The Chosen - Softcover

Sala, Sharon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0778322203 ISBN 13: 9780778322207

Verlag: MIRA, 2005

Inhaltsangabe

The Chosen by Sharon Sala released on Oct 25, 2005 is available now for purchase.

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Sharon Sala is a member of RWA and OKRWA with 115 books in Young Adult, Western, Fiction, Women's Fiction, and non-fiction. RITA finalist 8 times, won Janet Dailey Award,  Career Achievement winner from RT Magazine 5 times, Winner of the National Reader's Choice Award 5 times, winner of the Colorado Romance Writer's Award 5 times, Heart of Excellence award, Booksellers Best Award. Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Centennial Award for 100th published novel.

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The Chosen

By Sharon Sala

MIRA

Copyright © 2005 Sharon Sala
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0778322203

January DeLena was one of Washington, D.C.'s most wellknown journalists. On 911, she'd been onsite and broadcasting only minutes after the plane had flown into the Pentagon. Then the world had watched as she'd abandoned her microphone and begun helping survivors who'd come running out of the building. By the time she'd remembered what she'd been sent there to do, she was covered in soot and blood, and had cursed and cried on air. Normally, that would have gotten her fired, but not that day. That day she'd only voiced what the nation had been feeling. By the end of the week, everyone knew the name of the pretty television journalist who'd called Osama Bin Laden a bad name.

Over time, it became apparent that January DeLena wasn't just a pretty face. When it came to getting a story, she was tenacious, which was why on this night she was on the streets of the redlight district at onethirty in the morning, mingling with the homeless, instead of sleeping in her own bed.

For months, she'd been hearing a rumor about a man who called himself the Sinner and who claimed to have had a neardeath experience. Now she'd heard he was moving among the homeless and the lawless, preaching his own version of eternity. In most cases, this would have been just a story about another religious zealot. However, this story had a unique twist, and unique was the key to January's success.

It had become fashionable to speak of neardeath experiences. Many had written books on the subject, usually claiming that they hadn't wanted to come back, and that they'd felt a great sense of peace in death. But this man had a different story to tell, and one that had tweaked her curiosity. According to the gossip on the street, this man had literally been to hell and back, and lived to tell the tale.

Now January huddled beneath the awning of a secondhand store as wind blew rain against the backs of her legs. She didn't mind so much getting wet, but the stench emanating from the woman with her was overpowering, and getting wet only added to the odor. She turned her back to the wind and tried not to breathe too deeply as she spoke to the woman beside her.

"So, Marjorie, you say you've seen the Sinner yourself?"

Marjorie Culver's fingers curled a little tighter around the push bar on her shopping cart. It had been a long time since anyone had taken notice of her, and the attention made her feel a little disoriented and vulnerable. Still, she felt no threat from this woman and finally nodded. "Yep... I saw him two, maybe three days ago. He was beneath an overpass near the Potomac, passing out coupons for a free fish sandwich from Captain Hook's. He had a whole basket of 'em. Someone said they were probably fakes, but I took one anyway, and they took it at the drivethrough when I gave 'em my order."

Then she laughed, as if struck by the humor of going through a drivethrough on foot.

"Was he preaching?" January asked.

Marjorie shrugged. "I guess you could call it that."

"What do you mean?" January pressed.

"Well, he was holding a Bible and all, but what he was saying sounded pretty radical. I don't think he was quoting any scriptures." She shrugged again. "It didn't really matter, though. No one was paying him any mind. They just wanted the coupon for the free sandwich."

January nodded. She certainly understood. There had been days in her youth when she might have done just about anything for something to eat. Thank God those times were far behind her.

"Do you know where he lives?" January asked. Marjorie frowned. "Nowhere and everywhere, I guess. I wasn't sure, but I got the impression that he was one of us."

"You mean homeless?"

Marjorie glared. "For some, it's a choice, you know." January backed off on her intensity. "I'm not demeaning your existence, Marjorie. I was only asking as a means of locating him so I can talk to him myself."

Marjorie frowned and shoved her cart a little closer to the door she was leaning against. The stuff in her cart was all she owned, although she'd long since forgotten what all was in there.

"Yeah, well...I can't help you any on that. I'm not into addresses myself."

January sighed. She hadn't meant to, but she'd obviously insulted the woman. "All right then," she said, and gave Marjorie's arm a quick squeeze. "Thank you so much for talking to me, Marjorie." Then she slipped a hundred dollars worth of twenties into Marjorie's hand. "Get yourself a room tonight and treat yourself to something good to eat."

Marjorie was taken aback by the money and for a moment thought about being insulted all over again, but then a quick gust of wind blew rain down her neck. She took the bills and stuffed them into one of her countless pockets.

"Yeah...I'll do that," she said, then added, "See you on the TV."

"Absolutely," January said, wondering when Marjorie ever got to watch TV, and made a dash toward her car, which was parked less than half a block away.

Once inside, she locked the doors and breathed a quick sigh of relief that she had a home to go to and a car to get her there. When she turned the key, the sound of the engine starting echoed the jump of her heartbeat. As she turned on the windshield wipers, a tall thin man wearing dirty white pants and a shirt that hung loose to his knees stepped out of the alley in front of her. His clothes were sopping wet. His long hair was equally soaked, and plastered to his face and neck, as was the beard hiding most of his face. There was a brief moment of connection as their gazes met. When he began to smile, she hit the headlights, flipping them on bright. It was his signal to move, which he did, but without shifting his gaze.

The expression in the man's eyes made January shudder. The degradation of the place and its people hit her like a slap in the face, and for the first time in her life made her doubt the wisdom of following this story.

Then she gathered her wits and reminded herself of how far she'd come from the poor little Latino girl from Juarez, Mexico, to the woman she was today. She'd worked long and hard to gain credibility, and apologized for nothing. With renewed vigor, she slammed the car into gear and stomped on the accelerator. Tires squealed as rubber burned. All she needed was a hot bath and a good night's sleep, and she would be fine.

Continues...

Excerpted from The Chosenby Sharon Sala Copyright © 2005 by Sharon Sala. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: MIRA
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2005
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0778322203
• ISBN 13: 9780778322207
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 384
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: HarperCollins Publishers, Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irland