Terri Talley Venters,
Author of Carbon
Copy
Terri
received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation
from the University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black
Belt in Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband,
Garrison, and their two sons.
Carbon Copy is the 1st
thrilling novel in the Elements of Mystery Series. The title of each
novel will contain an element from the Periodic Table of Elements. Terri
recently finished writing Tin Roof,
the sequel to Carbon Copy, coming
soon from Wild Child Publishing. And Terri’s
romantic/suspense novel, Body of Gold, is coming soon from Freya’s
Bower. For more about Terri’s upcoming releases, please visit her website http://www.elementsofmystery.com/ Terri is the daughter of Leslie
S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones
which is also available from Wild Child Publishing.
On
the first of each month, Terri also posts free short stories on her blog.
Follow her at http://www.territalleyventers.blogspot.com/as
she weaves her way through the Periodic Table of Elements.
Available from
Carbon Copy
By: Terri Talley Venters
Lilly Allen has brains, beauty, and a
trust fund. She's living in New York City and her career as a reporter is
taking off. She's hoping the love of her life, Grier, will propose soon. She
has it all, or so she thinks.
Grier Garrison, Create Life
executive, is running the company while his father, Dr. Michael Garrison, is in
the ICU awaiting a heart transplant. Grier knows the truth about Create Life
and its shady side business. He fears Lilly and her twin brother, Luke, are in
danger.
While working on two unrelated
stories, stolen newborns and cloning, Lilly discovers a shocking connection.
Horrific things are happening, but who is behind it all?
Terri has also included one of her short story elements.
HELIUM
Aurora lounged in her cocoon of luxury. She caressed the soft skin of
her curvaceous figure. Her exposed belly appeared flattened with muscles. A
long, silk skirt hung low around her hips. Her beaded brassiere sparkled with
sequins. Colorful scarves adorned her head. Long black hair hung to her waist,
shimmering under an exquisitely jeweled headpiece.
She couldn’t complain about her exorbitant surroundings. Rich tapestries draped the walls of her
bedroom. The enormous bed easily accommodated ten women. Plenty of room for a sultan and his harem.
But only she occupied its satin sheets and vibrantly colored silken pillows.
Her head, cradled in opulence, dreamed of escaping from her solitary
confinement. She’d lost track of time. How long had she been here? She
craved human contact. Imprisonment kept her from the outside world. With no windows and no doors, Aurora nearly
lost her mind.
She could never leave this room. Not unless her master allowed it. She
wondered what had happened to him. Hours turned to days, days into weeks, and
weeks into months. What if he never
returned? Did anyone else know he’d trapped her in this room?
“Aurora, I’m home,” her master said, his voice resonated the air.
Aurora smiled with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see him,
couldn’t wait to abandon the solitude of her surroundings.
She stood up and adjusted her scarves just so. She checked her
appearance in the mirror, pleased with her beautiful reflection. She walked to
the center of the room, waiting for her master to release her.
Aurora’s eager form shifted into a gaseous state. The helium rose her
spirit up into the air. She ascended upwards, exiting through the roof of her
bedroom. She landed before her master. Her form relinquished it’s gaseous
state, returning her to a human-like existence.
“Hello, Master,” the genie said, finally released from her bottle.
Love the short story, Terri! One of my favorite elements so far. Can't wait to read Carbon Copy!
ReplyDeleteYou'll enjoy it, Chad, I did. It's a good read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me Carol. Honored to be the first!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Chad. Glad you enjoyed my short story, Helium. I hope to write all 110 of the named elements from the Periodic Table and put it together as a collection. I'm up to 29.
You're welcome, Terri. It's a pleasure to have you here.
ReplyDeleteI love the twist at the end, Terri. Fun story!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marci! Glad you enjoyed Helium. I enjoy writing these short stories with surprise twists at the end. It's fun to write from an unique POV revealed at the end. Thanks for stopping by.=)
ReplyDelete