Free Seeing Trouble by Ann Charles

Dear Reader,
    One of the things I’ve wanted to do since I wrote Nearly Departed in Deadwood , the first book in my Deadwood Mystery Series, was to write several short stories that give the backstory of the characters and/or the setting. I chose not to include these bits of backstory in the actual novels because I didn’t want to slow the pace. Also, due to the fact that we’re always in Violet’s head, some of the short stories I want to write and share would be difficult to play out on the pages of the novels.
    This series of short ebooks will be released in between the regular length Deadwood novels and will offer what I hope to be fun insights to gobble up, kind of like those mini-sized candy bars and MoonPies. Rather than blather on about my random ideas, crazy antics, and diabolical plans, I present to you the first Deadwood Shorts ebook: Seeing Trouble .
    Seeing Trouble offers answers to some of the questions I’ve received from fans about how Violet Parker ended up as a single mother of twins. It was originally titled Dear Diary in Deadwood and was part of a Valentine’s Day anthology with several other authors’ works. In addition to this short story, I’ve included the original character interview I did with Violet prior to writing the first book that introduced us to her wild world. I threw in a couple of Deadwood illustrations by C.S. Kunkle that were created for my original website. I have also included several images that show the progression of the cover design for Nearly Departed in Deadwood , from the first working cover I created after finishing the first draft, through several contenders drawn by C.S. Kunkle, to the final product that you see today. Finally, I added a short story called Candy Lover that I pulled from my story vault. It has nothing to do with Violet and Deadwood, but it’s a story that I felt might put a smile on your face.
    I hope you enjoy this first ebook in the Deadwood Shorts series.
    As Old Man Harvey would say, “Don’t squat with your spurs on.”

    Ann Charles

The Beginning of the Deadwood Mystery Series

Seeing Trouble
    Deadwood, South Dakota
    “Hey, Mom,” said Addy, my nine-year-old daughter, as she burst through my bedroom doorway. “Elvis found this old book in the basement.”
    She held out a book I hadn’t seen in over a decade—my old diary. The upper corner of the cover had been pecked, leaving it tattered.
    Elvis was my daughter’s pet chicken. Long story short, she planned to save the animal kingdom one pet at a time. Elvis was just another in Addy’s long line of birds, mammals, rodents, fish, and amphibious creatures. I’d drawn a line at the garter snake. Indiana Jones wasn’t the only one with a loathing for things that go slither in the night … or day.
    “It has a cool little lock on it. It must be a diary,” Addy said, holding up a paperclip. “Can I try to pop it open?”
    I inspected the lock for scratches, wondering if she already had and was just covering her ass by asking. “You know how diaries work, Addy. They are for the owners’ eyes only.”
    “But we don’t know whose diary this is. It could be the long-lost diary of Calamity Jane.”
    Being that we lived in Deadwood, which was famous for its history of gold rushes and gunfights, my daughter tended to think that anything older than she belonged to some famous historical figure. Take the old rusted spur her twin brother Layne, my very own wanna-be archaeologist, dug up in the yard last week. She was certain it had belonged to Wild Bill Hickok.
    “We do know whose diary this is, Addy. It’s mine.”
    “Are you sure? It looks really old.”
    Shut it, child. “Isn’t it time for you to take Elvis for a walk?”
    “What did you write about in it?” she asked, ignoring my attempt at distraction.
    Your father. “Just some thoughts on life and growing up.”
    “You should let me read it. I might learn something of value.”
    It was ironic how whenever she wanted to get her