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    Castle's Keep
    Castle's Keep
    Castle's Keep
    Ebook94 pages1 hour

    Castle's Keep

    By Linda Mooney

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    He was a man angry at an accident which left him forever incapacitated. She was a woman disfigured and empty.

    Add one immense painting imbued with a magical ability, and the resulting enchantment changed more than just their lives.

    It changed their world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLinda Mooney
    Release dateMar 24, 2015
    ISBN9780985930097
    Author

    Linda Mooney

    Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel. A wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Kindergarten and music teacher, she lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast where she delves into other worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love. She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's Author of the Year, and her book My Strength, My Power, My Love was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book Lord of Thunder was named the Epic Ebook "Eppie" Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance. In addition, she write naughty erotic romances under the name of Carolyn Gregg, and horror under the pseudonym of Gail Smith. For more information about Linda Mooney books and titles, and to sign up for her newsletter, please visit her website. http://www.LindaMooney.com

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    • 5/5
      Lovely fairy tale about second chances. Wish it was longer.

    Book preview

    Castle's Keep - Linda Mooney

    One

    The reprint cost twenty-eight hundred dollars, which was way too expensive for her budget. But there was no way Johana could tear herself away from the exquisite detail of the picture. It was as though someone had taken a good look inside her head and then turned her dreams into reality.

    As far back as she could remember, Johana loved castles, especially fairy tale castles. Tales of witches and wizards, fairies and unicorns, and dragons with their fiery breaths challenging knights of old had filled her dreams since she was four years old. She had grown up reading Tolkien, Baum, and Anderson. She even owned a collection of several first editions of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast, and that didn’t even include what was contained in her digital video library.

    For the umpteenth time her eyes traveled down to the signature scribbled in ink. It wasn’t as much a signature as it was a wide scrawl—W W C. Then just below it in neat pencil, 50/200, meaning it was the fiftieth print of a limited print run of two hundred copies. Furthermore, the little brass plate beside it told her all she needed to know:

    CASTLE’S KEEP by Warren William Castle

    A soft groan came from Johana’s chest. The picture was incredible. Although not intense, it gripped her emotionally nonetheless. For someone like her who loved to dream of dwelling in such a mystical place, the painting gave her a sense of longing to become a part of its landscape that it literally hurt to turn her back on it and walk away.

    Once she arrived back at her tiny office she immediately did an internet search on the painting’s name and creator.

    Castle’s Keep, by Warren William Castle, twenty-first century painter. Reprinted in a limited edition run of two hundred. Original undetermined, although estimated to be oils. Subject: fantasy. Multi-towered castle sitting on edge of lake, surrounded by forest and background of mountains in the distance. Primarily grays and greens, with stark white accents on off-centered focus.

    The description was bland and did nothing to convey the mesmerizing elements she had discovered in the reprint. The reprint, she kept reminding herself. If the reprint could drag her heart into its vision, imagine what the original could do!

    Quickly, she reversed her search and hunted for a biography of the artist.

    Warren William Castle (1984- )

    Residence: South Suddey, VT

    Known work(s): Castle’s Keep (oils on canvas)

    Biography:  Father Brenden Warren Castle, dec., part owner of Kohn & Castle Minerals, who made his fortune in copper mining. Mother Anita Crystal Emmerts Castle, dec., Prof. of Fine Arts at the University of Bellaire in Vermont. Siblings, none.

    Well, hell, Johana muttered to herself. The biography didn’t give her any more information than the slender brochure from the gallery contained.

    Leaning back in her chair, she paused to recall the glowing, almost realistic details of the reprint. Whoever had done the reproduction work had done an outstanding job. The color palette was almost ethereal in its replication. But the nagging questions she’d had since the beginning were still with her. How big was the original, and why was it no one knew what its medium was? That oils on canvas remark was a cop-out, used by most sources as a close guesstimate whenever the actual medium was undetermined.

    Furthermore, why weren’t there any other works out by this man, this Warren William Castle? Sure, a true artist may have just one known superb piece of art to make his name, but there had to be a room filled with unreleased originals—unfinished attempts, completed but unworthy canvases and rough sketches.

    Did Castle prefer landscapes over models? Did he draw his inspirations from real life episodes or his imagination?

    Apparently, from what little she’d read, Castle’s mother had given him his impetus to create. If that was the case, and since Castle only had the one picture to credit to his name, then what did the man do for a living?

    A phone call.

    Smiling, Johana searched the internet for the South Suddey telephone directory, then called the county tax office.

    Meeshoo County Tax Office. How can I help you?

    Yes, hello! My name is Johana Reese. I’m with Bingalow and Murphy Publications. We handle mostly non-fiction work like art books and museums. I’m trying to find information about Warren William Castle, and I understand he lives in South Suddey. Is that correct?

    Oh, yes! That’s right. Mr. Castle lives sixteen miles from here, just off state road 63.

    That’s wonderful! Could you tell me where I might find Mr. Castle during the day? I’m wanting to interview him for an article.

    The woman’s tone dropped considerably. Miss Reese, I’m sorry. How much of Mr. Castle’s life are you aware of?

    Johana gave an embarrassed laugh. Very little, I’m afraid. Why? What do I need to know?

    He doesn’t give interviews. Not since the accident.

    Accident? Immediately Johana’s ears perked up. An accident could explain why the man had just the one painting. A promising future cut short by tragedy. Oh, yes, that would play very well with the readers.

    Thank you for that information. I didn’t know there had been an accident. What can you tell me about it? Propping the receiver against her shoulder, Johana quickly began taking notes on her laptop.

    It happened three years ago. It was a skiing accident, actually, the woman on the other end of the line explained. One of those freakish things. He hit a tree and broke his neck. It’s a miracle he survived, but the poor man’s been a quadriplegic ever since then. There’s a health care nurse who takes care of him around the clock now.

    Johana paused, stunned by the news. Oh, I’m so sorry!

    That’s okay, the woman assured her. It’s not common knowledge, although most of us in town know about it. Were you wanting to talk to him about his painting?

    Y-yes, I was.

    That castle one, right? Isn’t it one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen?

    Experience had taught Johana to take whatever information she could glean from any source available.  Making a mental note to herself that this was coming to her second-hand, she pushed on. Have you seen the original? Do you know where it’s located?

    It has to be at the Castle estate, the woman commented. When his father died a few years ago, Bill inherited a goodly amount of money, from what I’ve heard. Now, mind you, I don’t have all the facts. But I know he wanted to become an artist until the accident cut that dream short. So he had his law firm find someone out of New York to do the reprints.

    Well, if he won’t interview in person, maybe I can talk to him by phone, then? Is there a number where I can reach Mr. Castle? Johana inquired, busily typing.

    Oh, sorry. It’s unlisted, and I’m not at liberty to give it out, the woman apologized. Is there anything else I can help you with?

    "No, thank you.

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