It's First Friday! The day three talented authors give their take on
a single photo in 150 words or less.
DELANEY
The shoes called me
through the store window, whispering my sister’s party was tonight, reminding
me of that cute guy who never noticed me. I didn’t stand out at parties, and he
always looked over my head, not down at me. I wanted him to notice me. What did
I have to lose if I bought the shoes? Just half a month’s paycheck and possibly
my balance. It was worth it.
I looked amazing. My
mirror told me so. So did the smile on the face of the cute guy as I entered my
sister’s apartment. I smiled back and took a step onto her slippery white tile
floor. My ankle went one way, the shoe another and my face met the floor. Was
that my blood the shoe sat in? My nose
was flowing freely. But the cute guy was picking me up.
I had been noticed.
IYER
His nickname was Detective Superman. There’d never been a
case he couldn’t crack, until what the media dubbed The Stiletto Murders came
along, six vicious slayings ago. The victims were johns, and the murderer’s
signature was always the same: a different stiletto posed near the body, blood
drizzled around the bottom of the shoe. Neat, clean, no prints, no hairs, no
DNA. Nothing but the victim’s unadulterated semen. The shoe, sold in every
chain store in the city, offered no clue to the buyer.
Except this time. This time, she’d left a calling card. For
him.
His heart pounded. Sweat beaded at his hairline, trickled
down his back.
“You all right, Detective?” the first cop on the scene
asked. “You look pale.”
“Fine, fine,” Superman said, sloughing him off. But he
wasn’t. Not by a long shot
He recognized the red stiletto. He’d bought the expensive
shoes for her.
LOVELY
A cherry-red stiletto? Crimey. The blood is dandy. Marley
steps in it often enough. But no way would my heroine squash her D-width
tootsies in my cover artist’s tribute to foot surgery. What possessed Judy—my
early twenties cover artist? Her arches won’t collapse for a few decades. I
didn’t expect Judy to read my book, just hoped she’d peruse the synopsis. Sigh.
Okay, try diplomacy. As authors are pitifully aware, we’re
less likely to sway book cover design than President Obama is to gain unanimous
Congressional approval—of anything. Guess I could photograph one of my scruffy
clodhoppers. While Marley and I are far from twins, we see bunion to bunion on
footwear.
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| FREE today on Amazon! |
Hmmm. Or I could edit. After losing a bet, Marley can be en
route to a costume party wearing Madonna breast cones and shiny stilettos when
she slips on some blood. Marley would you forgive me?
ABOUT
THE AUTHORS
KATHLEEN
DELANEY
Kathleen Delaney writes the Ellen McKenzie mystery series. Dying
for a Change introduces
Ellen, who’s returned to her career as a real estate agent. Finding a dead body
in the closet of the first house you show is a hard way to start. Life doesn’t
get any easier for Ellen in Give First Place to Murder, And Murder for Dessert, and Murder Half
Baked.
Kathleen has just finished the fifth, Murder by Syllabub.
She lives in Georgia with a dog and cat and often a couple of grandchildren who
love to visit. Or is it the pumpkin/cranberry bread they like?
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| Polly's Amazon Page |
POLLY
IYER
Polly Iyer was born on the coast of Massachusetts. After
studying at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, she traveled to
Italy, lived in Atlanta, and now resides in the beautiful Piedmont region of
South Carolina in an empty nest house with her husband, a drooling mutt named
Max, and Joey, the timid cat. She writes crime fiction that always has a murder
or two…or three, characters who cross ethical lines, and a hint of romance.
LINDA
LOVELY
 |
| At Amazon |
Linda
Lovely writes mysteries and
romantic thrillers. Her Marley Clark series features a 52-year-old retired
military intelligence officer. DEAR
KILLER is set in the SC Lowcountry where Marley works as a security guard. NO
WAKE ZONE moves to Lake Okoboji, Iowa.
Marley will return to the Carolina
Coast in book three.
Lovely’s newest romantic thriller, FINAL ACCOUNTING, is a set in Atlanta and
Jamaica.
The author is a member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers
of America, International Thriller Writers, and the South Carolina Writers
Workshop. Click on book covers on Lovely’s website—www.lindalovely.com—for ebook and
paperback buy links.
Join in! Add your 150-word vision in the comments. We love to read
them.
11 comments:
What variety! Delany's humor, Polly's genre surprise and Linda's editorial, I loved them all. Thanks for great reads to start the day. (PS--I've often thought the cover artists must never read the books they portray. I think the public realizes it's only PR. Too bad--but change the book! Never, I'm shocked.)
Thanks for asking me to do this for a second time, Ellis. It's a challenge to write tight. Wish I could do that with 90,000 words. I'd probably wind up with 60,000, more of an exercise than I'm up to.
I assure you my suggestion on changing the book was tongue-in-cheek. However, can't say how many authors have told me the initial cover featured a hero/heroine with the wrong hair/eye color, had snow in mountains where it never snows, etc.
Awesome. Thanks to everyone for working on this great post. It was wonderful. ^_^
Yes, kind of figured you were joking, Linda. But, you would think that they would ask for specific characteristics before completing the design. I guess artists don't contemplate who, what, when, where and why.
Thanks, Ellis,for asking me. It was fun looking at that shoe and trying to come up with something. I love the pictures, and the challenges, you throw at us.
I love all your stories. What great imaginations you each have. I would find it hard to pick a favorite.
All that effort. The Valentine's card, the careful make-up, the spray tan, the new 'do', the dress worthy of red carpet flashlights - and these unbearably uncomfortable but totally AMAZING shoes. All that effort. And still he was with HER.
He knew how much this was hurting me, yet because SHE was there he'd not even looked at me.
I decided then and there that I'd had enough. Oh yes, I most certainly had....
Terry, thanks for joining in. I like the implication. Very clever. :-)
Once again, three great interpretations. Love reading this feature of this blog - reminds me why I love being a writer.
I like all your posts, but your First Fridays are always most excellent! Love this feature! I nominated your blog for a Liebster Award this morning. Details at: http://travelswithkaye.blogspot.com/2013/04/liebster-award.html
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