Maria writes cozy mysteries, romantic fantasy, paranormal mysteries, urban fantasy and has just completed a ghost story. Audio books for some of her novels can be found on google play or kobo books.
Introduction to Author Maria Schneider
It's gardening season again! I go out every morning to water and plant. Had just started the sprinkler, when I realized a bird had become tangled in the support strings hanging off the tomato cages used to prop up large tomato vines.
Upon closer inspection the fluttering, frantic "bird" was actually a baby dragon. "Not again," I muttered. Dragons were so temperamental. Birds couldn't singe me while I freed them either.
"Okay, you. Hold still." I shut the water off, leaving the poor baby dripping. His dark blue head feathers hadn't yet hardened into spines. Most of his iridescent scales were a mix of brown, light yellow and white. Later in life he'd probably turn more beige and sage to match the desert terrain.
I retrieved clippers from my garden cart, an old rag that used to be a kitchen towel and approached slowly. The dragon's eyes were huge, wide orbs staring piteously up at me.
"You're gonna hafta hold still," I ordered. "I'll cut you free." Scissors would be a better tool, but I hated to leave him there, dripping, sad, and at his young age, vulnerable.
"Do not flame me," I instructed, cutting at string behind him. This particular piece of twine wasn't holding him at all, but he needed to adjust to my intent. Snip, Snip. The string frayed instead of cutting clean, but I kept at it. The dragon's snout was wide open in distress.
"Gimme a couple of minutes and you'll be free." I ran the old towel down his back, squeegeeing his scales and accidentally smashing down a few feathers. He looked worse for it, but he barely dripped anymore. I finally freed one clawed foot. Predictably, he tried to fly, but his wing still had a cotton string running under and around. I latched onto it and half pulled, half cut the threads. He shredded the rest of the string and left a pretty good sized trench in the back of my hand from a toothy, smokey strike.
"Dammit!" I snatched my hand back. "Ease up, little one!" More cutting and suddenly he squawked, much like a bird, and bounced off the wire gate. He was still pathetically wet and in such a hurry, he splatted rather ungracefully onto the ground face-first.
A large shadow covered the sun, put...
A contemporary Western tale of survival.
Which is worse, the guns of New York or the dangerous desert of New Mexico?
In 1976, the best a kid in Harlem can hope for is to work for the mob or pick up extra bucks as an informer. It may be too late for Rand, but that won't stop him from trying to save his brother, Bo. When strangers appear on the streets of Harlem, Rand hatches a crazy plan to use them to send Bo to a place that is so desolate and removed from Harlem that no one will dare follow him.
Once there, all Bo has to do is find a way to stay alive.
Christina had no choice when she helped rescue Bo by hiding him deep in the desert. But can she lead both the mafia and the FBI away permanently? Or will her growing attraction to Warren, the FBI agent, ruin everything?
Soul of the Desert was shortlisted in the CWA's Dagger Debut competition in 2003
Título : Soul of the Desert
EAN : 9781370648443
Editorial : Maria Schneider
El libro electrónico Soul of the Desert está en formato ePub
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