WIP: The Interpreter Series
My current WIP is an episodic series of urban fantasy short stories about Abbie Santos—Chicana, avid science fiction ‘cultist’, Tactupath (a person with the rare ability to read minds through physical touch), and freelancing agent for PIDA, the Preternatural Investigation and Defense Agency.
Abbie Santos Versus the Karaoke Banshee
When Boss, PIDA’s wealthy founder, brings a new client to her doorstep, Abbie must evict a bachelorette party of banshees with screechy singing voices from a popular karaoke bar before their microphone takeover scares away any more superstitious Irishmen, or worse, before someone bashes their own head in to the over-sung tune of ‘My Heart Will Go On.’
“Seeing thoughts is easy. I only need to touch someone skin to skin, and instantly, I can see or read their thoughts. Interpreting thoughts from another person’s perspective… now, there’s the real challenge.
Verbally, I’m bilingual. Mentally, I’m not really sure how to define my ability. Some people think in words while others think in pictures and colors. Some people care about creative ideals while others value rational analysis. And if mind reading a human is like trying to understand a different accent, then mind reading preternatural beings from countless dimensions is like trying to comprehend thousands of different languages and dialects.”
What We Give
Jitendra Patel (Jitu) is known as “The Father of Safety,” a pioneering founder of modern health and safety practices. He is an international occupational safety engineer and has conducted extensive and groundbreaking research in fire safety, chemical safety, explosions, health, and environment protection. In What We Give: A Memoir, Jitu shares stories of his incredible life experiences from his childhood in India to environmental disasters to his involvement in Desert Storm. Jitu raised himself out of poverty, became the director of safety, loss control and risk management for the largest oil company in the world, and devoted the rest of his life to giving back. “True success only comes when you have truly understood… you can build yourself again and be king.”
Rel Carroll 