Vindictiveness

Yeah, I don't like her and she's going in my book

Warning: You may not like me by the end of this newsletter.

I am asked all the time where I get my ideas for my books.

I think it’s an excellent question.

I get ideas everywhere. My quirky childhood. History. A gold and pink sunset on the Oregon coast. Clucky chickens. Pecan pies and whip cream.

Lies.

Revenge.

Vindictiveness.

These are not vindictive chickens. You can tell because they look sweet.

It is probably not a smart idea to say that I have a slight vengeful side to my nature, as that is not attractive, but I am too old not to be truthful, and to know myself, and I admit it.

Not proud of it, but there it is: I have a vengeful bone in my body.

Probably just one. A small one. A mostly useless bone. Perhaps in my jaw or eye socket.

You can see my ONE vengeful bone here….

But when people really tick me off there is a likelihood that the obnoxious, condescending, dismissive, or judgmental PART of their personality is going to unceremoniously land in a character in one of my books.

That person will not, as a whole person, or even half a person, be in my book. My characters come completely out of my free-roaming imagination.

But that prickly, nauseating, dislikable PART will be in one of my characters.

I did this very thing in one of my last few books, the title of which shall mysteriously go unnamed.

A peculiar, sanctimonious sap of a woman lied about me. She should not have done that. The lie had a painful impact on my life.

I have envisioned her being slightly trampled by a shrieking ostrich. I cannot wish more upon her than that because I am not a mean sort of person who wishes ill on anyone.

God, Karma, a conscience that can spring to guilt in a mini-second, and my late mother’s sweet voice unfortunately gets in my way of truly cursing someone.

But I can write about that PART of her. The lying part.

I will not be like this trampling ostrich. I won’t.

My fury is now down to a low sizzle, but when I was boiling, I put the lying, manipulative part of her in one of my characters. I exaggerated. I blew things up. I changed her appearance, age, and occupation because Innocent Husband made me do it.

Innocent Husband, who is a bulldog of an attorney, had to calm down my revenge rhetoric. He reminded me that I do not want to flirt with being sued for defamation by putting her real name in my book even though she deserves it.

Innocent Husband is no fun at all but he is right - o.

I gave her a whole new name, far away from her real one.

The bulldog, below, is not my husband. Just to clarify.

I am not married to this bulldog.

But oh my good Lord.

You will dislike this character if you read, or have already read, this particular book. You will find her sneakily mean, supremely arrogant, clueless, and superficial. You will see that she believes that she knows best without experience, facts, or wisdom to back her up.

She is right because she just is.

In this book she is young and you are old and doddery and only a wobbly step away from a nursing home, you poor thing, where you will soon be diapered up and fed baby food.

And she lies with a cheery smile!

You may know someone just like her, so I invite you to share in this glorious vindictive experience and imagine the person you dislike in my book getting her comeuppance.

Because in my book, at least, finally, she gets what’s comin’ to her.

That’s the fun of being a writer. Everything and everyone is inspiration.

DON’T PISS OFF A WRITER. PART OF YOU MAY WELL END UP IN HER BOOK.

On the flip side, I have written thousands of pages, and hundreds of characters, who are filled with love, humor, kindness, understanding, and empathy - all from people I have known and loved.

So, one could say that I have many loving bones in my body as well. Perhaps my ribs.

Cheers, all. Wishing you peace and kindness. (Except for the victim of the shrieking ostrich.)

I understand if you don’t like me anymore.

Cathy

PS Julia’s Chocolates, my very first book, is now in Kindle Unlimited, as is A Different Kind of Normal and The Last Time I Was Me.

10 out of my 13 novels are now only available on Amazon.