My previous postings have been from the modern part of my reincarnation novel. I thought it was time to introduce the 1874 period and its characters. Gabriella’s father is power hungry and has found a match for his daughter who will ensure his rise into high society. The husband is much older and abhorrent to Gabriella. This first scene is her father announcing the match.
“You will marry him, Gabriella and that is the last I will hear of it.”
“Father….”
“Do not question my judgement, girl. It is an excellent match.”
Gabriella ran from her father’s study, up the stairs to her bedroom and flung herself onto her bed. It might be excellent for her father but certainly not for her. Her uncontrollable sobbing persisted throughout the afternoon and into early evening. No-one came to comfort her. Father must have forbidden Mother and the servants to attend her. How could her father be so cruel, marrying her to such an old man? He was ugly and brutish. She hated the way he leered at her, licking his lips. It was disgusting. Father only saw William Folkes’ wealth and the large estate in Hampshire. With the marriage, her father, a trader, would climb the social ladder of high society. He clearly didn’t care about Gabriella’s happiness. She was the sacrificial lamb – totally powerless. She had heard mother try to persuade him that William was not suitable, only to be shouted down.
“I am the man of this house and you will comply with my wishes. William is obviously fervent in his feelings for Gabriella. He will be an excellent provider.”
“But, John, she is so young. Could you not find someone closer to her age, a more suitable husband?”
“How more suitable could he be? William is a wealthy and powerful man, Margaret. I am sure he will lavish many luxuries on the girl. She should think herself lucky I found such a good match. What more could she possibly want from a husband?”
“Why, love and children, of course.”
“William is certainly not too old to give her children. Now stop this complaining, I have made my decision and it is final so I will have no more talk of it.”
Now for the fun part to read everyone else’s snippets…
Today’s word is Loath – definition: unwilling to do something : reluctant. As you will soon realize Yasir is loathed to be restricted to one genre.
Of the characters you have created or envisioned, which is your favorite & why?
Gregorian the demon & Fagnor the banshee, side characters have an air of mystery about them. These two aid the protagonist, kind of, in his quest for revenge. Their qualities are as random as their presence, having wild-cards in a tale gives a story the kick others don’t have.
Do you favor one type of genre or do you dabble in more than one?
Do I ever? I am definitely a dabbler, I have an imagination threshold when it comes to genres. I’m not a horror aficionado like Stephen King, I find that my words become somewhat stagnated. I have been warned by an author friend of mine that writing in multiple genres is dangerous. It may be my naivety or ignorance but I fail to see his logic. So to keep things refreshing for the reader I have already started dabbling, but I’m not going to tell you much more. Always leave them wanting more…
What do you enjoy most about writing?
How anomalous occurrences become the crux of the story, I fall into the category of writers that say the story writes itself. The side lines, the back stories and the random excursions are what give stories that texture readers crave. My own mind keeps me guessing so as I’m typing I am discovering. As the story unravels and characters reveal themselves I find myself immersed in the lunacy of creation.
Have you got a favorite place to write?
I wish I did, it’s a family home so we all share one computer. If I had the money I’d buy a nice house that has a nice study, a quiet room that has all the hallmarks of a writers retreat. I would surround myself, in this room, with vestiges of inspiration and creativity. One day my friends, one day…
Do you plan your stories, or are you a seat of the pants style writer?
A bit of both, I found planning gives the story structure and the “seat of the pants” strategy gives it flavor. Inspiration normally comes at night so I am always arms length from pen & paper. I write the idea down in my despicable handwriting and then when I get a moment I add it to the manuscript. I’m still growing as a writer but I am finding a rhythm to writing.
What inspires your stories?
Oh! Everything and anything. Films, books, music, theatre, dancing, a bird on a perch having a very large poop (apologies, I don’t mean to offend) it’s totally random. I could listen to a poem on the radio and it moves me to tears. Then again I could see a toddler hand a flower to his parent and I can feel every much joy as the parent. Inspiration by its very nature is from spirit so I suppose it’s in the spirit of the moment.
What are you currently reading?
OK, don’t hate me for saying this because I have been criticized in the past for saying what I’m about to say. I don’t like reading fiction, even though that’s pretty much what I write. I don’t mind poetry, I can read poetry but even short stories bore me. Now I know in some regions of the literary world I have just committed blasphemy. If I were to read anything then I only read self-development books. Currently I am not reading anything but I do want to get my hands on some NLP and mind programming books.
Do you have any odd habits or childhood stories?
I do have some odd habits, but I don’t care to mention them. Childhood stories, if I told you it would sound quite generic. I got in trouble at schools, teachers annoyed me and I them, over the years I matured and discovered that life can be an adventure and I have the best family and friends in the world. See, generic.
Do you have any pets?
I have one zebra-finch, a miniature pooping machine (same apology as before)
I belong to New Writers UK, it’s a writing group that is run by authors for authors. It’s for writers in general but predominantly to help new writers, such as myself, to find their feet. They have exclusive events and resources that I am privy to being a member.
What age did you start writing stories/poems?
I started writing poetry at age 8
I started writing short stories at age 16
I tried writing a stage play at age 24
I am still dabbling in all of the above at age 25
Do you have a book published? If so what is it called & where can readers purchase it?
I do, it’s called Memoirs of the Damned and it is a horror story it can be found here:-
If you could meet one favorite author who would it be and why?
Maybe Dale Carnegie for his wisdom but I’m not too fussed with him. More than Mr. Carnegie I would like to meet Edgar Allen Poe to see if he was as crazy as everyone says. Also I would like to hear him read “The Raven”, James Earl Jones and Christopher Walken both have hypnotic voices but I believe that the true insanity of that poem should be experienced 1st hand from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Don’t worry I don’t have a morbid fascination with Poe, unlike the creator of The Following with Kevin Bacon – urgh –
If you could live anywhere in the world – where would it be?
Japan. I would like to live in a dojo in the country side. I would wear a kimono all day, be protected by a legion of Samurai in the morning and a squadron of Ninjas at night. A man can dream…
What’s your favorite movie of all time?
I have phases, what my favorite movie is at the moment might not be the case in a few months time. It’s a tie with Payback, Get Shorty and The Usual Suspects at the moment.
I do but I can’t give too much away, lets just say it’s a romance with a twist, nothing paranormal. I also have designs of prospective sci-fi endeavors, but enough of that for now.
Who is your best supporter/mentor/encourager?
If you get a copy of my book and you turn to the dedication page then you will see, exactly, all those people who I consider invaluable in my efforts as a writer.
Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers 