Do you need to know anything else about this story? I mean, seriously? Marti Wells is going to have the time of her life climbing this tree! Mmm-hmm.
Have you read my bounty hunter stories? I love getting my guys and girls out into the woods on a chase. It’s like doing your morning constitutional to get your blood going (for me, climbing the stairs—LOL). Yeah, get them into the woods so you can see your heroes in action. The opening of Hardman is no different, and yet, this takedown has a little more spice than usual. I’ve posted the scene on Hardman‘s book page.
Follow the link below and enjoy! Then come back and tell me whether you’ve met any of the other characters in the scene before (which stories have you read)? It’s okay to say you haven’t taken that dumpster dive into pure action-adventure adrenaline, yet. LOL. One commenter will get his or her choice of one of my previous Montana Bounty Hunter books!
I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. “Story Cubes” is (that looks wrong, but I promise it’s not) a brainstorming game. You roll the dice and whatever pictures appear face up are the ones you use to riff off a story.
Here’s the roll…
Do any of these symbols tell you anything? You can pick some or use all of them. Tell me a story, or just a glimmer of an idea, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
Psst! Look at yesterday’s blog, too, because there are many open contests! Enter while you still can!
Tagged: game Posted in Contests!|10 People Said|Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Jennifer Beyer - bn100 - Debra Guyette - Katherine Anderson - Delilah -
“There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.”
~ John Hightower
~or~
“Might, could, would — they are contemptible auxiliaries.” ~ George Eliot
Both of these quotes are talking about the same thing. The opposite of taking the middle of the road or dreaming about what you might-could-would do is having the courage to take the plunge, to go all in.
The photo was one I found on a stock photo site when I typed in “Courage”. It made me laugh. I can’t imagine what would go through a bird’s mind before taking that leap. And before you think, “It’s just instinct” — have you seen videos of crows problem-solving? One on FB the other day showed a crow dropping pebbles into a water bottle to raise the level enough his beak could reach. I’m not sure any of my kids would’ve figured that one out. 🙂
I’d love to hear a little story about courage you’ve witnessed or experienced—big or small. Comment for a chance to win a free download from my backlist of books!
I had my COVID shot yesterday, and some folks asked me to give them an update on any reactions I might be having. The numbness in my lips and the slight woozy-headed feeling went away by late afternoon. This morning, I woke up with my arm feeling like it’s bruised, but that’s it. My SIL told me to be ready for fatigue, but I had insomnia last night—which is not unusual, so that wasn’t a problem for me. A little discomfort is well worth not dying. Folks, go get your shots!
So, it’s Monday. After last week’s Snowmageddon, we’re having a week of rain. We were under a tornado watch last night and had some limbs come down. A funnel cloud was seen but never touched down. So, we’re knee-deep in mud and won’t be drying up anytime soon. The first day we have sunshine, I’m going to start working on the pool because I can’t wait for the warm weather! I hope you’re all doing well and looking forward to Spring like I am! Maybe the puzzle will help you get into the mood. 🙂
Puzzle-Contest
Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Tell me what you think this picture is all about. Is there a story here?
Going down the rabbit hole is what we authors call picking up a thread of research that takes us away from our intended purpose. My latest is African-American opera. What got me started was my quest to track down a modern adaptation of Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold. I learned of an African-American version where James Brown’s first gold record is the gold stolen in the opera. Looking for information on that performance has taken me down many paths in my latest rabbit hole. Before my quest, I’d have had to admit my knowledge of opera depicting aspects of African-American life was limited to the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and Scott Joplin’s Tremonisha. I soon became lost in the wonderful facts I discovered about old and new works. And truth be told, I loved being lost.
My rabbit hole was really a gold mine. I struck a rich vein every time I began a new internet search. I’ve learned about modern works like Tulani and Anthony Davis’ X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X that premiered at the American Music Theater Festival in 1985. Last year, the Seattle Opera performed Daniel Schnyder and Bridgette A. Wimberly’s Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, a daring piece that incorporated jazz and opera.
This month I learned about 1949’s Troubled Island by composer William Grant Still. You can learn more about the piece here…
In 1936, Still began the opera set in Haiti’s slave rebellion. He asked poet Langston Hughes to write the libretto. Hughes had collaborated with African American composer James P. Johnson to write a blues opera called De Organizer. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union sponsored performances of the work in 1940. In 1937, Hughes moved to Spain to correspond on the Spanish Civil War. Still’s wife, Verna Arvey, a librettist in her own right, finished Troubled Island‘s libretto. Completed in 1939, it took ten more years before the work was performed by the New York City Opera. This made Troubled Island the first African-American grand opera to be produced by a major opera company.
I was drawn to learn more about William Grant Still, the music of Langston Hughes, Verna Arvey, James P. Johnson, famous sponsors of work by African-American artists. Can you see why research is an underground rabbit warren from which I might have never returned to the story that initiated the search in the first place? I plugged up my ears against the siren call of all these facts and made my way back to the surface. I’ve tucked the information away for another time and other stories.
I’ve yet to find the James-Brown-gold-record version of Das Rheingold but I haven’t given up. If you come across it or any information about it, please let me know. But beware lest you fall into a rabbit hole research trap of your own.
For a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card, share in the comments if you have a favorite opera or if opera is something you avoid at all costs.
One Breath Away
Sentenced to hang for a crime she didn’t commit, former slave Mary Hamilton was exonerated at literally the last gasp. She returns to Safe Haven, broken and resigned to live alone. She’s never been courted, cuddled or spooned, and now no man could want her, not when sexual satisfaction comes only with the thought of asphyxiation. But then the handsome stranger who saved her shows up, stealing her breath from across the room and promising so much more.
Wealthy, freeborn-Black, Eban Thurman followed Mary to Safe Haven, believing the mysteriously exotic woman is his mate foretold by the stars. He must marry her to reclaim his family farm. But first he must help her heal, and to do that means revealing his own predilection for edgier sex.
Hope ignites along with lust until the past threatens to keep them one breath away from love…
Excerpt from One Breath Away
“Caesar King?”
He removed his hat and extended his hand in greeting. “At your service, Queen.”
She donned her hat and examined him with that regal air.
“Miss Payne, if you please. You may call me Queen after the nuptials.” She finished tying her hat’s long ribbons beneath her chin. “Although, even then, I’d prefer Mrs. King.”
“You don’t say?” He chuckled, taking her measure from head to foot. “Well, Miss Payne it is…for now.”
She filled her face with a frown. “I don’t appreciate being examined like some newly purchased cow, Mr. King.”
He pulled back. Amusement wrestled with annoyance. “I’m making sure you measure up, Miss Payne.”
“Pray to what criteria? I doubt there’s a standard for marriages of convenience.” She shoved her valise against his chest then crossed her arms, causing her lovely bosom to swell.
He inhaled against the pull of desire throbbing in his privates. “The same criteria as you I suspect: my own self-worth and what I deserve.” He dropped the bag at her feet. “So, by that token, I don’t appreciate being treated like some fetch-and-carry boy.”
She lowered her gaze. But for the set of her jaw he’d have taken the gesture for apology.
He leaned forward and whispered, “If you ask me nicely, I’d gladly carry your bag.”
“A gentleman wouldn’t need to be asked.” Her tone dripped with disdain. “A gentleman would simply take it.”
“I do many things, Miss Payne.” He pushed up the brim of his hat and grinned, fired up by the hazel flame sparking in her eyes. “Pretending to be a gentleman doesn’t number among them.”
Tell me a story. Just a short one will do. Doesn’t have to be good or long. Funny is always appreciated, too. Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
I’m writing this as my dd and the 16-year-old are cleaning my rooms. I guess yesterday’s whine was read. 🙂
Which is very freeing for me. You know, being surrounded by “accidental” clutter is very exhausting. I’m not sure why. I love my “deliberate” clutter—my Russian lacquer boxes, my super-hero Funko-Pop figures, my fortune-telling teacups, my antique vanity table powder jars, etc. That clutter gives me pleasure. The clutter of water cups, unread magazines, the 7-year-old’s toys (because she spends an excessive amount of time down here with me (love her!)), clothes that need to be put into drawers—all that makes me uneasy and restless—and in normal times would inspire me to straighten…on occasion…but these aren’t normal times. My ass hurts. Bending gives me terrible twinges. And you know I’m going to be using this excuse (an excuse even it’s real pain) for as long as I can.
By the end of today, the only thing I’ll need to handle myself is my very cluttery desk. I should take a picture of my desktop, but you’d forever have that image in your mind, so just…no. Suffice it to say that I have unopened mail, toys that need fixing (again, for the precious 7-year-old who thinks I can save anything), art supplies that need to find a home, notebooks, and printed short stories (that I STILL need to read)…amid my “acceptable” clutter of perfume bottles (because a whiff of something wonderful wakes me up and clarifies my thinking), hand creams (because stiff fingers need massaging), colored pens in numerous coffee cups (because listing doesn’t work unless there’s a color code!), and those cheap dollar-store toys that wiggle and swing when the LED light is on (just because).
Okay…all right…I’ll share.
Don’t judge me! The picture doesn’t include my teetering stack of magazines and mail, but you get the picture. Actually, most of this mess “belongs” on my desk. The pens, the messy paint palettes, the dirty paint rag…
So, does my messy desk inspire hives or glee? Answer for a chance to win a download of your choice!
I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. “Story Cubes” is (that looks wrong, but I promise it’s not) a brainstorming game. You roll the dice and whatever pictures appear face up are the ones you use to riff off a story.
