Paige Hawthorne: Blog

Despite the scars from past endeavors, I have turned on voting for “Heaven Sighs”. Have at it, you 1-bombers.

Paige

Despite anguished pleas, I’ve submitted a new story — “Heaven Sighs”.

When is extreme savagery justified? I’m talking about good guys administering street justice. About the suspension of due process. About trampling on the civil rights of the baddies. About being judge, jury, and executioner.

You Dante Alighieri scholars (ho ho) will recognize the chapter headings for this story as the Nine Circles of Hell. The reading times shown for each chapter emulate the old magazine, “Liberty”.

As usual, the vigilante dilemma, and, really, the entire novel, befuddled the editors — Thorny, Steven, Mike, and the new guy, Jim. Jim came on board one story ago during “The Second Sausalito”. So far he has reported no completely incapacitating symptoms from his participation in the Paige Hawthorne saga. We’ll see.

In Memoriam: pcbondsman. Editor, raconteur, good guy.

A few months ago, one of my three remaining readers — no, not my son — sent me this note about “The Second Sausalito”:

“I've been a reader here for a long time. In my view, this is the best story EVER posted on this site. Every star in Hollywood is going to want to be in the film. Congratulations.”

So there’s that,

Paige

Lee Child once said something like, “No one remembers the plot. All they care about is the main character.” And his Jack Reacher is certainly a striking example of a vivid, memorable protagonist.

Many other writers such as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Paige Hawthorne, Bill Shakespeare, and Robert B. Parker have been lauded for their main men and leading ladies.

But sometimes a sidebar personality simply steals the spotlight. In “The Second Sausalito”, I had considered Eulalie Guidry to be a minor character. One intended to make one of the subplots a little more engaging. Instead, the 14-year old Cajun sexpot drew more reader responses than anyone else in the story.

Of course, SOL is a sex-story site, so her libidinous nature earned her a certain type of appeal here. Which reminded me to never underestimate the debauchery level of my three remaining readers.

Paige

I can't think of another writer who is both as gifted and prolific as Alexander McCall Smith. By my rough count, he has authored over 80
delightful novels.

His craftsmanship is subtle, mischievous, and insightful. Here's an excerpt from "The Geometry of Holding Hands". The protagonist, Isabel Dalhousie, reflects on a quote from Miss Jean Brodie, "For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like."

Isabel says, "Bone-deep disapproval disguised as tolerance."

Glorious.

Paige