Book Extract: Summer Paths: An Anthology by Seasonal Collective

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming the Seasonal Collective as we shine a light on their anthology, Summer Paths.

This, the fourth and final selection of stories, completes the Seasonal Paths series created by a consortium of best-selling and award-winning North Atlantic writers.

In this anthology you will encounter unintentioned consequences, love in later life, the pull of family dynamics, misguided assumptions and murderous soulmates.

These yarns will take you to new worlds, into a ghostly abyss, across an ocean in pursuit of truth and into the darkness of ancient beliefs.

Make yourself comfortable and surrender to these multi-styled tales, all linked by the theme of summer, within the covers of this book. You will be surprised and entertained by what you find.

The Seasonal Collective has kindly shared an extract from Pierre C. Arseneault’s, The Year of the Goat with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

*****beginning of extract*****

I like to tell people, I loved Gus and his motley crew so much that I wanted to tell another tale with this same cast and so I wrote this comedy called The Year of the Goat in Summer Paths as a sequel to Melvin in Winter Paths.

The Year of the Goat

By Pierre C. Arseneault

A dry, cracking sound echoed through the sultry morning air as the wooden baseball bat connected with the softball. Much of the crowd in the bleachers stood, cheering as the ten-year-old girl dropped the bat and ran for first base.

“The kid’s good,” Harvey said, stuffing his age-spotted hands into his jacket pockets as he stood next to the chain-link fence that circled the baseball field.

“Isn’t that Scooter’s granddaughter?” Gus asked, lifting his beige bucket hat and wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. He wondered how Harvey could wear long pants and a jacket on such a hot summer’s day.

“Over here!” Gus heard a familiar voice shout. Turning his attention to the bleachers, he saw his friend, nicknamed Scooter since early childhood. He’d been the only kid in the area who’d had a push scooter instead of a bicycle. Scooter straightened and waved excitedly while shouting, the wispy white hairs that ringed his baldpate fluttering in the warm breeze. “Did you see that?”

Gus’s knees creaked as he followed Harvey up the side of the weather-beaten bleachers of the old ballpark.

“Ain’t you cold?” Harvey loudly asked the other two men, attracting more attention than Gus would have liked. “I’m freezing and you’re all dressed in shorts. And Gus here is wearing sandals, for Pete’s sake.”

They all sat near the top of the bleachers, two of them in t-shirts and Scooter wearing a cheap bright red-and-blue Hawaiian shirt. Leroy pulled his battered straw hat down over his thinning white hair, trying to hide from the hot sun as much as possible. Next to him, gray-haired Frankie smiled wide, happily shoving popcorn into his mouth. Frankie wiped his hand on his t-shirt that read, I don’t know how to act my age. I’ve never been this old before.

Scooter smiled wide, gleefully watching his granddaughter play ball.

“Good morning,” Gus said while sitting down.

“What’s so good about it?” Leroy replied in a gruff tone.

“I take it your grandson isn’t on the winning team today?” Gus asked.

Leroy grunted. “Did you find Esmeralda yet?”

Gus sighed before replying. “Not yet.”

“She’s probably long gone by now,” Leroy said.

Scooter took a fistful of popcorn from Frankie’s bag and shoved half the handful into his mouth, chewing while still smiling. “Gooooo Stacey,” Scooter shouted, spraying popcorn crumbs in the process as he waved his empty hand at his granddaughter.

Now at third base, the girl smiled and waved in return as a scrawny little boy went to bat.

 “What’s the score?” Harvey asked, zipping his jacket up to his neck and shivering.

“It’s on the scoreboard,” Leroy grunted.

“You know I can’t see that from here,” Harvey replied, squinting through his new glasses.

“You should get a refund for those glasses then,” Leroy muttered.

“I can’t read it from here either. Getting old sucks,” Scooter said, still smiling wide.

“It’s three to one and bottom of the eight,” Gus stated, the only man among them not wearing glasses and yet able to see the scoreboard clearly from that distance.

“Show-off!” Harvey barked.

“Game’s almost over. Lunch?” Leroy asked.

“At Ruth’s, as usual,” Gus stated, referring to Ruth’s Soup-n-Sandwich on Main Street.

“You’re just hoping to bump into Lydia again,” Scooter said smiling wide.

“It’s not my fault Lydia likes me,” Gus murmured, sounding apologetic.

“You assume she does,” Scooter replied with a wink.

“She’s only after you for the free eggs,” Harvey joked, making everyone laugh.

Leroy smiled like he always did when he thought he was about to tell a zinger. “It’s the new hobby farm. The ladies can’t resist a man with chickens.”

The men chuckled, making Leroy slouch a little, disappointed that he didn’t get the gut-busting laughs he was looking for.

“Have you seen the price of eggs these days?” Scooter asked, making everyone including Gus laugh harder.

“What’s that white thing in the outfield?” a woman in the lower bleachers shouted.

“Is that a dog?” Harvey asked, squinting.

“Funny-looking dog,” Leroy added, also squinting.

“Why does that dog have a beard?” they heard a little kid ask.

“That’s a goat,” Gus stated loudly, standing up to get a better look. “My goat!”

“You can tell that from here?” Harvey asked. He stood shielding his eyes from the sun.

“She’s still got the piece of rope around her neck,” Gus said.

“I thought you said you wanted to get some alpaca?” Scooter asked, getting to his feet.

“I changed my mind,” Gus replied. “Besides, I only took her in to help a friend. Her owners were having trouble finding her a new home.”

“So, that’s Esmeralda?” Leroy asked.

“Yup!” Gus replied.

“What’s wrong with her?” Leroy asked.

“She’s abnormally aggressive. I think it’s because she’s pregnant,” Gus said.

“You think?” Leroy questioned.

“I never got a chance to look at her,” Gus said as he started to walk down the bleachers and then stopped. He glanced around and saw most everyone was now standing, watching the events playing out before them. Many of them had their phones out, taking videos.

They all watched the goat trot closer to the kids on the ball field.

“RUN KID! SHE’S GONNA CHARGE!” Gus shouted as the goat closed the gap between itself and the biggest of the kids in the outfield.

*****end of extract*****

Author Bios:

Sandra Bunting’s publications include two books of short fiction, two poetry collections, a non-fiction book, besides articles, poems and stories in numerous literary magazines. Sandra is on the editorial board of the Irish-based literary magazine, Crannóg, and worked at NUI Galway where she set up the Academic Writing Centre and taught Creative Writing and TEFL teacher training. Now living in Atlantic Canada, she is a member of The Writers Union of Canada, New Brunswick Writers Federation, Words on Water Miramichi, the Grand Barachois group Women Who Write and the Galway Writers Workshop.

Connent with Sandra via her www.sandrabunting.com. 

The youngest of eleven children, Pierre C. Arseneault grew up in the small town of Rogersville, New Brunswick. As a cartoonist, Pierre was published in over a dozen newspapers. As an author, he has six titles published so far: Dark Tales for Dark Nights (2013) Sleepless Nights (2014) Oakwood Island (2016) Poplar Falls – The Death of Charlie Baker (2019) Oakwood Island – The Awakening (2020) Maple Springs (2022)

Connent with Pierre C. Arseneault via www.mysteriousink.ca and www.pcartoons.com

Chuck Bowie studied Science at the University of New Brunswick, in Canada. His writing is influenced by the study of Human Nature and how people behave. He loves food, wine, music, and travel, and all play a role in his work. His latest novel is entitled Her Irish Boyfriend, fifth in the international thriller series Donovan: Thief 4 Hire. He has just completed the third novel in a new cozy mystery series: Old Manse Mysteries, set in a small Atlantic Canadian town. Chuck has sat on the Boards of The Writers’ Union of Canada and the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick. He is a Fellow of the Kingsbrae International Residency for the Arts, and is an author of note with the Miramichi Literary Trail.

Connect with Chuck via Instagram. 

Steve C. Eston has been a lover of the fantastical and the scientific since he was a young boy. He wrote his first story by hand while still in elementary school a five-page story about a tiger-masked ninja — fighting mystical monsters that included his own illustrations. When not spending time with his family, Steve makes time for his numerous hobbies, which include reading (and hoarding) books, listening to music, playing video games, watching movies, making puzzles, and playing hockey and tennis. He also loves to travel and developed an obsession with New Zealand after traveling there in 2015.

Connent with Steve via www.sceston.com

Angela Wren is an actor and director at a theatre in Yorkshire, UK. An avid reader, she has always loved stories of any description. She writes the Jacques Forêt crime novels set in France and is a contributing author to the Miss Moonshine anthologies. Her short stories vary between romance, memoir, mystery and historical. Angela has had two one-act plays recorded for local radio.

Connect with Angela via www.angelawren.co.uk

Gianetta Murray has worked as a technical writer and librarian on two continents, writing everything from specifications to website, marketing, and newspaper copy. She was a Toastmaster county champion and won a Daniel Phelan writing award for a short story casting Peter Rabbit as St. Augustine. She moved from Silicon Valley to England two decades ago after marrying a Brit, and has stories in multiple anthologies as well as having published a collection of humorous paranormal stories (A Supernatural Shindig) and the first of her Vivien Brandt cozy mystery series, Moved to Murder.

Connect with Gianetta via www.gianettamurray.com

Eden Monroe loves giving voice to the endless parade of interesting characters who introduce themselves in her imagination. In her novels she writes about real life, real issues and struggles, and triumphing against all odds. In her short stories she likes to color outside the lines. A proud east coast Canadian, she enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, and a good book.

Connect with Eden via www.edenmonroeauthor.com

Growing up in South Branch, Allan Hudson was encouraged to read from an early age by his mother who was a schoolteacher. He lives in Dieppe, NB, with his wife Gloria. He has enjoyed a lifetime of adventure, travel and uses the many experiences as ideas for his writing. He is an author of action/adventure novels, historical fiction and a short story collection. His short stories – The Ship Breakers & In the Abyss – received Honorable Mention in the New Brunswick Writer s Federation ’ competition. He has stories published on commuterlit.com, The Golden Ratio and his blog – South Branch Scribbler.

Connect with Allan via www.southbranchscribbler.ca

Angella Cormier grew up in Saint Antoine, a small town in south east New Brunswick, Canada. This is where her love of reading and writing was born. Her curious nature about everything mysterious and paranormal helped carve the inspiration for her passion of writing horror and mystery stories. She is also a published poet, balancing out her writing to express herself in these two very opposing genres. Previous titles include: Oakwood Island – The Awakening (2020), Oakwood Island (2016), A Maiden s Perception – A collection of ’ thoughts, reflections and poetry (2015) and Dark Tales for Dark Nights (2013, written as Angella Jacob).

Connect with Angella via www.mysteriousink.ca

Click to buy Summer Paths via Amazon UK and Amazon US. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.