#SneakPeek – #RiverbendBurning – #Prologue

/ Marcia Meara

I’m a big lover of Prologues (to grab a reader’s attention right off  the bat) and Epilogues (to set up the next book in the series, or to tie up any loose ends.) Because I enjoy reading them, I enjoy writing them, too, even though I know neither is as popular today as they once were. 

With that thought in mind, as I try to get back into Writer Mode, I thought I might share the Prologue I wrote nearly a year ago for my 4th Riverbend book, tentatively entitled Riverbend Burning. For those who’ve read the first three books, you might be interested in knowing that the whole gang is back again: Maggie & Gunn, the Painter Brothers (Jackson, Forrest, and Hunter, with spouses), Lester Purvis and his reptile collection, and more.

Crossing my fingers that some of you will be intrigued by this little preview, and your appetites for more of this story will be whetted. Thanks for reading!

Just After Midnight Friday, May 8, 2015
~~~

Under a Dark, Starless Sky,
Along a Crooked Country Road,
In Pretty Much Nowhere, Florida 

HE STOOD BENEATH a heavy canopy of trees, across the road from an empty, dilapidated barn, watching as a flickering orange light grew and flourished in the dark. Within minutes, flames crept up the weathered wood on each side of the sagging doors, growing larger and brighter every second. Sooner than he’d dreamed possible, they were eating away at the overhanging eaves and pouring through the open door of the loft.

His heart beat faster and faster and joy surged through his soul, as bright and beautiful as the flames in front of him. Riveted, he gazed at the conflagration as it rapidly consumed the entire structure. Within minutes, the barn caved in upon itself. Starved of fuel, the flames shrank lower and lower, then died away, leaving behind nothing but a few charred and broken boards protruding from the mound of ashes. A scattering of glowing embers here and there was all that remained of the inferno he’d created, and then, one by one, even they winked out.

He shivered with pleasure. Oh, yes! It was every bit as exciting as he’d always believed it would be, and though this was the first time he’d dared to see for himself how it would make him feel, he knew it would not be the last.

As he crept back through the woods to the dirt road where he’d left his car, plans for his next glorious blaze were already taking shape. No way would he stop now.

Hope You Enjoyed the Excerpt,
And Thanks Again for Reading!

57 thoughts on “#SneakPeek – #RiverbendBurning – #Prologue”

    • I’m glad the prologue drew you in, Annabelle. And yep, I think skipping them is a fad that can result in a missed opportunity. But the good thing about fads is they don’t stick around forever. And sometimes you can get away with ignoring them completely.

      There’s a reason prologues and epilogues have been used beautifully for a very long time. I agree they aren’t always done well, but that’s true of writing, period. Some books are better than others, right? Not to mention that readers have their own likes and dislikes. Good prologues work for me, so that’s what I aim for.

      Thanks so much for taking the time to read this one and comment on it. I hope you’ll enjoy the story when I get it all wrapped up. Have a great day! 😀 ❤

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    • Glad to know you enjoy prologues, Janet, and yep, you have a sneak peek, as it were, into what’s coming. Nobody else in Riverbend has a clue. Yet. 😀

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking time to read this. I’m feeling very encouraged about returning to this WIP, so we’ll see how it goes. Would love to tie up some loose ends that were left at the conclusion of That Darkest Place. (I never dreamed it would be so long before I could get back to it. Lesson learned, there.)

      Have a great Monday! 😀 ❤

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    • Yay! I will be updating my progress as I work on it, but in the meantime, if you haven’t read the first three in the series, it would help you appreciate this one more. Hope you enjoy them, if you do get a chance to read them, and thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts, Kymber. Have a great Monday! 😀 ❤

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    • That’s exactly the response I was hoping for, Vera! You’ve helped make this morning a great one, and I hope you’ll enjoy Riverbend Burning, if you get a chance to read it. Thanks so much for stopping by and here’s to a great Monday! 😀 ❤

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  8. Hi,

    This is the morning for random thoughts! Things that happen around me, things people say, or references in the news often conjure up old song lyrics. (I heard someone quip once, ³Songs for every occasion, occasions for every song!²) When I read the “Riverbend Burning² title and prologue, I was reminded of the 1972 Deep Purple song, the refrain of which is ³Smoke on the water, fire in the sky.² It¹s about a real fire, but it has nothing to do with your book’s topic, being about an accidental fire, or the Riverbend story arc, but is just a random thought as I get started this morning. If I didn¹t want to say ³Hi² anyway, I wouldn¹t mention it.

    Have great day!

    Dennis

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    • I certainly remember that song, Dennis. Thanks for the reminder, and for stopping by to say hi. (I hope you did get my email of 9/19?) It’s always great to hear from you, and I appreciate you sharing your random thought. (Now I’ll have that song playing in my head all day, but since I like it, that’s okay.)

      Meanwhile … Riverbend Burning is slowly moving along, with or without music accompanying it. 😁

      Hope your Monday is off to a great start, and that you didn’t get any bad storms as Ophelia tore by?

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    • So glad you liked the prologue, Nancy, but alas. I don’t think I’m gonna post every new chapter here. Nope. Wouldn’t be prudent. 😂 Nice try, though. 😁

      Thanks for stopping by today, and hope you’ll get a chance to read the actual book, assuming I ever get it finished! I promise to try my best, though. Have a great Moon’s Day, my friend! 😀 ❤

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    • So do I, HHL, and I suspect the pendulum is beginning to swing back the other way, so I’m stickin’ to my guns and including them both in my books.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you are having a super Monday! 😀 ❤

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    • So glad you liked it, Debby! Now to see if I can really crank out the last half of the book before much longer.

      Thanks for stopping by to let me know your thoughts, and I hope you’ve been having a fabulous Monday! ❤️🤗❤️

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    • Yay! Thanks so much for letting me know, Denise! Now to get the book finished, and “out there,” in hopes that you and others will enjoy the whole thing.

      Thanks so much for stopping by to share your thoughts, and hope you’re having a great Monday! 😀 ❤

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    • Thank you so much, Thomas. (Or do you go by Tom?) I’m glad you enjoyed the peek at the prologue, and that you think my blog looks beautiful. But I’m especially glad that you are planning to read the Riverbend series. I hope you’ll enjoy it. I find that each of my series tends to have a mind of its own, no matter how it starts out.

      I’m looking forward to reading your book, as well. As a past owner of dachshunds, that dog is utterly amazing in comparison, and I want to know more about the breed, as well as your adventures with Bronco.

      Nice to meet you, and again, wishing you huge success with your writing.

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    • Thanks so much, Joan. I’m glad you like this prologue, and I appreciate your stopping by to let me know. I definitely had fun picturing things from this guy’s POV.

      Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to let me know the scene worked for you. Hope your week is off to a good start! 😀 ❤

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    • Thanks so much, Darlene. I’m glad it grabbed your attention, and I’m going to do my best to get the book done and “out there!” Hope you’ll enjoy it when you get the chance to take a look.

      And thanks for stopping by and taking the time to share your thoughts. Hope you have a great week ahead! 😀 ❤

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    • Music to my ears, Jan! Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to let me know your thoughts. Hopefully, I’ll soon be done going over the first 15 chapters, all written a year ago, and will be ready to add #16.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to read this. I appreciate your comments, and hope you have a super rest of the week! 😀 ❤

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    • Thanks so much, Harmony! As soon as I finish going over each of the 15 chapters I wrote a year ago, I’ll start work on #16. I’m looking forward to getting this one done and “out there, and I appreciate your well wishes. Hope you have a great week ahead, my friend!
      🤗❤️🤗

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    • I know exactly what you mean, Yvette. The less time I have for reading, the more books I seem to add to my TBR pile! Urk!

      So glad you enjoyed this prologue preview, and I’ll cross my fingers that you’ll be able to continue the series before too long. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and here’s to a great rest of the week ahead! 😀 ❤

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  21. Consider me hooked! What a great creepy opening. Can’t wait to see where this is headed.

    I’m also glad to know the whole gang will be returning for Riverbend #4–even Lester and his reptiles. Now get busy writing, my friend! 😆 💕

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    • So glad you liked it, Sue, and that you enjoyed that little bit of description. (Seemed a good fit to me when I went with it.)

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to share your thoughts. I really appreciate the input, and hope you are having a great week! 😀 ❤

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