I love to study people. I didn’t realize this about myself until much later in life. Around the same time, I discovered I really wanted to be a writer. The two are inextricably linked. Because characters are the engine that propels all my novels and short stories, I thought it would be fun to create a series here where that’s all I do.
In Passing Strangers, rather than set the table for a full story, we go right to the main course. I zoom into specific character to create a thumbnail portrait that is as fully realized as I can manage in around 500 words or less. Over time, I’m sure some of these characters may encounter one another or be influenced by the same events, but for now, that’s not the point. For now, I hope you’ll just enjoy meeting each of them on their own terms.
Strangers
001 - Kick Drum: A woman’s haunted by the backbeat of a former lover
003 - A Safe Distance: A man follows his heart a little too closely
004 - Someone Has to Clean Up the Mess: A woman must take the long way home
006 - A Boy and a Popsicle: The heart wants what the heart wants
007 - The Third Act: A middle-aged man with a bad back and a purple crayon
Love this idea! Looking forward forward to following along with the series.