Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing (September 5, 2014)

Category: Soft Science Fiction
Available in: ebook, Aprox. 165 Pages

After 27 years as a newspaper man, Peter Anderson’s career is slipping away… at least it was... until he stumbled upon the story of a lifetime.

Sent to do a fluff piece about lights in the night sky over Arizona, he discovers far more than he ever expected when he comes upon a mysterious young woman held prisoner in a basement. After helping her to escape she disappears before he can learn the truth about who she is or where she came from.

His search for her leads him back to the lights in the sky and leaves him with more questions than answers. The only thing he knows for certain… the only thing he can count on are the two words offered repeatedly by his friend and guide…. “IS BELT.”

Praise for Tegon Maus's 'Bob':

"After twenty seven years in the business, who wouldn’t want an exclusive story, especially when “It’s the BIG one?” The one which answers questions which has been asked my millions.
“Are there really aliens out there, and have they ever visited Earth?”

Well, journalist Peter Anderson is given the opportunity to find the answers to these questions, a journalists dream. However first he must travel to Payson, Arizona and interview Professor Donald Thorpe, luckily the doorman at the hotel has a ‘friend’ who can drive him. Meet Dimitri Rurik Petrova otherwise known as Bob!

The Professor says he has proof that the lights in the sky are real, and, what Peter sees that day, changes his life forever.

Soon, Peter and Bob find themselves rescuing Emma, a beautiful woman they discover being horribly tortured in a basement.

Then the fun begins as we discover the answers to many questions. If you’ve always wondered about those lights in the desert, if little green men have visited earth, and if spaceships exist the answers could be here….

Whether or not you believe the outcome, there is no denying that you will have great fun reading this very enjoyable science fiction story. It has all the essential components, good characters, a great plot and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, right up until the end."- Susan Keefe, Book Reviews by Susan Keefe

"This is a cute science fiction piece that can't be put down until the last "cousin" is discovered. Bob is so zany and endearing one can't help but to love him in spite of his nefarious ways.

This adventure moves very quickly, so one must keep on their toes to keep up with the action. This novel starts off as the typical lights in the sky story, but quickly morphs into an entirely unique tale of good and evil and the reader is kept on the edge of their seat waiting to see what happens next. The end is completely unexpected but completely hilarious. Anyone into sci-fi or comedy would enjoy this delightful little gem that is worth reading again and again."- Belinda Wilson, Amazon Reviewer

"The characters in this novella were well-developed and memorable. I was especially interested in seeing what was going on with Bob because Mr. Maus dropped some tantalizing clues about him early on. Bob’s tendency to understate important things and overstate the trivial stuff was as as it was descriptive of who he is as a man. He and Peter had personalities that were about as diametrically opposed to one another as you can get, so it was amusing to see how they interacted in stressful situations. Peter was a little harder to read, but I soon came to appreciate his calmer and more reserved approach to life as the plot thickened.

One of the things I enjoy the most about Mr. Maus’ writing style is how much energy he puts into describing his settings in great detail without slowing down the plot at all. Instead he sprinkled mesmerizing imagery into everything else that was going on. Sometimes the descriptions were funny. Other times they were eerie or mind-boggling. Peter visited some truly incredible places during the course of this tale, and I felt like I experienced them alongside him.

Bob was a wild ride. This is a great choice for anyone who likes speculating about the real origins of Unidentified Flying Objects."-LAS Reviewer, Long and Short Reviews

About Tegon Maus:

I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else... devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn't friendly, I just wasn't "people orientated". Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people, at least I did until I met my wife.

The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life of me I can't remember what it was about... something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years after inventing games and prototypes for a variety of ideas before I got back to writing.

It wasn't a deliberate conscious thought, it was more of a stepping stone. My wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. "Be as detailed as you can," we were told.

I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it's making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mind you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn't be sure if it were true or not. When I write, I always write with the effort of "it could happen" very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing, makes me happier.

I have consistently placed in the top 3 in 189 writing contest in a variety of genres and I have been featured in magazines a couple of times to raise money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Website: http://www.tegonmaus.com/#!
Author on Tirgearr Website: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Maus_Tegon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TegonMaus
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tegon-Maus/150255051766767
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READ AN EXCERPT

We stood, packed together like sardines, afraid to go down the stairs, afraid to be found out. I was last to enter so I stood closest to the door, holding it open an insignificant crack to see who it was that was about to catch us.

Movement caught my eye.

My heart jumped into my throat and I pushed back.

"Shit, it's Carl," I blurted softly, turning to Bob.

Almost instantly, Fred darted down the stairs ahead of Bob and me.

"Holy shit," Fred said, slapping his hand over his mouth.

I was instantly angry at him. I was certain he had just given us away. As I rushed to him to shut him

Up, I bumped into Bob, who now stood frozen in place along side Fred.

Then the unbelievable... a voice... a woman's voice, speaking in Russian, pierced the darkness.

As my eyes became more accustom to the faint light, pushing past Bob, I was jolted by the shocking image in front of me.

Sitting before us at a wide, wooden table, a woman... her hands, set in the middle of its broad width, sat in a puddle of blood.

To my astonishment, jutting up from the back of her hands were metal spikes... one in each hand... she had been nailed to the table.

"Peter, help me please," she begged, lifting her head to look at me.

Her shoulders bent forward, her eyes pleaded with me, as her lips quivered. Her face had large purple bruises and a number of bleeding cuts.

I was stunned that she knew my name. There was an air of familiarity in her appearance, in the tone of her voice, in her expressive eyes but I was certain I had never seen her before in my life.

Before I could move, the sound of the door opening at the top of the stairs sent us scurrying for a place to hide.

We barely reached our hiding places before the light of a single bulb flooded the room. Carl's heavy footsteps pounded over my head and I pushed deeper under the stairs.

"Miss me?" Carl's voice menaced from mid-stair. An odd electrical, crackling sound followed his question.

Its clicking buzz grew louder with each step Carl took to the basement floor. As he reached the bottom, his back to me, he made the sound once more. In his hand, a small black device with two metal prods jutting out, an electric spark jumping between them... a tazer.

"You don't have to do this," the woman cried, pulling hard at the spikes that held her tight.

"Have to? Want to, girlie." Carl chortled cruelly, sparking the device again.

The woman began to speak rapidly in Russian without taking her eyes off Carl as he approached, the crisp sound of the tazer's spark echoing off the walls.

Then without warning, Fred leapt from his hiding, attacking Carl. He jumped on the man, shoving him backward, more out of surprise than by force.

Fred fought like a madman, punching Carl in the face and chest alike, all with little effect.

Carl, having regained himself, simply swung a huge arm knocking Fred to the floor. Bob immediately took his place, planting a solid blow to Carl's jaw. The loud crack that followed shook me to the core but Carl just shrugged it off, barely taking notice.

Again, Bob delivered a crushing blow, knocking Carl off balance.

The bigger man returned the favor, punching Bob in the stomach, folding him in half and then hit him in the face, sending him into the table where the woman was attached.

Her scream filled the air, sending chills up my spine, as the table disintegrated under Bob's weight.

My mind raced as I tried to decide what to do. I was looking for a spot to jump in between the two titans.

Suddenly, Fred reappeared from nowhere, lunging headlong, throwing himself at Carl with no self-regard. He was a lunatic, screaming, punching, scratching, biting all at the same time.

Carl brushed him away, striving to reach the woman scrambling on the floor, trying to get up.

No time like now. I jumped on his back, riding him like a child on his father's back.

Somehow, she was free of the table but still impaled. She grabbed the spike in her left hand, pulling at it. Her skin stretched with the effort, clinging to the metal. Finally succeeding, she clutched it like a dagger. Getting to her feet, she lunged for Carl.

With shocking swiftness, she plunged the spike into his chest.

It was Carl's turn to scream and he did... a howling snarl of a growl that curled my toes.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance," the woman said through clenched teeth, trying to force the spike deeper with her weight.

"Fucking bitch," Carl shouted, backhanding her, sending her to the floor again.