Grandmas Goulash

Fifteen years before, world-renowned director, Charles Clement, had come to this rural location to shoot a film. He left with a scrawny orphan. Under his loving guardianship, Gabrielle lost her shyness and transitioned from an illiterate child to a respected pediatrician. After Charles’ death, Gabrielle is the only heir to his fortune, including several mansions and her childhood home. Why had Charles bought it? Gabrielle feels compelled to return. Staring at the hovel , she notices the flutter of a dingy curtain. Seconds later, she is confronted by a tattered waif brandishing a stick. Gabrielle returns home with her own orphaned child. History doesn’t repeat itself. Rosie isn’t shy and definitely not grateful. Staff quit in the face of her brothel language and heirloom-shattering tantrums. Police and truancy officers become regular visitors. Then Rosie is arrested for selling drugs. Has Gabrielle made the biggest mistake of her life? Book Blurb...

Eric’s testimony sent two drug lords to prison for life. Now his life is in jeopardy. After three narrow escapes, the Witness Protection Program must find a new way to hide him. Twenty years before, the government had evacuated and cordoned off beautiful Dresdale Valley, when crops withered and scores of residents died. “No trace of toxins was ever found. Aerial surveys reveal thriving foliage and wildlife. No one will look for you there.”      The agent didn’t say the obvious. Not even the drug lords’ henchmen would be willing to enter Dresdale Valley. Eric is out of options. Within hours, he parachutes into the middle of the valley. Five years later, Eric is healthy and adjusting to his solitary existence. Then he wakes to find the newly fallen snow laced with tire tracks. Who has entered Dresdale Valley? Where are they? Book Blurb Friday  is hosted by Lisa Ricard Claro, who posts a weekly photo and challenges us to “write a book jacket...

B.B. Jones spent her childhood dodging the vituperative collisions of a philandering father and a drunken mother. Her adult life tolerates no trace of disorder. Her peaceful existence dissolves, when she witnesses an attack in the narrow walkway beneath her apartment window. Detective Luc Moretti is trained to recognize lies. What motive does the mousey librarian have for lying about her name? Luc loves mysteries and soon his investigation extends far beyond the walkway attack. B.B. knows that men can’t be trusted, particularly the handsome ones. Nothing about Detective Moretti fits in her life. Not his party-loving friends. Not his French/Italian parents and their raucous tribe. Not his searing looks that pierce her mind and clothing. Will her family’s history be repeated as two opposites collide? Book Blurb Friday  is hosted by Lisa Ricard Claro, who posts a weekly photo and challenges us to “write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that po...

Last November, I took the  NaNoWriMo  challenge for the first time and was delighted to complete it with 20,000 words to spare. It was fun and motivating, so I’ll be returning in November. I’d probably still be hunting for an idea, if it weren’t for Book Blurb Friday. Now I need to narrow the selection to one idea.  A Tangled Web  and this week’s blurb are at the top of my list. I’ll make the final decision next month. Memory is a strange creature. Several people, who experience the same event, can provide remarkably different recollections. Physical or emotional traumas can cause the repression of memories. We grow up hearing our family’s reminiscences. Can we differentiate between what we have repeatedly heard and the actual event? I think a novel about memory would have no shortage of material. Will any of you be participating in  NaNoWriMo  this year? Maggie stood at the window watching rain drum against the sidewalk. Beyond the pines, fog ...

“KD2” Adam stared at the pretty girl on the sidewalk and then at his friend-filled car. “Sure Katie, you can come too, but you’ll have to squeeze in next to me.” Adam plans on a carefree summer. KD2 plans on surviving in a primitive civilization. Adam grew up in a suburban McMansion. KD2 grew up in a small spacecraft with six survivors of Sviluppare’s destruction, hurtling towards the nearest hospitable planet, Earth. He finds her intense blue eyes a bit unnerving. The cosmetic implants were intended to help her blend. She finds them uncomfortable and unnecessary. He says what people want to hear. She reads thoughts. Before the afternoon is over, both are ready to part ways. Fate has another idea. I once gave a speech on why I opposed diversity training. The title raised a few eyebrows at my workplace, where diversity training was in strong force. My premise was that focusing on differences could sometimes blind us to a multitude of similarities. ...

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“Loosen rusty bolts, bake flaky pie crusts, make your hair shine.” Before infomercials he hadn't sold a can a week. Now money rolled in. Microfiction Monday offers a new image each week and a challenge to write a story of 140 characters or less. Click on the image to see other entries. Why not try your own?