#RainbowSnippets 19-May-2018 – The Recruit

Addison Albright

8 years ago

I’ve joined the Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook. From their description: “Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).” Pretty cool, eh? Don’t forget to “Like” my Facebook page and/or my Facebook profile while you’re over there checking out this fantastic group!

I’m snipping from The Recruit, a 21k-word novella due out at JMS Books on June 16. For context, Phillip has been selected for recruit by the local vampire faction. He was approached by Albert while walking in the park, and an offer to join the vampires’ ranks has been extended.

Blurb:

Albert Manlii has walked this earth for more than two thousand years, but survival on his own was never easy. Now he leads a faction of highly organized vampires who carefully guard the secret of their existence. Unlike the old days, potential recruits are carefully selected and presented with an offer.

Phillip Brewer has weeks to live—if he lets his disease run its course. He doesn’t want to die, but given a choice, will his desire to live outweigh his concerns about the vampires’ ethics?

When the new recruit’s missteps are cause for concern, can Albert control the fallout, or will Phillip’s life once again be torn apart?

If you want a refresher of earlier snippets in this thread, click the spoiler tags, below:

The Recruit – 5-May-2018

[Phillip] “How long do I have to make a decision?” [Albert] “I’m afraid I’ll need an answer before we part company today.”

Phillip bit his lip and gazed around the park. Albert had looked around before the arm demonstration. Presumably to make sure nobody was watching. But, the same people Phillip had noticed before had remained in their same positions, and Albert hadn’t been concerned about them.

Phillip wasn’t sure how they’d do it, but clearly he wasn’t walking away from here if he declined the offer. They had too much on the line. He’d planned on killing himself within a few hours anyway, so that didn’t actually frighten him.

The Recruit – 12-May-2018

But did it turn him off from wanting to become one of them? Knowing that, despite Albert’s words, they weren’t entirely above killing people to protect their secret?

Killing someone who was dying anyway wasn’t a valid excuse in a court of law. But could it pass his own ethical bar?

If he’d wanted to let his disease run its course, he’d have had maybe another two weeks to live. Personally, he felt they would be doing him a favor, but there were people who would have wanted to hang on to every last minute.

Told from Phillip’s 3rd-person POV.

This Week’s Snippet:

The Recruit – 19-May-2018

Did those few weeks of a single human’s life weigh more than the potential lives of what was likely hundreds…maybe thousands of vampires? Worldwide it could be tens of thousands. Or even hundreds of thousands. And if a legitimate claim to the vampires’ existence was made, it could truly cost them all.

He didn’t like it, but he understood it. Maybe he was being selfish, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker.

“Okay.” Phillip lifted his chin and stared into Albert’s eyes. “Where do we do this?”

Info

EBOOK
Release Date: June 16, 2018 @ JMS Books, LLC
Length: Novella / 69 pages (PDF) / 22,181 words
Cost: $3.99
ISBN: 1634866668 / 978-1634866668
ASIN: __________

Heat Rating: 2 flames – Subtle – Sensual, but not explicit. Physical interaction beyond kissing and touching is implied and/or described in general terms. Emotions emphasized over graphic description.