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Hard Way In

When I was younger, I read and enjoyed short stories. As I got older, the allure somehow faded, and I realized recently that I had picked up a book of shorts in a number of years. Most of my reading focused on non-fiction, book I read in hopes of learning something new, a how-to, or and “about” topic.

Lately, Nymph Du Pave and I had been talking about short stories and how they brand an author. At least it gives a reader an opportunity to try a new author without too much of an investment. At last, I decided to give it a whirl. I created a theme so I could create several short stories for it, using some similarities and working in some differences.

The series is “Break For A Quickie,” where each story features a college student either setting off for a school break (Summer, Spring, or Christmas) or having arrived. The reader will be asking, “What happens next?” In all these stories, there’s an adventure of some kind. Some characters find a new romance, some are simply in it for a good time.

Hard Way In is my first short, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing. Much to my surprised, I enjoyed writing all of these (as well as everything I write). The nice thing about shorts is I realized I get a sense of immediate gratification in having finished something in about two days, and having written these in about two weeks, I discovered I can nearly get through a third of a novel in about the same amount of time. My shorts run around 23-25 pages long (about 8K words), and doing three of them showed me I can get through some chapters if I translated that into a novel project.

My first three shorts, Hard Way In, Fun With Dick & Peter, and Naughty & Nice, each start out with the character leaving for somewhere. Reena (Hard Way In) only leaves for home at the end of the story; Jane (Fun With Dick & Peter) is heading for Ft. Lauderdale; and Maven (Naughty & Nice) is driving home for the Christmas holidays.

Sounds similar enough, yes. All the girl are in college, yes. All of them are planning for a break from school, but their encounters are different, the guys like different things, and the girls all have a great time, with some having some promise of a fun future ahead.

Future shorts will still focus on college students and breaks, but the scenes and locations will definitely change, with some characters in the throes of a conflict or in the surroundings of their vacation spot. One thing the reader can count on, too, is graphic, steamy sex scenes where they guys and chicks let it all hang out. I’m looking forward to creating more shorts for this series. Hope you kick it off with Hard Way In!