In Spring 2025, I published on Amazon and Kindle my first novella. It’s a story about a middle-aged man, Oliver, who’s fallen in love with Mirabel, a widow who is out of his league in worldliness and riches. His ailing grandfather in a nearby nursing home could provide just the inheritance he needs to become an attractive partner for Mirabel. The third side of the love triangle is Oliver’s neighbor, Dolores, who believes her destiny is to marry him because he’s sweet and looks so much like Richard Gere, her idol. What ensues is murder or euthanasia. It’s up to the reader to decide!
Link to book and ebook in Amazon
The following is an excerpt in the words of Dolores:
It was a chilly overcast day in November when I opened my eyes and then flipped over and tried to go back to sleep. Another depressing late autumn day and the thought of leaving this bed, let alone my house, seemed like an overwhelming challenge. What do people do without antidepressants on days like this? Then I remembered what day it was. With a sigh of relief, I recalled that this was Saturday, not as stressful as a weekday, and was my niece’s fifth birthday. I’d promised her a trip to the Science Center and lunch at the fast-food joint that my sister had declared off limits to Chloe.
“Hey, how could you deprive your kid of her childhood?” I had asked my sister Ann. “Every kid loves to eat that kind of junk food, unwrap the prizes, tumble around on the indoor playground. Do you have to suck all the fun out of these carefree years?”
“Just because I won’t let her eat MSG-laden junk food, play with those landfill-fodder prizes, and slide around in some kid’s barf in the playground doesn’t mean I’m sucking all the fun out.” Then she had turned to Chloe. “What kind of restaurants do you like? Honey, tell your aunt how you like Thai.”
Chloe loved all the attention when she was caught in the middle of these adult arguments. “Well, actually, I love curry, like Mommy wants me to say, but I’ve always wanted to try the Super Skinny Fries, so I can’t wait to go to the junky food restaurant!”
So that settled that, and today was the day. Another thought that helped me roll out of bed was the fact that I would see Oliver. Not only did I live on the same street as he, but I sometimes also bumped into him at the nursing home, where I worked as the Food Service Manager. Now and then, I made the rounds and checked whether meals were being delivered to residents while they were still at least lukewarm. Whenever I saw Oliver there, I was always impressed by his loyalty to Emmett, and in my estimation, he was quite the catch. He reminded me of Richard Gere, pretty hunky, and yeah, sure, I daydreamed sometimes about him. Even when he got old, he’d probably be a looker, not like most of the pruny men in the nursing home. In one of our brief conversations, I discovered that he manned the train exhibit at the museum.
I selected my wardrobe with Oliver in mind. My mom groomed us girls to snag men instead of encouraging us to hit the books and become doctors and professors. I became proficient at snagging, but I always threw the fish back in the pond for one reason or another. Fate had other plans for me. Maybe I’d been waiting for years just for Oliver. A palm reader had even agreed with me on that. Chloe and I would be on our feet almost all day, but hell, I chose my red stiletto heels, a form-fitting dress, and a little extra makeup. Usually, he saw me in my dowdy manager’s uniform, but now that I had the opportunity to wow him, I wanted to show off my Victoria’s Secret model potential. When I arrived at Chloe’s house, Ann opened the door and gasped.
“Where do you think you’re taking my daughter? To a bar? Why on earth are you dressed like that?”
“Oh, don’t worry, we’re still going to the museum, but I thought, hey, I need to shed my loungy, baggy clothes and start dressing like a woman who’s serious.”
“Serious about what? Seriously banking on getting weeks off work when you break your ankle? Because you know those heels are going to get wedged in a sewer grating, don’t you? Ok, who’s the guy?”
“Well, there’s nothing to hide. I have a crush on my neighbor who happens to work in the museum we’re visiting today. He’s head over heels in love with trains, but I’m going to try to distract him from them a little. I thought this outfit might do the trick.”
“But what kind of a career is running the toy trains? You probably make more than he does.”
“Sis, everything isn’t about money and prestige. Just because you snagged a surgeon and are loaded doesn’t mean you’re necessarily happy, are you?”
“Don’t give me all that philosophical talk again. We do great, as long as Mark just hands over his paychecks. It’s easy to have a successful marriage if you have plenty of money, hardly see one another, and live far from the in-laws. There’s nothing whatsoever to fight about.”
“Doesn’t sound like bliss to me. Hey, is she ready yet? We’d better hit the road before it gets too late.”
Then, latching onto my niece, I was out the door and down the driveway before my sister could pry any further.