Sunday, July 31, 2011

23rd six sentence Sunday, Meeting the Multibillionaire

From Larger Than Death, Josephine is led up a spectacular staircase by Mrs. Madrone's openly unimpressed personal assistant to meet with a woman whose name adorns a museum, a hospital, and half a dozen other edifices around the state:

My guide was gone without a word and I stepped toward the woman who sat in a wheelchair next to a heavy mahogany desk that probably had belonged to some Spanish grandee.

Alicia Madrone was in her sixties and narrow as a whippet, with pewter hair pulled into a chignon. Despite the flood of sunshine from the windows that looked out over the Bay, she wore a heavy sweater and wool skirt. The lilac point Siamese on her lap raised his head and stared at me for a moment before settling back down into the blue blanket that matched the color of his eyes.

I reached into my pocket to peel a tissue off the pack I'd brought. I was starting to sweat.


This week at least 170 writers signed up to share six sentence snippets from works in a broad range of genres. Check them out over at Six Sunday!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Week 22 of Six Sentence Sunday - job interview with a billionaire

More from the first book in my murder mystery series featuring Josephine Fuller Larger Than Death, our heroine answers an ad and is told to report to a Pacific Heights mansion for a job interview. A word to the wise, in true mystery fashion nothing is what it seems.

"Josephine Fuller, here for a one o'clock appointment," I said to the tall, slender man who answered the door. His hair was bright auburn and his eyes a penetrating blue, which together with a cynical twist to his mouth gave his handsome face a startling intensity. He wore a full-sleeved white shirt and black trousers as if ready to pick up a fencing foil and resume his role opposite Errol Flynn in a pirate movie. Both ears were pierced but had no rings in them, so I concluded it must be a conservative place.

He seemed disappointed to see me. Clearly if he'd had the clout to screen candidates he would have installed a revolving door to replace the massive oak one.


This Sunday 142 writers signed up to share six sentence snippets--for more fun check them out at Six Sunday

Saturday, July 16, 2011

21st Six Sentence Sunday, celebrating a Larger Than Death new edition

After 20 weeks of sharing snippets Bride of the Living Dead, I'm shifting over to share a few lines from Larger Than Death, the first in the Josephine Fuller mystery series, reissued July 15th by Pearlsong Press and now available in ebook for the first time.

At booksignings when Larger Than Death came out some people gasped when I read the first line. I think that might still happen. I spent more time writing and polishing the first line than on any other line in the book.

That said, I'm starting the snippet below with the SECOND line in the book. You can read all of Chapter 1 on my web page.

Friends sometimes call me Donna Quixote because tilting windmills is what I do for a living. I got started when I answered an ad in The San Francisco Chronicle.

Need person of substance for special assignments: part bloodhound, part bulldog, part lone wolf. Job requires quick study, travel and communication skills. Must genuinely care about the advancement of women.

As a matter of fact, I was feeling quite concerned about the advancement of women in general and myself in particular at the moment I read the ad.


To explore a wealth of other six sentence excepts from 168 writers (at last count) click on over to Six Sunday and enjoy!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

20th Six Sentence Sunday - Sky's opinion on Reverend Uncle Walt

Has it really been 20 weeks since I started spending my Sundays in six-sentence slices? Wow, it seems like longer and also like I've just started.
On July 15th the first book in my Josephine Fuller series, Larger Than Death, will be issued for the first time in ebook and trade paperback, so I plan to share some sentences from it. But first, from Bride of the Living Dead, Daria's sister Sky insisted on giving her opinion about their uncle officiating at Daria's wedding:

           "Are you sure you want our dear old deranged Uncle Walt to do this ceremony?  You know that crazy old man could ruin your wedding?"
            "Sky, the only thing that would ruin my wedding would be if Oscar didn't show up."
            Sky gasped and stared at me in horror. "Don’t even joke about such a thing."
            I wasn't worried because I couldn't imagine Oscar disappearing on our wedding day--which goes to show you how limited my imagination can be.

For more six sentence fun check out the talented writets sharing snippets from their work spanning a wide variety of genres at http://www.sixsunday.com/

Sunday, July 3, 2011

19th Six Sentence Sunday - Uncle Walt's Church

From Bride of the Living Dead, newly engaged to Oscar, Daria finds herself, with her mother and sister, meeting with Oscar's sisters and conservative mother, Deb, to start to plan the wedding:

            "I can call your Uncle Walt if you’d like him to officiate," Mom turned hopefully to me. It was my decision, hmmm that was a new experience.
            "That would be great, Mom, if you think he can get away, but I’d better ask Oscar first." I didn’t want to disappoint her, and I was starting to get enthusiastic about seeing Deb’s reaction to meeting Uncle Walt and learning that the church he founded was the Intergalactic Church of Star-Seeded Cosmic Consciousness. Although you couldn’t really appreciate his vision without seeing the large, cleared landing strip he maintained next to it for space ships that might feel called upon to attend services.
            Deb didn’t strike me as the psychic type, but I think she may have just begun to realize that, by the sheer power of passion, I could probably entice her son to accept any sort of minister or ceremony I chose, up to and including nude fertility dancing.



Check out the diverse talent in six sentence snippets from 130 writers in various genres at http://www.sixsunday.com/