April 2018 – Jeff Coleman Writes

In Hiding

By Jeff Coleman / April 25, 2018 April 25, 2018 / Fantasy, Flash Fiction

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Rhonda stood at the edge of a prim, neatly trimmed lawn. Watched the man who lived there go outside at precisely 7:45 a.m. to retrieve his copy of the Orange County Register. Gazed at him as if from a distance while he peered in her direction from only five feet away with unseeing eyes, holding a newspaper she knew he would never read.

It had been seven years since she left her husband to go into hiding, since she donned the glamour of invisibility to protect a dangerous secret. Seven years, and the loss still hurt, still burned deep inside her chest—a merciless, unquenchable fire that only intensified with time.

“I love you,” she whispered. The air in her lungs rattled as she choked back a sob.

The people she was hiding from would do whatever it took to steal her secret. She couldn’t let him be a part of that.

And yet…

Even now, seven years after her disappearance, he still hadn’t remarried, still hadn’t removed the gold wedding ring from his finger.

She could go to him now. She could explain what had happened and why she’d had to leave. She could tell him she still loved him, tell him she was sorry and that she would never leave again.

So many ifs and coulds. So many missed opportunities. Why hadn’t she returned? He would have wanted to share this burden with her. He would have risked his life if it meant remaining a part of hers. So why the hell had she not gone back already?

Why the hell not?

Hope kindled in her chest, momentarily smothering the fire that had burned there these past seven years. She would charge up the concrete walk, knock on the door, and when her faithful, loyal husband answered, she would let the invisible barrier fall from her figure like rain and take him into her arms as she had so long ago.

* * *

When Sam opened the door, there was no one there.

“Hello?”

He scanned the porch, the mailbox, the street at the end of the walk.

Alone.

Just some kids playing a prank, he thought, yet something stirred deep inside, something he hadn’t felt since Rhonda disappeared.

He hesitated a moment longer, then receded back into the shadows, closing the door behind him.

He didn’t see the woman fleeing down the street, though she’d been standing right in front of him.

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©2018 Jeff Coleman. All rights reserved. For reproduction rights, please contact the author (who happens to be a kind and eminently reasonable man.) Unless otherwise stated, images are copyrighted by various artists and licensed by Shutterstock.

I’ll Send You a Signed Hardcover Copy of “Snapshots”

By Jeff Coleman / April 20, 2018 April 16, 2018 / Announcements, Books

If you pledge to my Patreon campaign at the $2 level or above, I’ll send you a signed hardcover copy.

Please note that this offer is only available to new patrons. Unfortunately, former patrons aren’t eligible. If you’re an existing $5 or $10 patron, don’t worry: you’re going to get a copy 🙂 To my existing $2 patrons, I can’t afford to send you one for free (I really wanted to), but I do plan to offer the book to you guys at cost in a few months when I return to the States to visit family and can order and sign more copies, so stay tuned.

Please note that Patreon pledges are recurring monthly charges. I post four paid pieces of flash fiction on the platform per month, which means a $2 pledge amounts to $8 per month. If that’s too much, you can make a $2 pledge, then set a lower monthly limit so you won’t go over your budget.

If you don’t want to become a patron, don’t worry: I’ll provide information at a later date about how to order a normal non-signed copy (paperback or hardcover) through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

I had to order and sign a limited number of books in California before returning to my wife in the Philippines, so there are only 10 copies available.

That means if you want one, you should act soon 😉 When I do these promotions, it usually takes me two days to give away 10-15 books.

Books will ship out May 7, 2018, after the first round of pledges have been processed.

Your first pledge must process successfully in order to receive the book, but after that, you’re free to cancel for any reason, no questions asked.

Here are the rules (there are only three.)

1. You must have a shipping address in the United States. I try to make these offers available in other countries, but because this is my own book that I’ll be mailing out from a US address, I have to be more selective. A huge apology to my international friends 🙁

2. You must become a patron at or above the $2 level on or before Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time, and your first pledge at the beginning of May must process successfully before I can ship out the book. After that, you’re free to cancel, no questions asked.

3. This offer is only available to new patrons. Unfortunately, former patrons aren’t eligible.

That’s it!

Once you become a patron, I’ll send you an email to request your shipping address. Then, once your first pledge clears at the beginning of May, I’ll ship out your signed book.

To become a patron and receive your signed hardcover copy of Snapshots: The Collected Flash Fiction of Jeff Coleman, Volume 1, click the “Become a patron” button below.