We put a great deal of effort into promoting our new, recent and upcoming books but often our previous releases get sidelined.
In this latest series I am offering authors in the Cafe and Bookstore a chance to promote an earlier book (not your most recent) by sharing an excerpt from the book of 500 words. At the end of the post you can find out how to participate.
The first author in this new series is Stevie Turner with an excerpt from her novella ‘Leg-less and Chalaza: A dark novelette
About the book
When Jeff Jackson is told he needs a major operation on his right Achilles’ tendon, to his horror he realises there is only one person he can ask to look after him for a whole six weeks afterwards until the plaster cast is taken off and he can put weight on his leg again. That person is his wife Bea, who currently hates the sight of him and has moved out!
The excerpt from Legless and Chalaza from Chapter Four
“Can you roll up your trouser leg and kneel on the chair for me please.”
Okay, it’s only kinky the first time…
Jeff stood up and hid a smirk while keeping the inevitable quip to himself, as the young female doctor stopped typing and swivelled around in her chair.
“I’m just going to feel the back of your leg.”
What about a bit higher up?
Nobody had been anywhere near that area for months. Jeff looked straight ahead at a photo on the wall of what looked like the doctor’s children, and sighed.
“Thank you. Now sit back down, put your right ankle on your left knee, and try to move your foot up and down.”
The doctor’s fingers were cold on his calf muscle. Jeff found that his foot refused to obey all of his commands.
“I can move it down but I can’t lift it up, and another thing… I have to walk about on my right heel.”
After a few more minutes of prodding and poking, the doctor stood up and went over to the sink to immediately wash her hands. Jeff wondered if she thought he had leprosy as well.
“You have a ruptured Achilles’ tendon Mr Jackson. It’s the tendon that attaches your calf muscle to your heel bone and prevents the muscle wobbling about, just like the chalazae do inside a bird’s egg.
“Eh?” Jeff didn’t quite get the similarity.
“A bird’s egg has two chalazae that hold the yolk in place inside the albumen.”
“Is that so?”
The doctor shrugged.
With your permission I’ll write a referral to Mr Weiss-Furnier, the orthopaedic surgeon at the Anglian General.”
Jeff uncrossed his legs and looked up at the doctor in surprise.
“I’m going to need surgery?”
“I’m afraid so.” The doctor finished drying her hands and nodded. “It’s not a quick operation, it’ll probably take about three to four hours.”
“Christ!”
As though in a trance he watched the doctor take her place again at the desk and begin typing. He suddenly had a million questions running around in his head, and he dreaded hearing the answers.
“And how will I be after the op then, doc?”
The doctor’s matter of fact tone was starting to grate on Jeff’s ears.
“You’ll have to wear a cast on the lower leg, and won’t be able to weight bear for about six weeks.”
Jeff looked at the doctor in horror.
“But there’s only me in the house!”
The doctor finished typing and swivelled around in her chair again.
“Then Social Services at the hospital will need to refer you to a nursing home for the duration of your convalescence. You’ll receive an appointment to see Mr Weiss-Furnier in due course.”
That was it. The doctor was finished and his future was decided. He would have to live with a load of old people piddling in their pants all day. He would rather be dead. He stood up, appalled.
“I think I’ll go private actually, as my employer pays for health insurance although I’ve never used it. If the surgeon has a private practice at the Anglian Surgical Hospital, then please refer me there. I’m sure I can find somebody to help out at home. The nursing home won’t be needed. Thanks.”
He hurried towards the door as fast as his gammy leg would take him. He knew just the person to call.
***
“What?”
Her voice sounded just as peeved as last time. As far as he could tell, absence was definitely not making his wife’s heart grow any fonder. He decided to come to the point straight away before she hung up on him.
“I’ve got to have an operation on my leg, and I won’t be able to put any weight on it for six weeks afterwards.”
There was a kind of agonised silence while the aftermath of his words sunk in.
“And what’s that got to do with me?”
“I’m going to need somebody around until I can do things for myself. Rest assured I haven’t done this to make you come back. It was an accident, and you’ll be free to go after six weeks. I’ll still work at home after the op, so I’ll be in the office and won’t be under your feet all day. It’s just that there isn’t anybody else I can ask.”
He heard a sigh at the other end.
“I’ve waited on you hand and foot for thirty six years! Don’t you think that’s enough?”
“Yes of course.” His heart sank at the thought of having to play his trump card. “Sorry to ask, but if you hate me so much and want nothing to do with me, why are you still drawing out half of my wages?”
Another silence
“You bastard!”
“So what d’you say then? Yes or no?”
“I say you’ve got a bloody nerve.”
“And I say you’ve got a bloody cheek then, taking my money!”
“I’m your wife. I’m entitled to it.”
His anger was increasing to the ferocity of a tsunami.
“Then act like one and put up with me for six weeks, otherwise I might be tempted to open another bank account for my wages without your name on it!”
A review for the book
Here’s a delicious quick read to pack for your holiday or enjoy in the garden, but perhaps you should not read it or recommend it to your other half if you are of a certain age, it might put ideas into your heads… For the normally healthy and able bodied, there’s nothing like a medical mishap or operation to suddenly take away our independence. Even happily married couples need the patience of saints if one of them becomes a patient, so how is the hapless Jeff going to cope? Things don’t go the way you might expect in this story.
Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US
A selection of other books by Stevie Turner
Read the reviews and buy the books : Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Stevie : Goodreads blog: Stevie Turner on WordPress – Twitter: @StevieTurner6
About Stevie Turner
Stevie Turner is a British author of suspense, paranormal, women’s fiction family dramas, and darkly humorous novels. She has also branched out into the world of audio books, screenplays, and translations. Her third novel ‘A House Without Windows’ gained the attention of a New York media production company in December 2017, and her screenplay ‘For the Sake of a Child’ won Silver in the 2017 Depth of Field International Film Festival. Her novella ‘Finding David’ was a quarter-finalist in the 2019 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition. Writers Coverfly – Accolades
Please head over to discover all of Stevie’s books and reviews..
I hope you will participate in this series.. there are currently 130 authors on the shelves with reviews within the last six months and you can check your entry at this link – Cafe and Bookstore
How to participate in this series
In this latest series I am offering authors in the Cafe and Bookstore a chance to promote an earlier book (not your most recent) by sharing an excerpt from the book. Please check the link if it has been some time since you were promoted in the Cafe.
The aim of the series
- To showcase a previous book and sell some copies.
- Gain more recent reviews for the book.
- Promote a selection of other books that are available.
- Share an excerpt from the first book in a series to encourage readers to buy following books.
I will top and tail in the usual way with your other books and links, bio, photo and social media. I will also select a review that I feel has the best selling pitch for the book.
- This series is open to authors in the Cafe and Bookstore who have more than one book (as this already gets promoted on a regular basis) and have reviews for that book I can select from. Cafe and Bookstore
- I suggest an extract of 500 words or a poem that you feel best reflects the theme of your collection. This is a PG rated blog and there are younger readers so it would be great if you could bear that in mind.
- If you have an illustration or images you can attach to the email for me to include. No need to send the cover as I will have that or will access from Amazon.
- I will check reviews on Amazon sites as well as Goodreads and select one I feel is a great advertisement for the book.
- As an author in the Cafe and Bookstore I will already have all your details, links and covers of other books so need to send anything further.
- Please send your excerpt and any accompanying images to sally.cronin@moyhill.com
N.B..If you participated last year in the two series and would like to check which book you shared, please email and I will let you know.
Look forward to hearing from you.
![Northern Survival by [Diane McGyver]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41rscHquqzL.jpg)
