RISK GETTING BURNED

There are many ways of getting burned; stick your hand into a fire, buy a piece of inferior merchandise without guarantee, commit to a relationship with an unstable partner. But the one I reference has nothing to do with those kinds of activities. My book, DANCE WITH THE DEVIL, tells the story of how a good man finds himself at odds with devilish forces. Buddy Wilson contends with evil men and evil spirits as he tries valiantly to save the young woman who's captured his heart. Robin Blaik is the woman, and she has her own moment where she faces eternity, helpless to do anything about it.
One of the visitors to our author roast and toast yesterday, urged me to submit a second excerpt of the book. It was not possible to do that, but I promised I would release one today, and what follows should give the reader a sense of why I named the book as I did. DANCE has moments of fun and gaiety, but in its heart, is a deeply troubling vignette of what happens when kids dabble in Satanism. Based in part on true facts from a quarter century ago, the story deepens to the point where some die, some are maimed, and none escape unscathed.
One caution: the excerpt is graphic and violent and not suitable for youngsters to read. Or, if you are easily frightened.


Excerpt:
Late at night the bad bunch came back into the barn. She could tell by their slurred speech they’d been drinking a lot. This could be a good thing or it could turn out very bad. If they passed out, it would give Buddy time to find her. If they didn’t, there was no way to know what this gang would do next.
Several of them disappeared for a few minutes, and then came back carrying a live goat. She could do nothing but watch as they tethered it to the table in front of her; then moved back when Greg took the sword and stood over the hapless animal.
He grinned at Robin and brought the sword down sharply. The goat’s head bounced off the table and landed by the altar rail with the hapless animal’s blood spurting everywhere. This time he took the bowl and shared it with all the others.
While they were drinking from the bowl, Greg came over and placed the bloody blade to her throat. “What do you think now, bitch?”
“I think you’re sick and need serious help. You going to kill me or will you let me go?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m going to let you go for sure. You’re getting a one way trip to hell.” He turned to the others. “Okay, my brothers. It’s time for our special offering.”
His words froze her heart. What did he mean? Surely not what it seemed. Even crazed as he was, he wouldn’t do that, would he? She fought to avoid passing out. Several pairs of rough hands freed her from the rope and straps, groping her as they did.
She’d been restrained so long her muscles wouldn’t respond when she tried to resist. After thoroughly feeling her up, they lifted her and laid her on her back in the pool of goat’s blood. Before she could cry out, someone slapped a strip of tape over her mouth. Within seconds, she was tied down, spread-eagled, and staring up into Greg’s wild eyes. He stood over her with the sword held high just as he’d done with the goat. Terror squeezed the breath from her body as she watched him poised and ready to strike.

The story doesn't end here, but it gets worse before it gets better, if you can decipher that. I hope you'll have a chance to read DANCE WITH THE DEVIL for yourself. You can see how the story comes out, and hopefully enjoy a saga that reminds us that even in modern times, we are not that much removed from the pioneers who settled the land where the story takes place. Life, indeed, does repeat itself. Viva life!

DANCE WITH THE DEVIL is available at: http://www.museituppublishing.com
Or you can find it at Barnes and Noble, and at Amazon.com and other fine booksellers.