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.
As of this Wednesday morning I will only be back in the country a day or so. In anticipation of jet lag I’m sharing a snippet of my the last book of Havah’s trilogy. AS ONE MUST, ONE CAN. I’ve reworked it a bit to fit into the stand-alone (which I hope it does) 100 word format.
When I was writing this novel, set in Kansas City, Missouri in 1908, I was thrilled to find that this Chinese restaurant my family frequented during the 1950’s was in existence way back when. I thought Havah should enjoy it, too. 😉
A GOOD JEWISH MEAL
Havah marveled at the glossy woodwork that adorned the dining room of the King Joy Lo restaurant. She drank in unfamiliar aromas.
Picking up a pair of ivory sticks beside her plate, she studied the elegant calligraphy etched into them. “These are beautiful, but what are they for?”
“Chopsticks. For eating.” The waiter took them and lifted a piece of chicken between them. “Easy. Even babies in China use. Now you.”
Try as she might, they slipped between her fingers and fell amid the noodles on her plate.
A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it inSammi’s Comment Section.
Sidewalk art fairs
A leap outside my comfort zone.
Either ego boosting.
Or ego busting.
Braving iffy weather,
Vendors compete for sales.
Yet bond
Over common aspirations,
Will it end in a joyful crescendo?
Or crushing disappointment?
***
This weekend turned out to be a good one weather-wise. Made some lovely connections and sold a lot of note cards. Getting involved in these vendor events is definitely like a box of chocolates. 😉 Ya never know what you’re gonna get.
No matter what your political leanings, it’s a compelling book about a longstanding relationship between two women. I loved it from cover to cover.
I must read this book soon!
Kathleen M. Rodgers, one of the most generous people I know.
With fear and trembling I sent my manuscript of my latest novel with working title WHAT THE HEART WANTS and a book proposal to her. When we spoke November 4, Diane opened the conversation with what every author dreams of hearing from a potential agent, “I loved your manuscript or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
So far the book has been turned down a few times but, knowing Diane loves it, assures me she’ll find the right home for Bear Starfire and Asher Gorovich.
Here is short summary. (Yes, I’ve posted this before and might post it again. 😉 )
In 1879, Eastern Europe is a hotbed of Antisemitism. In the midst of a pogrom, a government sanctioned massacre against the Jews, sixteen-year old Asher Gorovich witnesses the slaughter of his father, the blacksmith in his Polish village. Life doesn’t improve for him as he endures more persecution and loss of other loved ones.
Meanwhile, in America, eleven-year-old Bear Starfire is torn from her family and forced to attend St. Salvinus Indian boarding school. There she is stripped of her culture and endures both emotional and physical cruelty at the hands of staff members.
When these two wounded hearts meet will they find more conflict or the answer to their prayers?
Bear Starfire on the Wings of the Wind
Enter the Quarantine. Yeah, as much as I’ve avoided writing about it, it is the proverbial elephant in the room (and all over the media). For those of you who remember elephant jokes, you can tell he’s there by the peanuts on his breath.
As per Diane’s strong suggestion, I’ve worked on my Twitter presence. You can follow me @RochelleFields 😉 At any rate, that’s how I met Jimmy Leonard, a young man with a podcast entitled “World on Fire”. In April he emailed saying I fit the profile of someone with a passion and asked if I’d be willing to do an interview on Zoom. Although we did the interview on April 22, it didn’t go “live” until mid June.
We spoke for at least 45 minutes. Please excuse my cluttered background. That’s my environment. Unfortunately, the above portion about meeting Diane and WHAT THE HEART WANTS didn’t make the final edit.
Disclaimer: I had no idea what his intro would be. Although, I think Mr. Leonard makes some good points and it is his podcast.
Keep in mind, we spoke in April. Our topics were my artwork, Friday Fictioneers and the novel I’m currently working on and am three-fourths of the way through. My interview begins about 11:36 into it.
Re his “off the wall” question, “If you could paint a portrait of any person, living or dead, who would it be?” This took me by surprise, because I’ve done quite a few portraits. For whatever reason, the first person who popped into my overloaded mind was Maya Angelou, a woman I greatly admire. What’s not to admire?
Nu? I had to put my paintbrush where my mouth was, right? Of course right!
A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s Comment Section
Once more the word prompt took me to a personal place. I’ve used this very word to describe the following story. 93 words, not counting the title. Dedicated to a very dear friend who had a hand in my being alive to write this story.
HIS SUCCESS STORY
One would think a book signing at Barnes and Noble would be a guaranteed success. Right? Of course, right!
Or not.
Few patrons stopped to chat. I signed some of my three-hundred-page masterpieces with “Shalom, Rochelle.”
Then my former therapist, who saw me through my darkest days, showed up.
I threw my arms around him. “Wayne, you came!”
He beamed like a proud father. “How could I not?”
Four months later I learned of his passing.
In a single moment, my perception of that Saturday evening went from “abysmal failure” to “cherished memory”.
Four years ago Dawn Q. Laundau of Tales from the Motherland (Click for more details) presented other bloggers with the challenge to spread gratitude throughout the internet. It’s very simple. Take 10 minutes to list 50 or more things you are thankful for. I managed to type 52 before the chicken went off on my iPhone timer.
My husband of 48 years
My children – 3 grown sons
My granddaughters- 2 adorable little girls.
A contract with Diane Nine, ninespeakers.com for my latest manuscript What the Heart Wants (She said she loves it! Who can ask for better than that?)
I can still do a cartwheel
My regular mile swim and a pool less than a mile from home
A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to Sammi’s Comment Section.
As always with this prompt, I wrote the first thing that popped into my head.
When I first began my writer’s journey, someone told me the characters write themselves. I gaffed it off as existential hogwash and hooey until Nikolai Derevenko, intended sidekick, evolved into the most complex character in my trilogy without asking my permission.
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.
AA SA word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s Comment Section.
Word Prompt
Judge
Challenge
This week I’ve tweaked an excerpt from my novel AS ONE MUST, ONE CAN. It also appears in my coffee table book A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY. The scene takes place in 1908 in Arel Gitterman’s tailor shop. He and his wife Havah are terrified that they are about to face the same brutal persecution in America they endured in Eastern Europe.
Arel pointed to an official looking document in front of him. “I’m in big trouble, Havah.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s an indictment from His Honor Judge Wallace. I could go to prison.”
“What crime did you commit?”
“I’ve opened my shop on Sunday.”
“And this is a crime?”
“According to his Sunday labor law we’re required to observe the Christian Sabbath or pay a penalty. We Jews may open our shops, but if we sell anything we’re in violation.”
Her gorge rising, Havah crumpled the paper in her fist. “Every ass likes to hear himself bray.”
****
Kansas City Judge William H. Wallace. Sadly, a real person of the day.
Arel Gitterman
Mrs. Havah Gitterman
A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY is available on Amazon.com
The following is a snippet from my books AS ONE MUST ONE CAN and A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY. Rachel is a favorite character of mine. Perhaps I’ll write a novel about her in the future. At the very least, a short story. 😉
Genre: Historical Fiction circa 1907
Word Count! 100
SHORTSIGHTED
Miss Kline glanced at three-year-old Rachel and back at Havah. “She’s—”
“Blind.” Rachel grinned. “I don’t have floppy nerves.”
“Optic nerves,” said Havah.
“May I play piano for Miss Kline, Mommy?”
“Play something pretty.”
Rachel’s dog led her to the upright piano and lay down next to it so Rachel could use her for a step stool.
“Surely you don’t allow her to bang on that lovely instrument,” whispered Miss Kline.
Havah smiled but said nothing. Rachel danced her tiny fingers across the keys.
Miss Kline clapped her hand over her mouth. “Bless my soul, it’s… it’s… Bach’s ‘Musette’!”
Although I’ve never met Dr. Paul Reeves face to face, I come to see us as old friends. Other authors who have interviewed with him say the same thing. He has a knack for making a person feel at home. A month ago, after the release of my long awaited coffee table book, A STONE FOR THE JOURNEY, he invited me back for a second go around on Dr. Paul’s Family Talk.
I hope you’ll check out all four books of the Trilogy.
Dr. Paul Reeves
After we signed off, he invited me to return to his show in a month to talk some more about the new book and to read a few of the stories. Again, we had much to talk and laugh about. Below is the week’s interview. The other two interviews can be found in the side bar to your right. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 