Plot Twists

I'm moving slowly today. It's cold and it's rainy and I'm suffering from a fun hangover. No, it wasn't the alcohol. Not even that last nasty drink that I polished off because I wasn't about to leave $12 sitting on the table.

The nasty one stands alone. It was called an SOB and lived up to it. 

Nope. I'm just having a post-vacation, where-do-I-start-working-when-I'd-rather-play sort of day.

Since it's Wednesday, I suppose a post is as good of a place to start as any. So, here it goes...

Saturday, a few friends and I set off for a lady's weekend. Our trip started with the flight from Pittsburgh. While we were waiting at the gate, my friends were busy phone-shaming me and I was busy explaining how royalties work and why- as a multi-published author- I still had an iPhone BC, when an entire hockey team showed up to join our flight. 

I graduated from Marshall University. I know how team tragedies make for great movies. Suddenly, I'm no longer worried about the phone. There is a plot forming. One where my tragic demise boosts book sales and my phone is found and auctioned off on eBay for millions. Rachel McAdams can play me in the movie. Be sure to tell her to wear the socks. 

(They also shamed my easy on/easy off airport shoes and socks) 

But then...plot twist. Whilst visiting the bathroom, my friend couldn't make the infrared censors work. Of course, that means she's a zombie. Or maybe a vampire. Whatever she is, she lacked the body heat to get herself the proper amount of paper towels from the automatic dispenser.  

Forget tragedy. This was now a horror. I knew...at some point during the flight, my friend was surely  going to bear her fangs and either go for brains or blood. Then when the too-handsome-for-real-life hockey team hit the city, lead by the matron with the vintage phone (still to be played by McAdams- remind her about the socks), they would terrorize the city of Boston.

But we landed safely. No crashes. No monsters. Just a Lyft waiting to to take us to the hotel, a hostel without private bathrooms. 

Hoodie robes compliments of the Revolution. 

You're right! New plot twist. I don't think I need to explain this one. Four middle-aged women check into a hostel and become prey to a serial killer. Most likely, we'd die first. Wait, maybe we'd die second. The doorman/concierge was a black guy, so he'd probably die first. You know how Hollywood hates to let a black man live to see the end credits. 

Fortunately, there was no serial killer. Even the weirdo banging on the shower doors looking for a lost cell phone turned out to be harmless. 

At one point, there was the set up for us to be in the plot arc of a Hallmark Classic. This story involved bailing from a Lyft in three lanes of stalled traffic to find a parade. We'll pretend a nice, handsome cop pointed us in the right direction and to thank him, I whipped out my vintage phone and showed him pictures of one of my single nieces and they fell in love and lived happily ever after. 

In reality, the cop seemed annoyed and I don't recall what he looked like. There was no parade. Only a marathon and they don't throw candy at those. 

Back at the hostel for our last night, the fire alarm went off. We actually had our very own all is lost 2:00 AM moment! As we exited the building in our pajamas, I thought, so this is the final plot twist. Full-circling back to a tragedy. I wasn't a fan of this plot arc. It's a bad way to do a movie, burying the action that close to the end. But no worries. The fire alarm was just a red herring to keep everyone awake. There was no disaster. Just someone trying to cook chicken in the middle of the night. 

In the end, the weekend was a feel-good sort of chick flick. Four childhood friends going on a middle-age journey. It's the kind of story that reminds you what's most important in life. The people. The friendships. The comfort of knowing someone will always have your back.

My favorite kind. 

No one dies. Audience sighs. Roll credits. 

Me, Melissa, Candy, and Steffie

Adding this one to my to read list!

Charles Suddeth has published poetry, picture books, middle reader’s books, young adult thrillers, and adult mysteries in English, Cherokee, and Turkish. He is active with Green River Writers and leads a monthly SCBWI Social. He lives in Louisville and teaches for the Jefferson County Schools. 

You can connect with Charles on his Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Tumblr

About Stone Man

After U.S. soldiers attack twelve-year-old Tsatsi’s Cherokee village, his family flees to the Smokey Mountains. Facing storms, flood, and hunger, they’re forced to go where Stone Man, a monstrous giant, is rumored to live.

His family seeks shelter in an abandoned village, but soldiers hunt them down. Tsatsi and his sister Sali escape, but Sali falls ill and is kidnapped by Stone Man. Tsatsi gives chase and confronts the giant, only to learn this monster isn’t what he seems.

Their journey is a dangerous one. Will Tsatsi find the strength to become a Cherokee warrior? And will they ever find their family?

Print ISBN 9781939844620
Driven to Stone Man’s trail...
EBook ISBN 9781939844651

Release date – October 8, 2019

Find Stone Man: And the Trail of Tears at: Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads