(Edwin’s wife, Lucy, reads the journal written by his mentor, Laozi the former underworld boss. The old man had written about his love Mei Ling, a former call girl who died from syphilis)
Lucy turned the pages and stopped. “Here the last few paragraphs about Mei Ling. Many of the lines are smudged, perhaps tear drops but I can’t tell for sure…fear I may not do justice to the emotions that drove these lines.”
She gathered her thoughts and read in whispers. “I never cheated on her, but she…she did not have a choice. She let time catch her. I placed her in the soil she so loved and beautiful red roses bloomed above her. I like to think it reflected the purity of her heart. She had finally given her body to a worthwhile cause. Men robbed her of everything and even the gods outdid themselves by the manner in which they condemned her to die.” Lucy sniffed and continued.
“Fifteen years later the government reclaimed the land. It was heartless of them to intrude into her privacy, into the nakedness of her death. I wish I did not have to bear witness but she had no one. I was there when they opened her coffin. The wood had held and that crushed me…The government man insisted that I identify her body…Identify her body? No father should bury his child, no man made to exhume his… Now, she waits for me…but not for long.”
(An Extract from my novel – Beck And Call, A Business Thriller Set In Singapore)
****** Click on the book image and pick up a copy ******
****** Promotion price for a limited period only ******
Hi Eric…dropping by your blog to have a look around…came across this ..and wow. I really, really liked what I read!
I’ll drop by more often to have a better look ..thanks for dropping by my posts and liking them..and also for the comments you left on some of them…it was appreciated 🙂
Hello Shree,
Lovely to have you visit and happy that you like what you saw/read 🙂
You’re very welcome too and I believe we’ll be seeing each other more.
Peace,
Eric
Seems that your books at amazon are not available for purchase since I’m staying in Asia & Pacific due to using my account to browse. Is there any other way to purchase your book?
Hello Yoshiko,
You can also download ebooks here. Go to > My Books page shown on the top line of this blog > http://wp.me/P1YE83-33
Go to any link that says ‘International customers’ – for example, Diesel…
You can also purchase print copies at Singapore Dollars 18.50 which includes delivery via normal surface mail. Go to LCA Books shown in same page.
Thank you for your support and good luck with your purchases, Eric 🙂
Thank you, Eric.
Dear Yoshiko, posted a comment in your Parents Prayer – please check the spam folder in your blog > see Comments, top line
Thank you very much for your comments.
Heart-breaking–and yet very enouraging about the depth of this man’s loyalty to Mei Ling, no matter what anyone else thought or did. Quite honorable, I find. Excellent addition to the layers of your novel, Eric.
…and to think that he was a gangster and leader of the Chinese Tongs.
I don’t wish to glamourise these people but the traditional Tongs were setup to fight the Manchus in China. When they migrated to Singapore, originally they helped Chinese immigrants to settle in by providing lodging etc until these new-comers found jobs and trades. Like everything else, time corrupted the Tongs.
But some like Old Laozi clung to traditions of honour, respect and integrity (of course, their interpretation of these terms)
Eric the other day i saw this post and then after reading your reply to first comment i went straight away to amazon to read more,
After reading prologue and chapter one i was hooked
i have a request can i showcase your book Beck and Call in my post. i have done Stuart Youngs and Leahs book review till now and that i just love thrillers is no secret..if you want any particular excerpt to be showcased you can e-mail me
its just a request if you dont want i will understand completely after all its your baby
hugs 🙂
Dear Soma,
What a lovely offer! Quick answer is yes, I’ll be delighted if you could feature Beck & Call in your blog.
I shall provide a very brief synopsis and snippets via email – please lookout for these later today.
Thank you and I am humbled by your generosity, Eric 🙂
Oh thank you thank you thank you..i was keeping my fingers crossed
will wait for your mail
thanks a ton Eric 🙂
My goodness – I’m the one who should be thanking you. Rushing off to lunch and be back soon. Cheers 🙂
This is a really powerful excerpt! Ohh man, I should really consider getting this book. The more I read is the more I fall in love with your writing. So many wonderful virtues and emotions are imbued within the pages of your work. I really admire your style, Eric!
Thank you very much I do hope you’ll pick up a copy. I reckon the print copy price is reasonable and includes shipping to anywhere in the world.
You can also download ebooks here > My Books page shown on the top line of this blog > http://wp.me/P1YE83-33
That one reminded me of the public debate when they wanted to move the cemetary at Serangoon Road to make way for the light rail extension.
This year there was another hooh-hah when government wanted to lay a road through a Chinese cemetary > the resting place of many of Singapore’s illustrious pioneers and a very important part of our heritage and history.
Cynics say, in Singapore everything has a price!
Singapore is a remarkable place. In the 10 years we lived there the country was in a perpetual rebuild. Some of the places I miss are the old time change alley and the street vendors who are seriously up market now but lose some of their appeal.
Change Alley is still there – but only in name. All the Indian money changers (who gave that place the name) in the alley between the two highrise buildings are gone. Would you believe it – change alley is now an overhead pedestrian crossing with, you guessed it shops, shops and more shops. Hold on to your wallets!
very powerful…
Much appreciate this. Have a good one.
I see your flash fiction impact in your prose. Every word has a place and the scenes are tight and move the story forward.
This observation is very welcomed and appreciated. Beck & Call is my first full length novel and I’m (obviously) still learning my craft.
From next week I plan to run a series of excerpts from my second novel – Code Shield. It is a spy thriller (whereas Beck & Call was more a family saga). Hopefully the readers take to it.
Cheers, Eric
A lot of narrative and emotions packed in a few words. Effective writing, Eric! Kudos! 🙂
Thank you Dee – have a great Sunday ahead, Eric 🙂
Are your books available on Amazon.com?
Nice excerpt!
Thank you. Yes, my books are available on Amazon.com
You can check the page My Books in this blog > http://wp.me/P1YE83-33
It gives you all the links for the various eBook vendors.