Marshall Thornton is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright and author living in Long Beach, California. He has an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA where he won the Carl David Memorial Fellowship for his romantic-comedy, Husband Material, as well as a BA in Creative Writing from California State University at Long Beach. He has had plays produced in both Chicago and Los Angeles. Marshall has published in literary journals and is currently exploring the world of on-line downloadable fiction.
<p>Maria hits the streets of New York in search of the love denied by her alcoholic father and indifferent mother. When Sergio, a dark, worldly stranger, lures her with diamonds, brand-name clothing, and undivided attention, Maria sees a way out of her dysfunctional home. Seduced by Sergio’s charm and the promise of wealth and recognition, Maria ignores her panicked intuition and wanders into his lair.<br /><br />But in a world where ambition and deception go hand in hand, where dreams are shattered and innocence crushed, Maria discovers she’s trapped in a hell much worse than the one she left. And now, there is no escape. The price for betrayal is blood.<br /><br />Destiny intervenes when Maria meets Christian, a handsome law student haunted by a dark family secret. With her life at risk and time running out, will Maria find the strength to save herself and convince Christian to go against all reason and risk everything to help her?</p>
<span style="color:#333333;font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;line-height:18px;"><strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-style:inherit;font-size:100%;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;font-weight:bold;">Review by: </strong><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/boxeroxny" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:100%;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:#336699;">Cynthia Roberts</a> on Feb. 24, 2009 : <img src="http://www.smashwords.com/static/img/star.png" alt="star" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:100%;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;border-top-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;" /> <img src="http://www.smashwords.com/static/img/star.png" alt="star" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:100%;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;border-top-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;" /> <img src="http://www.smashwords.com/static/img/star.png" alt="star" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:100%;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;border-top-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;" /> <img src="http://www.smashwords.com/static/img/star.png" alt="star" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:100%;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;border-top-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;" /> <img src="http://www.smashwords.com/static/img/star.png" alt="star" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:100%;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;border-top-style:none;border-right-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-style:none;" /> <br />A brutal homicide shocks the residents of a tiny snow-covered town in Marshall Thornton’s “Coffee Clutch”. Stylish and atmospheric, this story is a detailed Whodunit set within the wider context of the idiosyncrasies of small-town life. The quirky yet oddly appealing characters who inhabit Thornton’s fictional hamlet are well defined and easily recognizable. Refreshingly streamlined and free of clichés and gimmicks, “Coffee Clutch” will leave you wanting more of this tiny municipality and its inhabitants. One can only ask, “Where is the novel?”</span>