JULY 2025 WRITING AND WANDERING #Newsletter
With a full month of summer behind us, it’s time to enjoy. The garden is up, and I’m already harvesting lettuce and a few other veggies. Mostly though, I’m just loving the warm temperatures and watching the landscape transition from winter brown to brilliant shades of green dotted with colorful flowers. I hope everyone is having a fun and exciting summer.
WRITING
Summary:
After Beartooth’s
first encounter with an extremist faction turns deadly, a small group embarks
on a mission to prevent the fanatics from returning. They discover a much more
disturbing place than they ever imagined; however, predators, natural disasters,
and an environmental crisis may prove more difficult to overcome than the evil
under the mountain.
Excerpt:
"Where's Dad?" Caleb demanded.
“Still
in the cabin,” Dillon replied coldly without looking up from his work.
Caleb
walked up to him, ripped the shovel from his hand, and tossed it off to the
side. “What’s your problem?”
“You
just don’t get it, do you?” Dillon asked.
“I
don’t know what you’re talking about,” Caleb hissed.
“You’re
always running off on some important mission like this community can’t survive
without you. You strut into the cabin like some hero returning from battle and have
the nerve to glare at me. You’re either putting Ash in danger or you’re leaving
her to fend for herself,” Dillon growled.
“What
Ash and I do is none of your business, and she can take care of herself just
fine,” Caleb replied.
“Yes,
she can, but she shouldn’t have to. She needed you, and you weren’t here.”
Caleb
lunged at Dillon, and they both hit the ground hard. Caleb scrambled on top of
his brother, took a swing at Dillon, and his fist slammed into Dillon’s jaw.
Dillon
swung back and connected with the side of his brother’s face, knocking him off.
They both staggered to their feet. Dillon lowered his shoulder, bolted forward,
and rammed Caleb in his stomach, sending his older brother to the ground,
knocking the wind out of him. Dillon jumped on top of him and raised his fist,
but before he could land the punch, Owen’s booming voice interrupted.
“That’s
enough boys,” he said as he grabbed Dillon by the arm and pulled him off of
Caleb.
Dillon
wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. “He takes her for granted. He doesn’t
deserve her,” he hissed.
Caleb
slowly got to his feet. He looked at Dillon, and then at his dad. He glanced
over and saw Ash standing in the doorway, her expression unreadable.
“What’s
this all about?” Owen demanded.
“He
was gunning for me the minute I walked in the door,” Caleb responded, taking
his eyes off Ash.
“Somebody
needed to point out what an arrogant selfish jackass he is. He’s thinking of no
one else when he runs off. That was fine when you and I were holding down the
farm, but he’s got a family now,” Dillon directed at Owen.
“I
can take care of my family just fine,” Caleb growled.
“How?
Where were you when Dad dropped that grizzly ten feet from Ash’s shoes?”
The
statement drained all the fight out of Caleb. “Ten feet?” he whispered as he
looked over at her.
WANDERINGS
June has been so busy that we haven’t gotten too far from home,
but July promises to be much more exciting. We did make it to Fort Collins,
Colorado to meet up with friends and listen to one of my favorite bands,
Ozomatli. Awesome time!
WHAT I’M READING AND NOTABLE NOVELS
I’m currently reading The Drought by JG Ballard. Next up, Mothers
of a Nation: Jacob’s Wives (Remarkable Women of the Bible) by Carlene Havel
and Sharon Faucheux.
ADDITIONAL INFO: Find all of my books on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Kim-McMahill/e/B007IK0EJW/ and follow my
Amazon author page for notifications on new releases. Most of my books are also
available through the other major online book sellers. For timely updates on my
work and what I’m up to, follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KimMcMahillAuthor/.
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As always, thank you for sharing in my fictional and real-life
adventures.
Kim
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