Excerpt from Signal and Noise by John Griesemer, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Katerina walked up quietly and touched the gun and ran her hands along its flank. Heat radiated from the metal. Its swell rose up over her head. She tried to imagine what the weapon would do, the largest cannon on earth. She tapped a little snatch of the "Battle Hymn" with her fingers on the warm iron. Then she heard a sigh and a rustling. She walked to the end of the gun, to its muzzle. There, lying inside the cannon, was Chester Ludlow, asleep. The opening was actually large enough for a man to climb inside. Chester's head was just inside the muzzle. Katerina ran her fingers through his blond curls, and he bolted awake.

"Oh, my God," he muttered, and twisted around to see who had touched him. He looked relieved it was she, but obviously abashed. "I was so exhausted. It was so warm in here. I fell asleep."

She went up on tiptoes and kissed him. He was awake enough now to smile at her.

"I know it's crazy, but I couldn't resist," he murmured. "I had to see if I could fit inside her."

"And so you do," she said.

Copyright 2003 by John Griesemer. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.