PinnedMember-onlyJust 16 and Almost 25Finding life in the dismal summer of 1987. I earned an audition for a company in San Francisco a month earlier when I was a solid B cup. Now, after losing three more pounds, I was still pushing a full C. My genetics were pulling me away from the only…Fiction11 min readFiction11 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·PinnedMember-onlyBest Dating Advice I Ever Got Was from a Coke DealerWhen I was thirteen. I know all the parents out there are saying, “Oh my, how unfortunate.” But it wasn’t. His advice came to me at just the right time and probably saved me years of heartbreak. I told him I needed a devil, someone worse than my step-father. He…Dating Advice6 min readDating Advice6 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·PinnedMember-onlyDon’t Take Marriage Advice from Your GrandmotherHer reasons for marriage were vastly different from yours. In decades past, marriage was a financial necessity for women. Many of our foremothers married to ensure their security and safety in a world that was anti-female at best and physically hostile at worst. …Relationships5 min readRelationships5 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jan 26, 2021Member-onlyA Demon’s PleaOnus Angelorum — Pax’s offer to Alerie. To guide a servant is to know a measure of toil and worry. Letting uncertainty die beneath the master’s shadow is a welcomed reprieve from life. The invitation to obey another is a rare gift of freedom. When sweet freedom ends, I take…Flash Fiction2 min readFlash Fiction2 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jan 26, 2021Member-onlyOnus Angelorum — Shall We DanceChapter 11 — Henry and Alerie at the reception. Henry put his fork on his plate and pinched my arm lightly. “Are you done with your dinner?” “I’ve decided I’m not going to eat the green tops on my carrots. I could, but I’m choosing not to. …Fiction8 min readFiction8 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jan 26, 2021Member-onlyOnus Angelorum — VenueChapter 10 — Henry and Alerie arrive in New York We took a small plane into LaGuardia and a car to Rockefeller Plaza. Endless hours waiting in my father’s Manhattan office as a child made the city feel flat to me. …Fiction9 min readFiction9 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jan 26, 2021Member-onlyOnus Angelorum — BlurChapter 9 — Alerie and Henry prepare to travel. Saturday morning, I slept in past nine wanting to be rested and fresh looking for the long day ahead. I managed to get in an hour at the gym. The endorphins from exercise cleared my head and calmed my mind. …Fiction8 min readFiction8 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jan 22, 2021Member-onlyOnus Angelorum — SheetsChapter 1 — Alerie and Leo start off the story together. Leo’s body was a stunning example of superior breeding, but his shower rendition of “Dust in the Wind” was off-key. Pulling the crumpled sheets with me, I crawled back on the naked mattress and savored the rush of endorphins…Romance9 min readRomance9 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jan 20, 2021Member-onlyOnus Angelorum — FavorChapter 8 — Alerie and Henry get ready to attend a wedding. “You’re punctual. Two-thirty on the nose.” Henry dressed casually in light jeans, a faded blue college t-shirt with only half a Colonel emblem left, and bare feet. Very different from how I usually see him. “I was afraid…Fiction9 min readFiction9 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jan 20, 2021Member-onlyOnus Angelorum — DaylightChapter 7 — Emma and Alerie discuss witches and demons. “Emma is it,” I asked. “Why are you following my friend Leo?” My bag of pastries took the brunt of my surprise. I felt one squish flat under my coiling fingers. “That’s what you want to ask me?” Emma smirked…Fiction7 min readFiction7 min read
