Excerpt One:
The Spectrum’s engines roared, providing thrust to power the plane to takeoff speed as it lurched ahead down the runway. The plane’s power was evident as the acceleration force held them in their seats. This plane was designed to go fast, and the cabin was surprisingly quiet. As they hit takeoff speed, Taylor pulled back, and the nose lifted off the ground, followed shortly by the rest of the plane. The landing gear retracted immediately into the fuselage.
The passengers quietly stared out the large porthole windows as the Goose climbed out of Tucson. It was almost dusk, and Lukas spotted thousands of saguaro cacti dotting the sides of mountains that cast distorted shadows that looked like goblins. The exhilarating views captivated everyone. That is, for everyone except Donna, who sat rigid in her seat, hands clenched and her eyes squeezed shut. Lukas shot her a thumbs up in thanks to Donna—already not a fan of flying, but all in for a fifteen-hour flight halfway around the world just to support her friend. The plane’s angle leveled off, and soon Taylor emerged from the cockpit, curious how well the passengers had settled into their home for the next fifteen hours. Linda and Betty had their eyes shut, as Donna distracted herself with her laptop.
Taylor walked back to the crew stateroom for a few minutes. He and Diego had a brief conversation before Diego walked up to the cockpit. Lukas moved toward the back of the plane to set up his inflight internet connection and workspace. Linda and Betty awoke, startled and disoriented after their brief power nap, while Donna adjusted their seats to face each other, a small table between them. Betty remarked that it reminded her of a train.
“How’re you doing?” Taylor asked Lukas.
“Just trying to get set up here. I’ve got a lot of work to do on the way to Dubai. I need to connect with my team in Croatia to get some data and ideas on how I can get this ransom together. It’s still early morning there, so I’ll wait a few hours.”
“Why don’t you get some sleep until then?” Taylor suggested. I’m gonna try to myself. You mind?” Taylor pointed to the empty seat next to Lukas.
“Of course not.” Lukas stood to let him in. Taylor sat and reclined his seat. “I changed my mind. I’ll let the kids do the first leg, then I’ll replace one of them, and we rotate like that.”
Lukas saw that his mom and her friends were already starting to doze off, no doubt tired from the frenetic day. “Why don’t you sleep with me?” Taylor said, and then caught himself. “I mean not with me but next to me—you know what I mean. You make me all tongue-tied, Dr. Halloran.”
“Sure, I could use a nap. I’m relieved we’re finally on our way.” Lukas reclined his seat to the same angle as Taylor’s. The cabin was mostly dark, except for the LED accent lights that glowed a cool blue.
Taylor reached out and touched Lukas’ hand. “Is this okay?” He then intertwined his fingers with Lukas’. “This is better than okay. Sleep tight.” Lukas raised their joined hands and kissed the back of Taylor’s. Pretty soon, their hands were on each other’s thighs.
Heat rose from Taylor’s athletic legs.
Despite the sadness, stress, and emotion of this week, Lukas appreciated the kind soul sleeping next to him. As he was resting, Lukas suddenly felt a rush of panic. What am I doing? Random memories of Drew raced through his head as he tried to calm himself. He tried to rationalize his thoughts. Yes, I just met this guy. Yes, I promised myself I’d never get hurt again. But he’s such a nice man. What if he’s psycho? He pulled his hand away from Taylor and eventually calmed his mind and drifted off to sleep. When Lukas woke up, he noticed his mother sitting with her eyes open, staring at nothing, either deep in thought or terrified of something. Lukas walked over to her. “Ma, are you doing okay?”
“I think I’m okay. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“I know. This has got to be tough for you...” “Honey, I’m not talking about your father. Of course, I’m concerned about him, but it’s only a matter of time until we can see him, hopefully.”
AUTHOR Bio:
E. William Podojil has worked as a writer, advisor and international business executive while living in the Netherlands and the United States. He studied screenwriting at UCLA. His first novel, The Tenth Man, was published in 2004, by Haworth Press. His latest novel, The Poseidon Project, will be published by Wild Rose Press in August, 2024 as the first book in the Herb Society Mysteries series.
Podojil currently resides in Northeast Ohio with his husband and three sons. He travels extensively and writes about his experiences on his website www.ewpodojil.com.
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MY THOUGHTS
The Poseidon Project is written by E. William Podojil. This is book one in the Herb Society Mystery series. This is a new to me author, and I will definitely be continuing to read this series. This book drew me in within the first few pages. This is a different type of read for me - with such diverse characters but the author did a good job on keeping readers on their toes.
Molly's husband, John, is kidnapped, and she sets out on an adventure to rescue him.She taps into some old friends known as the Herb society - and she sets off to Dubai with her son, his fiance and ladies from the Herb Society. John is being held for a steep ransom. They soon find out that although they are ready to pay the ransom, that there is more then one person that needs serving. This book moves at a fast pace that will keep you turning pages deep into the night.
The author has done a really good job in taking readers on an adventure. I felt like I had taken a trip around the world. We travel from Arizona, to Dubai and then deeper into the Middle East. The story is well written, the storyline engaging.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Goddess Fish Promotions for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.
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