A SPONTANEOUS KIND OF HOLIDAY - CHAPTER ONE

Marnie slammed on the snooze button for the third time. She absolutely hated her job being a bank teller, handling lots of other people's money while hardly bringing any home to improve her meager existence. Marnie's life played out simple, boring, and routine. Any attempt made to deviate from the norm met in setback and failure, not to mention disappointment.

She guessed her wave of disappointments started by never getting what she wanted for the holidays as a kid. Her older sister, Tessa, got everything she wanted every year. It didn't stop there. Tessa ended up with all the popular friends, all the hot dates, and ultimately even the perfect husband and babies. Marnie, only two years younger, didn't fare nearly as well; somehow, as much as one might think they should, good grades didn't seem to count for much. Now just days away from turning thirty, with the unfortunate luck of being a baby born on Christmas Day, Marnie thought her fortunes would never change.

She struggled to make a cup of instant coffee – living alone, she never bothered with brewing a pot – and making one of her usual frugal lunches. Today she went for a Mediterranean themed meal with hummus, pita pieces, Kalamata olives, and some feta cheese crumbles. Marnie liked making lunch quick to eat and also light on the pocketbook, while she prepared heartier breakfasts and dinners at home. This morning, she chose to scramble a couple eggs with some turkey bacon patties. Fortunately, work wasn't too far away, so she could spend more time making breakfast than throwing something in the microwave and then spending tons of time on the road.

Marnie also thought practical on her wardrobe, very basic colors that mixed and matched easily and didn't have any special wash or dry clean instructions. She thought very practically in her approach to everything. In particular, Marnie liked to develop systems to make things easier and organized. She rarely broke those patterns.

As she headed out to work with her lunch in hand, Marnie looked over at the small Christmas tree set up on a table in the corner. Since Christmas Day and her birthday always fell together, it seemed strange to not at least have something up. Every year, until the year that her parents died, Marnie would always spend Christmas with her parents all day, while her older sister Tessa's family would stop off and drop off presents from one location to the next. Marnie's parents even made sure to give her presents not wrapped like the season and remind her that this special say also belonged to her.

You were the best gift ever, her mother would always remind her.

Now Tessa couldn't even bother with a phone call or a card for either Marnie's birthday or the holiday. Marnie tried calling Tessa on Tessa's birthday, but her big sister just always seemed too busy to talk.

This meant Marnie forged ahead, crafting her own new traditions.

At work, Marnie pulled into her standard spot, which always seemed to be open. Perhaps it was because people knew how much Marnie seemed to like her routines. She entered and waved hello to the security guard, just like she did every morning, and then went to put her lunch away before the day started.

As Marnie put her lunch in the refrigerator – somehow always fortunately managing to find a space for whatever she brought along on a given day - Sophia approached her. Sophia came relatively recently to the bank, and was a change Marnie struggled to get used to. She'd been transferred over as the new manager after the old branch manager retired after many exemplary years of service.

Hey Marnie, said Sophia, in her overly, bubbly cheerleader way. Realized you haven't signed up yet for the Do Good Event.

I never participate in that, Marnie said, dismissively. I don't feel like I am doing anyone any good with a forced, faked smile on my face.

Sophia started to jump up and down eagerly, and with her figure it drew attention to some rather inappropriate places for the workplace. Marnie cringed.

Why not give it a try this year? Maybe it'll turn that smile upside down. You won't know until you try!

Maybe if you tried putting a sock in it, grumbled Marnie.

Hmm, Sophia said quietly. Well, I guess you just want to be a female Scrooge.

Are you kidding? growled Marnie. Ebenezer Scrooge had money! I am only surrounded by it.

And man cannot serve both a higher being and money, Sophia piped again.

You are just an endless fountain of witty sayings today! Now look, if I agree to do something just this one single time, you promise never to bother me about it again?

Sophia clapped her hands, clearly far too pleased with this turn of events.

Great! We really need people to help us feed Christmas dinners to the needy families on Christmas Eve. I'll put you down.

Marnie started to protest, and then realized it meant the first time she wouldn't be spending Christmas Eve alone after several years. The ideas of this both terrified and excited her. It terrified her both about being in public, as well as disrespecting the memories of her deceased parents. Yet, part of her wondered what it would be like to experience something different instead of knowing exactly how her Christmas would play out.

Oh, I am so glad you are going to help! Yay!

Sophia walked off with her usual perky step, and for once Marnie found herself not growling at the overenthusiastic young woman who