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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © Amy Reese
It’s not exactly an excerpt but a snippet tweaked to be a teaser to my book From Silt and Ashes.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100
PRELUDE TO AN ODYSSEY
After weeks of contemplation and numerous entreaties from Dr. Trubachov in Ukraine, Dr. Nikolai Derevenko tendered his resignation to St. Thomas Hospital. As he left the administrator’s office he felt one of his burdens had lifted.
“Good morning, Doctor.”
An attractive nurse whose dimensions stretched her starched uniform to its limits cocked her head and flashed a dimpled smile. He followed her with his eyes to the other end of the corridor until she turned and entered a patient’s room.
When he returned to his original path he looked up in time to avoid a collision with a police officer.
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.
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If you’ve read it and enjoyed please leave a review on Amazon.com. Thank you.
Dr Nikolai seems to have resigned at the right time. Loved the way you described the nurse 😀
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Dear Dahlia,
Dr. Nikolai has quite a journey facing him. Glad you liked my description. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Me too! Very tactfully done but painted a vast picture!
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Dear Louise,
I’m pleased to know you thought so. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love the description as well, paints a vivid picture of her straight-way.
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Thank you, Chioma. 😀
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That piqued my interest all right.
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Dear Neil,
Mission accomplished. 😉
Shalom.
Rochelle
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The nurse got mine!
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😎
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Great writing.
The doctor is shown to be very much a man, and the description of the nurse is just wonderful!
I need to catch up with my reading.
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Dear CE,
I love how the muse works. Dr. Nikolai started out in the first book to be merely a sidekick to another character and has grown to be what I consider my most complex character. Glad the nurse caught your 😉 attention. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hey, I’m a man too!
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Its quite intriguing. Did the policeman come for Dr. Nikolai or for the nurse?
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Dear Sabina,
That’s why I call it a teaser. Actually the policeman might not be coming for either one of them. But I can’t give that away. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You are a tease, Rochelle! :):):)
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The scene came alive in so few words.
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Thank you Micheal. An author can’t ask for a better compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hahaha! I love the stretched uniform description. Nikolai will definitely need to watch where he’s going. Nice excerpt. You sure you didn’t get this from one of my experiences at OHO? In Nikolai’s case she DID speak English. 😉
Five out of five 36’s — and 24’s and 36’s. 😀
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Dear Cuzzin Notnek,
Actually Nikolai’s the one who has a bit of an issue with English. On the other hand, he’s a normal man. As the policeman goes onto say in the next line, “Don’t blame you a bit. A man would have to be in his grave two years not to notice that one.”
Thank you verra much for the glowing comment. Now watch where you’re going!
Shalom,
Cuzzin Shelley
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“So where’s mah jelly doughnut, bay-bah?”
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The crumbs are all over your blue suede shoes.
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HAHAHAHAHAHA! Provided I can still see ’em.
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Delightful description of the nurse. Lovely snippet
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Dear Graham,
The nurse wins this week, particularly with all of you of the male persuasion. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lol
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Yes, I loved how you could look inside the doctor’s mind and that gaze taking a stroll with the dimpled nurse… the police comes as a surprise that makes me want to read more.
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Dear Björn,
I thought you had read From Silt and Ashes. At any rate this snippet is all there. Thank you for your sweet comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Fantastic snippet! Intrigued me immensely.
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Dear Jade,
Naturally I hope this will intrigue you enough to get the book. 😉 It’s the second in a trilogy but each book stands alone. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I will definitely look into it, that much I can promise 😉
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Intrigued to know what’s ahead for the good doctor. A trip to Ukraine (presumably without shapely nurse in tow!) but it sounds as if it won’t be smooth sailing for the poor man. Lovely descriptions and a great hint at your novel, Rochelle
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Dear Lynn,
You’re spot on in your assessments. The nurse is merely a momentary distraction. Smooth sailing in Ukraine in 1905? Not a chance. More than that, I’m not saying. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A great post. Let’s hope he can snatch a few moments of happiness along the way. 🙂
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Sounds like he just ducked a catastrophe, maybe in more than one way. Definitely works as a teaser because I want to know more.
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Dear Anne,
There’s one way to know more. 😉 Glad it worked as a teaser.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Intriguing. 🙂 now Im left wondering….Nice snippet!
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Dear Morgan,
Glad to leave you hanging. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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ooh, what a tease! I’d say it makes me want to read the book, but I already wanted to do that… god stuff and, as others have said, a lovely novel description for the nurse
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Dear Jen,
Thank you for all of your lovely comments. I hope one day you’ll read my books (and like them, of course. 😉 )
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’ve got to ditto the comments about the nurse. Spot-on way to grab the reader’s attention.
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Dear Alicia,
All the nurse comments are making me smile. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great scene-setting, Rochelle. I can’t wait to continue the odyssey
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Thank you, Siobhán. 😀
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All these teasing bits have hooked me. I just need to get my device to read it to me and we’re all set. (I have to have it read to me because I can’t read books at the office and I work from home at night. Business never sleeps even if I have to on occasion just to rest the eyes.)
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Dear Melinda,
I’m sorry I don’t have an audio book to offer. 😉 Happy to have hooked. My work here is complete. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Intriguing! I wonder if the policeman is another of his “burdens”? Or maybe he’s left just in time…
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Dear Ali,
The policemen is there on a mission, but it’s not to burden Nikolai. 😉 There’s one way to find out.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Masterful description again, Rochelle. You always bring your characters to life. Just in that short space, there were several things happening. Great writing. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thank you, Suzanne. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Love the descriptions Rochelle, and the way he nearly bumped into an officer. That will teach him for watching the pretty nurses. Although I can see how that would be a distraction lol.
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Dear Al,
The officer in the story understands, too. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Mmmmm, very intriguing. Loved it.
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Thank you, Loré! 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love the description about the nurse and her uniform!
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Dear Clare,
That nurse does seem to be a hit this week. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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She is a floozy no doubt… cocking her head I bet the policeman noticed too. Great write.😇
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Dear Ellen,
Personally I don’t picture the nurse as a floozy. At the same time Nikolai isn’t a bad looking man either. As for the policeman, his reaction is, “Don’t blame you a bit. A man would have to be in his grave two years not to notice that one.”
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Brilliant descriptions and I hope the doctor succeeds in his new mission.
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Dear Chioma,
Thank you for such a nice comment. As for Dr. Nikolai’s mission, there’s one way to find out. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Does he get together with the well-built nurse, one wonders? BTW – one D, two S in odyssey, or is it different in America?
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Dear Liz,
Actually, I’ll confess that the nurse is merely a sidetrack. And I’m going to correct my spelling posthaste. As far as I know it’s the same on both sides of the pond. Thank you for catching it. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I got a huge smile from the picture you painted – her dimensions stretched her starched uniform.
Lily
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Dear Lily,
Happy to make you smile. Thank you for reading and leaving a nice comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Ruth,
I’ve never been a doctor, but I’ve always wanted to play one on TV. Nothing too challenging like a neurologist or a cardiologist, but I don’t want to be a proctologist either (even though I’ve been close to a few a**holes).
And whatever happened to those starched white nurses uniforms with the cute little hats? When those women gave you an examination, you knew you’d been touched by a professional, not just some greenhorn wearing pajamas.
Maybe that’s what Trump means when he talks about Making America Great again.
Yours truly,
Sid Bashem
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Dear Sid,
I’m not sure how to respond to this. I do miss the cute little nurse’s uniforms with the caps. At one time I fancied the idea of being a candy striper and meeting Dr. Kildare. Who knew he preferred boys? Sigh. When I realized that working in a hospital meant blood and poop the deal was off and I got a job at Dairy Queen instead.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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No one I know, certainly no gentleman, professional of stature, doctor, or otherwise, would ever let their vision linger that long on a sensual female object to the point that they’d run into a cop…. naw, no way, no one, not ever, nada, just not possible.
(Ahem.)
Randy
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Dear Randy,
Ahem indeed. 😉 I raised three men.
L’shanah Tova,
Rochelle
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Great cliffhanger “ending”. You’ve piqued my interest.
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Dear Alice,
Naturally I hope that piqued interest will lead you to my books. ;). Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Loved the line of barely avoiding the cop! Always funny when guy looks at woman, then WHAM! into someone or something!
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Dear Kevin,
Why is it that we find pratfalls and people ramming into each other funny? Why analyze it? Glad you liked that. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very intriguing!
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Thank you, Sascha. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Like everyone, I loved the description of the nurse. I am torn whether she was voluptuous or just an extremely large woman. Great job at leaving us wanting more.
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Dear Cindy,
I’m pleased with the reactions to the nurse. It proves that one doesn’t have to write porn to get the message across. 😉 Go with voluptuous. That’s how I see her. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great scene, Rochelle. You make me want to reread and savour the scenes, not rush through to find out what happens. I’ll do that when book 3 is here and I know what happened.
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Dear Gabriele,
I’m still awaiting the proof copy so I can go over it with a finetooth comb, or as my art teacher in junior high used to say, spend some time ‘loving’ it. Your comments make me smile. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Well, now you have me wondering. Who is the policeman for? Or maybe he’s for both of them. Wonderful writing, as always.There’s also so much packed into your descriptions and still you are able to keep the flow of your story going. That’s quite masterful! Oh, and thanks so much for choosing my photo. I was surprised. I think this one was my favorite angle. 🙂
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Dear Amy,
Thank you for sharing your photo. I found it intriguing. As for the policeman, he might not be there for either of them. 😉 You’ll find out when you read From Silt and Ashes. Thank you for such a wonderful comment and Happy Birthday!
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much, Rochelle. And I absolutely adored your EPIC birthday for me. Oh, I was so touched!
You want to hear something funny…the day after I read your story, I read this part in your book. 🙂 So, now you know where I am. Sorry, it’s taken me so long to start. I just started a new job a couple of months ago and I feel spread pretty thin. Want to do more reading and writing! I’m so very proud of you and your accomplishments. I’m really loving your book!
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Lovely descriptions Rochelle that set the scene up so well. Both the nurse and the doctor are full of naughty character and then we want to know, why is the policeman there.
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Dear Michael,
All those questions are answered in the book. 😉 Don’t all of us have naughty tendencies? 😉 Thank you for taking the time to read and leave a nice comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle! Rochelle! Bravo for killing two birds with one stone this week. You are a marketing genius. I’m hooked.
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Dear StepHonie,
I couldn’t as for a better comment/compliment. I’ve done a few of these teasers. If it sells books, who am I to complain? I hope you’re hooked enough to read the books. Wink wink.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. It means a lot.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That was really quite clever. That policeman – an act of genius inserting him in the scene.
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Dear Nam,
The policeman is actually on a mission in this chapter of my book. 😉 Thank you for stopping in and, again, a hearty welcome to Friday Fictioneers.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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such an intriguing teaser, Ms. Rochelle!
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Thank you, Ms. Rosema. 😉
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Ooooo great hook at the end there!
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Dear Laurie,
Always leave them wanting more. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Aha! And now I want to read more Rochelle, you tease! Thanks for hosting.
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Dear Carol,
Mission accomplished. 😉 Thank you for participating.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sounds interesting Rochelle. I love the picture that your writing creates.
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Thank you for such a nice comment, Lindy.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi Rochelle! I’m so late this time. I too loved the way you described the nurse. Story leaves me for asking for more. Shalom.
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Dear Indira,
Better late than never. Your story this week as a chilling masterpiece. That nurse has gotten a lot of attention this week. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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