Hello! This month on my website, Woolaston Entertainment, I’m focusing on ebooks, both current and upcoming. The first book in my new series, Lucia and the Saints, should be available either July 6 or July 7, and I plan to release a new volume every week this month. Until then, here’s a sample of the first chapter of the first book. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Lucia Calderon

    “What you must first understand, is that nothing lasts forever. None of us are immortal, and every relationship must eventually end. We are given one life that we can be certain of, and we must do the best we can with that one life.”

    They stood before her; these twelve girls from all walks of life, like disciples receiving the Word. They stood in a huddle on the front lawn of the place they now called home: a sprawling New Orleans mansion. It had taken two and a half weeks to make the place livable, but working in shifts, they had managed to get the work done. The mansion had been a dilapidated mess at first sight: broken windows, peeling paint, weeds growing up the outer walls, and a lawn that was in need of serious care. And that was only the outside. Inside, there were walls that needed to be cleaned and/or painted, broken furniture that needed to be removed, floors that needed to be swept and mopped, and so on and so on. Twelve young women and the fearless leader, had rolled up their sleeves and worked together, and completely remodeled the house. The outside was painted beige with white shutters on either side of every window. Southern magnolias lined the pathway that led to the front door. The front door, was painted white, and the old doorknob was replaced with a solid brass knob, and partnered with four locks. Inside, the marble floor was cleaned and polished, and a large, round wooden table was in the center, taking up some of the space between the double staircase. Upstairs, were fifteen bedrooms, with only thirteen in use. The kitchen had all new stainless steel appliances, and marble countertops. The cabinets were white with gold knobs. The island in the center held the massive sink, with plenty of room to spare.

    The local hardware and furniture stores had become accustomed to seeing them. When they weren’t picking up more paint and tools, they were picking out furniture. The grocery stores knew them, too. Their refrigerator was the last item to arrive for the house, so they didn’t have a place to keep food. Instead, they found themselves heading to the store every day, picking up items that had to be eaten the same day.

    A delivery truck slowly made its way up the long driveway, towards the front of the house. The twelve girls stepped aside and watched it as it pulled up, and two men in gray coveralls climbed out. One of them was holding a clipboard, with several sheets of paper attached to it. He looked around at all of the female faces. “Lucia Calderon?”

    The woman who had addressed the crowd only moments ago, stepped down from the front porch. “I’m Lucia,” she said, brushing away a lock of long brown hair that had fallen across her face. “Do you have my Fleur de Lis?”

    The man with the clipboard smiled at her and nodded. “I’ve got it right here in the truck,” he said. “I just need you to sign for it.” He handed her the clipboard and a pen, and watched as she signed her name at the bottom of the top sheet of paper. She handed it back to him, and he tore off the sheet underneath, and handed it to her.  The other man walked around to the rear of the truck and opened the double-doors. The girls watched in silent awe, as the two men worked together to pull an extremely large box, out of the truck, and set it upon the ground. They open the top, and began to pull away the sides of the box, revealing it’s precious cargo. It was a large Fleur de Lis, carved out of mahogany. “Here it is,” the first man said proudly, as though he had carved the symbol himself. “Five feet tall, four and a half feet wide, and solid mahogany. It was coated with a special waterproof seal, just like you asked. Where do you want it?”

    Lucia turned towards the porch, and pointed to a space just beyond the steps. “Right there, if you would,” she said. The men nodded, and carefully lifted the carving, and carried it up the short flight of steps, placing it where their customer had requested. There were little sighs of admiration from the twelve girls. The men shook Lucia’s hand, gathered the sides of the box, and departed.

    “It’s really amazing,” one of the girls said. “Isn’t it?”

    “The picture online didn’t do it any justice,” Lucia said. “But, here it is, on our front porch. Our new symbol.  From now on, ladies, we’re not just a group of women sharing a house. We’re going to help people, as best we can. From now on, we are The Saints.”

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