-
Author Insight
Mrs. Lime - Nemesis Strikes Again
My irritating character "Mrs. Lime" no longer surprises me or my readers when she shows up in my adventure novellas. No matter where protagonist wildlife-artist Miranda Jones goes, Mrs. Lime seems to follow. This time, it’s she herself who calls a warning to her fellow travelers aboard a river raft careening down the Columbia River. As her side of the raft loses air she finds herself slipping overboard. This time, her loud screams are certainly warranted! We’ve seen Ezme, nicknamed “Mrs. Lime,” be so irritating that Miranda and others do their best to ignore her. But in this novella, we get to know her a bit better and perhaps feel some compassion for someone who has become shrill for lack of attention, someone who judges herself more harshly than others could. While there are plenty of laughs as we watch Mrs. Lime’s antics, there’s danger, too, and some moments of deep awareness if you look for them.
Book Excerpt
When Birds Sing
Ezme watched with growing anxiety as what appeared to be a wave headed toward their raft.
How could a river have a wave? It made no sense. But then again, this whole trip made no sense, so why shouldn’t a bizarre anomaly be about to engulf her?
“Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!” came the guide’s voice.
Yet Ezme found herself unable to move. As though caught in a nightmare, she kept willing her arms to complete the simple, repetitive motion, yet her arms wouldn’t obey. Instead, she felt herself leaning away from the oncoming threat.
Will that wave engulf the whole raft? Will it sink us?
She leaned more heavily now, feeling with horror the once-sturdy portside tube begin to collapse under her. As the wave hit the forward lip of their craft, it tipped her even further left, and she felt her body roll gently over the side. She let out one piercing scream, then sucked in a breath before plunging down into the river.
She began to feel the cold water intrude under her helmet, push at her wrists where the sleeves ended, drag at her suddenly heavy feet.
For a moment, she experienced a strange calm, and a familiar passage from Isaiah came to her: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. Then her customary skepticism reasserted itself as she thought, Well, so much for that! The river’s sweeping over me right now!
Whether it was her own angry contrariness or the life jacket, she bobbed toward the surface. Breaking through, she took a big gulp of air and fixed her gaze toward the riverbank, where she saw a branch protruding. I’m gonna hang on to that thing, if it’s the last thing I do!
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.