After the Affair
She rose
from the ashes of her dismay
a phoenix
made new for a life
far above her original dreams
taking to the air in a fiery show
of determined self confidence.
She will not be laughed at
anymore.
She will leave behind
all the ants who thought to take away
her best parts
and make them their own.
The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Click on the badge to go to the hub at G-man’s blog.
13 Characters
Kimberly Menozzi did this a few weeks ago. I said at the time I was tempted to do it, too, but hadn’t gotten around to it. Honestly, sometimes I take forever.
This is a list of characters from books I’ve written.
1. Daimik: From a Fantasy book I never finished and never will. He was found in the woods by a cruel and petty wizard who “adopted” him with the intention of training him to do dangerous work. Daimik accidentally kills the wizard, then starts off on a journey to bring the wizard back to life, only to learn the wizard’s true intentions as he goes.
2. Lord Dunraven: From my first complete – Lord Dunraven’s Kiss, an Historical Romance. He tries to appear to be a jolly, even silly man, but is actually fairly serious in nature. He pulls practical jokes and gambles incessantly, because these are socially acceptable for the son of a Marquette. Behind the scenes he’s launching a shipping business to get out from under his father’s thumb.
3. Grace: From a book aimed at Silhouette Desire, DOA. She was supposed to be this quiet, homebody type, a city slicker who builds her home in the middle of an old rancher’s spread and telecommutes on an I.T. job. The old rancher dies and his son comes to inherent. The son is stunned to find her there. Instead she ended up a spooky eyed weirdo.
4. Gloria: From a modern Romance. She’s a hippie chick who works for an alternative magazine and goes with the silver-spoon-baby of a boss on an over-night business trip. The boss gets his wallet stolen and Gloria has to teach him how to get by in the world with no money.
5. Dick Raffarty: From a modern Romance. He’s the tour guide for a rafting company. He likes to play practical jokes, and clown around, but knows his stuff inside and out. When he’s sober, he’s diligent and kind. Even when he’s drunk he manages to save a boy’s life. But he’s not living up to his full potential until the heroine convinces him to give up the beer.
6. Caroline: From an Historical Romance. She has a solid reputation as a paragon. She’s in her third Season, and spent a full year away in Scotland, and is no longer the nervous, rigidly controlled young miss that gave her the reputation. She is also not a paragon anymore, but isn’t about to let anyone know. As soon as her next birthday comes she will receive an inheritance that will allow her to disappear from Society. In the meanwhile, she must protect her aunts, and deal with a blackmailer.
7. Mark: From a Romantic Suspense. He’s ugly. He has the heavy jawed look of crohmagnon man, hair all over his body, and the kind of beard that grows from clean shaven to light beard in 24 hours. He is very quiet and thoughtful, and very good at finding people. He’s used to rejection, starting from when his mother left him in a dumpster. Once the heroine gets to know and love him he really blossoms.
8. Kevin: From a Romantic Suspense. He’s a total geek. He’s tall and thin with a wiry musculature. He loves electronic gadgets and owns a gadget store, but earns most of his money from the kind of private investigation work that keeps him traveling. He also loves rock climbing and camping. His life is golden until his sexy little assistant at the store gets caught up in a crime ring he’s investigating.
9. Amber: From an off-beat mainstream I’m not sure I’ll ever finish. She’s a college student who moves into a boarding house full of alternative types. She considered herself to be pretty odd until she meets people who really are odd. By the time she graduates and moves out, she sees things in a whole new way.
10. Leela: From a Science Fiction book currently submitted. She’s a nomad captured by a raider. The raider convinces her to stop trying to run away and become part of his community, but in the process she changes the way his community works, taking on the roll of a goddess.
11. Marley: From a Romantic Suspense currently submitted. She’s an off the wall clown of a private investigator who specializes in locating lost or stolen object until her job takes her into the reclusive hero’s apartment. Then she turns herself into a body guard to keep him safe. It takes her quite a while to figure out he hired her to protect her rather than to be protected. Not that she’d dumb, but that she doesn’t want to acknowledge it.
12. Trigvey: From Moving In, the second most recent book I’ve written and first to get published. He’s a doctor who wanted to be a doctor all his life, but begins to think he shouldn’t be one when his work in the ER takes a disastrous turn.
13. Beth: From my current WIP. She’s Gene’s mother. She has suffered from trauma-induced amnesia for nearly a decade. One day she’s looking for her keys when everything becomes clear. Having remembered Gene, she comes racing back, only to be thwarted by Suzie’s sexy lawyer.
Ah Maria, Long Range Plans Can Be Obscure
Queen Maria Theressa of Austria put a lot of faith in her diplomat, Count Kaunitz. She fully expected the impossible from him, and he was eager to give it.
Arriving in Paris, Count Kaunitz settled in to play the roll of courtier/diplomat. Sparing no expense, he surrounded himself with “the utmost splendor.” He was careful to invite all the right people to his extravagant dinner parties. On one point, Kaunitz’s realistic assessment of the situation stood him in good stead; nothing would happen quickly.
Austria had just finished fighting the French and their German allies. To have an emissary of Maria’s suddenly arrive in Paris, waving an olive branch while the Austrian army was being made bigger, stronger and better armed…no, the French would smell a rat.
As it was; “Thus the new ambassador was treated-with perfect courtesy- less as an emissary of peace than as a high grade spy, a harbinger of revenge.” In this environment, Kaunitz began to play his long game. It was well that Maria understood what he was doing. His ostensible superiors in Vienna, Ulfeld and Bartenstien, did not.
Slammed
You would not believe what all I’ve gone through in the last couple of days. Or maybe you would. It’s been a lot like what kaye http://ladygaladrielkj.blogspot.com/went through. I even tried to leave a comment, and had it get caught in my own Spam filter!
I still have quite a ways to go before I’m on my feet again, I’m trying. I expect to be visiting you soon.
Perspective
Jack: How did you get down there? What are you laying on?
Jill: I’m vertical, Jack. YOU’RE the one laying down.
Today’s theme is Vertical
Previously in Jack and Jill Who is Sweet?
The rules for Photohunt can be found here.
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Suzie’s House 159: The Snitch
“You The Man?” the snitch asked seconds after he and Drew met in the back of the WalliMart parking lot.
“No! No, I’m not The Man,” Drew said with a spoof of the very real panic he felt. Among these people “The Man” meant law enforcement, especially under cover cops.
“I don’t men The Man, the man. I mean are you Cool Dude from RamirezRules?”
“Oh. That man. Yeah, that’s me.” Drew tried a sappy smile, and guessed he pulled it off when the snitch slid open the side door on his vintage VW Van.
“Well.” The snitch gestured him in. “Come on.”
