09.19.07
Avast, ye matey…
Afore I be forgettin’, it’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day, so, go forth and hug a Pirate. Just be careful not to get stuck on his hook.
09.13.07
The Fate of Mallory
So here’s my conundrum: everybody likes Mallory. People think Mallory should get more of my attention. Apparently, Mallory needs a book of his own.
Why is this an issue? Well, because Mallory wasn’t intended to be a story. He was invented so that Ian wouldn’t pick his nose. If Mallory is to get a real story, it means I need to actually sit down and figure out where I’m going with this. To this point in the tale, there are several unknowns. Is Tab being truthful about her parents? Will Mallory listen to his head, or will his hormones win out and get him involved with a much younger woman? If his hormones win, who will it be; Tab or Chloe? Or both? Is his heart involved in the decision at all? How is Danny involved in this and what risk is Chloe in now? What the hell is going on in the larger story?
See, the benefit of not really taking him seriously is that I can let the story write itself, and not worry about things like does a Cessna 172 have enough fuel to fly from Miami to St. Vincent or did he need to stop somewhere else along the way? and How expensive would it have been to fly Chloe there, and who paid for it? You know, little things like that.
Oh, and the big drawback, if I write this as a book, you all realize that Mallory won’t be featured here anymore unless it’s a scene I cut, right?
Plus, it would mean I have five active manuscripts. That’s 25% more than I have now!
09.11.07
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest - 2007
The winning entry for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest has been announced.
Gerald began–but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them “permanently” meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash–to pee.
Jim Gleeson
Madison, WI
You can see all of the results here.
09.06.07
Mallory v1.05
Yeah, yeah. It’s way past time. I know.
First of all, all that stuff in the comments? Didn’t happen.
Second of all, I very nearly sat down to write this while I was in Dayton but I figured awing you all with my ability to compose it on the fly would have been far outweighed by the sight of me bashing my skull against the keyboard, not to mention the anti-social message that would have sent at breakfast. Besides, I think DDD was wanting to update her MySpace page.
Edit ~ for the latecomers to the Mallory tale, if you click on Mallory under Categories in the sidebar, or click on the Mallory tag at the top of this post, you will see a page with only Mallory posts. They are in reverse order, so read from the bottom up.
So, I’m standing there, at the end of the dock, trying to ignore all the little problems that seem to be creeping up during this case. You know, like Chloe thinking I got the hots for Tab even though she knows I never get involved with clients. The little digs she offers… just examples of how imperfect Tab really is. I feel like I’m back in friggin’ gradeschool. Jeez.
Nah, that’s a minor problem. Doesn’t even compare to the fact that Tab’s all but seized up on me and ain’t worth a nickel for information anymore. Killing that punk has really done a number on her. I got half a mind to drop the case right now. And I would, except for the kinda big problem I’m facing at the moment: I know the guy sittin’ on Tab’s parents’ boat. None other than Danny Martinez, Chloe’s boss at the strip joint. Yep, I’m fucked.
Worse than that, Chloe’s gotta get outta here too, ’cause if this hombre is responsible for whatever happened to Tab’s parents, he wouldn’t think twice about makin’ a nosey stripper disappear.
Which means, of course, I gotta think of something right quick because I can see Chloe walking down the dock toward me and there ain’t no way I’m gonna be able to head her off before Danny sees her. I do get a little distracted for a moment, but you can’t really blame me. She’s got one hot, tight body, and that little black bikini really shows it off well. And even just walking it’s like she’s dancing. As I start back toward her, I try to time it so’s we wind up at the transom of Midas’ Touch at the same time.
Danny’s on deck watching me as we approach. Chloe’s watching me, too, a curious look on her face. I’m blowin’ it here. I break into a big grin and open my arms wide. She’s confused for about half a second and then plays along and rushes to me.
“Chloe?”
We break off a kiss that I hadn’t realized we’d started and Chloe turns to the boat.
“Danny! What are you doing here?”
God, I love this kid.
“On vacation. What are you doing here?” Danny looked me up and down, recognizing me but unable to place me.
“I took a week off.” Turning to me, she said, “You remember Mal? He used to come into the club now and then.”
“Right. The bounty hunter, right?”
“No, P.I. Bounty hunting is a bit more dangerous than I’m looking for. It’s worse than being in repo. I handle divorce cases, mostly.”
“Whatcha doing here with my Chloe?”
His possessiveness irritated me. Chloe sensed it and gently squeezed my arm.
“We figured to rent a sailboat for a while.” Danny glared at me. “Look, I know you got a policy, but I ain’t a customer no more, and I haven’t been for a good while now. Chloe and me ran into each other a couple months back. We’re just friends.”
He didn’t look convinced, but I don’t think he was looking to start an argument either.
“Yeah, well, we’ll talk about it when I get back, Chloe. Don’t get in any trouble while your down here.”
“I won’t,” she said with a smile. And then she tugged on my arm and we headed back to shore.
It was when we were walking back arm in arm, with the feeling of her swaying beside me, that I realized Chloe’d slipped me her tongue. Shit, shit, shit. I’m so screwed.
