Death's Mantle 2

by Harmon Cooper

  I hope.

  You’re a Winner!

  The concept for Katy’s dad was modeled after my own father, and a former customer I became friendly with back in the early 2000’s.

  Believe it or not, I wasn’t always a writer of science fiction and fantasy. There was a spell (pun intended?) in which I worked as a cashier at a 7-Eleven in Round Rock, Texas, a long spell in fact, nearly two years.

  During this time there was a truck driver who came in daily spending upwards of two hundred dollars on lottery scratch offs.

  Sometimes he would scratch them off at the counter, allowing the employees to enjoy the high he got when he thought he was just about to win big.

  He had a system, as all scratchers do, as well as a slew of superstitions and preconceived notions as to what role would be a winning ticket roll, and what ticket number the win would likely be on.

  I didn’t mind helping him with his addiction; it was entertaining.

  He never really won much, not more than a couple hundred dollars. But to do so, he would always spend upwards of a grand a week.

  My dad didn’t spend as much as the customer did, but he was, especially toward the end of his life, really trying to win big.

  He had a system and a spending limit per day.

  When he was bored, he would drive into town, smoke cigarettes in his car as he scratched tickets keeping the winners and losers. (He kept the losers to double check later, to make sure that he didn’t accidentally make a mistake in his scratch-a-thon.) He would then stockpile the winners and cash them all out at once to buy more potential winners and losers.

  He would also use the winning lottery tickets as a form of currency.

  When I first moved back to America from Asia, my father would give me a ticket with twenty dollars on it and tell me to drive to Austin and have a good time. Use the ticket to put gas in the car, get a burger or a cup of coffee. That sort of thing.

  His goal up to the end was to win a large sum and put the money in a trust fund to be distributed between my brother and me.

  Noble, and knowing him, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what he would have done.

  One more to go.

  Death’s Mantle is a trilogy, and since this is the second book, there will be one more to follow. Perhaps in the future I will release a spinoff related in this world if the demand is there (hint: review these books). But for now, I’m keeping it to this trilogy.

  Thank you for the continued support, for reading my ramblings and reviewing my books.

  Yours in sanity,

  Harmon Cooper

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  Other Books by Harmon Cooper

  I have written over thirty books. Here are some of the highlights!

  https://geni.us/Way-of-the-Immortals

  My first cultivation novel about a monk, a bird and a drifter from Massachusetts karmically fighting their way through a world based on Bhutanese, Mongolian and Tibetan landscapes and literature.

  Hate your job. Win the lottery. Get a superpower. House of Dolls.

  https://geni.us/HouseofDolls

  My best-selling Superhero Harem Adventure about a sci-fi writer and the superpowered women who are trying to kill him. Fun content, adult read!

  https://geni.us/CherryBlossomGirls1

  A fantasy harem adventure inspired by Pokemon Go!, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and the Persona family of video games. Check out this Amazon best seller!

  https://geni.us/MonsterHuntNYC

  What if Ready Player One was a multi-part epic? Gritty LitRPG action, gamer humor, fantastic fantasy worlds, and a killer MC.

  (This one is related to Monster Hunt NYC)

  https://geni.us/TheLoop

  If you love dark fantasy, RPGs, Witcher, Punisher, or Mad Max, you'll love this powerful gamer trilogy about a man and his wolf companion.

  https://geni.us/LastWarrior

  Tokyo, Japan meets online fantasy gaming and South Park-styled humor. Yakuza, goblins, action, intrigue - add this book to your inventory list!

  (This one is related to Monster Hunt NYC)

  https://geni.us/FICK