WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Dorothy Distefano, Editor for Tom Reitze about Tom Reitze

Dorothy Distefano, Editor
Tom Reitze's PEJITO
DATE WITH A CHAIR
BERNICE'S BONES
DEKLYN

Tom Reitze has pulled yet another “fast one” on us – he sent his editor to let us know that he’s released PEJITO, the third story in his "Stories of a Different Nature." But we are privileged to have her, because as an editor Dorothy Distefano gives us insight into how he tells his stories. As you might imagine from my previous two interviews of Tom (Interview 1 and Interview 2), he doesn’t do editing in a manner similar to most, and Distefano, an experienced and hard-working editor--and so much more--, manages to overcome his “quirkiness,” for which we learn she is well suited!

PEJITO is a short story—again in the paranormal fiction genre—about a marionette with “an air of evil around it.” It joins the first two short stories, DATE WITH A CHAIR (1) “not a story to produce joy and happiness” and BERNICE’S BONES (2)—“If it doesn’t make you laugh, that’ll make me cry.” 

And I’ve heard that Tom has written a novella with supernatural tendencies called DEKLYN, that is available for pre-order. 

An Editor’s Story 

Or, How Tom Reitze’s Quirky Plots Become Quirkier

By Dorothy Distefano, the one who gets them there

I feel very privileged to be Tom Reitze’s proofreader, editor, and pain in the neck. Just ask him. He will definitely agree with the pain part.

Every writer has a different process, and Tom’s differs greatly from my other clients. He doesn’t want to send me a manuscript and receive it back with suggestions and changes. We tried this. He was quite unhappy and autocorrect added words like hatchet and decapitation into his emails. At least I hope it was autocorrect. Tom wants to know WHY something doesn’t work. He wants to understand the reasoning behind every suggestion or change. This is why we meet every week and go through each manuscript line-by-line. I add comments where we agree things need to change, including my favorite, “This sucks.” He looks forward to those (not).

Along the way, as we meander down the path of each story, I call him out on plots that develop too quickly or too slowly, characters that change hastily, or things that just need clarification. His upcoming novella, DEKLYN, which is available for preorder, was a very short story until my brain revved up and I said, “I have an idea,” which makes all of my clients cringe, but ultimately ends up in some interesting ideas.

Tom’s plots are already quirky when we begin and probably more quirky when we finish. He has no interest in split infinitives or any other grammar conventions. If he likes the way it sounds, who am I to argue? I only insist on changes that clarify sentences and story structure. He has his style, he likes it, and I go with the flow… to an extent. There will be no omissions of the Oxford Comma. Ever.

Stories of a Different Nature all contain supernatural phenomena, as does DEKLYN, but the next book series may be more of a tasting menu of stories. A smorgasbord, if you will. They will still be unconventional, but not all supernaturally based or revolving around paranormal happenings. There are some single holiday stories ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas, a new set of books that are as yet unnamed, and then we plan to tackle Tom’s greatest work, Simon. It is a novel he has worked on for several years and is bound to delight readers. In my mind, this means we will come around and bind them with duct tape and read it to them until they are delighted. But that’s just me.

I enjoy working with Tom because he allows me to make suggestions and feels comfortable either accepting or rejecting my ideas. Often, my suggestions require extra work on his part, but he does it, and he does it well. We are a good team.

Our cover designer, who happens to be my son, has done a great job of taking the disturbing nature of the current series and putting the covers together to complement each story. We will be giving away special edition wallpapers with the symbols for each novel in Stories of a Different Nature for everyone who retweets or shares our posts about the DEKLYN presale. Warning: this wallpaper is pretty spooky.

About Dorothy Distefano by Dorothy Distefano

I am the Writer on the Verge.

In addition to working with Tom Reitze, author of Stories of a Different Nature, I am (in no particular order) a wife and mother, freelance writer, team leader, reader, LOST fanatic in mourning, nerd, tech lover, and drumline costumer. I put words in the correct order with appropriate punctuation in a way that seems pleasing or at least agreeable. I love the Oxford comma, regardless of what AP style says.

My work history includes psychiatric nurse, teaching assistant, PTA Prez, volunteer, and family book club creator. To sum it up: I wasn’t afraid; I tried new things and if I didn’t know how, I learned; I spoke my mind; I helped; I loved; I did my best. I still do all of these things in whatever tiara I am wearing, whether editor, writer, or mother. My dream is to publish my own novel.

If this was an extended bio, I would tell you about teaching my cat to jump through a rolling hula hoop when I was 5.

About Tom Reitze by Tom Reitze

“I am a very opinionated individual and was sure I knew what was wrong with society and how to fix it. I planned to write a series of editorials and bind them into a book. Before I started, I realized no one in the world would give a damn about what this unknown writer had to say. I decided to expose my feelings in the form of fictional stories, something people would be more likely to read.

"My 22 lb. cat, Horus agrees. He is very opinionated as well. I am contradictory. I will present one idea at one time, and then write another story that presents the opposite concepts. I like to believe I am a person willing to listen to and consider both sides of an issue. Some of my writing is serious, some of it is supernatural in nature, and some of it is humorous (I hope).”

About PEJITO (Stories of a Different Nature Book 3)

On a shelf, amidst the clutter of tchotchkes from mundane to fascinating hangs a marionette. It appears to be a relic of an earlier age with the face of clown. Why, of all of the tokens in the room does this one have an air of evil around it?

About DEKLYN 

This "between the Stories of a Different Nature" novella started as just another story. DEKLYN demanded that there was more than those few words to his tale. An escape from a life of beatings; a journey in a desolate desert; unimaginable powers; and forces beyond all understanding await you. Deklyn would like you to read it. At one time, he could have made you read it, but now it is your choice.

Links for Tom Reitze

Amazon link for PEJITO - available now
Amazon link for DEKLYN - available for pre-order
Amazon link for BERNICE'S BONES
Amazon link for DATE WITH A CHAIR

Web page 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/tomwritez

Links for Dorothy Distefano

Webpage

LinkedIn

wotv@wotverge.com

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Krystal Diane, Children’s Author

Krystal Diane, Author
BABY BEAR BLUE'S NEW SISTER!

Krystal Diane brings us her first children’s book, BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER!,  which she wrote to prepare her niece for her new baby brother.  Reviewers enjoyed the “very cute story” and say the “precious theme of welcoming a new sibling in a darling rhyming dialogue is very appealing.” Although she uses bears as her characters, she says that she wrote it to be realistic with a clear message.

Diane plans to write more Baby Bear Blue books. This is her first published work but she has been writing since she was ten with a life-long dream of publishing books. She lives in Florida with her husband and baby son and is finishing her college degree in Marketing.

Q: What inspired you to write BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER!? Have you experienced introducing a new baby to an older sibling?

Krystal Diane: I was inspired to write BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER! by my niece. She was expecting a baby brother, and I thought it would be helpful to write a story that would prepare her on what was to come. I think it is always a sticky situation for the parents, and they are not sure how the little one will react to this new baby on the way. I just wanted to make it a little bit easier for them to explain to their children and know what they have to expect.  The reason I wrote it from a boy’s point of view is because I have a son of my own, and wanted to make it personal for him when we have a new one on the way in the future.

Q: How do you engage 3-5 year olds? Does using a bear as the protagonist help?

Krystal Diane: I do hope the illustrations done by Da’an Yayha will be inspiration enough for them to want to read. Also, I found that bears are very popular among children for children’s stories that are #1 sellers, so I wanted to mirror that.

Q: I notice that you rhymed your story, and many of the reviewers enjoyed the rhyme. Does that make toddlers want to hear the story? Will most “readers” of this book listen to it being read to them? So would the rhyming make it more interesting to them as they hear the story?

Krystal Diane: Yes, I wrote it in rhyme form to attract the young readers’ attention a little bit better. When I read to my son, I much enjoy the rhyming stories a little bit better than anything else, especially for the 3-5 age range. I believe it makes it that much more interesting. Most of my target age group will be read to, and it will be the mothers who will purchase the story. I aimed it toward them, and hopefully they will want to read this to their children when expecting a new baby, boy or girl.

Q: How helpful are the illustrations for this age group? Did you write the story first and then the art followed?

Krystal Diane: For this age group, illustrations are an absolute must! I believe it keeps them engaged in what’s going on in the story, as well as help them envision what is happening. For this book, I wrote the story first, and then had it illustrated. Da’an Yayha really captured perfectly what I had in mind for this book, and I am very happy with what she did for my very first children’s book!

Q:  One of your reviewers said that the book is entertaining but also has “a good moral” by showing “what older siblings should do for their younger ones.” Did you intend for your book to be a teaching one? Or were you just writing it to entertain?

Krystal Diane: I was certainly writing to entertain, but the most important thing to me was that it had a lesson involved as well. I have always believed that every story should have a moral to teach kids. They should not even realize they are learning, but enjoy what they are reading or listening to. This was definitely on my mind as I wrote the book.

Q: What do you believe are the most important elements of a children’s story?

Krystal Diane: For me, what I was aiming at to be important in the story is to show young children that when there is a new baby on the way, it can be exciting, even for them! I wanted to show them that they can be of great help to their parents when the new baby finally does arrive. They can be involved, and just because there is a new sister/brother for them, does not mean that they are less loved by their parents. I think this is the most common worry that kids have when they find out they will no longer be an only child.

Q: How relevant is believability to create credibility for this age group?  Does it even matter?

Krystal Diane:  I think that for this particular story, I wanted to keep it as believable as possible, considering the characters are bears. There is nothing wrong with exaggerating a little bit to make a moral point, but in my stories, I will keep them close to real life apart from the characters in each story.

Q: Is this your first book? Have you written other types of stories?

Krystal Diane:  This is my first book I have published. I have been writing stories since I was ten years old, and have always loved to write. I am so excited to finally release my very first children’s book to Amazon Kindle, and there are many more to come!

Q: What’s next? Will you write more children’s stories? Others?

Krystal Diane: Yes, Definitely! I have more on the way, and actually plan to make this into a series. Baby Bear Blue will have many more adventures and lessons to come, so stay tuned!

Q: Tell us about Krystal Diane. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Krystal Diane:  When I am not writing, I love to spend time with my baby boy and my husband. We live in Florida, so we are always at the beach. We love to be outdoors, and spend as much time together as we can while I am finishing up my Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. I also enjoy dancing and singing, and anything to do with Performing Arts. I have many different hats that I wear, and I love each and every one of them!

About Krystal Diane

Krystal Diane is the mother of a beautiful baby boy. She has always dreamed of becoming a children's book writer, and is excited to release her first children's book. She is currently attending the University of North Florida for her Bachelor's degree in Marketing. She enjoys going to the beach, shopping, and spending time with her family.

About BABY BEAR BLUE’S NEW SISTER!

Baby Bear Blue is getting a new baby sister! He gets to learn to share, and help take care of the new addition in the family. With the help of his parents, Baby Blue will soon learn that having a new sister is not so bad after all! With the first story about what happens before she arrives, the second story shows what happens when she is brought back from the hospital.

This book is perfect for kids ages 3-5 with a new baby on the way! It will help introduce them to the idea of having a little brother or sister, and will even get them excited about their new adventures to come!

Link

Amazon Kindle 

To reach Krystal Diane with suggestions or comments: e-mail  her at Kry2004@comcast.net.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Simone Pond, Author

Simone Pond, Author
THE TORRENT
4th book in The Agenda series

Simone Pond introduces us to her recent release, THE TORRENT, the final book (4) of her dystopian series, New Agenda.  She previously joined us to discuss the third book of the series, THE MAINFRAME, which is when she informed us that she writes dystopian novels to let out her “dark side.” In her final book in the series, she seeks to discover how a separated mother and daughter will interact in her future world.

Although a creator of future worlds, here in the now and present Pond says she most enjoys lounging in front of TV watching a movie. She is working on a young adult romance series and considering whether to include a SciFi element. Pond lives in Los Angeles with her husband and Boston Terrier, Winnie.

Q: THE TORRENT is the final book (4) of a dystopian series New Agenda. In a previous interview you said that you “have a dark side that needed to come out.” In THE MAINFRAME, for example, you said you wanted to see how a rebellious daughter would team up with her mother to fight a common enemy, Chief Morray. What were you trying to see in THE TORRENT?

Simone Pond: In THE TORRENT, Ava is trapped inside the mainframe network with Chief Morray. Meanwhile her daughter, Grace, is in the real world fighting her own battles. I wanted to see what would happen if I separated the mother and daughter team. How would they find a way to work together even though they were in different worlds? Would their love be strong enough to break through the barriers of time and space?

Q: How difficult is it to create engaging characters set in a dystopian novel? For characters set in the future, do you need to assign character traits that are different from other genres?

Simone Pond: I loved creating this cast of characters. Though they exist in a far off future, they have the same emotions and desires that we have; only their setting is a lot more complicated. Ava and Grace have unique DNA, which gives them the ability to merge with the mainframe network.

Q: Reviewers enjoy how you cross time in the future and how you “weave within different realities seamlessly.” How do you manage to “weave” in and out of different time periods and “realities” and keep readers engrossed? Does this ploy enhance suspense and/or draw us into your characters?

Simone Pond: My editor once told me to look at each book like a reader’s first time picking it up, regardless of where it landed in the series. They might not have read the earlier books. I make sure to include pertinent information threaded throughout each book, while not going into too much exposition. I use memories or feelings surrounding a memory to weave the history and backstories together.

Q: What do typical readers of dystopian literature expect? How does the New Agenda series meet those expectations? How is it different?

Simone Pond: I think dystopian readers expect the story to have some underlying social commentary. To say something about the future, as a warning or a red flag. Stories with heroes who stand up against the oppressive authorities. I included these elements. My series spans over three hundred years, while linking together many of the same characters. The consciousness upload process is the vehicle that gives me the room to explore multiple worlds – reality and virtual.

Q: How did you build your worlds? Do you create them before you start writing? Do your characters help?

Simone Pond: The city center world came to me by thinking of every modern convenience I could possibly want at my fingertips. I visualized what the future would look like if everything, including people, connected to a mainframe network. For the villages, I used Ojai as my inspiration and incorporating how small towns developed during the late 1800s. A lot more went into the world building, but those were the starting points.

Q: I know that you’ve said that you write your stories primarily to entertain, but you’ve also said that you include some “spiritual themes” and reviewers have claimed they found your books “thought provoking.” Did you include any “spiritual themes” in THE TORRENT? Can you clarify what they are?

Simone Pond: All of my books have the underlying theme of spiritual warfare––the evil forces trying to control and manipulate us on physical and spiritual levels. Pride versus humility. Death and rebirth. Redemption. Forgiveness. To me, Morray represents the oppressive dark forces in life, while Ava and Grace represent God’s soldiers, fighting the good fight.

Q: I’m a fan of cover art, so I need to ask you about your covers for the New Agenda series. Without spoiling the plot, can you tell us the significance of the globe-like circle in the middle of each of the books in the series?

Simone Pond: My designer came up with that idea and I fell in love with it because it visually represents everything I wanted to communicate. Chief Morray wants to live indefinitely, as well as keep society in a controlled bubble. But it also represents a guiding light and the circle of life.

Q: Were you able to use humor to tell your story or develop your characters? How important is humor to develop engaging characters?

Simone Pond: Blythe is my favorite character because she’s such a smart-ass and constantly giving people nicknames that aren’t so pleasant. She was my comic relief.

Q: What’s next? You’ve finished the New Agenda series. Will you be writing more dystopian novels?

Simone Pond: I’m working on a couple of ideas for the Young Adult romance category. I’m debating about whether or not to include a sci-fi twist.

Q: Tell us about Simone Pond. Have you discovered any new fun things to do?

Simone Pond: I’m such a homebody. Seriously, my idea of a fun night is lounging in my pajamas and watching movies on Netflix. Or if I’m not entirely lazy, I’ll put on some clothes and go to the theater to see a movie. I love spending time with my Boston Terrier, Winnie. She’s enough entertainment for me.

About Simone Pond

Simone Pond is an award-winning author of dystopian fiction. Her current series includes The City Center, The New Agenda, The Mainframe, and THE TORRENT. She also has a short story series called Voices of the Apocalypse.

She grew up in Kensington, Maryland - a small town just outside of Washington D.C. As a young girl, she loved writing in her journal and making up stories, but after reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, everything changed. Amazed that a woman could write so convincingly from a teenage boy's perspective, Pond became determined to become a writer as well.

Pond currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their Boston Terrier. Follow her blog at Simone Says... 

Be sure to join the mailing list for updates on new book releases. 

About THE TORRENT

Grace has survived Chief Morray’s attempt to keep her trapped inside the mainframe, but at a terrible cost: leaving her mother behind. Giving up training at the academy in order to wait for Ava’s return. Grace wants to do the right thing, but it’s never that simple. While Ava struggles against Morray in the virtual reality, Grace is left alone in the real world to fight her own battles. There’s a new corrupt authority figure. A regional council to sway. A war to stop. And a promise to keep to a precious young soul. How can Grace save everyone, including herself?

Links

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Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/CW_-5

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Michael Paul Fuller, Author

Michael Paul Fuller, Author
THE BAD POET

Reviewers tout Michael Paul Fuller’s THE BAD POET as “original” and “romance, a bit of mystery and definitely thrills” as well as “funny, serious, mysterious and heart warming.” Fuller himself credits its originality to his plot that revolves around characters participating in a chatroom—not an often-used ploy—but concurs that it is a “mystery, thriller, romance and adventure story.” His reviewers also applaud his characters “which are tightly framed and are filled with passion.”

Fuller has written “and thrown into a drawer” many stories but also published Chronicles of a Nappi Head subtitled Tales from the Back of Your Mind. Mostly, he just likes to write. When he’s not writing, he enjoys golfing, gardening, and coaching middle school basketball. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and family where he is working on a sequel to THE BAD POET.

Don't miss the excerpt following his interview.

Q: Reviewers describe THE BAD POET as “an exciting, original book.” What makes it “original?” How did you conceive of it? Is it a mystery, thriller, romance and/or adventure story?   

Michael Paul Fuller: I think it is original because I haven’t read a novel that revolves around the internet chat room.  I thought of the idea because my cousin would visit me and go into my office to get on my computer and chat with people in the chatrooms.  She would chat for a long length of time.  She shared many stories with me about the conversations they would have. She even told me one time they kicked her out of the chatroom because of her fowl mouth.  I thought that was very interesting so I decided to write a story about people communicating in the chatroom. 

I think my story is all of the above.  It is a mystery, thriller, romance and adventure story.

Q: Your reviewers also applaud your characters. They are “tightly framed and are filled with passion.” What makes us embrace your characters and care what happens to them?

Michael Paul Fuller: I think they care about the characters because they are ordinary people.  They enjoy talking in the chatrooms and they are involved in interesting relationships and to top it off the main character is a poet.

Q: How do you make your characters and plot “believable?” Do setting and back-story contribute?

Michael Paul Fuller: I make them believable by making my characters similar to people that I know and have known in my life.  In this particular book , the setting does contribute because the story takes place in Chicago, which is my hometown.

Q: How do you mix the elements of “thriller,” “page-turner,” “suspense”, and “mystery,” with those of “romance,” “heart warming,” and “funny?” Are you able to use the suspense side of your story to build the romance side and vice versa?

Michael Paul Fuller: Well I start off developing relationships between a woman and a woman, a woman and a man, a woman and her daughter. I then add the suspense and the mystery to the relationships.

Q: How helpful is the concept of “villains vs heroes” to tell your story? Would you characterize your protagonist as a “hero?”

Michael Paul Fuller: No there isn’t a hero in the story but I do consider the protagonist of my story to be a villain.

Q: How helpful was humor in developing your characters and telling your story?

Michael Paul Fuller: Humor was very helpful in developing my characters.  My villain had to have a sense of humor so that he could entice the lead character.  He wanted her to fall in love with him so that she could help him work out his plan.

Q: Did you write THE BAD POET strictly to entertain readers? Or did you also want to educate or deliver a message?

Michael Paul Fuller: I wrote the story to entertain and to enlighten the reader as to the dangers of the chatroom.

Q: Can you explain your title THE BAD POET without revealing too much of your plot?

Michael Paul Fuller: The Bad Poet basically describes the main character.  She enjoyed writing poetry and wrote often, however her poems weren’t very good.

Q: What’s next?

Michael Paul Fuller: I am presently writing a sequel to the book THE BAD POET.   I am also writing a play.

Q: Tell us about Michael Paul Fuller. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Michael Paul Fuller: I love playing golf. I am a gardener and have vegetables and herbs growing on my deck, I coach middle school basketball and I plan on becoming involved with the 2016 Presidential election in some capacity.  As soon I figure out who I want to win I will try and become a part of their campaign. 

About Michael Paul Fuller

He was born in Evanston, Illinois and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Sociology in 1977 from Southern Illinois University. Now, Atlanta is home with his wife (Sheila) and family.

He had written many essays and term papers throughout college, where Plato’s Republic and Machiavelli’s The Prince, along with Dr. King and ‘X’ ruled his time and efforts. But it was Richard Wright’s Native Son and Steven King’s Stand that brought him into fiction. They gave him the gumption to sit down, be patient and create characters and let those characters take him to different times and places. His writing would begin without knowing which direction the characters and plot would end up, which for him was the most exciting part of the creative process.

After some time had passed his first story was finished, and was not read a second time. Instead, he threw it in a drawer unedited and unseen by anyone. Then, another story was written and finished and again tossed into the drawer of no return.

So what was it? Why did he continue to write? For him, it was the time spent alone in his writer’s closet with not a soul to direct his path. He closed his eyes, then bent and twisted plots and characters to go as they pleased and do and accomplish whatever possibilities. Now, after Chronicles of a Nappi Head, comes his first novel THE BAD POET.

About THE BAD POET

You never know about people. Human predictability is the singular thing that mathematicians and scientists cannot calculate with 100% accuracy. The human chemistry ebbs and flows from second to second where only one thing is certain, and that is unpredictability. Just as in one’s own decision making, where life’s twist and turns will eventually dictate your final decision, sometimes even when you know it is the wrong choice. The time an individual spends on earth is as small as a tiny pebble tumbling down the Grand Canyon. We should spend it as wisely as possible by measuring each day, hour, minute and second given to us. Life is a fleeting spirit and with each breath worthy of congratulations as it is given only by the grace of God. We must cherish it, and nurture every moment as our transitory time marches to an end. An end that man has been studying, writing songs, creating stories about and trying to beat, since the beginning of his existence.

The tragedy of 9-11 changed many things for Americans that will never be the same. In the cloudy days soon thereafter, Carla King’s husband disappeared without a trace and she was left with their daughter to survive. After their divorce, she was living a mundane life one day at a time when one night while out with friends, she runs into Cutino Grigsby, her mister right. From the start, time spent with Cutino was adventurous and lustful, gregarious and fanciful free. They danced the Marengo on the Bay of Biscay and flew with the doves over mountains of joy. Their impromptu travels to faraway places and gifts from Cutino blinded her from any negative judgments about him. His physical appearance was striking and his confidence brought her security and made Carla take a note of admiration. But it is his deceit that teaches her the most, as her renaissance man will bring changes into her life that she never anticipates. She must hang on for the ride towards a crossroad of life which could land her in deep water, or even her demise.

Experience her journey and enjoy the ride.

Excerpt

Carla King

‘09

I yelled at the top of my voice to the jogger, or at least he was thin like one. But at this time of night, who knew. He could have been a burglar or an addict running from some ill-conceived crime, then fleeing to his freedom. But at this point, I had to take a chance. So I pleaded to him, “Help me! Help me!

He slowed for an instant, turned and peered over at me, taking a step in my direction. But as if stuck in cement, he stopped in his tracks, recoiled back around and took off running again, only this time faster. Damn, I thought, he’s running away from me.

Despair welled up inside of me. Once again I called for his help, then twisted around to see the nightmare closing in for the kill. The jogger must have seen him and wanted no part of our mad theater. Even so, I tried to enlist him to join in, petitioning him to be my hero. Again, I yelled for him to show compassion and rescue me. “Stop! Stop! Help meeee!”

I turned to see the shadowy horror gaining on me with each second. I spun around in hopes that the jogger was coming back. But the slim exercise freak was long gone, his schoolboy physique flying down the gloomy side street, probably never to jog at that time of night or down that path again.

I angled around the corner dashing past closed retail stores and barren alleys hoping to bump into the jogger’s path again. Seconds later my stomach churned with a sour sensation and while running, I vomited. My lungs burned and my kidneys cut into me like my insides were trying to digest thumbtacks. Suddenly, a pain shot through my foot as if it was hit by a hammer. That’s when I realized one of my favorite black Juicy Couture sling-back pumps was missing. The cost of three hundred and seventy-five dollars flashed into my mind, the most expensive shoes that I had ever purchased. At first I overcame the initial shock of pain and just kept running, but soon it became a throbbing ache which slowed me down, but still I continued to drag the bashed foot along.

My breathing was short and rapid, while the throbbing pain from my shoeless foot challenged my will to the point that I was about to give up and take a stand. Truth be told, I was at the end of my physical ability to continue. However, as quickly as the thought of giving up had crossed my mind, it disappeared. I refused to let this happen to me and become a victim, so I dug deep into my soul and with every ounce of strength left, commissioned my body to continue the escape for survival.

I whirled my head back around and saw that my pursuer had stopped running, too. He was power-walking towards me, evidently tired as well, but nonetheless determined to finish what he’d planned.

The crackling sound like exploding Wildcat firecrackers rang out again. The slugs bounced off the brick walls of the closed stores and sleepy condominiums and whizzed past my head, so close that I felt the hot metal singe the hair from my ear. Nothing had changed; he was still resolute on disposing of me.

Hobbling down South State Street, struggling to keep from giving up, I squealed out again for help, still hoping that somebody would rescue me. Like one of those bobble head dolls that sat on the dashboard of some young Mexican kid’s leisure van, I kept a vigilant eye on the killer imp, constantly rotating my head back and forth, looking for some kind of escape.

There it was, a sidewalk sign that stood a little taller than my five foot seven-inches, used for advertising Tommy Gun’s Diner and Theater valet was tucked away in the restaurant’s entrance. I ducked into the corridor, folded myself into a ball and hid between the modern A-frame sign.

The sorrow of the moment consumed all of my thoughts and emotions. Why me? If I had just stayed home that innocent evening, all of these tribulations could have been avoided. As I thought back, it all began that trouble-free night not so long ago…

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