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Story Prompt – Fallout

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This is week ten (I think. I missed a few) in the Sunday Scribblings  prompt hosted by Peckapalooza: The Confusing Middle.

I’ve decided to hook these challenges together to make a chapter story. Might as well make something out of it if I can. Besides it helps with inspiration, having a starting place.

The earlier chapters can be found here to bring you up to speed on the whole story.

Carly was in witness protection but her cover was blown and her life threatened.

With her protection team, they were on the run for weeks unsure of the seriousness of the threat, not wanting to take a chance with her life.

Now, Bella (new place new name) is working to settle into a new life.

Here is this week’s installment and challenge.

 

Chapter Eight

Fallout

Bella was frustrated. Two weeks. Two weeks had gone by and she was not one step closer to a cover story she could live with.

The fallout would be catastrophic is she couldn’t get it right. Why was this so hard?

Her house was settled and fully furnished. The office was set up and the appropriate business legalities were all in place. She was stalling. Advertising for clients could happen this minute if she wanted it to. A plausible cover story was the only thing holding her back.

She was experiencing major writer’s block with life threatening implications if she couldn’t figure it out. Maybe that’s why it was such a big issue to begin with. First hand knowledge of what could happen with a slip up was impeding her progress. Not that she had been at fault in her last situation. She hadn’t but she could see how it would take only one innocent comment in the right place to ruin everything.

Truthfully? She was terrified.

How do you live a lie when you never have? This was her biggest fear, as she honestly thought about it, fear that she would forget, tell the truth and her cover would be blown all over again.

This whole thing could have been left in the hands of the authorities hiding her but there was danger of an unidentified leak like last time. No one could live with the possibility of it happening a second time.

Somehow, she had to come up with a story that felt true. True enough that even her new friends would accept it without question. True enough that she wouldn’t stumble in the telling.

Maybe she needed to approach this like a fiction writer creating a story. The emotionally detached perspective may work better for her, it was worth a try. Up to this point nothing else had worked.

Thinking about the many books she’d read it seemed common for parents, young or old, to die in horrific car crashes. Readers readily accepted that scenario. She could handle having her story sounding like that.

Only child seemed to be another common detail. It left the plot with enormous flexibility. Army brat with moves every two years would be useful in solving issues arising out of the “where are you from” question with all it’s pitfalls.

All alone in the world, from no particular place, could serve her well in avoiding dangerous fallout.

Bella could hardly wait for Monday morning to arrive. It was time to launch her new life.

Story Prompt – Wizard

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This is week ten in the Sunday Scribblings  prompt hosted by Peckapalooza: TheConfusing Middle. 

Unfortunately, I don’t remember the comic book related Wizard Magazine Aaron (the originator) thinks of with this prompt but the word Wizard does inspire a lot of pleasant memories for me. Going back almost two decades.

The strangest memory I have is related to a fun gathering at my son’s house way back before the appearance of grandkids. Our family used to have game nights whenever we were all together but babies and little kids changed the dynamics. It’s hard to focus on the game with little people demanding attention.  By the time the kids were old enough to entertain themselves the family had scattered in all directions and game times were a thing of the past.

That night, though, it was a table filled with my sons friends with a little room left for us to squeeze in and play along. This was our first introduction to the game and we ended up loving it even though one of the guys there that night was fiercely competitive and a less than gracious loser. We loved it despite the crazy guy but I don’t think I will ever forget that evening.

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Picture courtesy of Amazon.

Wizard has been a family favorite over the years and now is played as often as I can rope someone into playing with me. These days it’s usually my grandson’s and we’ve even hooked their other grandma on the game. The more the merrier.

Amazon quote product description:

  • In this ultimate game of Trump, winning tricks is the easy part
  • To score points, players must win the exact number of tricks they bid
  • Contents: 60-card deck, special custom scorepad keeps track of bids and points, and instructions.
  • BOARD GAMES

 

 

 

 

Random thoughts for July 18, 2020

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This is a random thoughts, no books, kind of day. It was good in so many ways.

It started early, to make the hour trip into the city in time to meet up with the rest of our writers group. An impromptu picnic in a beautiful and popular park was the plan. With covid, it’s been a long time since we last met, the first Saturday in February in fact. The extroverts among us couldn’t bear to wait any longer and so, The Picnic.

Usually at an event like this we have pot luck lunches, we bring all sorts of interesting dishes to contribute to the meal.

We behaved well during this social distancing time. Most of us just brought a sandwich and a drink of some sort. Betty, the lady I traveled with, was highly disappointed with the food situation. She likes things to be an event not the ho hum I could do this at home routine.

By the time it was over she had forgotten her thoughts on food and was reliving the good time we had visiting with friends of like mind. Not everyone in our life gets our love for writing. Sometimes we forget and fail to appreciate how much encouragement we gain from time spent with our writer friends. The aftermath of Covid has been a good reminder for us.

We  (Betty and I) don’t see each other all that often even though we live in the same small city, and it was nice to catch up on the drive to and from. When I dropped her off we said our good byes suggesting we should do lunch sometime.

Sometime came sooner than expected. Her coffee mug was left in my car and that had her dropping by to retrieve it.

The forgetting turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

For some reason it felt like a downer when I got home after the day away. I was tired and feeling crummy. Blaming it on the early morning I took a nap that made only a marginal difference. It wasn’t too long after my nap there was a phone call about the neglected and forgotten coffee mug.

Sometimes it pays to go ahead and do things even when desire is not there.

With minimal enthusiasm on my part we went on an adventure to find somewhere interesting to have supper. Neither of us go out for meals all that often so we have no clue about where’s a good place to go.

We tried one new place everyone was talking about but it was take out only. Not what we needed. There was one more place we had both heard about and hoped they had inside seating and no line ups.

The pizza at the golf course’s new restaurant was delicious and the view of the golf greens next to our patio table added to the ambiance.

I think our outlook on life had improved considerably with the experience. We seemed to be in agreement on that.

It was a wonderful day all the way around and now group plans are underway to meet next month too.

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Well, there were no new books today but there’s no shortage of reading material with all the offerings we’ve had lately.

I’m almost finished Cold Shot and it’s still a bargain. I think it’s worth the $1.99.

I learned something new with this book. Cold shot is sniper terminology and you have to be good to pull it off. Not sure this will be useful info but it is new.

Cold Shot

In college, Griffin McCray and his three best friends had their lives planned out. Griffin and Luke Gallagher would join the Baltimore PD. Declan Gray would head to the FBI and Parker Mitchell would go on to graduate school as a crime scene analyst. But then Luke vanished before graduation and their world–and friendships–crumbled.

Now Griffin is a park ranger at Gettysburg, having left life as a SWAT-team sniper when a case went bad. The job is mostly quiet–until the day he captures two relic hunters uncovering skeletal remains near Little Round Top. Griffin just wants the case to go away, but charming forensic anthropologist Finley Scott determines that the body is modern–a young social justice lawyer missing since spring–and all evidence points to the work of an expert sniper. When FBI agent Declan Gray takes over the case, past and present collide. Griffin soon realizes he’ll need to confront some of the darkest days of his life if he–and those he cares about–are going to escape a downward spiral of murder that crosses continents.

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I may go to a lighter read next. It’s still a bargain too, at $0.99

A January Bride (A Year of Weddings Novella Book 2)

A January Bride

What will happen when novelist Madeleine Houser’s “pen pal” friendship with a lonely widower takes an unexpected turn?

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Sorry I didn’t get any pictures of our day.

I always mean to but get talking and forget.

One of these times…

I’m just happy I managed to find something to say after all.

I hope you had a good day too.

Happy Reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story Prompt – Number

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This is week nine in the Sunday Scribblings  prompt hosted by Peckapalooza: TheConfusing Middle. 

Typically, I use the weekly prompt to write another chapter in the online story I have going. Except for this week. Too many distractions and I’m not ready.

I do have a prompt submission though, having thought about number for a while.

If I had to say the first thing to pop into my head when I heard the word Number it would be I’ve got your number.

Meanings change so fast I wasn’t expecting to find it still means what I think of at the sound of those words. I guess a good definition is worth keeping.

Google says it means –

Search Results

Featured snippet from the web

to understand someone or realize the true purpose of their actions. I’ve got your number – don’t think you can fool me.

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So hopefully, saying No, I’m not interested in buying the Brooklyn Bridge still means the same thing today too.

I was thinking today’s usage of the phrase would be more like…

“Give me a call sometime”

“Sure, I’ve got your number”

On further thought though, I think both meanings apply today.

“I’ve got your number (1-800-123-4567) and no, I’m not interested in the scam of the week.”

Numbers are a wonderful thing.

Random happenings July 8th

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It has been quite the day.

I remembered (for a change) to go out and move the watering hoses so the lawn could be mowed. It was a good thing I didn’t wait any longer, the mowing crew showed up earlier than expected. I was hoping they would be later than usual. The weed killer man came to spray the lawn yesterday around lunch time. The lawn crew was here by 9:30 am. It’s a good thing it rained hard in the night (whew), the weed killer was watered in and earlier worked.  The instructions were to wait 24 hours to mow. It’s pretty cool the way things fit together sometimes.

It wasn’t too long after my breakfast was finished that heavy equipment could be heard moving up and down our street. They are replacing the blacktop pavement and they have a big machine to tear up the old.  Of course it takes big long trucks to carry the debris away. When they get to my house I have to drop everything and watch because they move by fairly quickly and I can’t see much past my yard. Too many trees blocking the view.

I wanted to take pictures for my youngest grandson but couldn’t because my phone decided the memory was full and locked me out of picture mode. I couldn’t even delete anything to make room like I normally would. If I stopped to fix it I’d miss the fun.

Naturally, I missed most of it anyway. They took too long getting set up and my inbox was blowing up with emails needing attention. It’s funny how that goes. Everything happens on the same day. Feast or famine.

After lunch it seemed like a good idea to pull some weeds in hopes of waking up with a little exercise. It was a great idea, there was a nice cool breeze on a hot day and it was a comfortable productive time.

The great conditions didn’t last till after supper when I went back out. It was much warmer and the mosquitoes were loving it, and me. I was desperate to get more new shrubs planted so I hurried.

And here we are.

I did spend a little fruitless time today looking for books we might want. I did get some reading time in too. Meal breaks and cool down times. Any little chance works for me.

I wanted to write something earlier but didn’t have a single alternate blog idea. It worked out not too badly after all.

I’ll see if I can rescue a paving picture for you.

How was your day?

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CAT is sitting there thinking about it. Too bad I can’t hold still long enough to take a clear picture!

Read and enjoyed July 07, 2020

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This is a book suggestion from yesterday and I would like to tell you how I felt about it. A review of sorts. It’s still a bargain at $1.34

Christmas at the Lake: Two heartwarming sweet and clean Christian small-town romances set in Huckleberry Lake, Idaho (Huckleberry Lake Duets Book 1) 

Christmas at the lake

Amazon quote:

Calm & Bright
Will Brad and Maddie let God use a Christmas together for the sake of their son to help them rediscover the love that led to their whirlwind romance, and overcome the issues that caused their divorce? Or will the same issues divide them once again?
Even Maddie’s matchmaking grandmother and their adorable four year old might not be enough to help them get back together!
A sweet and clean faith-based reunion romance.

Midnight Clear
No one guesses teacher Claire’s secret heartbreak. Including town handyman and all-round good guy Ryan, who seems to think she’s “the One”. Only she knows why she’s not the woman for him. Easily fixed, her snark should make him forget her.
Problem is, it seems both God and Ryan have other plans this Christmas!
A sweet and clean faith-based enemies-to-love romance.

One of my first impressions was that I’d read the sequel to Calm and Bright (the first book.) By the end I was positive I had, I was just not sure where. These books have appeared in other book collections and it will have been in one of those.

Calm and Bright has complex characters with lots going on and an interesting and engaging story line. I enjoyed the read although it did feel like it could have been shorter and still covered everything nicely.

The characters in Midnight Clear appeared a few times briefly in the first book, with no real relationship to each other. There were hints though.

The story treatment in book 2 was a disappointment after seeing how it was handled in book 1.

There needed to be more depth and complexity to the characters, certainly, but more so to the story itself. There was not enough going on. Eventually, I found myself skimming the first few pages of every other chapter and didn’t feel like I’d missed anything of importance.

There needed to be more drama and maybe bigger roles for a few of the supporting characters, that could have helped improve the story.

The ending was abrupt and a big disappointment.

So, I liked book one but wasn’t a fan of book two.

**********

After the book collection I read Hidden. I liked it as well as Calm and Bright… but

Hidden (Jones-Star Series Book 1)

Hidden 2

I did find myself skimming in spots. And while I liked it … I didn’t love it. It was worth the read though. It was a fresh take on relationships, not the tired story lines that are often used, and that was refreshing.

 

He’s a Montana Cowboy and she’s a Boston aristocrat.
Together they are broken ashes and spitfire, discovering common ground in a shared dream. But, even if they can somehow see eye-to-eye and partner-up, their past lives lay in wait, ready to pounce and destroy any chance of a new beginning.

The train arrives at the station on Patrick Jones’ wedding day, but his dreams go up in steam when it fails to bring his childhood sweetheart, Genevieve, west with it. Instead, he finds himself burdened with the responsibility of her adventurous younger sister.

**********

I can’t decide where to go next. I think I’ll sleep on it and decide tomorrow.

Story prompt – Occupation

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This is week eight in the Sunday Scribblings  prompt hosted by Peckapalooza: The Confusing Middle.

I’ve decided to hook these challenges together to make a chapter story. Might as well make something out of it if I can. Besides it helps with inspiration, having a starting place.

The earlier chapters can be found here to bring you up to speed on the whole story.

Carly is in witness protection but her cover has been blown and her life is threatened.

They have been on the run for weeks unsure of the seriousness of the threat, not wanting to take a chance with her life. Things were about to change.

Now, Bella is about to settle into a new life. That’s right. She’s left Carly far behind.

Here is this week’s installment and challenge. I missed a week so it’s only chapter seven.

************

Chapter Seven

Occupation

Bella couldn’t help the pleased smile as she let her gaze roam around the new house. John and his team of US Marshalls had done an excellent job orchestrating a smooth transition for her relocation.

They didn’t waste any time, that was for sure. In fact, her head was still spinning at how quickly it had all come together. And who knew they could come up with such a perfect plan. Her new life couldn’t possibly look any better than this.

The house was situated in a nice but ordinary part of town. It wouldn’t have won a Best-In-Town award yet to her it was beautiful and above average. The previous owners had obviously loved the house they built and the choices they made at every turn were what made it special. Their upkeep was also exceptional. Normally new buyers were planning changes the minute they moved in. Bella couldn’t see anything she wanted or needed to change which was a blessing. Upkeep on a house was not a skill placing high on her list of talents.

Another blessing was the lay-out. Clients needing to visit her house was not an ideal situation but it could work out alright as a last resort. There was a comfortable seating area near the front door. It could be used for a meeting and still protect her privacy if she managed it well.

Her meeting with the Chamber of Commerce was beneficial. They offered a wealth of information that would go a long way toward helping her get her new endeavor off the ground. The monthly luncheon for Chamber members would be a good networking opportunity. Hopefully she would find clients in need of her services among the attendees. If not, they had knowledge of the business community and could provide valuable leads on where to look.

Taking another sip of coffee, she realized her cup was empty. She wasn’t exactly sure how that had happened but it meant it was time to get moving. There was still a lot to do if she wanted to get a good start on Monday morning. Her cupboards were bare and her office computer still needed set up.

Saturday mornings on Main Street looked like fun. All of the shops were open and bustling with people determined to get things done. It was really good to see actually. It’s not ideal shopping at the most popular time of day but seeing the healthy indicator about the business community gave her hope for her future.

It looked like the population has doubled in size compared to the rest of the week. Bella wondered what was going on to bring out this many people.

It didn’t take long to figure out. As she continued down the street looking for a parking space, she spied an open-air Farmer’s Market. Wow, it was huge. Bigger than any she had ever seen before. And crowded. If she thought the shops were busy, they had nothing compared to this.

It was three blocks before she could find a parking spot and hurry back. The market looked even better close up. There was everything one could imagine. The usual – garden produce and fresh meat – but it was all the extra things that caught her eye. Homemade everything. The entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well in this town.

Her job security was looking better all the time. Maybe her favored choice of occupation was going to pay off well, above any of her initial expectations.

Now if her personal life could only do as well. All alone in a new town knowing no one was daunting. On the bright side, working with small business would be more personal that corporate business. She may be able to make friends among her clients.

And then there was shopping. Maybe this Farmer’s Market would be the perfect place to meet new people. She might meet a new client and make a new friend.

The hardest part was going to be remembering to introduce herself as Bella rather than Carly, not to mention remembering her new occupation.

She couldn’t keep herself from smiling as she approached the first booth.

Chapter Six Moon

/ For the Love of Books / 2 Comments

This is week seven in the Sunday Scribblings  prompt hosted by Peckapalooza: The Confusing Middle.

I’ve decided to hook these challenges together to make a chapter story. Might as well make something out of it if I can. Besides it helps with inspiration, having a starting place.

The earlier chapters can be found here to bring you up to speed on the whole story.

Carly is in witness protection but her cover has been blown and her life is threatened.

They have been on the run for weeks unsure of the seriousness of the threat, not wanting to take a chance with her life. Things are about to change.

Here is this week’s installment and challenge.

 

Slow but good day.

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It’s been a slow day for book suggestions but it was a good day for blogging suggestions. A fellow blogger always has funny, entertaining, and sometimes, even wise things to say. (I’m kidding, he often has wise things to say.) Today was no exception. It’s his seventh blog anniversary. If you aren’t following him you should be. Check out his birthday blog post, you will be glad you did. Paul, The Captain’s Speech

I took to heart one piece of advice he had in regard to blogging. Say something even when you have nothing. Even if it’s only one line. So that’s what I’m doing.

The usual sources of book suggestions were bare today. On top of that I was busier than usual with my day job. (A pleasant state of affairs.)

I normally spend time browsing Amazon but warm weather was calling me. I had a deadline to clean some flower beds before the tree man comes to remove old stumps. I need them gone so I can replace the less than healthy bushes I cut down last fall.

It was a pleasure working warm but not too hot and 3 1/2 – 4 hours was good for progress.

I’m stiff after all the bending and squatting but I’m happy. Clean looks good and I’ll sleep well tonight, guaranteed.

Well, there you have it. One line turned into more somehow.

Chapter Five Light

/ For the Love of Books / 4 Comments

This is week five in the Sunday Scribblings  prompt hosted by Peckapalooza: The Confusing Middle.

I’ve decided to hook these challenges together to make a chapter story. Might as well make something out of it if I can. Besides it helps with inspiration, having a starting place.

The earlier chapters can be found here to bring you up to speed on the whole story.

Carly is in witness protection but her cover has been blown and her life is threatened.

Here is this week’s installment and challenge.

Chapter 5

Light

Maybe there was light at the end of the tunnel. Carly felt encouraged with that thought. It’d been exhausting. Days and weeks filled with constant travelling to stay ahead of discovery by those threatening to do her harm. John, head of her security team, mentioned a meeting at breakfast this morning. He didn’t give any hints, just that it would happen after supper.

That announcement, all by itself, was enough to make her day of travel feel less like torture. It could be bad news but Carly chose to take the high road and expect good news. Why look for trouble until it stares you in the face, was her motto.

It turned out she was right to expect good. John said they were making progress on neutralizing the threat on her life and it was time to start planning her future in hiding. They had a few weeks yet before settling in could happen but it would take at least that long anyway, to plan and execute a new life for her.

John’s opinion was that she should have input this time. Maybe her cover story would be less contrived and there would be a smaller chance of something going wrong. Part of his reasoning also came with the mystery surrounding her discovery. There was no proof yet but it was still possible the information leak was internal in the US Marshall’s office. The future chance for such a thing needed to be eliminated.

John has connections with outside trusted sources needed to build a fool proof and secure identity. The input he needs from Carly is in regard to her life style choice. He’d had time to think about this during the days and hours on the road and was convinced he’d come up with a good plan.

As he shared what he was thinking, Carly’s mind was off and running. She loved what he was visualizing and could totally see it working. She wouldn’t even have to be that great an actress to sell this story to the locals.

His idea was to set up a small home-based business. One that required low overhead and no employees. A service that would be useful no matter where she lived.

Avoiding the curious questions brought on by daily contact with a boss and co-workers, would be an added benefit to such an arrangement. Her clients would have questions too but with limited interactions they wouldn’t feel like they were part of her life and deserved answers.

Carly didn’t have to think too long. She knew instinctively what to pick. Bookkeeping. Small business owners were known for their expertise at whatever service they were providing. They were also known for a certain lack of skill when it came to the financial side of things. Carly could help with that.

Her excitement was boundless. The boredom of the last few weeks only added to her passion. She figured she could start the minute she had internet access and a laptop. There had to be online courses easily available. She’d do whatever it took to be ready to hit the ground running. Her previous business experience wouldn’t hurt and she was good at public relations. It shouldn’t be too hard to get started.

With this plan there was even opportunity for advancement. If she liked it well enough, she could go for her Chartered Accountant degree. That would improve her ability to attract clients and keep her business afloat.

There would be an added bonus with this plan. A safety shield from discovery. Everyone knows accountants and bookkeepers are boring, working with numbers all day. What exciting secrets could they possibly have in their life?

Her heart was suddenly light for the first time in weeks. Maybe there were better days ahead. She could hardly wait to get started.

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