Book excerpt: The Mick and Marie Story is an action-packed adventure story with mountain climbing, cliff dancing, hang gliding, boating and murder with a constitutional, save-freedom-of-speech twist. Our heroes, Mickey Swift and Marie Sweet, team up as photographer and reporter to get a story about a phony animal rescue shelter operating under a government tax exemption grant. Marie got the story lead from the director of the California FBI Office. Paul Du Pree, Marie’s spurned ex, fed her the info in an attempt to win back her affections. Paul was bound and determined to control her life with the story leads he knew she needed. Unbeknownst to Mick, he was standing in Paul’s way. The animal shelter was privately guarded and well hidden behind Cal Con Labs and a national forest. Cal Con Labs was in itself a clandestine operation. They were in the process of formulating synthetic drugs and testing them on teen runaways and child laborers in an experimental confined study. While investigating, they run into some crazed CEO’s who have a passion for slaughtering caged wild animals for their own amusement. Dangers multiply swiftly when Marie is caught off guard while snooping around. Mick becomes emotionally distraught at the thought of losing his lover and mate while his animal instincts take control of his body and mind. Mick’s instincts and the fresh mountain air weren’t the only things affecting him. He also discovers a spring in the forest he labeled Hummingbird Valley, but even in the Garden of Eden there were unknown dangers.