Pieces of Lisie

By Annie Reed

Abner Wellington poured everything he had into his art.

 

His hopes. His dreams.

 

And above all else, his love for a woman named Lisie.

 

Up and coming artist Abner Wellington met Lisie at a party for wealthy patrons. Sponsors who could afford to buy the oversized artworks he created. Before long she became his lover and his muse. Then she became his reason for living.

 

Until the day she left.

 

What happens to an artist whose muse deserts him? Who puts his shattered heart on display for all to see? Can an artist ever recover from that?

Abner Wellington's about to find out.

 

"One of the best writers I've come across in years."

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thunder Valley Ink
• Release date: Dec 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215084328

Annie Reed

Award-winning author and editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch calls Annie Reed “one of the best writers I’ve come across in years.”Annie’s won recognition for her stellar writing across multiple genres. Her story “The Color of Guilt” originally published in Fiction River: Hidden in Crime, was selected as one of The Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016. Her story “One Sun, No Waiting” was one of the first science fiction stories honored with a literary fellowship award by the Nevada Arts Foundation, and her novel PRETTY LITTLE HORSES was among the finalists in the Best First Private Eye Novel sponsored by St. Martin’s Press and the Private Eye Writers of America.A frequent contributor to the Fiction River anthologies and Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Annie’s recent work includes the superhero origin novel FASTER, the near-future science fiction short novel IN DREAMS, and UNBROKEN FAMILIAR, a gritty urban fantasy mystery short novel. Annie’s also one of the founding members of the innovative Uncollected Anthology, a quarterly series of themed urban fantasy stories written by some of the best writers working today.Annie’s mystery novels include the Abby Maxon private investigator novels PRETTY LITTLE HORSES and PAPER BULLETS, the Jill Jordan mystery A DEATH IN CUMBERLAND, and the suspense novel SHADOW LIFE, written under the name Kris Sparks, as well as numerous other projects she can’t wait to get to. For more information about Annie, including news about upcoming bundles and publications, go to www.annie-reed.com.

Book preview

Abner Wellington poured everything he had into his art.

His hopes. His dreams.

And above all else, his love for a woman named Lisie.

Up and coming artist Abner Wellington met Lisie at a party for wealthy patrons. Sponsors who could afford to buy the oversized artworks he created. Before long she became his lover and his muse. Then she became his reason for living.

Until the day she left.

What happens to an artist whose muse deserts him? Who puts his shattered heart on display for all to see? Can an artist ever recover from that?

Abner Wellington’s about to find out.

One of the best writers I’ve come across in years.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Start Reading

The Unexpected Series

Copyright Information

About the Author

One

An earnest-looking young man woke Abner Wellington out of a sound and dreamless, if not restful, sleep.

Excuse me, sir, the young man said. Are you Abner Wellington?

No one called Abner sir, not anymore.

Abner called other people sir all the time. The volunteers who served hot meals in the shelter. The cops who rousted him whenever he lingered too long in a doorway or an alcove, trying to stay warm and out of the weather. The hard-eyed men who used to hire him for cheap day labor and then glared at him when his aching bones slowed him down. Abner’s own sir days, like a lot of things in his life, were long gone in the rearview mirror.

The young man standing at the edge of Abner’s thin blanket wore wire-rimmed glasses and had dark, neatly trimmed hair. He carried a black leather briefcase and wore a suit cut in a style Abner dimly recalled buying for himself back when he had more money than he could hang onto. He didn’t look like someone who should be calling Abner sir.

Abner squinted against the bright fluorescent lights overhead. The Fifth Street Shelter had been crowded the night before. The director, a kindly middle-aged man who bent the rules as far as his funding allowed, had passed out all the blankets he had and let the overflow of homeless find places to sleep where they could. Abner had curled up in a corner at the end of a long, narrow hallway near a locked storeroom door. The hard floor wasn’t great for his back, but it was better than sleeping outside on cold concrete.

Might be, Abner said, rubbing at his nose. Depends.

The young man frowned behind his wire-rims. Depends on what?

Abner stretched out a leg and grunted. Damn thing was stiff. His whole body was stiff, and he was going to have to pee soon. He hoped there wasn’t a line. The older he got, the more impatient his bladder, and impatient bladders didn’t like waiting in line to use the john. Impatient bladders didn’t like much of anything, which could pretty much be said of Abner in general.

On who you might be, and what you want with old Abner, he said.

Oh.

The young man dug in his pocket. He produced a small leather case that matched the polished black as his briefcase, flipped it open, and withdrew a business card. He handed it to Abner, who took it like the edges might slice his fingers if he wasn’t careful.

I’m Elias, the young man