Dominique Gibson

Note: This is from Chapter Two of An Orman’s Revenge, the first book in the Truson S.E.T. series.

The other side of her agreed to that decision by giving her a nudge. Mandy checked to make sure she still had feeling in her arms and legs before she sat up on the bed. She became distracted when she heard voices coming from outside the hospital door.

“You were supposed to protect her Ford. If she was transforming, you should have followed her.”

“I did go after her Dr. Madison. I didn’t know her alter ego was going to take longer than five minutes.”

“So how long did you wait before you decided to rescue her huh? Ten, twenty, minutes?” Dr. Madison asked.

“I waited until I didn’t see her dorsal fin swimming afloat. That’s when I decided to take action?”

“Do you know how much danger you put her in by waiting? She could have been easily attacked by the other orcas in the ocean, or worse, she could have been attacked by one of the sharks.”

Mandy heard silence for a few seconds before Ford responded again. “Even if she sensed any type of danger in the water, her powers would have been able to protect her. That’s what happened to all of us when you injected the Animan Three-Hundred into our bodies. Our powers naturally come out whenever we sense danger, that’s part of our nature as Ormans,” Ford said.

Mandy swung his legs off the bed and stood up. She felt slightly wobbly from the impact but she was able to grab the end of the bedframe for support. She inched closer to the door and listened to the conversation.

“You’re right, that’s part of our nature as Ormans, but according to the rules of Truson, the rules my grandfather wrote–“

“–I know about the rules, Dr. Madison. Your grandfather may have published the rules in the Book of Truson, but this is still my island. I’m the one in charge of what happens to Mandy and the rest of my team, not you.”

“Well, if that’s the case, you should act more like a boss than a bystander Ford. Whenever one of your students is in trouble, you’re always the first one to respond. Why is it so difficult for you to respond the same way with Mandy?”

“Because I would rather spend time educating my students than spend it focusing on a woman who has no memory of who she is,” Ford said.

Mandy took a few steps back from the door. Animan Three-Hundred? Something stirred inside her. How dare they keep secrets that had the potential to cause her death? And what the hell did they inject into her bones? Was that what she was strapped to a hospital bed in the first place?

Mandy went back to her bed and thought about what she needed to do. It had only been forty-eight hours since she woke up not knowing who she was. Now she was in the middle of an argument she couldn’t understand. One thing she knew for sure was that she wasn’t wanted here.

She needed to leave.

When she heard the doorknob turn, she lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. She then heard the door slam along with stiletto heels clicking against the tile floor.

“With all due respect, Mr. Mayfield, I hired you for a reason. I know that her having no memory of who she is is very difficult for you, but I am pretty sure you will be able to handle it.” She paused. “Besides, her temporary memory loss, she was able to transform into her alter ego with success. It’s already been forty-eight hours since I found her dead body washed up on the shores of this island, and she has already proven she’s capable of being an Orman and living a successful life as long as she remains on the island.”

Ford turned to face Dr. Madison.

“How many times do I need to tell you this?”

Mandy heard Ford scuffing his shoes before he continued.

“You may be a very famous pharmacologist on the other side of town, but not here. You’re not the boss, I am. I’m the one who teaches the students at the Truson School for Shapeshifters how to survive on their own after the effects of the Animan Three-Hundred. I’m the one who agreed to watch Mandy after you injected her with something you knew might not work after a short time.”

Mandy opened her eyes. A flash of ocean blue eyes stared at her. “If you will excuse me, Dr. Madison, my new student just woke up from her long transformation and I would really like to get started. Good night Dr. Madison.”

“How dare you dismiss me like this?” She snarled.

Ford broke contact with Mandy and cut his eyes toward Dr. Madison.

“Good night Dr. Madison.” Dr. Madison squinted at Ford.

Mandy felt a tremendous level of tension as Dr. Madison stomped her way out into the hallway. The door slammed behind her, causing Ford to give out a nervous smile.

“How much of that did you hear?” he asked.

“Enough for me not to trust you ever again.” Ford scratched the back of his head with his finger.

“You do know you have no other choice but to trust me, don’t you? You can’t leave this island. It’s too dangerous for you.”

Mandy raised her brow.

“More dangerous than saying you would rather train someone else besides me?”

Ford dropped his head.

“That’s not what I meant–“

“–If that’s not what you meant then why did you say it? You should never say things you don’t mean as my parents would say,” Mandy said, interrupting him. Ford opened his mouth to speak, but Mandy continued. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to stay in a place where I’m not wanted.”

Ford exhaled. “You can’t leave this island,” he repeated. “You don’t remember anything. You don’t even know your name or how you got here.”

Mandy shrugged. Where was this conversation going?

“So?”

“I have all of that information for you. Dr. Madison filled me in on who you are. Wouldn’t you like to stick around for that?”

Mandy thought about what he said. Something wasn’t sitting right with her. Something was missing from this conversation, but she made the mistake of staring at him. Her throat went dry.

“All of that information I can get from Dr. Madison since she’s the one who gave it to you,” Mandy said. Ford’s expression changed. “Dr. Madison means well, but she’s not the boss of Truson Enterprises, I am. What I say goes.”

Mandy crossed her arms, causing her bosoms to expose themselves out of the gown. His abdomen stirred. He could feel the blood rushing between his legs. He was getting excited just by looking at her. He needed to stop this. He couldn’t;t afford to be distracted, not when he felt like he was getting somewhere with Mandy when it came to what he wanted.

“Hmmm.” Mandy cupped her chin and stared at the ceiling. “That’s funny. From the way you guys were talking–I was under the impression Dr. Madison was your boss.”

Things are starting to get heated between these two. If you wanna know more, check back next week for another episode.

Can’t wait for the next episode? An Orman’s Revenge is available on the following platforms: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Lulu and other online retailers now, Grab your copy today.

Note: This is Chapter One from the book, An Orman’s Revenge

No longer a hundred percent human? An Orman? Mandy laughed. Was this man serious? Of course, she was human. She had two arms, two legs, and declared herself lucky to be alive after finding out she had survived what sounded like a very horrific car accident. Where did this man come from, a psych ward? Mandy wiped away her tears of laughter as Ford have her a stern look, one that screamed he wasn’t too happy about her reaction to the situation.

“What’s so funny?’ he asked.

“Oh c’mon, do you honestly expect me to believe I’m not human and I’m an ormu or whatever it is you called it?” Mandy wiped the rest of her tears and exhaled.

“I’m telling you the truth, Mandy. You are somewhat still human but not like you used to be. You’re different now,” he said. Ford stepped closer to her. “Don’t you feel something tugging at you to come out?”

Mandy let the words sink in. She did feel a little funny. There was something…different about her.

“It’s like you have another person inside trying to get out. It wants to be free to explore the environment to see if you are in any sort of danger. It’s part of who you are now.”

Mandy took a couple of steps back from him. She had to admit this man whoever he was, did something to her she’d never experienced before. Her heart raced, and her knees buckled whenever he was close to her.

Not good.

“Mandy?’

Mandy drew her attention back to him. “No, I don’t feel anything,” she lied. She did feel something pulling her in but declared she needed to figure out what it was on her own. Though he had been kind enough to unlock her from those horrid chains that blocked off her circulation, something deep inside her told her not trust him. Could Ford have been right about her? Was she only half-human?

“So, you don’t feel anything?” He stepped closer. “You don’t feel the sensation of powers running through your veins? The blood rush you get when your other form starts taking over?” Ford took a few more steps towards her. “You mean to tell me you don’t feel any of those things?”

She stirred. The contact was way too close for comfort. As they contiuned to gaze at each other, she realized what Ford meant when it came to that weird feeling she got everytime he was near her.

Something nuzzled inside her, wanting to be free. Free from what? She wasn’t sure. Maybe it was time to go back to bed. It would give her the opportunity to get away from the man who looked hell-bent on kissing her. Mandy tried to back away from him, but a strange pain took over her legs.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Ford asked.

Mandy put her hands on her legs and felt the pain and tingling associated with it.

When Ford touched her back, shots of electricity flung through his skin, causing him to step back.

“My legs…my legs hurt really bad. I think I need to go see a doctor!” Mandy’s legs were stuck like glue as she collapsed on the floor.

***

Ford watched her legs transform into one large flipper. It wasn’t a good sign. She was converting into an orca, and if he didn’t react quickly, her weight would be too heavy to hold on his own.

He needed to get her out of here–fast!

Ford wasted little time wrapping his arms around Mandy as she lay there, becoming a prisoner to her own alter ego. He carried her in his arms and searched for the nearest exit to the island. He ran with her through a maze of dimly lit hallways and huge aquariums big enough to fit at least three orcas. Ford started to rethink his plan.

If he was able to access the laboratory with a key card, he could put Mandy in there for the time being until she was able to transform herself back into human form. Ford thought hard about where his key card was. When he realized he left it on the counter, he knew there was no time to get it. After what seemed like forever, Ford saw the emergency exit sign lit up at the end of the hallway. He sped up, stopping only when he carefully opened the door.

“It hurts…everywhere! What’s happening to me, Ford? Am I dying?” Mandy asked.

There was no time to answer. The brisk, cold air slapped him in the face while he fell down the steps of the building and raced through the monstrous pile of snow that had cascaded the island within the last couple of days. Ford managed to get any lingering thoughts out of his head before approaching the water.

“What are you doing?” Mandy asked. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“No Mandy, I’m not the one trying to kill you. I’m the one trying to save your life.” Ford put her body down onto the snow and rolled her over until the tidal waves crashed against her. He heard her scream one final time before she disappeared into the ocean…

He waited…and waited…and waited. His alter ego ripped his insides, yelling at him, to let him free. His eyes searched for her dorsal fin, flukes…anything that told him, she had fully transformed into the orca she was supposed to be.

Nothing.

His alter ego roared.

Ford, what the hell did you just do?

***

Note: The story continues as chapter two of An Orman’s Revenge in the Truson S.E.T. series.

A wave of terror rushed through Mandy while the water invaded her nostrils. She knew dangerous people loved killing their victims through drowning, but this was too much for her. As usual, she had trusted someone who she thought would keep her safe.

She was wrong.

The water filled her lungs with such force, she thought she was dead. But that was nothing compared to the pain she felt inside her body. The horrible cramping made her feel like a statue. The conversation she had with Ford echoed in her brain. She felt her body stretching until it was almost too painful to bear.

What was happening?

It wasn’t until the process was complete that her body calmed down. She took a couple of breaths by going to the surface for air before heading back down again. She could see ice drifting into the ocean. She felt herself floating on the water, watching the fish swim by.

The beautiful colors reminded her of a rainbow–full of nothing but extravagant colors invading the ocean.

She couldn’t remember anything else after that except for how relaxed she felt while swimming in the water. She reflected on the last time she’d ever felt so warm in this type of environment. When she realized she couldn’t remember anything, she put the thought out of her mind and enjoyed the ride.

The next thing she remembered was waking up in that dreadful bed again. Her eyes roamed the room. She was alone. Where was Ford? She shouldn’t have cared about the man after what he did to her. She couldn’t believe he almost killed her.

She needed to escape.

Will Mandy be able to escape from the Island of Truson on her own? Will Ford be able to help her leave the island or keep her there forever?

The story will continue Next Saturday as Episode Four will be released next Saturday June 27th, 2026.

If you like what you have read so far, you can go and purchase the entire book. It’s available on Amazon and other online retailers.

Amazon

Lulu

You can visit other retailers here as well: Draft2Digital

Have a wonderful day and see you next Saturday.

Dominique Gibson

Here is Epsiode Two of An Orman’s Revenge. Note: This is the same as chapter one in the book, An Orman’s Revenge.

Note: Just in case you missed the first episode, Please click on the link below for more information.

An Orman’s Revenge – The Truson S.E.T. Series Episode One: The Sleeping Woman

“No,” She finally said. Her throat moved. “Don’t remember…my…name. Don’t…remember anything.”

“So you don’t remember how you got here?”

“No.”

Amnesia? It was possible. Ford replayed the conversation in his head.

“How did…I…get here?” she asked.

There was no way to soften the blow. Eventually, she was going to learn the truth about who’s she was and how she got here in the first place. Since Dr. Madison failed at making her feel like a guest on the island, he had to make sure she wouldn’t escape.

“You suffered injuries from a car accident a few miles away. It was pretty bad. I don’t know how it happened, but your car ended up in the water. Your body was found washed up on this island.” She lifted her brow.

“Island?”

“Yes,” Ford replied. “We call this the Island of Truson. A lot of people having trouble finding it because it’s so far away from every island and country on Earth.” Silence. Ford thought about what he said and hoped he was doing the right thing. He didn’t want to give too much information so soon. The woman needed to adjust to her surroundings.

And he needed to adjust his alter ego who wouldn’t stop tugging at him to come out and play…

“From every island on Earth?” The woman grimaced.

“Yes,” he said. “Are your arms and legs feeling better?” Ford watched as the woman moved her toes and fingers–a good sign her feet hadn’t been entirely numb.

“Ok, since we’re making progress on your recovery, why don’t we try walking to the nearest fountain for some water?” She had to be dying of thirst. He was quite thirsty himself. He needed to replenish himself after spending twenty-four hours with someone he didn’t know.

Despite her beauty, after what happened to his wife ten years ago, he swore he should never love a woman again. No other woman was ever going to compare to Roxanne Gene Mayfield.

No one.

“Need..water,” she said. The woman slid her right leg off of the bed and hung it there, much to Ford’s dismay. He couldn’t help but stare at her luscious legs and thought about how much he wanted to–what? Kiss them? There was no way possible. Sure, he liked the way they looked, but that didn’t mean he wanted to kiss them.

What the hell was wrong with him?

The woman slid her other leg down on the floor. Ford grabbed her by the waist, ready to support her if she were to fall once she landed. Fortunately, she was able to balance herself without his help.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded.

The walk started out slow. The woman took careful steps following Ford’s lead.

“Thank you…for helping me.”

Ford managed a smile.

“You’re welcome.” The woman seems nice, Ford thought. As they passed the beautiful paintings and sculptures along the walls and floor of the Truson Headquarters, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at her physique–something he’s never done with the other women he dated after losing Roxanne.

Ford found it distracting. Here he was trying to help the woman based on a favor for the Pharmologist who gave him a second chance in life, and all he could think about was the shape of her breasts and how they reminded him of his past. He had slept with countless women since Roxanne’s death, but the shape of her breasts wasn’t like anything he’d ever seen before.

Hers were round and pump and ready to pop out at any minute.

His alter ego tugged at him once again. It wanted to come out and enjoy the company before him. He could feel his powers burning.

No, now now. The last thing Ford needed was to change into his alter ego in front of her. If he were to evolve into an Orca now, the woman would inevitably run in the other direction.

He couldn’t let that happen.

“What’s your..name?” Ford heard her ask. His mind focused on controlling his alter ego again as it got stronger and more aggressive, but luckily, he was able to fight it off.

“My name’s Ford.” Ford studied her as she stared at the floor.

Moisture formed around her eyes before she finally met his gaze.

“I’m so…sorry. I wish I…could tell you…my name but I…I don’t know…what my name is.” She stopped when Ford put his hands up.

“It’s okay. I know you don’t remember. If it helps, I can tell you your name,” Ford said.

She paused before taking her finger and thumb of her right hand and applying it to her index finger of her left. Weird Ford thought. It was only when the woman moved her hands that Ford saw an imprint of a ring and thought back to his conversation with Dr. Madison.

He felt a little betrayed because she hadn’t mentioned anything to him about the woman possibly being married to someone who he could only assume was dangerous to both humans and orcas.

“Hello, can you…hear me?” she asked.

His mind retreated back to her. Dammit, why couldn’t he concentrate?

“I’m sorry, what was the question again?”

She stiffened. “What’s my name?”

“Yes, of course,” he said. “Your name is Mandy Stevenson. It’s what was on your state I.D. when we found your purse in the car.”

“Do you still have it?” she asked. she cocked her head to the side and waited for Ford’s response.

“No. Dr. Madison has all of your belongings in a locked cabinet on the third floor of this building. We’ll probably make a tour around the building later.” Ford pressed the button. “Water?”

“I can get it myself.” Mandy shoved his hand away and bent over. Her hair fell over her face while she savored the liquid flowing down her mouth. The cooling sensation lifted some of the pain edged in her throat. Once she was done, she flipped her hair back and straightened her shoulders.

Ford groaned as the smell of Mango and strawberries invaded his nostrils.

“I think it’s time I sent you back to your room.” He wanted to get as far away from her as possible. He didn’t like the sensations flooding through his body after watching her perform. He felt his abdomen tingle with excitement when she stared at him.

“Why? Is there something wrong?” she asked. Yes, my alter ego won’t shut up, my body feels like it’s about to explode, and I really don’t have time to explain any of this to you.

Ford shrugged. “I know you’re probably tired from today’s events. I think you should go back and lie down for a while.”

Mandy raised a brow. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were trying to get rid of me.” Ford took his fingers and squeezed his forehead.

“I’m not trying to get rid of you. You’ve had a long day. The transformation is a very long and exhausting process—”

“–Transformation? What do you mean by that?” She interrupted.

Damn, Ford wanted to take things slow when it came to this situation, but his alter ego was screaming to get out. He needed Mandy to cooperate and not ask any questions he couldn’t answer at the moment.

“It’s when you transform from one thing to another.”

“I know what the word means, I’m not illiterate. I’m asking what it means when it comes to me?”

She’s a fiesty one. Ford’s insides stirred again. He tried to think of ways he could explain it but felt like he was wasting his time. Why couldn’t he just get the information he wanted and go back to the life he had before? Ford grunted. Considering the conditon, there was no way she was going to provide the answers he desperately needed.

There had to be more to the story than Dr. Madison had led on.

“It means you are no longer one hundred percent human. You died in the accident. You’re an Orman now.”

Orman: a clan/race of half-human, half-orcas with supernatural powers who lives on the Island of Truson.

Want to know more? Well, it’s not over yet. Come back next Saturday, June 13th, 2026 for Episode three of An Orman’s Revenge.

This is part of chapter one in An Orman’s Revenge, the first book in the Truson S.E.T. Series.

Intro: Welcome to the Truson World, a place where superhero hybrids run the Earth to destroy the criminals by protecting humanity at all costs while finding their true soulmates along the way.

Note: The First Episode is under the glossary terms.

Glossary Terms for the Truson S.E.T. Series:

The Animan Three-Hundred: A potion/Serum that mixes dead human and animal DNA to create hybrids. In this case, the Animan Three-Hundred was used to create a clan called Ormans.

Ormans: A race/clan of half-human, half-orcas that live on the island of Truson.

Island of Truson: An island that’s isolated from the rest of the world that was created by Benjamin Truson and Courtney Madison for a safe hiding place for the Ormans and other species to live on after the U.S. government declared it was no longer safe to keep them scattered throughout the world.

Binosil: A liquid medicine used to stop the human-animal transformation whenever it is too dangerous for a human to transfer into their animal form.

Alter ego: The animal side of the hybrid species that rises every twelve hours after the transformation. The only exceptions would be if their life is in danger or being injected with the Animan Three-Hundred in the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

Truson Super Elite Team: Half-human, half-animal superhero hybrids who are sworn to protect humans from criminals both on land and in water.

Book of Truson: A manual that contains specific information about how the Truson S.E.T. was born, starting from ancient Egypt until the present day in addition to the laws of Truson to keep the Truson S.E.T.’s powers from spinning out of control.

The Transforments: A group of orcas that was once created by Samuel Holifield as a way to retaliate revenge of the Truson S.E.T. after being kicked out of the group for killing innocent humans and Ormans combined.

First Episode: A Sleeping Woman

Ford Mayfield sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. Staring at the redheaded beauty lying a few inches away, he tapped his foot every so often to keep his feet from falling asleep. He scoffed, unable to believe that Dr. Counrtney Madison, a pharmacologist capable of bringing dead humans back to life as shapeshifters, persuaded him to train the woman who mysteriously washed up along the shores of Truson.

His island.

She knew how he felt about bringing a new woman into his daily activities, especially since it was getting close to the anniversary of his wife’s death.

There were many things he had planned for the day – one of them involved being at the Truson School for Shapeshifters, training a new set of shapeshifters who had already gone through the process of the Animan Three-Hundred and were now ready to become better Ormans. Even though it was summer on the Island of Truson, the school held classes all year round due to the painful transformation of the Animan Three-Hundred.

If he didn’t get back to his students soon, disaster would strike. Ford shook his head. All he needed was for one Orman to escape the island and attack anyone who got in the way.

And the secret society they worked so hard to create would be destroyed…

The woman shifted her weight in the bed. The chains jingled with every movement she made. Poor girl. Ford got up from his chair and inched closer. His mind replayed what happened to him when he arrived on the island while he took a couple more steps, staring at the purple and blue bruises the chains left behind.

Should I release her? He thought. She seems to be in a lot of pain. He cringed. Why did the coporal punishment of an Orman have to be so brutal?

Before he found the answer to his question, the woman jolted up from the bed, and Ford backed away. The chains held her from escaping her bed, causing her to sit in an uptight position. Ford watched the woman stare at the wall before she let out a blood-curling scream.

Taking a couple of breaths, he tried to remember what the woman had gone through before she was chained up like an animal. After being given the scare of his life, Ford somehow managed to push himself off the wall and comfort her as best he could.

“It’s okay. I know it hurts, but it will pass, I promise,” he said. Ford wrapped his arms around her, the chains cutting into his skin like ice. It didn’t help that the woman struggled out of his grasp, desperately seeking a way out of the chains that shackled her. How long is this going to take?

The woman stopped screaming and collapsed on the bed. He panicked. He knew the Animan Three-Hundred was only used on dead humans. If the woman was hollering, it only meant one thing:

The Animan Three-Hundred was working.

Dr. Madison’s words fluttered to his mind. He’s asked her why she decided to investigate Mandy’s dead body after finding her washed up off the shores of Truson, which had only been a couple of hours ago.

“You have to believe me when I say it will be worth it.”

“Worth it how?” Ford had asked.

“Let’s just say she is connected to someone you’ve wanted to see disappear for years.”

Ford massaged his chin. The only person he wanted to see dead was the one person who was responsible for his wife’s death.

“So, you got a lead on who killed my wife?”

Dr. Madison had stopped typing on her computer and spun around.

“Boss, I really can’t give you any details about this right now. I’m still working on the connection, but I will let you know when I receive more information. I just want to be sure everything is accurate okay?”

Ford had wanted to protest but decided to drop the subject.

The woman’s eyes opened and stared at the ceiling. Something stirred inside him. He’d seen plenty of women with green eyes but never as vibrant as what he was staring at right now. They were marvelous, mysterious….

Deadly.

Her eyes changed from sparkling light green to dazzling aquamarine. She only held the appearance for a few moments before it disappeared and the marvelous light green eyes that stirred his emotions came back again. Her eyes turned to Ford.

He straightened himself up and got his emotions in check while greeting the woman with a smile.

“Did you get a good night’s rest?” he asked. It was only after he said it, he realized how much of a mistake he’d made when it came to that question. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so insensitive.”

The woman licked her lips and swallowed.

“Where…am…I? The…lights….too…bright.”

Ford went over to the other side of the room and adjusted the lighting until it became nothing more than the reflection of a brightly lit candle surrounding the place.

“Better?”

She nodded.

Ford grabbed one of the rollaway chains near the desk on the right side of the room. He rolled the chair to the womans’ bed and sat down.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, knowing what the obvious answer was going to be, but he needed some information to report back to Dr. Madison.

“My head…my legs…burning,” she said.

“The chains are cutting off your circulation.” Ford grabbed the lock from one of her legs and held it in his palm. A spark of flame burst through the middle of his hand until he was able to unlock it and set her legs free.

Once that was accomplished, he set the rest of the locks free, and all of the chains collapsed on the floor.

The woman wiggled her toes and then her fingers. She was probably stiff as a board, unaware she had been chained up for the last forty-eight hours.

“Thank…you,” she said. She lifted her head, but it flopped back down on the pillow. “So…thirsty.”

Ford searched for anything the doctor might have left behind for her. Nothing. No cups, no water, no ice cubes, not even something to make her feel comfortable. What was Dr. Madison thinking?

She was transformed once upon a time, she should have known what a dead human went through after a transformation like this. He buried his thoughts. There was no time for anger or resentment. He needed to ask her questions about her family.

“I know you’re thirsty right now, but I need to ask some questions first.” He paused. When the woman didn’t respond to his request, he continued.

“Do you know who you are?” Ford wanted to punch himself. He quickly regained his composure and rephrased the question. “Do you remember your name?”

The woman’s eyes drifted to his face.

Ford felt his palms getting sweaty. Blood rushed through his veins. Something was tugging inside his body.

It couldn’t be…

What could Ford be experiencing? What is Ford’s Connection to Mandy? Who is Dr. Madison?

Find out in the next Episode that will be released this Saturday, June 13th for the next episode.

Like this story so far? Great. New Episodes will be updated every Saturday on my website and on Substack as well.

The Link to my Substack is down below:

https://open.substack.com/pub/dominiquegibsonauthor/p/an-ormans-revenge-the-truson-set?r=7l43ru&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Dominique Gibson

How visions of hybrids, superpowers, and rejections ended with me publishing my own books.

I decided that maybe I should put this and an article today because a lot of people don’t know who I am, what I write, or where I came from. So, here I go.

My name is Dominique Gibson. I’m an ESL teacher who spends the day teaching various age groups, leaving me room to only write either in the early morning hours before I go to work or late into the evening before I got to sleep. I try my best to use my time wisely.

Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out.

My first love has always been writing. I remember being an eight-year-old kid who thought it was a wonderful idea to write a story about a bank robber who ends up stealing a bag of money on the street. The story ends with him getting caught towards the end of the story. I will never forget how much I wanted to draw and write at the same time because of the books I read back in the 90’s.I wanted to be the next Ann M. Martin or R.L. Stine.

Then the years passed. I stop loving horror and switched to romance after reading His Secret Child by Beverly Barton. I was hooked ever since. Romance was going to be my new genre I wanted to write in.

But then I got stuck on how to write one.

That’s when my other love for reading romance novels came in with one name: Harlequin. I had made an attempt to write my first category romance back when I was in college going for my Bachelor’s Degree in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. It was unsuccessful. However, I decided that I wasn’t going to give up my dream of becoming an author. I kept writing and reading up different romance novels until one stuck out to me more than the other genres. That genre?

Paranormal romance.

I loved the books where they had the werewolves in them but I became excited when authors included tigers and bears shifters too.

This marked the beginning of the first book in the Truson S.E.T. Series.

I tried writing a category romance throughout the years. I became excited when Harlequin came out with a new series for their line, Harlequin Nocturne. I tried my best to come up with a story that was suitable for their line only for it to be rejected. I went in a different direction: Young adult. I had read a few young adult novels during this time, including Twilight and Gossip Girls. I thought I should give it a shot so that’s what I did.

I had wrote more of a 90,000-word YA novel called The Electric Eel Bandit. In this book, the main character (Amanda) wakes up to a world where she turns into a hybrid and becomes a part of the Truson S.E.T. Bradford (The male love interest) tries his best to help her to ease into the new world while her life is in danger from an enemy who wants to kill her before she makes it into the team.

After multiple rewrites, I was finally ready to submit it to literary agents and publishers. At first, I was able to handle it when it came to the rejections. Four to five rejections didn’t seem too bad. I still had other options which means I still had hope. But then those single-digit rejections turned into ten to twenty rejections. I felt defeated. No one wanted my story of superhero hybrids battling criminals in the Young Adult market.

That’s when I came up with an idea to turn it from a young adult book into an adult book.

I rewrote the story and did a little research when it came to the paranormal romance genre. I had rewrote it to where I felt like I was ready to submit again to literary agents and publishers. I even got excited because now my book was ready for Halrequin Nocturne.

“Here I go. Here is my big chance.”

So, I sent it.

And…nobody didn’t want it. A part of me felt like I was getting closer to achieving my goal when I got to literary agents accepting my work. One said that they were interested but thinks I should write something else. Write something else? I thought. I don’t want to write something else. My heart belonged to the Truson S.E.T. I didn’t want to write anything else.

I decided that if I wanted to get my books out into the world, I was going to have to do this myself. After being haunted with visions of the scenes in my book, I decided to do a little bit of research to see how I was going to get it done. That’s when I decided to do something that completely took the internet by storm.

Self-publishing on Amazon.

I had researched countless stories on how people were making money self-publishing their books on Amazon KDP. The best part was when it stated that you could write your own novel without the help of anyone else. You could do it all yourself. This sounds like an excellent idea.

It was also during this time I had managed to scrape up enough money to pay for an editor to look over my work for an upcoming contest I wanted to enter in. I didn’t make the deadline when it came to the contest but after working on countless rewrites with my editor, I decided to go ahead and publish my first book in the Truson Super Elite Team Series, An Orman’s Revenge.

It became the happiest day of my life.

Seeing my book in my hands was the most incredible feeling I ever had. No other feeling can compare to having your first book in your hands for the first time. All the hard work that I experienced had finally paid off. But the story didn’t end there.

I wanted to keep going. I published two more books in the Truson S.E.T. series: An Orman’s Fate and An Orman’s Allegiance. I got to hold those books in my hands as well. Now, it’s 2026 and I am still working on bringing more books when it comes to this series.

That’s all for now. My only hope is that you will be able to read them here on my website and enjoy the world I created. Thanks.

Here is one of the rejection letters I received when I sent my book out in 2015. Enjoy.

Dear Dominique:

Thank you so much for allowing our agency to consider your material. Unfortunately, after carefully reviewing your query, we’ve determined that this particular project isn’t the right fit for our agency at this time. As I’m sure you know, the publishing industry changes swiftly now, as readers’ tastes and trends. As as result, our own agents needs shift and change, as well; therefore, we would like to encourage you to consider querying us with future projects as you may deem appropriate.

Again, thank you very much for allowing us this chance to consider your material, and we wish you all the best in your publishing endeavors.

Sincerely,

Assistant Literary Agent

Agent LLC