Mystery/Suspense
Don't Blink Twice
Be still, my heart. I was invited to contribute to a collection of mystery, thriller, and suspense novellas by an extraordinary group of authors. Let me tell you why I am humbly grateful to be published along with:
- 4 USA Today bestsellers
- 1 Publisher’s Weekly bestseller
- 1 New York Times bestseller
- 1 Daphne du Maurier Award Winner
- 2 Amazon bestsellers.
These dear authors are trying to lift people like me to become bestsellers by combining readership and amassing sales in one week. You can help. On October 13th, click the preorder tab below and buy the collection for just 99 cents.
More about my contribution is below.
Mark your calendar and help us make history!
Ebook Available October 13 for 99 cents!
Guardian of the Galleries
Adulting comes hard for a prodigy who has spent her childhood trying to fit in. Now 22, she has a master's degree in art history, a broken heart, a job at an art gallery, and an arrest record. She's trying to stay out of trouble, but trouble finds her.
Sneak peek:
1
Saturday, November 11, 2023
I’m Francesca Ravida. I work at the Tesoro Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida. On the second Saturday of the month, businesses in the downtown Grand Central District support the galleries and shops by staying open until 9 p.m. for the Art Walk. My 90-day probation period has ended. Now I’m eligible for promotion to manager. For that to happen, the gallery owners must agree on the promotion. They don’t agree on much. Uncle Marcello lives in West Palm, where he oversees the gallery there. The other owner, Enzo Papagiorgios, runs the Sarasota gallery. Enzo dislikes me. I’ve been afraid to ask if it’s because of nepotism or my arrest in Italy.
A master’s degree earns me a diet of peanut butter, crackers, and Ramen noodles, and rent for a tiny house in a declining neighborhood.
Since five o’clock, Enzo has been edging around the gallery like an uninvited guest rather than an owner.
Three middle-aged couples wander into the gallery. Smartly dressed, they’ve probably come from a restaurant along the marina or the Vinoy Resort beyond the rebuilt two-story pier. More couples and singles flow into the gallery, creating a happy hum of conversation with champagne-guzzling college students.
Tonight’s turnout signals the start of tourist season. In addition to people on holiday, Canadians and Midwesterners migrate to the Gulf Coast this time of year to thaw. Amid the ruckus, Uncle Marcello calls my name. In my knee-length little black dress, I dart between clusters of patrons to him. When did he arrive? He clutches my elbow just below the sleeve. I gawk at his outfit.
“Madame Lemieux, je vous présente Francesca Ravida.” Thus, having done his duty, Marcello disappears into the crowd as much as possible, wearing a purple silk suit and a pink shirt.
For a prodigy, I am prone to bouts of utterly profound social failure. Smart enough to recognize them in hindsight, but not quick enough to prevent them, I am my worst enemy. The next time someone asks why I’m single, this evening will be the reference.
- Francesca Ravida
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