Excerpt from “The Ride of Your Life” by Laurie Stevens
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| Photo by Laurie Stevens |
“What about you?” He swiveled his head toward her. “What's your name, anyhow?”
“Mary. Mary Fitzpatrick.”
She let her eyes roam the mountains bordering the canyon road.
“Well, Mary Fitzpatrick. It
looks like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have a husband?”
The car fishtailed as it hit
the bumps in the center.
“Please slow down!” Mary
cried.
He evened out and decreased
the speed.
“No, I don't have a
husband,” she said, eyeing the road ahead of them with worry. The turns were
tight, and they were still traveling too fast. The car tightly hugged the hills
to their right. On the opposite side, the road bordered a sheer, steep drop to
the canyon stream below.
Mary could swear that the
last person they'd passed whipped out a cell phone and photographed the Buick
as it sped by them. Surely, someone would have called the police by now.
“You have kids?” the man
asked her.
“No.” Mary barely heard the
question. Her mind mulled over some possibilities. “I live alone.”
“Los Angeles can be a cold
and lonely place for a nice old lady.”
She cocked an eyebrow over
her spectacles at him. She smiled
despite her predicament. With her gray hair, glasses, and dowdy clothing, Mary
knew most people considered her much older than her years. That was okay with
her. She wanted them to think that.
The
Rochelle Staab Questions asked of Laurie Stevens
What’s not been weird? I
guess the time I exited a gym and saw an elderly woman walking aimlessly
through traffic. I asked if she needed a ride and she told me “Quick! Take me
to the Pink Turtle!” She instructed me to drive her to the Beverly Wilshire
hotel and asked if I would wait with her for her friend. She bought me hot
chocolate and spaghetti. No friend appeared, so I took her to her apartment in
West LA. I helped count out her ration of medication/pills for the week and as
a thank you, she insisted I take home a folding chair. I kept that chair for a
long time.
I have not yet hiked to the
Hollywood sign.
Why write short stories? Why write at all? What's in
it for you?
Do writers really have a
choice whether or not to write? We have to. Short stories give me a chance to
make a quick commentary or take a snapshot of life that isn’t big enough for a
novel, but delicious just the same.
What is the biggest challenge in writing to theme?
That you don’t stray from
the theme.
Are the characters in your story based on you or
people you know/met?
Without creating a spoiler,
I’ll say that one of the characters is based on a nefarious and infamous person
who, I believe, is still serving time in prison.
Los Angeles is a patchwork quilt of different
neighborhoods. Why did you pick the area you used for your story, and how did
the neighborhood influence your writing?
Well, if you read the story
you will see the two characters travel all over. They start in the city, go
through the valley, then end up in the canyons on the way to the beach. I
myself like quilts!
Are there scenes in your story based on real
life—yours, hearsay, or a news story you read?
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I’ve read about embezzlement
cases, so the man’s crime is not unusual, unfortunately. As far as the car
jacking is concerned, I wanted to put a twist on that, and I’ve never heard of
it happening before.
What came first, the character or the plot?
The plot came first. The
twist came first… Then I added that character from the news story.
While you're writing: music (what kind?), dead
silence, or…?
Silence while I write. Music
while I walk between writing to complete those hard-to-complete scenes. I keep
a playlist for each book or story I write.
Favorite writing quote—yours or from someone else…
If you want
to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a
lot. Stephen King
Your writing ritual begins with…
A cup of coffee and a lit
candle. A quiet space and for God’s sake turn the phone off!
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| Photo by Guy Viau |
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