Preview #2 of my first fantasy novel, Nine Circles: In Which Liz Is Introduced

For those of you just tuning in, the first three pages of Nine Circles can be found here.

In the following snippet, we meet Liz for the first time. Rated PG-13 for sauciness.

Northanger Abbey (2007 TV drama) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nine Circles, Chapter One

Bryan’s chosen table was towards the back, where he was much less likely to be carded. He slid his father’s old brown leather jacket off, feeling overheated in the warm air. He again noticed the dark stain on the right sleeve, and made sure the seat was clean before setting it down. He wondered what could make a mark like that. With his father, you never knew—he’d been in the chemistry lab night and day, mixing all sorts of reagents. Science wasn’t exactly Bryan’s strong suit, but it seemed to come easily to Liz.

Smarter than me, he thought to himself. Yet another reason for being nervous about asking her out. Not just a pansy. Just a normal guy coming to the very rational conclusion that I don’t stand a chance with her and will probably die alone while reading my mother’s copy of Northanger Abbey.