Not existing is not easy in chapter 11 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Brian Bixby

Is this your future, Daphne?
(“The Devil” from the Visconti deck)

Daphne Vane has been replaced by a more perfect version of herself. Far from fulfilling her dreams, this has become a nightmare for Daphne, who just suffered a beating at the hands (and shoes) of her alter ego. Daphne’s not even sure if she really exists anymore, let alone whether she has a future. So, of course, things get weirder in “My life as an unperson,” chapter 11 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my weekly serial about a young American woman whose problem of being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want suddenly doesn’t seem like such an important issue right now. If your interest has been piqued, but you haven’t been reading so far, you can start here.

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Daphne beats herself up in chapter 10 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Brian Bixby

Does it matter if they’re striking each other or themselves? It matters to Daphne!

Ever felt so stupid and useless that you (mentally) beat yourself up? That’s Daphne’s life right now. Only being a demigoddess (by blood, not officially recognized status, damn the Council!), the experience is a bit . . . ah . . . surrealistic for her. Read about what I’m trying to dance around and hint at in “Practical nihilism,” chapter 10 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my weekly serial about a woman whose dating problems are getting way out of hand.

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Strangers are not strangers in chapter 9 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Brian Bixby

This is never a good idea. Just ask Daphne.

Daphne Vane has just been informed by a troll that she’s not entirely human. This is not something that happens to most us. All of which raises the question of just who and what Daphne really is. But before she can get very far in that investigation, her life takes another unusual turn. Read all about it in “Questionable identities,” chapter 9 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my weekly serial about a young women with too many issues of a most fantastic kind.

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Who’s got Daphne’s back is the question in chapter 8 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Brian Bixby

The equivalent encounter in chapter 8 is nowhere near as romantic

It’s Daphne’s family ties that have got her entangled in  the Council’s plan for her marriage. But neither the Council nor Daphne knows just how complicated her family really is. Daphne finds herself confronted by two improbable allies in “The unexpected sides of courtship and marriage,” chapter 8 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my weekly serial story about a demigoddess who wishes people wouldn’t interfere in her life so much.

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A torturous time in chapter 7 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Brian Bixby

No, thank you, Daphne does not want to be led by the nose (although the spikes are cool!)
Credit: Wikipedia/Guido Gerding)

Daphne Vane is not the sort of person who goes out of her way to intentionally offend people, neon blue hair dye job notwithstanding. But it seems her very existence is becoming offensive to a lot of people who have it in their power to make her life very difficult. Egos are not the only things being bruised in “Torture is not confined to first dates,” chapter 7 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my weekly serial about a young woman with too many people interested in her marital status.

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sex and work collide in chapter six of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Brian Bixby

It could be the start of a great romance. Or he could be a louse. Or she could be a hell cat.

Poor Daphne Vane. She can’t seem to escape unwanted attention at home or at work. Admittedly, some of that attention is well-intentioned, and Daphne is willing to toy with some ploys. And yet nothing seems to be working out quite right for her. It’s a day of frustration and fiasco for Daphne in chapter 6, “Good Vibrations,” the latest installment of my serialized story To Ride the Lightning Bolt. A new chapter is posted every week! If you want to start form the beginning, go here.

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A torrent of suitors in Chapter 5 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Brian Bixby

Who is Daphne Vane’s father? Good question. But to Daphne, there is yet one question more important: who are these guys who want to be her husband? The horror of her situation becomes obvious and ominous to her in chapter 5, “Suitors!”, the latest installment of my weekly serial story To Ride the Lightning Bolt.

Penelope stalled her suitors for years. Can Daphne do as well?

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Day After Halloween, a new story

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Brian Bixby

What father doesn’t have trouble with his daughters?

So after a night of trick-or-treating, which can mean different things if you’re a child, a parent, or a young adult, you wake up the next morning and everything is normal, right? Well, not for one father, who finds his twin teenage daughters underwent some changes on Halloween. But he’s a pro, and shows it in the way he handles them in “The Day After Halloween,” my Halloween short story for 2017, resuming a tradition I’d had to break off a few years ago.

Posted in Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Minds out of control in chapter 4 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Brian Bixby

Daphne Vane was actually looking forward to her walk home from a one-night stand. She just didn’t think she’d be going to meet a fiancé she’s never seen while wearing the dressing gown of the guy she just got down and dirty with. It seems a tad gauche. But it’s not as if Daphne has any choice in the matter; literally, she does not. Life is just full of surprises like that for demigoddesses. And Daphne has a few more coming, including one from her sister Agatha that will change her life even more than the fiancé. Read all about it in chapter four, “Fiancés and fathers,” this week’s installment of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my weekly serial of a young woman in an unfortunate situation with her supernatural family.

Is this to be Daphne’s sad fate?
(Credit: William Morris Tile, LLC, based on an 1860s design by Edward Burne-Jones)

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s all a question of status in chapter 3 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Brian Bixby

This is what Daphne lacks

Daphne Vane is a third-class member of her world. She not only has to ride back in coach, other people decide what flight she’ll be on. We’re talking in metaphors, of course. It’s all about love, sex, and marriage — you know, things that can make your life even more uncomfortable than a middle seat on an airplane. So who’s to blame Daphne if she decides to step off the plane . . . oops, this metaphor is breaking down. Unless Daphne drops 30,000 feet in the process. Oh, yeah. It is going to feel that way. Sucks to be you, Daphne!

Find out what I’m babbling about in chapter 3, “Of demigods and the demimonde,” this week’s installment of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my current serialized story. New chapters come out every Friday!

(Yes, this is coming out late Thursday night. It’s sort of like how an airplane . . . oh, never mind.)

Posted in To Ride the Lightning Bolt, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment