A Place Called Paradise
by
HONEY PERKEL
A Place Called Paradise
Star Publications
Seaside, Oregon 97138
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-2414-9
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
Copyright 2013 by Honey Perkel
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Praise about ~ A Thousand Summers
“Honey Perkel’s quirky characters and engaging plot will leave you wondering if we truly have passed this way before. It’s an enchanting read.”
Karen Emmerling, Beach Books
“Hunker down with this Seaside author’s first novel and you will be eagerly awaiting the next ones.”
Val Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company
“I love this book. Honey’s characters are quirky, yet very true to life. The way she describes those old beach cottages — I can smell the musty sea air locked within their walls. And the unexpected ending ... perfection.”
Gloria Stiger Linkey, author of Native American Women
“I Love This Book!!! I’ve read it four times!! Blessings Honey.”
Denise, Astoria, Oregon
Secrets At The Cove ~
“While vacationing in Manzanita this year, the biggest find was not a seashell ... it was Honey’s books. Devoured the first and am burning through the second. When the long Idaho winters drive me crazy, I will pick up one of these books and transport myself back to the beach.”
Stephanie, Boise, Idaho
“Can’t wait for the next one!”
Judy, Mercer Island, Washington
A Place Called Paradise ~
“The first book was the funniest. The second, the most sentimental. The third, the scariest. This is the best one yet!”
Lee, Portland, Oregon
A Place Called Paradise
discover your Paradise
“Life is not measured by
the number of breaths you take,
but by the moments
that take your breath away.”
author unknown
Books by Honey Perkel
A Thousand Summers Trilogy: A Thousand Summers
Secrets At The Cove
A Place Called Paradise
Just Breathe
The Faithful Daughter
The House of Sand
Dear Friends,
Some books just have to be written. As much as I tried to fight writing this particular novel, having packed it away on a top shelf of a closet for more than a year, I could not let go of the story. It kept haunting me. I was thinking outside of the box. Way out. Reaching territories I’d never reached, but it seemed a natural end to the trilogy ... so it came to be.
A Place Called Paradise is the story of good versus evil and the possibility of losing that which is most precious to us ... ourselves.
A Call To Cincinnati
“Come ... come to the Oregon Coast.”
Lulu Bean’s heart raced. Her breath came in short gasps as she gripped the telephone receiver. She couldn’t believe she was speaking with this man.
In the kitchen of Mystic Muffins Bakery, Lulu leaned her hefty frame against the counter. Unmindful of her sticky fingers, gooey with sweet maple icing, she blindly slid them across customer order forms and business invoices. She was dizzy, only conscious of the words which echoed in her head. Bernard’s voice, so hypnotic. Mesmerizing.
“Stay at The Gull Cottage Motel, and wait for me to contact you.”
Bernard continued to speak. Electrified, Lulu listened to the urgency in his voice. He spoke of strange things happening. Of everything being at stake. But there was something more. There was a sense of determination in his voice.
“What’s going on? Why are you asking me to come?”
“I’ve called specific people who I want to be part of a team. You’ll get the details when you arrive.”
There was no question whether Lulu would go. She didn’t dare quarrel with a ghost.
On The Highway
The coast highway threaded through miles of thick, green forest. Lulu’s red Beetle climbed into the mountains and then coasted down and around the curving road. Spirit, her black cat, lay curled on the passenger seat licking herself clean. She was a great traveling companion. Sleeping. Grooming. Sleeping some more. Using the litter box in the back of the car.
Ordinarily, Lulu would have rolled down all the windows and let the warm air rustle her gray hair. She would have turned on the radio full blast and let the music sweep her away. But that was not what this trip was all about. She’d had but one focus since leaving Cincinnati four days before: to get to Seaside, Oregon.
But why? Certainly, Bernard didn’t believe she could help him with a crisis.
Though she’d attended plenty of seminars on the spirit world, interest brought about by the death of her mother and two months later, her father, she hardly thought of herself as an expert. Certainly no match for Bernard. However, no matter what the reason, she needed to get to Seaside.
As she drove, Lulu recalled the day of Bernard’s phone call. First of all, it had been the fortieth anniversary of her mother’s murder. This followed a sleepless night riddled by her usual nightmare: dark shadows, a man dressed in black, and the terrifying smell of blood everywhere. Then came the phone call from Bernard. It had been a lot to deal with.
She hadn’t wanted to tell her business partner and best friend, Karen, that Bernard had telephoned. Karen would’ve gone banana cakes. She was protective of those she cared about. She would never have agreed to let Lulu go. But, Lulu had to explain why she was leaving the bakery. It was only fair.
“I don’t know why he’s called me to go, but I have no choice.” Lulu was honored to be called, of course. Who wouldn’t be? The reputation of this Being would impress anyone.
Karen had not been impressed; she had been frightened.
She knew all about Bernard. Having sat in many seminars and read many articles on the occult herself, she knew the kind of work the apparition did. This was no ordinary day at the beach.
“Aside from the fact that it’s Mystic Muffins’ busiest time of the year, this could be dangerous, Lulu.”