Gina Marie Wylie: Stories

All through the ages forward-looking people have gone to the great and powerful (read: wealthy) and asked for their support for a great idea. From the earliest times the most common reaction has been "That's not possible!" and a bum's rush out the door. However as any casino manager will tell you, "intermittent reinforcement" is a powerful motivator -- let the mark win now and again, and he'll never quit. Thank heavens for progress that the naysayers don't always have the last word!

Thomas Cross had a number of ups and downs in his life before he met Claire Story. After he met the young woman his landings were more gentle. As in "more," which is, after all, a relative term

Laura Alban Hunt is a widow who finds new things to do with her life after tragedy strikes. Helping her teenage daughter and other young girls to grow up and mature heads the list. She helps her daughter and her daughter's friends in many ways, from homework to make-up, making up to making out. She provides shelter in storms, advice to the lovelorn and the love lost and teaches them what respect means.

A small piece about a fellow named Mike, who, if not from Mars does come home from a journey to find that his entire life changes

One of the triumphs of civilization is the ability for people in larger and larger groups to come together for the common good. Of course, people being people, some need convincing more than others and over the course of time forms of compulsion have been used when all else fails. When all parties can kill each other, compulsion has to come in more workable ways, where one can skip some of the usual baggage. Less common means, such as extortion, might find a place, no matter how unpalatable.

Bridgette Gustafson is young, but a world class mage. She has her own way of looking at problems, solving them and then moving on. But not everything needs a hammer to fix so it really helps that she is one smart cookie.

Bridgette Gustafson needs to stop a war, not allow herself to be raped, fight a duel, and a score of other chores. Piece of cake!

A young woman is found dead in her bed. Our intrepid investigator seeks to find out who did it. Solving the mystery, though, isn't as hard as dealing with the moral dilemmas the case presents.

Lydia Hernandez is 23, newly orphaned, newly aimless in life. A friend makes her an interesting job offer. Finding her footing after an awful tragedy isn't just a matter of standing up.

Our intrepid private investigator does some investigating in and out of the office.