I've been trying to copy and paste this entry here, but haven't been able to so far. So, I'm giving you a link and encouraging you to get comfy and start your reading! Follow this link to winners of the dubious Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Each contestant writes the first sentence to a novel, making it as stereotypically bad as they can. Some of this stuff is classic, and REALLY bad.

Hate to say it, but I've actually seen worse on some internet writers' sites. To save you some browsing, though, here are the lucky winners:

http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/scott.rice/blfc2008.htm

Enjoy! At least don't gag.

Well, I finally did it: created an account on Twitter, the oft-touted microblog. It's somewhere between a blog and an instant message. You basically add a line or two about what you're doing at the moment and the people "following" you get to read it.

Sounds silly, but a friend of mine just signed up and there's a similar service on a few other social networking sites I belong to (Facebook and LinkedIn). Actually, it's kinda' fun. Here's what I'm doing, thinking, about to do, just did, etc.

Oh well - let me know if you're on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/bostonmargy

Now...onto dinner.

50-something and, yes, going through menopause. For some reason, I'm being hit hard by hot flashes these days. They've been hitting hard at night and keeping me up. They're worse than they were before. I wonder if it's the weather, the stress, or anything else? I've been more hot than my husband, and am the one who's been opening windows and turning on fans. Just had a flash now and am feeling damp, albeit not streaming down water.

Functional but very uncomfortable.

On the upside, the vertigo has stopped (?). Maybe the medication has finally worn its way completely out of my system.

On the downside, very tired. Couldn't sleep, between the hot flashes and mental flashes going through my mind vis-a-vis Maggie and Della. Started in on Chapter 12 a bit too late in the evening. I was too tired to write but not tired enough to prevent ideas, snippets of dialogue and prose and imagery from, uh, flashing by.

Well, thank you for the comments. Yes, this will be a very intense story. I'm fortunate in that I've never been the recipient of such abusive treatment, but I know women who have - or have read about them. The trick will be balancing the many different twists the story will take. There will be several plot lines all, hopefully, running in sync with each other.

I'll put up one more chapter now, to give you an idea of the initial flow. It'll also introduce a few of the main recurring characters in the Maggie-Della series. I'd love your comments, as usual!

Oh...for more info: www.maggie-della.com

The website is a bit of an experiment. Part of it is commercial of course - to sell the first novel in the series - but other parts are a bit more whimsical. I'm trying to give Maggie and Della "voices" and identities of their own, via characterizations and blogs.

Anyway, here's chapter 1:

The Ties That Bind
by Margaret Daniels

Please note: This book is COPYRIGHT 2008 by MDM Publications!

Chapter 1: Mt. Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Alice DesChamps sat and waited. She curled a two-year old Time Magazine in her hand and stretched against the hard plastic chairs of the Emergency Room. It was late and she was tired. They'd brought the woman in hours ago, in a condition that required immediate and intensive care. So much for dinner tonight with Maggie and Alex. It would have to wait - everything would have to wait. She stood up and walked around the spartan room: a dozen chairs with low tables interspersed and a television playing a bit too loudly in one corner. And magazines, like the one in her hand, at least two years old. She smiled, sat down again and tried not to fall asleep.

A door opened from the hallway and a slender, white-haired man emerged into the waiting room. "Ms. DesChamps?" he asked to the room, turning his head and smiling when Alice stood to greet him. He was dressed in green scrubs and walked over to her with swift, sure steps. "You're Alice DesChamps?" he asked.

"Yes," Alice replied. "And you're...?"

He smiled and extended a hand. "Ed Sheppard," he said. "I'm the attending for your case...uh..." He checked a clipboard. "Allison Lavery. You're the custodian in charge?"

"Yes." She handed him a card. "Is there some place we can go and talk?"

He slipped the card into his pocket and gestured back towards the hallway. "Sure," he said. "Follow me. I need to finish up her paperwork anyway,." They started down the hall.

"Is she alright?" Alice asked as they walked.

Dr. Sheppard hesitated. "Well," he started and then stopped when they reached a small office. He escorted Alice into it, then quietly closed the door. "It's not pretty." He pressed a key on the computer and the monitor opened onto a series of windows. He began to type as he continued. "She's gone up to surgery, that's what took so long. She'll recover, but she won't be comfortable for a while. Can you make arrangements for care beyond this visit?"

Alice nodded. "Yes," she said. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Department of Social Services was an unforgiving bureaucracy, but she'd been in it long enough to know how to manage it. "I'll make the arrangements."

"Good." He turned his back to her for a moment, excusing himself before he did so. He began to type from his notes. "She has a daughter?" he asked.

"Yes," Alice replied, rubbing at dark-circled eyes. "Did she talk to you?"

"Very briefly. Do you know where she is?"

"No." Alice shook her head. "We think he may have taken her with him after he finished with the wife."

Ed Sheppard stopped for a moment and swung around to face Alice. "Shit," he muttered. "How long ago?"

"They're still investigating. A while, though."

"I'm sorry." He meant it. He'd been an Emergency Room doctor long enough to know what that might mean. "Will you keep in touch, let me know if they find her?" Sheppard scribbled a cell phone number on the back of a note pad and handed it to Alice.

"When will she be out of surgery?" Alice asked. "I'd like to see her."

"I wouldn't try to talk to her for another 24 hours or so," he advised. "After that, I'm sure it'll be fine."

She imagined a face blackened and cracked with bruises, smashed teeth, broken bones and pain beyond reckoning. She knew this case, knew this woman. She wasn't surprised she'd taken him back, only appalled at the inevitable consequences. She rubbed her eyes again.

"You must be tired," Dr. Sheppard said, smiling softly. "There's not a whole lot more to do here. I'll have my report for your office and for the police in a few hours. Maybe you should go home and get some sleep. I have your card. I'll give you a call if anything changes."

She stood up, feeling raw and exhausted. "Thank you, Doctor," she said and left the office. Her cell phone beeped as she entered the waiting room. She flipped it to her ear. "Alice DesChamps," she said mechanically.

"Hi." It was Maggie. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything? I just wanted to check in, make sure you were okay." Alice had called frantically from her car en route to the hospital. Alex had answered the phone. "I understand," he had said immediately. "Don't worry about us. We'll give you a call later." This was the call later.

"Hey, girl." Alice smiled and shrugged into an overcoat as she talked. "Sorry to bug out on you like that."

"No problem. More lasagna for us."

"I'm on my way home. I'm ready to drop."

"I'm sure." Maggie knew better than to ask what had just happened. Alice couldn't tell her and Maggie didn't need to hear about these types of things anyway. "Can I treat you to breakfast tomorrow?"

"That would be lovely." After today, that certainly was true. "Bring Della?"

"Don't know about that." Maggie sounded uncertain and Alice wondered if there were something on her mind. "I'll ask her anyway. Can't say if she'll want to."

"Well, just us then. Ask her, though. I could use some humor at this point." Della was one of the funniest people Alice knew. She couldn't stay down around her.

"I'll give it a try," Maggie replied, after another slight hesitation.

"Everything okay with Della?" Alice finally asked.

"I think so," Maggie replied. "She may just need a break from the routine."

"She and me both," Alice said. "I'm heading home. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She signed off and reached into her purse for her keys. Faint streaks of light began to show in the sky. She looked up at the early dawn, then down at her car.

The world was fucked sometimes.

I'm slowly making progress on the second Maggie-Della mystery, The Ties That Bind. The theme centers on family violence and family relationships. I've been mulling over chapter 12, and have two possible versions of it.

I think I'm going to take a chance and post excerpts from the novel, or perhaps serialize it and let folks read along as I write. I'd like to know what you think about this developing story.

Anyway, here's the Prologue. Warning - there are some graphic descriptions of violence here. Don't read on if that kind of thing makes you uncomfortable:

Family Ties
A Maggie-Della Mystery
by Margaret Daniels (that's my pen name)

Prologue:

Bitch.

His hand slammed into her face, snapping her head back. She crashed into the wall behind her but didn’t fall.

Slut.

He grabbed her hair, pulling her forward towards him. You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing behind my back?

I haven’t… She knew what was coming next.

Shut up. He grabbed her arm, pulled her behind him up the stairs and into the bedroom. Why do I have to keep doing this? He threw her onto the bed. Huh? You tell me why, bitch.

I’m not... That was no use. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.

He grabbed both her wrists and twisted them. This is my bed. This is my house. You do nothing here that I don’t tell you to do.

I’m sorry, I’m…

Take your clothes off. She hurried to comply.

Turn around on your stomach. He reached for a belt, strong leather with a gleaming buckle. He bought it just for her. This is what I do to sluts. He raised the belt, brought it down on her back again and again. He felt his erection, beat harder as he got harder. There were wide red welts on her back, below the neck line. He was careful about that.

He was ready. She was crying, not too loud or he’d give it to her worse.

Turn around. She turned and lay down on her battered back. She knew what was coming next. She spread her legs. Get it over with.

He pulled off his shirt, unbuckled his belt and dropped his pants. His erection was pushing hard at his briefs. He took them off, carefully. He was ready to go. He mounted her, pushing in and out, breathing heavily. She lay quietly beneath him, each thrust digging into the welts on her back. He was ripping her. She had never learned how to lubricate on demand. Finally, he came. She felt it - an angry, invading army entering her womb. He lay on top of her, his full weight smothering her. He was breathing hard, exhausted.

He raised himself up slightly, rested his head between her breasts. Her hands came up slowly to stroke his sweating hair. Get off me. Get off me. Hurry up. He rubbed his face in her breasts, languidly, his breathing getting slower and slower. He pulled off of her and looked down with satisfaction at his blood-stained penis.

He stood up slowly. She rolled over onto her side, off her back. She start crying again, softly, this time to let him know who was the boss.

He got dressed. I’m hungry. Make me something.

 Join Author Ivan Wright on his virtual book tour! Win His New Book

Those of you who have enjoyed his first novel, BLACK PEOPLE: FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY, will be excited to know his next novel INDENTURED SCHOLARS: THE INNER CITY SCANDAL is AVAILABLE NOW!

Come meet Ivan Wright and ask him questions about his novels. Everyone who leaves a question for Ivan, or anyone that signs up for our newsletter will be entered to win.

Ivan Wright

Indentured Scholars

The Prizes Are....( drum roll please...)

2 copies of Indentured Scholars: The Inner City Scandal
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Pick up a copy of the book and join us!
Ivan will be available on The People's Lounge ( Urban Book Lounge) for questions June 9th - 15th
See you there!

http://thepeopleslounge.ning.com/xn/detail/1519924:Comment:28657

I spent some time blog-browsing and happened upon The Smokey Mountain Breakdown, which is maintained by an excellent US Southern-style writer living in the Appalachian mountains. She's a member of the Maggie-Della readers group as well.

This woman - also named Rosie (now now we have Rosie1, or blind Rosie, and Rosie2, or mountain Rosie) - took a bad fall on Sunday and spent the day in the ER with an arm that might or might not be broken. She's been given pain medication, which has not had much effect. She has described the pain as quite severe and I hope she can manage things until Wednesday when she's sent to go to another doctor...I think. Anyway, I'm worried about her and wanted to let you all know. I'd also like to introduce you to one hell of a fine writer at the following links:

http://smokeymountainbreakdown.blogspot.com/

That's her blog, an attractive and whimsical thing. I enjoy reading it. I'm glad she's not shy about letting us know what's happening with her.

Rosie2 is a published fiction writer and has a site on a wonderful site for writers and readers, called EditRed. Her page is here, at:

http://www.editred.com/rosiewolf

Well, for that matter, MY page is on EditRed, at:

http://www.editred.com/bostonmargy  (blush, blush)

I'm hoping Rosie2 will be okay and I hope you'll think about her as well - even though you don't know her!