Affairs of the Heart by Maxine Douglas Page B

in a thousand different directions!
    Why oh why
doesn’t he know I’m here waiting for him?
    Hanna continued to watch
him, close enough to touch him but not daring to. If only he’d turn
around and really see her things would be alright. When he finally
stopped staring out into the bay her heart leapt. Had he felt her?
Then he looked right at her and she smiled rejoicing but he seemed
to look through her. Oh no. He headed down into the Isolation Ward.
Hanna was a ghost. He would never see her. She had to accept
that.
     

     
    Cole Masterson takes a
ghost hunting gig aboard the Queen
Mary to find out why pictures of his
great-grandfather and Hanna Amery are in an old locket.
    Hanna Amery finds the love
she left behind on The Grey Ghost housed in the body of Cole Masterson, she just
needs to figure out how to get to him.
    What happens when they find each other on
opposite planes of the Universe?
     
    Get your download today and then post a
review!
    www.museituppublishing.com / www.amazon.com
     
    The Queen © 2013 by Maxine Douglas
    MuseItUp Publishing
    14878 James, Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, H9H
1P5
     
     

 
    NASHVILLE RISING STAR
    Contemporary Novella by Maxine Douglas
     
     
    Born into the Nashville music scene, things
hadn’t come easily for the youngest son of Will Sheridan and
younger brother to James Sheridan. For most of his life, Utah
Sheridan had lived in and chafed under the shadow of his famous
father. He played in his father’s band instead of his own. He grew
up in the public eye and in what some considered social advantages,
never knowing whether people liked him for himself, to get closer
to his father, or for his own healthy bank account.
    In the next few minutes, he’d step out of his
father’s shadows and perform his original song on the stage of the
Ryman Auditorium during the live taping of Rising Star. It was the
first crucial step into becoming his own man. This competition was
what Utah needed to free him of being “Will’s boy,” and he was not
going to let anyone stop him. All he had to do was continue
performing at the top of his game until Rising Star was complete
and the votes were tallied. In less than two weeks, he’d know
whether he was good enough. Correction. If the voters thought him good enough. For once, his
father had nothing to do with the outcome. It felt good.
    A hush like the quiet before the storm fell
upon the Ryman. Lights dimmed until darkness veiled the audience.
Guitar slung over his shoulder, Utah tried to ignore the shudder
that swept through his six-foot-three-inch frame as his destiny
opened up before him.
    “ Ladies and gentlemen, here to
sing his original song ‘Snowy Firelight,’ please give a warm
welcome to Nashville’s own…Utah Sheridan!”
    The dark, heavy curtain rose from the shadows.
As hot, bright lights illuminated the legendary stage, he felt like
he’d come home. Even so, nervous anticipation rocketed through
Utah’s body, followed by a swell of a cold sweat. Applause
thundered through the packed auditorium.
    He drew in a deep breath before stepping
forward onto the stage.
    Utah took his place with practiced confidence
pushing back his nerves and strummed the first chords of his newest
song. This was the real him, his heart and soul bared for all to
see. He’d never been this edgy performing in front of an audience.
He’d been born into this business. There was no reason for him to
be jumpy as a bull frog.
    Standing on the Ryman stage with a television
audience holding his future in their dialing fingers for the sixth
week didn’t mean he had to feel like some kid on his first date.
But that was exactly how he’d felt since the beginning of this
competition.
    The first verse barely came through the
microphone. If he could hardly hear himself singing, did that mean
the audience couldn’t hear him either?
    Just sing it, man. Just keep on
belting the words out. Don’t stop until it’s over.
     
    Emerald Braun stood in the wings