Monday Musing - Meet Sadie Sue, A Woman of Of Opinions

The times they are a changing, at least here!  This year I’m tackling several new genres in addition to getting another Magical Love series released.  The new lines will be under yet to be determined author names in order to separate them from the Romance, and thought of new territory is exciting and scary. 

So for grins today, I thought I’d introduce one of the characters in a new genre.  I’m not sure if this story will fall into Women’s Fiction of Fantasy…or as someone told me, Fantasy Women’s Fiction.  The character in this book, Sadie Sue Evans, has been screaming in my head for a while demanding her story be told.  Her life’s journey has come to an end at 90 plus.  She’s feisty, funny, determined and at times down right difficult.  Anyway, here is Sadie Sue to share a few of her thoughts and a glimpse into the opening of her story.

Hello Lizzie followers!  I’m Sadie Sue Evans.  I’m not going to bore you with all my other names since I’ve been married more than once (okay, lots of times), plus it would take up a lot of space here.

Now to get down to business.  Okay, I can go along with my hostess’s description of me, except for the difficult.  I just have my own thoughts on the way things need to be done and if Lizzie (or whoever she ends up calling herself) think’s I’ve been in her head before, she needs to hang on for what lies ahead.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is…I’m dead.  That’s right, at ninety-eight my body decided it had enough of the pain from the crap cancer that assaulted it over the past year and just quit.  That spelled relief in my book! 

I won’t bore you with the details of my life here (saving the good ones for the story), but suffice it to say my time on earth proved interesting.  What did you expect from such a long worldly span…existing?  Not on your life!  The way I viewed it, one didn’t know how much time they had on earth and they needed to get into the living…and I did.  Sometimes good, other times not so good.

But why don’t we just give you a glimpse into my story.  Remember, this is Lizzie’s (or whoever she is) work and you’re looking at an unedited version that may also be subject to revision if I feel inclined at some point to suggest she change something.   

And I'm sure as my book progresses you'll hear from me again.

Pearly Gates

Chapter 1

Some would say a lot of the choices I made in life weren’t always the best ones.  Some would be probably be right, but that’s all behind me now.

I’m Sadie Sue Evans, hovering above the wrinkled carcass of what was my body for the ninety-eight plus years.  If I had any doubts about being dead, seeing my earthly remains just lying there, confirmed it; that and the smirk of joy on my bitch daughter-in-law’s face.

Her arms are wrapped around my son, Edwin Thomas in what is supposed to be sympathy, but I see the gleam in her eyes and grin on her face.  Oh yeah, she’s as glad to be rid of me as I am her.  If there was any grief coming from her, it was that I didn’t go earlier so she could get her hands on my money.  Is she ever in for a surprise when the will is read.  Darling son’s allowance will continue to be paid out from a trust, but once he dies the balance goes to charity.  Screw her!

Did I mention my son, my only child, is a complete fool—especially when it comes to that woman?  He didn’t marry until his mid-fifties and then his choice of a wife was a twenty-two year old manipulating bleached blonde.  I hated her the minute I laid eyes on her, but obviously from the way he drooled over here, that was just me.

I floated there for a little while watching the doctor attempt Herculean efforts to resuscitate me.  Growing bored with the whole thing I drifted down a dark tunnel toward the beckoning light and now here I am in front of some kind of gate.  A damned impressive gate too, with its gold bars embedded with pearls and diamonds.   I do believe I’m at the Pearly Gates and I always wondered if such a thing existed.  There were lots of times when I did believe they did, but never thought I’d stand in front of them given my track record. 

“So what do I do now?”  In answer to my question, the gates swung open and a gust of wind nudged me forward.  I gawked at the opulent buildings and manicured landscape.  This place made the frickin’ Palace of Versailles look like a dump.

Before me a sign states, ‘Knock on the door directly in front of you.’  I look ahead and see a set of double doors as ornately decorated as the gate through which I’d just entered.  Okay, I can handle that.

Stepping forward, a niggling of doubt as to what was on the other side plays through my thoughts.  What if this is actually Hell and the Devil’s idea of good joke?  Get Sadie Sue Evans to knock on the door and have it fling open with a greeting of, “Surprise and welcome to Hell.”

Knowing that idea plays through my head, you can probably understand why my first knock was a little on the timid side.  Maybe too timid since I’m not getting a response.  Okay, one more time.  I rapped harder this time, sure someone would at the very least stick their head out and ask what I wanted.

Nothing.  Getting a little annoyed with the game, I form a fist with my right hand and pound against the golden door.  If this doesn’t get a response, either no one is home or Satan is as deaf as my next to last husband.