Month: March 2016

Double Seduction (6)

~ Meg ~ 91 Comments

The latest chapter in my collaboration with Fictional Kevin:  Double Seduction. If you missed the opening chapters, find them here: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five.  And now…

Chapter 6 – Connection

Mel hauled the groceries out to her Acura and stowed them in the trunk. She was sore from this morning’s workout with Anton — he’d been tough on her because she’d been distracted. He’d taken her down enough times that she was suffering the consequences. She relished the thought of a nice long soak in the tub, a glass of wine and the steak she’d just had the butcher wrap up for her.

Ten minutes later she turned onto the tree-lined avenue where her home office was located. A beater of a Ford Taurus was parked across from her driveway. Probably a commuter student, too cheap to pay for parking in the Bryn Mawr College lot several blocks away. She pulled around to the back door of the home and parked. After hauling the bags inside, she turned on lamps to dissipate the gloom from the approaching twilight.

While the grill heated, she opened the wine —an old vine Zinfandel— poured herself a glass. Some music would be nice. Powering the stereo on with her phone, she scrolled through her collection until she found just the right thing. Anita O’Day. Perfect. A sip of wine. Savoring, she closed her eyes and swayed to the first song in the playlist: “When Sunny Gets Blue.” She glided sound the living room, humming along to the song and drawing the curtains closed on her front windows. The old Taurus was gone from in front of her house.

She grilled the steak till it was seared on the outside, still red and juicy within, and ate it with a fresh spinach salad, while Anita’s sad voice serenaded her. The music and the wine were making her maudlin. It was this time of day, eating and drinking alone, that squeezed her broken heart all over again.

“Get a grip,” she grumbled.

She rose, left her plate in the sink and refilled her glass. She’d been ignoring her blog and her blogging buddies. It was high time she got caught up. Not to mention David. She had decided to confront him about the nasty comment and the image from that other guy’s Facebook. Maybe he could explain. She‘d give him the chance, anyway. He had to know she’d check him out. Any woman would be a fool not to. If he didn’t like it, well… then she’d have her answer. Stay away.

Her study was at the back of the house, facing the trees that separated her from the neighbor on the next street over. Switching on the desk lamp, she settled into her leather chair and powered up her iMac. She opened her e-mail, found a new post from David. It was titled “Heartbreak.” She clicked on it to take her to his blog.

The phone call was devastating. He hadn’t seen it coming.
“I’ve met someone else. I’m so sorry.”
She returned his heart, slightly damaged and not in the original packaging, and like a beautiful moment, she was gone. He cried. He yelled. But no one cared, no one heard. He was alone, once again.

It was tagged “Savannah,” and he’d turned off comments. “Oh, David,” she whispered. “I know just how you feel.”

“Well, this changes everything,” she murmured. She re-read the post, sipped her wine. “But I still need to know…” she thought.

Flash. Mel jumped as the lights from the motion sensors illuminated the back yard. Probably an animal, she thought. They’d go out in a few minutes.

She opened a new e-mail, began typing.

David,

Sorry I took so long to respond. I’ve been trying to find the words to ask you something. First of all, I want you to know how much I enjoy our online banter. I’ve really felt a connection to you over the last few months. So it’s not easy for me to ask this. You must know that out of curiosity and for my own protection, I did some checking on you. I found a few things that troubled me.  On the surface at least. I wanted to give you a chance to explain…

Flash. The lights flared on again. Frowning, Mel rose and went to the window. She peeked through the blinds at the grassy expanse. Nothing. She watched for a few minutes to make sure. The lights winked out again. She returned to the e-mail.

She asked about the comment first.

I came across a comment you made on another blog. It was from a couple months ago. Bread and Roses. Sound familiar? You called the blogger an ugly bitch. Insinuated she couldn’t get a man. It was completely inappropriate. Not to mention totally out of touch with the tone of the article. Which, by the way, I happen to completely agree with. Why would you attack another blogger like that? For providing a balanced commentary on a legitimate women’s issue? I couldn’t reconcile the hateful remarks with the David I know. Please enlighten me.

Then she asked about the Facebook page she had found.

I searched your image, thought maybe I’d find your Facebook or Twitter. Instead, I found a man named Kevin Campbell from Upstate New York with a wife and two children using the same pencil drawing you use for your blog. I am going to assume that’s not you. But I’d feel a lot better if you could confirm it. Or is the image yours and this guy borrowed it from you? If that’s the case, I thought you should know.

Finally, I also want to tell you that I read your post today. I’m so sorry. My heart goes out to you. I’ve been in that situation myself. A wound like that doesn’t heal easily or quickly. I’m here for you if you need to talk.

Melody

Crash. Mel gripped the arms of the chair, goosebumps rising on her skin. Had she set the alarm? She couldn’t remember. Pressing a fist to her sternum to steady her heart rate, she hit ‘send’ on the e-mail and hurried from the study to check the control panel. Anita was singing “The Party’s Over.” The panel lights were off. Damn. She checked the front door. Locked.

“Ok, ok, relax,” she sighed in relief. “You are fine. It’s all good.”

Just to reassure herself, she rushed to the kitchen to check the sliding doors that led to her patio. They were locked as well. She laughed out loud, relieved. “Shit.”

Crash.

“What the hell?” she muttered, as angry as she was scared.

Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to calm down. She grabbed her flashlight and strode toward the patio doors, intending to investigate. Just as she was sliding the door open, the e-mail alert pinged.

Continue reading…

What gives you the ‘write’?

~ Meg ~ 30 Comments

Finding the inspiration to write.

New writers, experienced writers, amateur or professional —meaning you actually get paid for this stuff, at some point, will struggle to find something to write about. Even non-fiction writers may wrestle with finding new ways to express themselves so that their writing doesn’t become stale or monotonous. And yet, we do write on. Writers have unique ways of working through the times we get stuck and can’t move forward.

Sometimes it’s just a lack of focus.  This is where I find myself currently –dreaming about vacation, searching travel websites…  You’ve probably picked up on that from some of my latest posts!  Nevertheless, I have goals set, schedules to meet, and must find a way to press on.  So with that in mind, here’s something that inspires me when my muse has wandered off to somewhere warm and sunny.

Music:

If you know me, you know I love music. I’m am a rock star in my mind.  Or a groupie, at a minimum.  Alice Cooper’s caddy, maybe.  (The godfather of shock rock is a huge golfer!)  But I digress…  Music can be very inspiring. Think about the music you love, your favorite song. Think about how that song makes you feel when you hear it. There are songs that make me want to dance with joy, weep in misery and every variety of emotion in between. That emotion can be translated into your writing. Here’s one way.

One of the things that I love to do is use a song lyric as a writing prompt. A line, phrase or verse can have such deep meaning and can be personal to each listener.  A story can arise from pondering what that lyric says to you. Don’t even worry about what the songwriter was thinking. What memory or feelings does it conjure in you? Where were you and who were you with when you first heard that song?

This doesn’t only work for short stories or poetry.  There have been times where I’ve been staring at my computer screen, halfway through a novel manuscript –even with a thoroughly plotted outline– when I’ve drawn a complete blank.  What happens next?  I can’t summon the words.  So finding the music that matches the mood of the scene I’m writing, taking a break and just listening, can prod my imagination.  A word, a phrase, or just a feeling can propel the scene forward.  And boom you’re off and running again!

Want to try? Here are a few lines from some of my favorite songs. Try writing a paragraph (or longer, if you’re really inspired) that tells a story based on the line.

1) “My uncle has a country place, no one knows about…” – Red Barchetta, by Rush.
2) “He’s gonna break her heart to pieces, she don’t wanna see…” A Woman In Love, by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

-Don’t like male vocalists? How about these ladies?

3) “When it’s you I find like ghost in my mind…” – Emmylou, by First Aid Kit and speaking of Emmylou.…
4) “It was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well…” –C’est La Vie, by Emmylou Harris.

Don’t like any of these?  Use a line from your favorite song.  Go ahead, give it a shot. If you like what you wrote, put a link in the comments.  If not, no worries.  I’m not starting a challenge or anything.  But see if music doesn’t fire your imagination, poke an elbow your muse’s side and give you the ‘write’!

Here’s all of Red Barchetta by Rush.  I love these guys!   Neil Peart writes most of the lyrics for the songs and he’s an absolute god on the drums.  Alex Lifeson on guitar and Geddy Lee, bassist extraordinaire, complete the trio.

“La fée verte” (The Green Fairy)

~ Meg ~ 69 Comments

Week ten in The Year of Drinking Adventurously.  Absinthe!

So I know you all will find this hard to believe, (that’s me being sarcastic) but this is not my first time dancing with The Green Fairy. 220px-Absinthe-glass Because you know how cautious I am about trying new things.  Try not to laugh out loud…  It’s only a recent indulgence, however.  That’s because absinthe had been banned in many countries around the world since the early 20th century.  In fact, it wasn’t until 2007 that a French distiller was allowed to import absinthe into the USA — the first time since 1912.

So what’s the deal with absinthe?  Its main ingredients are wormwood (which gives it its bad reputation), sweet fennel and anise.  The rumor that absinthe is highly addictive and psychoactive is false.  Nevertheless, that myth led to the aforementioned ban in the USA and much of Europe around 1915.  The unintended consequence of this action was to give absinthe a dark, sexy, mysterious allure.  Tell someone they can’t have something and it becomes even more desirable than before.  Finally, the myths have been debunked and absinthe is once again available for your drinking pleasure!

I know I’ve complained about the difficult time I’ve had finding some of the more exotic beverages since I started this virtual booze cruise, but absinthe was not a problem.  There happens to be a distillery right here in Philly that produces a lovely product.  Voila:

Vieux Carré from Philadelphia Distilling Company, the first East Coast distiller to produce absinthe.  At 120 proof, this Green Fairy packs a wallop.  Traditionally, the spirit is prepared for consumption by placing a sugar cube on top of a specially designed slotted spoon, which is then placed on a glass filled with a dose of absinthe. Iced water is poured or dripped over the sugar cube to slowly and evenly distribute the water into the absinthe.

I did not do this, for two reasons…. First, I kept forgetting to buy sugar cubes when I went to the store, and more importantly, I like the taste of undiluted absinthe.  The anise flavor is quite pleasant, actually.  And no you won’t have hallucinations.  Well, maybe if you drank a really, really lot of it… But that could happen with any strong spirit.  Take my word for it.

Anyway…

Absinthe has long been associated with Bohemian culture and thus was a popular drink among artists and writers like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Charles Baudelaire, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Marcel Proust.  Its connection to such legendary artistes has only added to the fascination.  Absinthe possesses a mystery, mythology, and seductive appeal.   I recommend it without reservation.

So drape yourself in black, draw the curtains closed and pray for rain. And while you’re dripping your absinthe over sugar cubes, reading poetry by candlelight, listen to some music that will complete your experience:  The Cure – Prayers For Rain.  And don’t forget to see how Lula danced with the Green Fairy!