Why I wrote “Twist of Fate”

Date: 4th November 2017, Posted by mollie

What if a twist of fate could change your life?

If you love clean romance short stories with a twist of humor you’ll enjoy “Twist of Fate”.

It’s a love story close to my heart and touches on a number of subjects I love and care about with the twists and turns in the plot. I always love celebrating the strength of the human spirit, and how unexpected events can change our lives for the better.

Love comes in many forms and colors and is an exciting, fascinating and rewarding victory if we listen to the whispers of our soul, and are willing to open our hearts and take a chance on finding ever-lasting happiness again.

In part, this story was inspired by a chance encounter with a wonderful and generous man during a very stressful time when I was stuck in an airport queue. I had just flown from New York to LA and it looked like I would miss my flight. Long story short, Jonathan—a wealthy derivatives dealer from New York, was flying to my hometown, Wellington, New Zealand.

He offered to give up his first-class seat so that I could make my flight. We became great friends and I invited him to have dinner with my family. I found out that night, as he played on my mom’s piano and my daughter accompanied him on vocals, that he was an uber-talented Jazz pianist.

He sent me CD’s of his favorite jazz music from New York, including the one I mention in this story. And later he invited my daughter and to stay with him and his new girlfriend, Danni (with an i)—a former Broadway dancer, in New York. I loved learning about their love story. And this sparked the seeds of this short story.

But there is another reason I decided to write this story. “To keep your joy alive sometimes you need to write something just for the fun of it. This keeps your writing chops sharp and your writer’s soul soaring,” says thriller writer, James Scott Bell.

That’s how it was with my short story Twist of Fate. It’s not my usual romance or beat, but it was a story I wanted to write. It makes me happy that it’s out there— and that readers have found it and enjoyed it.

Praise for “Twist of Fate”

“Twist of Fate is a short story full of quirky humor and the promise of romance. Jonathan has returned home feeling disillusioned and low in spirits. When a baggage mix up leads him to a potential cross-dresser, the story takes off in a hilarious direction.  However, all is not as it seems and Jonathan finds that the future isn’t as dismal as he initially thought. This is a delightful, well-written short story that had me laughing out loud.

~ Margaret

“Fun to read. A suitcase mix-up leads Jonathan to Danny who seems to be just what he needs to forget about his divorce. This is well-written story that’s enjoyable and doesn’t take up much time. It’s one of the rare short stories that despite their short length are really good and don’t lack anything.”

~ E.M.

“A great short story, for anyone, like me, who hopes that one day a twist of fate will end in happily ever after. I do love a good Mollie Mathews book!”

~ Lauri

“An engaging and passionate read. It grabbed my attention and made me wonder what was coming next.”

~ Alli

“I enjoyed this short story.  It was well written with the right amount of humor and just an inkling of the promise of romance. An awesome read. Just love Mollie Mathews style.”

~ Rae

 “Twist of Fate” is a sassy short story for a quick, fun read—all for only $0.99.

Available for instant download from Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076ZYNZ64
viewBook.at/TwistofFate

I hope you enjoy it

With all my love,

Mollie

 

Here’s a wee excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

“How are you, mate?’” Mac asked Jonathan James, as he pulled up to the curb outside Wellington’s domestic airport.

“I’ve been better.” Jonathan gave Mac a weary smile, as his best friend hopped out of his Land Rover. “That London flight was grueling.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. What can I say? Jacinda wanted out of the marriage and nothing I said, nothing I tried, nothing I promised her would change her mind.”

“She always was a selfish cow,” Mac said.

“It’s good to back home,” he glanced up at the gray, broody sky. New Zealand’s capital city, true to nature, had turned out a particularly bleak and desolate day. At least some things never changed.

As Mac reached for the handle of Jonathan’s suitcase, a sudden gust of Wellington’s infamous wind spun the case around, sending it veering off the curb.

“What the hell!’ Jonathan exclaimed as the suitcase flew open, spilling the contents onto the road. Long blonde wigs, corsets, high-heeled stilettos, false eyelashes, makeup, and books spewed out of the case and lay in a tangled heap beside the curb.

A couple of kids rigged out in the latest rapper clothing, bling swinging from their necks and black hoodies shielding their heads, raised their eyebrows and wolf-whistled as they walked past.

“Jeez, Jonny, what’s happened to you since you’ve been in London?'” Mac cried, picking up one of the books, as Jonathan scrambled to pick up the strange belongings.

“There can be no culture without the drag queen,” Mac said, reading out loud. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Is that why the cow threw you out?”

“That’s not my book and that’s not my suitcase. I may be open-minded, but I’m no cross­ dresser.”

Mac ran his hand over his designer stubbled chin and looked dubiously at his best mate. Even though Mac hadn’t seen Jonny for more than nine years, as far as he recalled he didn’t have a penchant for wearing women clothes. “Whose is it then?”

“I must’ve picked up the wrong suitcase,” Jonathan cursed, as he bent down and read the luggage tag.  ‘Danny Zouski.’

“Who the hell’s Danny Zouski?”

“Damn! I bet ya that guy’s got my luggage,” Jonathan said, sweeping his hand through his thick mop of black wavy hair.

“Danny sounds like an interesting character. What sort of dude gets around in this?” Mac held up a pink silk bodice with black frilly lace and white satin ribbon, and in his other hand, he raised a pair of pink fishnets. “Give me a kiss, sugar,” he joked, putting on a blonde Dolly Parton-like wig.

“Idiot,” Jonathan laughed, swiping Mac playfully. “Somewhere this guy Danny’s got my stuff and I want it back,” he said, grabbing his iPhone from his jacket pocket and punching in the number he found on the luggage tag.

“Hello? Is this Danny Zouski?…You’re who? Danny’s tied up?” Jonathan quirked his thick brows. “Kinky,” he whispered as he winked at Mac. ”Look, there’s been a mix-up. I have Danny’s suitcase… sure I’ll wait….yeah, I’m Jonathan. You’ve got my bag?…That’s great…Look, can you tell me how to get to you?  Yeah, yeah, we’ll bring the bags over… sure, no sweat, we can get there in time.”

“What’s going on?”

“The good news is that Danny has my gear. Apparently, he’s in some sort of show in town.”

“What kind of show?” Mac asked suspiciously, holding a pair of crotchless knickers.

“Dunno,” Jonathan said, bunching everything into the suitcase and hauling the case into the back of the Range Rover. “All I know is we’ve got to get this gear to him quick.”

 Did you enjoy this story?

 “Twist of Fate” is a sassy short story for a quick, fun read—all for only $0.99.

Available for instant download from Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076ZYNZ64
viewBook.at/TwistofFate

Posted in: Mollie's Blog, Short Story, Twist of Fate, Writer's Life

Tags: Clean romance book, Clean romance short stories Clean romances, good romance books, new romance novels, Passion Down Under, Strong female lead, True romance