Link to print book
Blurb:
To his horror, Dr. Salinger witnesses strange disco-like spheres emerging from humans moments after death. Convinced that he is exposing an alien invasion, he wages a one-man-war against what he assumes to be ‘evil' intruders.
When a glittering tornado seeks out his newly pregnant wife, he is convinced the extra terrestrials will genetically engineer an ‘alien Hitler' inside his wife's womb. To save mankind, he poisons the baby with dire consequences for his wife.
Dr. Salinger soon realizes that the spheres are not alien at all, but the ultimate key to our existence-human souls! In a last ditch effort to save his dying wife, he constructs a body suit from a bizarre material which should keep ‘bad souls' from leaving earth. The countdown begins as he slips the neon "life vest" over her frail body.
Excerpt:
her
I couldn't believe it had actually worked! I had only seen this place in dreams, until now. God knows how many times I had asked for just one more vision of her. Through some sort of miracle he had answered the impossible request and we were about to meet again - for the first time. My heart pounded in the anticipation of seeing my angel.
Downtown Albany remained bleak and ghostly, as I had always imagined. The only sense of life rested in the eerie window lighting of the small shops and the twinkling bulbs on the theatre's marquee down the street. Noises were few and far between, the most distinct coming from an occasional train. The site would have bored anyone else, but I knew the extraordinary wonders that awaited me a few glorious moments away.
The soft green glow of Bacharini's cafe sign reminded me of the hundreds of times we had walked through the sleepy city to find ourselves in the "cozy" corner, laughing and making fun of random people. Across the street sat Russ's Jewelry store. The red-flavored illumination of the store's door had drawn me inside to purchase the engagement ring I would later present to her during one of our nightly strolls. I wanted to break down and cry, but the thought of hearing her soft angelic voice soon helped pull me together. More astounding moments raced inside my head while passing Luigi's Pizza Palace, the scene of our very first date. Even before that very first official date, I knew she would be with me, forever.
"God, what a fucking geek!" I said to my dim reflection in the store window. "You actually talked to me looking like Authorthis?" I had no idea why she had even taken the time to talk to a nerd, let alone one looking like such a dumb ass. My perfectly feathered hair looked reasonably cool, but the tight, tough skins and red high tops weren't that happening - even in those times. I knew it couldn't have been the ridiculous "letterless" letterman jacket my mom had surprised me earlier in the week with. I could only laugh while walking toward her.
My legs quickened their pace as the marquee's barrage of twinkling lights neared. After passing the cinema, there would be a right turn at Burke's candy store, then a quick left after a voyage through a dark alley - where Dr. Dazzle's neon toy store would be. It wasn't a bizarre inner longing to see all those blinking and revolving toys again -it was destiny arriving. That was where we would meet and begin our first of a thousand walks together. I couldn't wait any longer-neither could my legs. A slight rain started to fall as I sprinted toward her.
Darting through the creepy alley, a soft shadow of neon reflected on the rain-slicked pavement ahead. The soft illumination couldn't arrive close enough as my arms swung back and forth. In just a few strides she'd be right in front of me. Out from the alley, I leaped into the green glow like a frog jumping to a comforting lily.
There she was. Excitement surged through my body as my wife and best friend of nearly twenty-five years stood beneath the ledge, staring inside the window of Dr. Dazzle's.
Author Bio:
Dr. Troy Saling is a recent graduate of Western States Chiropractic College in Portland Oregon. In his debut novel Again, Dr. Saling draws on real-life experiences to take us on a fascinating journey into the unknown.
For more information visit: www.troysaling.com
Reviews:
