Bait

By Annette Siketa

Some people will do just about anything for fame and fortune - no matter the cost!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Annette Siketa
• Release date: Apr 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781370947492

Annette Siketa

For those of you who have not yet made my acquaintance, my name is Annette Siketa, and I am totally blind. Were you aware that most blind and visually impaired people are extraordinarily perceptive? To sighted people, this ability must seem like ESP, and I suppose to a certain extent, it is. (I'm referring to the literal meaning of Extra Sensory Perception, not the spooky interpretation.) To compensate for the lack of vision, the brain and the other four senses become sharper, so that we can discern a smell or the identity of an object. I promise you there's no trickery involved. It's simply a matter of adapting the body to ‘think’ in another way.Being blind is no barrier to creativity. Like most things in this world, life is what you make of it, and after losing my sight due to an eye operation that went terribly wrong, I became a writer, and have now produced a wide variety of books and short stories, primarily of the ghost/supernatural/things that go bump in the night genre.So, how does a blind person write a book? On the practical side, I use a text-to-speech program called ‘Jaws’, which enables me to use and navigate around a computer, including the Internet, with considerable ease. Information on Jaws can be found at www.freedomscientific.comOn the creative side...well, that’s a little more difficult to explain. Try this experiment. Put on your favourite movie and watch it blindfolded. As you already ‘know’ the movie – who does what where & when etc, your mind compensates for the lack of visualisation by filling in the ‘blanks’. Now try it with something you’ve never seen before, even the six o'clock news. Not so easy to fill in the blanks now is it?By this point you’re probably going bonkers with frustration – hee hee, welcome to my world! Do not remove the blindfold. Instead, allow your imagination to compensate for the lack of visualization, and this will give you an idea of how I create my stories. Oh, if only Steven Spielberg could read my mind.

Book preview

BAIT

by Annette Siketa

Copyright © 2020 Annette Siketa.

No part of this book may be manipulated, transmitted, or altered by any method or manner whatsoever. All rights reserved. Please respect the authors’ rights. Only through honesty can the insidious practice of illegal copying be curbed.

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Contents.

Bait.

Other Books & Freebies.

Extra Story! The Flip Side.

Extract from 'GHOSTLAND'.

About Me.

(From ‘Those Wicked Women’. See further below for details.)

I need to go there anyway, so why don’t you come with me? Dyson lit a cigarette as he added, You never know, there might be something which takes your fancy.

As I had nothing better to do, I accompanied him to a respectable looking shop in Chelsea High Street. I only knew the owner, Charles Kidman, by reputation, and to say that he was ‘just an antique dealer’, would be akin to describing Nelson’s Column as a ‘big white stick’.

Bright and intelligent, Mr Kidman kept in touch with both rich and amateur collectors alike, and knowing their tastes and preferences, he advised them when a suitable artwork became available. Conversely, he was the soul of discretion when ‘people of society’ found themselves in financial difficulty.

Dyson, who was an avid collector of manuscripts, obviously knew the dealer well, for when we entered the shop they spoke as intimates. Kidman was tall, thin, bald, and elegantly dressed. His hands were long and slender, and whenever he spoke of an object, his soft voice seemed to give it more value.

Dyson examined two early 18th century miniatures and then said, Do you still have that beautiful Renaissance crucifix you showed me a few months ago?

I do not. It has been sold. Do you know Baroness Ortego?

Yes. I once met her at a ball, or rather, I saw her. It was impossible to get any where near her due to the men surrounding her, though in truth, I think they were more interested in her daughter.

Ah, the delicious Isabelle, said Kidman, a dreamy look coming into his eyes. The man who eventually marries her, should thank god every day of his life.

She is certainly uncommonly beautiful.

And extremely devout. I believe she goes to church every day.

And her father?

Mr Kidman flicked a wrist dismissively. Nobody has seen him in years. I doubt if even the Baroness knows whether he’s alive or dead.

I suppose she is wealthy?

Kidman lowered his voice. "On the contrary, she lives by collecting admirers. A