{"id":2229,"date":"2014-11-27T21:18:07","date_gmt":"2014-11-28T04:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/?p=2229"},"modified":"2015-01-01T19:34:28","modified_gmt":"2015-01-02T02:34:28","slug":"the-testament-of-james-sixth-excerpt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/?p=2229","title":{"rendered":"The Testament of James, sixth excerpt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Added to the previous five excerpts, posted on this site in recent months, the following takes the reader through the first 20,000 words \u2013 the first third &#8212; of Vin\u2019s new novel, \u201cThe Testament of James,\u201d now on sale at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abebooks.com\/servlet\/BookDetailsPL?bi=14453647811\">www.abebooks.com\/servlet\/BookDetailsPL?bi=14453647811<\/a> . Only 650 copies of the numbered, signed, hardcover first edition of \u2018The Testament of James\u2019 will be sold, at an introductory price of $32.50, limit seven copies per delivery address. Amazon Kindle edition also now available <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Testament-Matthew-Hunter-Chantal-Stevens-ebook\/dp\/B00RNI9UVW\/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1420156496\">here.<\/a> This material is copyright c Vin Suprynowicz, 2014, all rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/testament-of-james-front-cover-1951x2850-300dpi.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/testament-of-james-front-cover-1951x2850-300dpi.jpg?resize=205%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"testament-of-james-front-cover-1951x2850-300dpi\" width=\"205\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/testament-of-james-front-cover-1951x2850-300dpi.jpg?resize=205%2C300&amp;ssl=1 205w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/testament-of-james-front-cover-1951x2850-300dpi.jpg?resize=700%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/testament-of-james-front-cover-1951x2850-300dpi.jpg?w=1951&amp;ssl=1 1951w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Chantal found Matthew in the far corner of the store, reorganizing \u201cMath and Physics.\u201d Some books that were showing their age on the shelves he would mark down, others got stacked in a box for the dollar rack or to be repaired or donated. The biggest problem, though, was that left to their own devices the customers would not only re-shelve books spine-in or with their dust jackets akimbo, they would actually pull down the erotica from the top shelf and leave The Misadventures of Janice face-out with the children\u2019s books. They\u2019d tried posting \u201cYour mother is no longer available to clean up after you\u201d signs; it did no good.<\/p>\n<p>Tabbyhunter was sprawled on top of the bookcase. Occasionally he would reach down with one paw and bat at Matthew\u2019s hair. Matthew would reach up and catch the paw, hold it for a few seconds, then let it go just before the gray tiger could bite his hand. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew? Marian says Jackson is here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jackson was a good customer, \u201950s TV and classic rock \u2019n roll, posters, signed albums, autographed books, anything that had to do with San Francisco in the \u201960s. But he was generally phone and Internet; it was unusual for him to be in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJackson!\u201d They did one of those four-handed handshake things that involved grabbing the forearm, like teen-age lifeguards. Chantal rolled her eyes. \u201cWish you\u2019d let us know you were coming, we could have put on dinner,\u201d Matthew continued. \u201cAs a matter of fact, how long can you stay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, no, I won\u2019t put you out, I was just passing through. Some damned federal prosecutor got a hair across his ass that my associates were violating the Wire Act, guy\u2019s been in some kind of a Nembutal trance for 20 years. We had to file restraining orders and seek a declaratory judgment, you wouldn\u2019t believe the time and money it takes just to run a legal business any more. Well, maybe you would.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would. Talk to people who sell ivory chess sets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIvory? Oh, right! Endangered species!\u201d The explosive laugh. Jackson was a big man and his whole body shook when he laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew, don\u2019t mean to put you on the spot, maybe I could look around a little, only have a couple hours in town, but do you have anything for me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I do.\u201d Matthew led Jackson back beyond the curtained room of pricier books, past the \u201cPlease check with staff\u201d sign, to the old windowless pantry adjoining the kitchen that now held the safes. Matthew worked one of the dials, swung open the massive steel door, and reached in, setting aside first editions of <em>Anna Karenina, Riddle of the Sands<\/em>, and <em>Tarzan of the Apes,<\/em> all protected in heavy Ziploc bags.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere you go,\u201d he handed Jackson a newer book in a flashy modern dust jacket.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Ah, <em>Have Mercy!<\/em>&#8221; Jackson nodded as he held the book reverently. \u201cI grew up with the Wolfman. Of course, it\u2019s not that rare a book unless it\u2019s . . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSigned, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The famed disc jockey, who introduced classic Rhythm and Blues to a generation of young Southern Californians from his pirate station South of the Border and was rewarded with a pivotal role in George Lucas\u2019 breakthrough film American Graffiti, had just finished the first leg of his book tour when he died of a heart attack at the age of 57, arriving home after recording his show, July of 1995.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot many out there.\u201d Jackson opened the book to the half-title, where the Wolfman, born Robert Smith of Brooklyn, N.Y. had signed in his hard-to-mistake black felt-tip scrawl, complete with his iconic pop-eyed wolfman cartoon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018To my pals,\u2019\u201d Jackson read aloud, \u201c\u2018Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia, thanks for &#8211;\u2019\u201d and now the big man actually emitted an involuntary sob. \u201c\u2018Thanks for putting me in your song.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know the song?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Ramble On Rose.\u2019 But no one knew this existed, Matthew. I mean, no one even. . . . Jerry died that same year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA month later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can sell me this?\u201d Jackson had tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeld it to give you the first chance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you\u2019re pretty sure it\u2019s, I mean . . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at the bleed-through on the reverse. See where it\u2019s uneven from the upward pen strokes? That at least tells us it was free-hand. Now, a good forger can forge anything, but they usually stick to Fitzgerald and Hemingway and your Harry Potters. And in that case you\u2019d expect someone to be asking a high price. But this showed up at an estate sale, going for the same money as the Clive Cusslers.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes. Of course, yes. I want this. Can you, can you pack it and ship it to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarian will handle it.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cInsured. Take a scan or something, so we can prove what it is if anything happens, that it exists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d Matthew placed the other books back in the safe -\u2013 including the first of Haggard\u2019s <em>She<\/em> that had been sitting on top -\u2013 spun the dial, and turned to guide Jackson back out to the front of the store. \u201cAnything else you\u2019re looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did it come from? Do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t find any record it was listed in the Garcia estate, you know what a mess that was. Things like that could go to the children, a roadie, they hang onto it for awhile and then there\u2019s another death or a foreclosure and the estate gets cleared by an executor or a distant relative who just wants the house empty so they can sell it, they don\u2019t even look inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmazing. Thank you. Thank you for holding that. It\u2019s wonderful. And yes, there is something else, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s really in your line, I\u2019m almost embarrassed to bring it up.\u201d They\u2019d arrived back at the front of the store, where Matthew handed over the Wolfman Jack book.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll ship this to Jackson, Marian, registered and insured. Take a scan of the page with the signature, first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt never hurts to ask, Jackson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, you know my mother would never leave the house where I grew up, so I had the whole house picked up and moved to where we live now, put it back just the way it was. The kitchen has the original coal-burning stove.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou showed me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I thought you\u2019d lost your Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, she passed last year.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, she had a good life. She was proud I did well, she said so. Although I\u2019m not sure she ever understood quite what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jackson was a mathematician who\u2019d grown up sheltered, probably a bit of a nerd. His life had changed when he\u2019d figured out how to program a computer to run online poker and blackjack tournaments and even to bet sporting events with an adequate percentage of success. All of these activities had been legal and then illegal and then quasi-legal again in various jurisdictions thanks to the bumbling or else the selective bribe-taking of various courts and Justice Department officials responsible for interpreting \u201cThe Wire Act,\u201d a 1961 anti-racketeering artifact, until Jackson found he had to keep almost as many attorneys on retainer as brokers to watch his money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe good china was the Fiestaware, of course, we kept that, and I replaced anything that was chipped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOriginal colors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, none of that new pastel stuff, no!\u201d The loud, explosive laugh. \u201cWe ate off the blue and green and yellow for Sunday dinner; the orange stayed in the cabinet because it was radioactive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know it sounds funny, but sitting in that old house is the only place I really feel peaceful, the only place I can really relax and think, anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoesn\u2019t sound funny, at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was missing was the glassware. When I was a kid we weren\u2019t rich, you understand. Nowhere near. We started out with Ball jars, canning jars, very trendy in the barbeque joints now, and then I saved all the glasses that came as premiums at the fast food joints, the tie-ins with the TV cartoons, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHanna-Barbera.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut we used to say \u2018Hannah-Barbra.\u2019 You remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut so many of them broke, or the paint wore off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re re-building the collection?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI guess I\u2019m not as young as I used to be. I lose patience, haunting the garage sales and the antique malls. And when a piece does turn up, so often it\u2019s chipped, or they\u2019ve been running it through a dishwasher and it\u2019s stripped almost bare.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you\u2019re looking for a kindred spirit, someone who\u2019s been working a long time to put together a collection like that in pristine condition, a full set.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know, impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust the animals, though? Not The Jetsons or The Flintstones?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, God, that would be the ideal, yes. Those are the holy grail. Those and Top Cat. But maybe too much to hope for. I\u2019ve been trying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know a set, Jackson. Now, whether the owner will sell, or at what price, I haven\u2019t checked, because this is the first you\u2019ve mentioned it.\u201d     <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not joking? You wouldn\u2019t tease an old buddy? In fine condition or near it, one of each? Including a Jetsons and a Flintstones?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, not one of each, I don\u2019t think. No. A full table-setting of each, eight or 10 of each, with all the different characters, your Bam-Bam, your Pebbles, your Mr. Sprocket &#8212; no, I guess it would have been Mr. Spacely. Scores of the things, if not hundreds, and they looked \u2018as new,\u2019 to me, although I wasn\u2019t doing a detailed appraisal, you understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLess than a mile away.\u201d Les had arrived at the front door, was standing outside looking hopeful, not unusual at this time of day. Chantal waved for him to come in, which he did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi, Les, do you know Jackson?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJackson, this is one of our neighbors, and a member of the Horrors, Les McFarlane. He helps in the store, sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two men shook hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot the Leslie McFarlane, author of the Blue Moon books?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m afraid so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, no. I mean, I knew you were from Providence, but I never thought . . . Oh gosh, I haven\u2019t brought any of my copies of your books for you to sign. I mean, assuming you\u2019d be willing.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have sets of all the firsts, Jackson. We\u2019ll pull together a stack Les can inscribe for you. What I was hoping, Les, is &#8212; you know the Mighty Quinn, right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe kitchen above the store on Thayer Street, does he still have all that collectible glassware?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast time I was there. It\u2019s like a museum. But he doesn\u2019t let just anyone up there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you took Jackson and introduced him, though? Jackson is a good customer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew figured Les, even suffering hunger pangs, would catch the meaning, that Jackson occasionally spent actual money. The Golden Whale of the West.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, actually, I was . . .\u201d Les looked longingly toward the back of the store, which meant toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou haven\u2019t had lunch, yet?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I\u2019d love to buy you lunch,\u201d Jackson said, feeling himself back on solid ground. \u201cAnd your friend Finn, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cQuinn. But I\u2019m not sure how much he\u2019ll want to sell,\u201d Les warned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, no, just to see such a collection, I\u2019d be overjoyed to buy lunch, or an early dinner, for both of you. I\u2019m sure we\u2019d find so much to talk about. You choose the place, whether we can arrange a purchase or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTied up here, Les. Grab a piece of fruit and a water in the kitchen,\u201d Les shuddered at the mention of water, \u201ctake Jackson along. If you can find Quinn tell him Jackson has come a ways to see his collection, that he\u2019s seriously interested, then after he gives you a tour see if he wants to talk some business over a meal. Red Stripe, Taste of India, wherever you think, as long as it\u2019s someplace with table service. Marian will set aside a stack of your books for you to sign later, we\u2019ll ship them to Jackson\u2019s address.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p>When they\u2019d gone Matthew told Marian to try and reach the Mighty Quinn by phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anyone can find him, Les will,\u201d she said, breezily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarian?\u201d There was a note of warning in Matthew\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAh. A message to reach Quinn before Les and Jackson get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly. Tell him under no circumstances is he to name a price. He\u2019s to wait for an offer. Got it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGot it.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p>Two little girls who lived next door, maybe seven years old, came in the store to ask if Tyrone could come out and play. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, if you\u2019re careful with him,\u201d Marian replied, tucking the phone against her shoulder as she let it ring at one of Quinn\u2019s haunts. &#8220;But it\u2019s almost two o\u2019clock, already. Make sure you have him home by five; you know we close at six.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOK, Marian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They were often open later if there were customers in, but the children would be due home at Captain Jack\u2019s for supper and some margin of error was wise.<\/p>\n<p>The giant orange cat made no move to escape as the waifs approached where he was lying on the rug. It took both girls to carry him, lying quite limp in their arms, out the door and down the steps to their empty baby carriage, one to carry his front and the other to maneuver his hindquarters.<\/p>\n<p>They loaded him into the carriage lying belly-up, adorned his head with an elegant white baby bonnet, and headed off down the sidewalk. Unlike his evil twin, Mister Cuddles, Tyrone was a gentle giant.<\/p>\n<p>A slightly older micro-bopper now showed up, 15 or 16, long legs, straight hair out of a shampoo commercial, mini-dress, looking for Les. Marian broke the news that she\u2019d just missed him, refrained from telling the jailbait that she should go seduce someone her own size. <\/p>\n<p>Now Rashid\u2019s brother Hakim returned, with news that Rashid\u2019s rental car had been found, parked neatly at the curb and decorated with parking tickets, a couple miles south in Fox Point. <\/p>\n<p>Beckoning Chantal over to join them, Matthew showed him the letter that had been dropped on the front desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe this is his mark,\u201d said the Egyptian with the hawk beak and the big mustache, scowling a bit. \u201cAs you know, Rashid is no scholar. Of course, he would never have dictated a letter like this in English, it\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve always dealt with your family based on a man\u2019s word and a handshake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly. Written letters like this are for lawyers to play their fancy tricks. Plus, written papers can be used in court, they can get you hanged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you think he signed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I think so. His full name, though, not the way he would sign to me or to a friend. This is good news, because it means he was alive when this was sent, and they have not yet cut off any fingers on the right hand. But of course, someone has a gun to his head, there\u2019s no question. The reason he would sign, he would know this would tell us he was alive, and not acting of his own will. How did it come? We can question the courier? I have a good knife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe came and left, a pale young man dressed in black, possibly one of our burglars from last night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, that would make sense. It\u2019s too bad no one held him. The Italians shriek like hens once they feel the blade, they\u2019re not even a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should also tell you, Hakim, there was a perfumed fellow here from your Egyptian Ministry of Culture, looking for Rashid\u2019s book.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooking for the book? Not to buy it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe spoke of the book being removed from the Islamic Republic of Egypt without the proper export permits.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;One of those bastards has been here? May his soul burn in hell. You know what they are, these pigs of the &#8216;Ministry of Culture\u2019? They are thieves! They can claim anything that&#8217;s old, claim ownership on behalf of &#8216;all the people.&#8217; They are <em>collectivistes.<\/em> What is that in English?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The same, collectivists,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yes, <em>communistes.<\/em> They would destroy commerce, private profit, private ownership. Do you know what happens to an economy when nothing can be owned, when no title is secure?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Everything freezes. The farmer can&#8217;t sell what he grows for cash, so it rots in the field while the people starve. Of course, there is always a <em>marche noir,<\/em> this is where my family comes in. But there must be havens. These scum demand documents of ownership, or else they seize everything. Well, what documents exist for things that have been handed down by the desert people for generations? Let me tell you, that pig doesn&#8217;t dare enter our village without a military guard. You know what such thieves deserve?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I believe your people once cut off the hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHah! That would be too good for this scum. Someone steals bread to feed his family, that&#8217;s one thing. Such a person knows he&#8217;s a thief, he doesn&#8217;t claim he has a right to your loaf of bread. For them, losing a hand might be enough. But these scum of the Ministry of Culture would be lucky to survive long enough for the cutting of the hand. In my village, should this beast show up without a squad of soldiers, I must tell you, he would immediately be butt-fucked.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Chantal smiled. Matthew had to keep reminding himself she was not a fragile flower.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He would &#8230; what?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is not good English, butt-fucked? His anus would be penetrated &#8211;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No, no, it&#8217;s clear enough.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yes, butt-fucked by a camel, you understand.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The camels cooperate in this?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a very special punishment, you understand, reserved only for such self-righteous liars and scum, usually from Cairo, that den of thieves. The bastard is stripped naked and tied to a grate. Then his buttocks are smeared with the fluid from the female camel in <em>oestrus,<\/em> how do you say it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In heat.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Exactly. At that point, the male camel goes quite mad. He cannot restrain himself, you understand, he cannot resist, no matter how pale and ugly the buttocks in question. Ah, it is a very satisfying thing to watch. The men from Cairo shriek like little girls. The women and children enjoy it particularly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I imagine it cuts down on recidivism, as well.&#8221;    <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yes, yes! You have that word, too, <em>recidivistes?<\/em>&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re a man after my own heart, Hakim. Tax collectors, too?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Oh, unquestionably.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>This concludes the first 20,000 words &#8212; the first third &#8212; of \u201cThe Testament of James,&#8221; by Vin Suprynowicz, copyright c Vin Suprynowicz, 2014, all rights reserved. What method will Matthew Hunter &#8212; now joined by Chantal Stevens &#8212; use to locate this long-lost book? What secret about the ministry of Jesus &#8212; a secret dangerous enough to the established dominator order to draw relentless pursuit from three continents, even after two millennia \u2013- does that book contain? Only 650 copies of the numbered, signed, hardcover first printing of \u201cThe Testament of James\u201d will be sold. First editions of Vin\u2019s 2002 book \u201cThe Ballad of Carl Drega,\u201d in a trade paperback edition of 5,000, originally sold for $24.95, and signed copies of that book now fetch more than $100, online. Signed, hardcover first-printing copies of \u201cThe Testament of James\u201d now available at $32.50, limit seven copies per mailing address, at<\/em>  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abebooks.com\/servlet\/BookDetailsPL?bi=14453647811\">http:\/\/www.abebooks.com\/servlet\/BookDetailsPL?bi=14453647811<\/a> . Amazon Kindle edition also now available <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Testament-Matthew-Hunter-Chantal-Stevens-ebook\/dp\/B00RNI9UVW\/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1420156496\">here.<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Added to the previous five excerpts, posted on this site in recent months, the following takes the reader through the first 20,000 words \u2013 the first third &#8212; of Vin\u2019s new novel, \u201cThe Testament of James,\u201d now on sale at www.abebooks.com\/servlet\/BookDetailsPL?bi=14453647811 . Only 650 copies of the numbered, signed, hardcover first edition of \u2018The Testament [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[53,13,54,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-drug-war","category-entheogens","category-fiction"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pWqFl-zX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2229"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2322,"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229\/revisions\/2322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vinsuprynowicz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}