Meredith R. Stoddard's Blog, page 11

In Defense of William Ransom

WARNING: Written in My Own Heart's Blood spoilers abound. Seriously, if you haven't all of MOBY, DO NOT READ ON.

If you hang out long enough in Outlander fan groups you will hear a wide range of feelings about "secondary characters". I put that in quotes because I think calling the child of one of the main characters secondary diminishes his role in the story. Make no mistake William Ransom is important and not just to Jamie Fraser or John Grey. William is especially important in Written in My Own Hearts Blood. 

Invariably, you will come across some readers who ONLY want to read about Jamie and Claire. They are only interesting in the love story. You'll hear them bemoaning the amount of time spent on other characters. "I'm so tired of hearing about William. He's such a brat. Can't we get back to Jamie and Claire?" That's fine, but I think those folks are missing the potential for a much richer reading experience. 

William is the perfect example of that. At the end of An Echo in the Bone. poor Willie has the rug quite dramatically pulled out from under him when he discovers that his father isn't who he thought. In that fateful moment he went, at least in his mind, from being the Ninth Earl of Ellesmere to being just William Ransom (or maybe Fraser). He goes from being an entitled and frankly a little spoiled aristocrat to being just a guy who has to make his way in the world. Although, no one else sees it because he still has all the trappings of his title he feels it keenly and spends all of MOBY in a state of internal war between the entitled lord and the young man who still hasn't figured out who he is. 

If you're reading the series only for the Jamie and Claire bits, this correlation might fly right by you, but William is an analog for the American Revolution. I know, that's a pretty big claim that only Diana Gabaldon can confirm, but hear me out. 

William's circumstances have thrust him into this internal struggle between his own aristocratic roots and his identity as a man. Likewise, the situation in the colonies; distance, lack of representation, an uneven mercantile economy...leave the American colonies questioning and ultimately rejecting the benefits of being part of the British Empire. Just like William, the American colonies go from living under the yoke of aristocracy to (ideally) a meritocracy. It's a situation rife with internal struggle as history tells us. 

William's situation is the same on a smaller scale. Once he no longer feels propped up by his title, he has to figure out what kind of man he is. Luckily, he's had some great teachers in the "How to be a man" department between Lord John, his uncle Pardloe and Mac, the groom. They're all leaders and men of honor. Because everyone still recognizes him as Ellesmere he's under the added pressure of being in a being in a leadership role that he doesn't feel he has earned. 

Thus enter Jane and Fanny for whom William takes immediate responsibility. His exact feelings for Jane are a bit murky, but he declares the girls to be "under his protection". This should keep other men from molesting them, but I think it's a bit more than that. I think William wants to prove himself worthy of the role that he's in now that he doesn't feel entitled to it. He's testing himself whether he realizes it or not. Even though they haven't seen each other for some time, when he finds them again in Savannah, William feels responsible for Jane. It's so important to him that he willingly asks for help from the very person he wants to avoid, Jamie. When he learns he is too late to save Jane, he still sees that Fanny is looked after. 

This is a common thread throughout the whole series. Leadership isn't all leading battles and collecting rents, it's a matter of responsibility to your people. Willie didn't develop this on his own. It's the same leadership that Lord John showed when he adopted Willie. We see it in Jamie pretty much whenever he's breathing. Although you could draw a direct correlation between William seeing to Jane after he death and Jamie collecting the body of Gavin Hayes, an Arsmuir man, at the beginning of Drums of Autumn. Of course, Jamie comes by it honestly. In MOBY, Brian Fraser immediately takes Roger under his wing and helps him search for Jem. We also see this with Dougal (because it all comes back to Dougal) on a personal level when he hastens Rupert's death and holds Geordie while he bleeds out after being gored.

William has learned this tradition of leadership from all of these men, even those whose examples he didn't directly observe. He has to take those lessons and earn the position that his title has put him in. At the end, he goes off to do just that, prove himself. For the recently independent colonies it took picking a fight with the biggest global bully they could find (Barbary Pirates War). Let's hope William doesn't have to prove himself on quite such a large scale. Although, knowing DG's propensity for breaking characters down to their barest elements, I fear he might.

Fall for the Indie Book: Vampire for Hire Series

I know what you're thinking. "Come on, Meredith. Vampires? Really? Isn't everybody over vampires by now?" You have a point. I am 100% OVER teanaged, sparkly, oversexed, fairy-sniffing vampires. I didn't even read the last Sookie Stackhouse book, because I was so over vampires. But there is a special place in my heart for J. R. Rain's Vampire for Hire Series. 

Managing a family is challenging even in the best of circumstances, but Samantha Moon has the added complication of trying her best to manage a family while also being a vampire. She has a husband and two kids who she cares about deeply  and wants to do everything she can for them. She just has to do it while avoiding the sun and subsisting on blood. Like the savvy lady that she is she does her absolute best. Unfortunately, as in life sometimes our best just isn't enough to get the result that we want.

I'm not reviewing one book here. I'm talking about the whole series. I admit, I haven't had a chance to read the tenth book yet, but I have read the first nine. What sets these vampire books apart from all others is that it's not so much about being a vampire, as it's about dealing with a life changing trauma.  Samantha's condition could very easily be any chronic health condition, like the skin condition that she uses to explain her aversion to sunlight. 

The plot of each book is driven by Samantha's efforts to maintain the best possible family life for her children while hunting down a way to fix her situation and deal with whatever case she is working on. Her need to stay out of the sun means she has to leave her job as a police officer and start a new career as a private investigator. She also has to deal with the effects of her condition on her marriage. There are challenges at every turn, but she tries to deal with them with intelligence and heart. The key characters are very well-drawn especially, Samatha and her kids. They have to be to carry the reader through this many books. 

I definitely recommend this series and will be reading #10 as soon as I'm done with Cauldron.

 

Sarah MacAlpin's Birthday and My NaNoWriMo Plans

It's Sarah MacAlpin's birthday! It's also the day before the start of NaNoWriMo. Here's a vlog about my plans for the month of November. 

Just to review those bullet points:

I'll be writing and not very active in NovemberI'm still working on Cauldron and hope to get a lot done this monthI have some blog posts for you. I will be releasing them periodicallyWatch for #dailyfolklore on Twitter for a daily dose of what inspires me

If you've read The River Maiden, you know that the Halloween celebration in Chapel Hill figures very highly in the story. So, I thought I would also share a video of last year's Halloween to give you an idea of what it's actually like. Enjoy. 

Fall for the Indie Book: Serendipity

Writer's conference, short story and other fall activities have me playing catch up on the challenge. This week, in the few spare moments I had I could not put down Lisa Clark O'Neill's Serendipity (Southern Comfort Book 1). 

Veterinarian Ava Martinez, is the niece of one of the South's biggest crime lords. She is determined not to get sucked into the underworld that has left her father in prison and her mother missing. One night she happens across an unconscious man in the trunk of a car outside one of her uncle's fronts. Risking her own life to do the right thing she helps him escape and delivers him to the emergency room. She hopes that's the last anyone knows or the event. Imagine her surprise a few days later when he shows up at her clinic with a stray dog that he is adopting and he turns out to be an Assistant District Attorney.  The very persistent prosecutor, Jordan Wellington, is smitten at first sight and pursues Dr. Martinez doggedly (pun intended) though not knowing that she is the person who saved his life. He has no memory of the night that he was attacked. 

There are mafia books and there are serial killer books, but this one includes both a mafia story line and a serial killer story line. You would think that those two stories might provide enough tension, but the real tension in this story is when Jordan will figure out exactly why Ava seems so familiar and when Ava will tell him. With all that is going on in the lives of these two characters, it would be easy for the plot to skim along the surface of the events. Fortunately, it doesn't. In addition to the intrigue surrounding the main characters, we also get a deep story about personal growth and transformation. 

The thing I like best about this book is that the characters are not stupid or over-emotional. It's easy in a book where romance is the primary story to overwrite the emotions of the characters. Everything becomes overblown and characters react emotionally instead of intelligently. I frequently find myself yelling things like "You fool." or "Are you kidding me?" at my Kindle. If my Paperwhite had feelings, it would need therapy. I DID NOT find myself doing that with this book. I DID find myself rooting for these two likable, intelligent characters and their pets to find their way through their trials to some resolution. I was not disappointed and definitely recommend Serendipity to anyone who enjoys a good love story.

Everyone gets a seat at the table

Last weekend I attended the James River Writers Conference. I feel so lucky to have a conference where I can soak up wisdom from the likes of Lee Smith and Barbara Kingsolver practically in my own back yard. I came a way feeling energized and great about the professional path that I'm on. Then of course I ran into a post on a writers forum I belong to about how self-published authors aren't true authors. When I was done seething, I started reflecting on how most of the industry professionals that I had met over the weekend had NOT had that same attitude. 

Saturday afternoon, sitting in a rather stuffy basement room in downtown Richmond, as people were filing in to hear Hugh Howey talk about "Self-publishing and the Changing Climate for Writers and Readers" I witnessed something that not a lot of people get to see, a bestselling author shifting around chairs to make sure that everyone got the best seat possible. It was a good thing he did too. By the end of the hour, people were standing in the back of the room. I can only hope that the other folks left there feeling as empowered as I did.

After the talk, word got around that Howey and some of the other folks from the conference were going to a brewery for dinner. So along with several other people who attended that talk, I went too. As our group grew, the table kept expanding. When we exceeded the original table, we were forced to rearrange. Again, Howey jumped up and with the help of some of the other gents in the party, began rearranging tables and chairs until everyone had a place to sit.

The next day as people were coming in for the Industry Update panel. Howey once again hopped off the speaker's platform and helped distribute extra chairs. Once everyone found a seat, we were in for what was probably the most interesting and conversation of the weekend between Howey, Little, Brown and Company's Geoff Shandler, and Jane Friedman UVA professor and digital publishing expert. I wasn't ready for this panel to end, and I expect it could easily have gone on for another hour. (Should also give a nod to the moderator, Erica Orloff who did a great job asking the questions on this panel.)

It's easy at a writers conference where so many people are talking about submissions and queries and agents to feel as if self-publishers like me are relegated to the kiddie table. And I'll be the first to admit that some self-publishers belong there. Likewise, if you frequent critique groups or writing forums online, you will see no end to people saying things like, "Self-publishers are just writers who weren't good enough for a real publisher," or  "All self-published books are unedited junk," or my new favorite, "Self-publishers haven't done the work to earn the title Published Author." That last one really chaps my 12-hours-a-day writing, designing, blogging, promoting ass.

But this is really old industry (pre-Kindle) thinking. Sunday's discussion acts as exhibit A. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the editor from Little, Brown and Company (a subsidiary of Hachette) disagreed with the wildly successful self-publisher on the future of the industry. But the nature of that disagreement may surprise some people. What was not in dispute was the increasing role of self-publishers and the distribution equalizer that is digital publishing. The most contentious part of the discussion actually was on the nature of big traditional publishing. Howey, an avid industry observer in addition to being a terrific writer, makes no bones about his belief that if big publishing companies shut their doors tomorrow, there would be any number of small and independent publishers there to fill the void. Shandler contended that there is still a place for big publishers especially when it comes to funding well-researched nonfiction. He may be right about that, but where does that leave us fiction writers?

Well it leaves us in one of two places.

Writing away in obscurity, then sending off queries to agents and praying to the ghost of Maxwell Perkins that maybe after about 60 or so rejections, someone will adopt us. Then they'll shop our book around for six months or so. If we're lucky enough to sell it to a publisher, we'll sign a contract for a minimal (if any) advance and anywhere from 8-12% of the profits.Doing it yourself. Pulling that manuscript that you've been nervously praying for an agent to like and holding it up before all the creatures of the savannah like baby Simba in the Lion King. Okay, maybe not exactly like that, but it sure beats hiding it in a drawer.

Then there is the issue of money. As I mentioned, traditionally published authors keep about 8-12% of the profits on their books. Which, when traditional publishing was the only way to get a book to market that had any credibility, may not have been that bad.

Now, that we have digital publishing, the distance from the kiddie table to the grownup table is much shorter than it was in the past. It's getting to the point where self-publishing isn't just one option for a new fiction writer, it's the only viable option. Here are some things that I knew before, but were really hammered home for me last weekend.

Traditional publishers don't sell books. They print them and distribute them, and they only distribute them to the booksellers who order them. I frequently hear some aspiring author on a forum say something like, "I'd rather have a traditional publisher because I want the marketing help." I try my best not to laugh out loud when I hear this. Any mid-list author will tell you that publishers only market their top authors. They do NOTHING for anyone else. So authors are expected to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to selling their own books. You might say, "Wait. If I'm doing all the work selling the books why am I giving my publisher 88-92% of the profits?" That's just one of the things I asked myself when I was deciding to self-publish.Self-publishers make more money. Compare the 8-12% royalties for traditionally published authors to the 30-70% that self-publishers get, and that's not all from ebooks. As, my eight year old would say, "That's just math."  I would suggest that you hop over to authorearnings.com and have a keek at the earnings reports over there, or read this post by Howey just a few days before the conference. You'll see that in addition to their growing share of the market, income for self-published authors outpaces income for traditionally published authors. There are plenty of self-publishers making a good living at it. (Not me yet, but I'll get there.) The naysayer would say that self-published books don't get the kind of distribution that traditionally published books get. Well, that really depends on how you distribute. Booksellers can order my book through Ingram with the same discount rate and returnability that traditional publishers offer. And just like self-puiblishers, mid-list and new authors have to convince booksellers to carry their books.Self-publishing builds platforms. This one is important if traditional publishing is your ultimate goal. In the current shifting climate within the publishing industry, publishers are looking for writers to come in with a built-in audience. That's they're platform. Like any other business, they want to minimize risk. That's how Snooki and Bristol Palin got book deals in a flash while the rest of us labor in obscurity. The best way for a new writer to build their platform is through self-publishing. You're proving to agents and publishers that you can sell books. The self-publishers platform is SALES and that's a lot firmer platform than Twitter followers and Facebook likes. (Although, I do love all my followers

Diving into the deep end

Just back from the excitement of the James River Writers Conference. There were a ton of terrific speakers and I learned a lot. I came away with a huge to do list. One of those things is putting myself out in the world in more than just print.

In a perfect world, we introverts would just do terrific work and people would flock to it because it's terrific. That's not really how the world works. We/I have step outside our little bubble and actually tell people what we're doing. With that in mind, I recorded this video on Friday. Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of hotel WIFI, I wasn't able to upload it until I got home. So, it's a couple of days old, but still just as relevant. 

I do intend to get to a post up this week about some of the writers that I met and discussions that I had. This conference is not huge, but it gets terrific speakers and is well worth the trip to Richmond, even if you live a lot further away than I do. 

As mentioned in the video, I am starting a newsletter. So, be sure to sign up below or on my Home page. I do plan some special things for newsletter subscribers like exclusive excerpts, and maybe advanced access to short stories. 

Subscribe to our mailing list

Also, on the Home page, note the progress meters. I will do my best to keep these up to date, so everyone can see how the work is going.

Great Big Outlander Giveaway!

Are you an Outlander fan? Have you worn out your copies of the books through rereading them? Did you loan them to a friend never to see them again? Did you fall in love with the show and now want to read the books during the crazy long midseason break? Well, now you can win the whole series! 

The best selling book series, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon has recently been made into a t.v. series on Starz! In celebration of that several bloggers and authors have joined together to bring you the complete book series!!~~~~~~~~Be sure to follow and visit the sponsors - Taking Time for Mommy Books and Movies, RhiReading, The Stuff Of Success, Mama's Got Flair, Bookswagger, The Crafty Cauldron, Generations of Savings, Adventures in All Things Food, Notes from the Loft,
and Devyn's Thoughts.This giveaway is open to US residents 18+. It ends 10/31/14 @ 11:59 PM EST. Fill out the form below to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fall for the Indie Book: The Angry Woman Suite

This week I tackled The Angry Woman Suite. In this rich complex story three different characters give three perspectives on the dysfunction within the Grayson family that spans generations. When Francis is a little boy he lives with his mother and aunts in the family home. But all is not well. The house is full of tension between the women living there that Francis as a little boy has trouble understanding. As he grows up he attracts the attention of his teacher and local historian Aidan, who helps Francis find freedom and comfort in music. Francis escapes his family through music building a career travelling and playing until he meets and marries the mother of Elyse. This little girl gives the final view on the Grayson family troubles and resolution, of as close to it as they're likely to get. 

That's a brief summary of the main plotline of the story, but there is so much richness to this book. Each of narrating characters has their own story to tell, and their own personal journey. All of the characters are so well-developed, and their voices are all distinct. That is probably the greatest achievement in this book. Fullbright true puts herself "in the background" as William Strunk and E. B. White advise. There was no author-ly intrusion in this story. The reader is completely immersed in this family and the world of this book. 

The main story itself would be compelling enough to make this an entertaining book. But beyond the events themselves, it's really an exploration of how cruel we can be to the ones we love, and how thin the line is between love and hate. It is told so very well that you believe every bit of it. If you were to tell me that this was based on a true story, I would absolutely believe it. The realism is that stark. 

This is probably the best indie book I've ever read (and I read a lot of them). I can't recommend it strongly enough. I expect I will come back an read this one again. 

Warrior's Bride

Note: I originally did this review for the Fall ror the Indie Book Challenge because there was a small press, Cajun Hot Press, listed on Amazon as the publisher. Then I saw on Goodreads that it was originally published by Silhouette Intimate Moments which is an imprint of Harlequin. So, while this appears to be an indie book now, it wasn't originally.  Must remember to check goodreads in futrure.

This week I rode on the emotional roller coaster that is Nina Bruhns's Warrior's Bride. Rini Herelius is recovering emotionally abusive relationships with her former fiance and her mother. While attending a Native American Powow she meets and has a fling with a nameless warrior/dancer. They both think it might be the start of something more, but one misunderstanding leads the already heart-sore Rini to take off without even learning his name.

Coleton Lonetree is a handsome, successful lawyer who just wants to find a woman he can count on. After being given up for adoption and being deserted by his first wife after less than twenty-four hours Coleton seems to expect the worst from every romantic relationship. So when Rini leaves him without a word, he just assumes the worst. When they find each other again six months later the fireworks really start in earnest. 

If you can get past the idea of the main characters beginning with a one night stand where they have unprotected sex without even learning each others names, then this is a well written emotional story. I honestly had a hard time putting it down. the two main characters are so wounded to begin with that it's easy to feel a lot of sympathy for them. I was really rooting for Rini and Cole to work things out. Bruhns does a great job of building the emotional tension and pulling the reader through the evolution of the characters relationship.

There is also the cultural twist of Cole being Native American. This adds some fuel to the initial conflict not because of any racism on the part of the characters, but because of the various legal and cultural issues with a family of blended cultures. For nerds, like me I found the powow and discussion of Native American culture and adoption added a fascinating element to the book. 

All in all, this was a well-written book with likable characters and culturally interesting. I would definitely recommend it.

Updates and a sneak peek

I just wanted to mention a few updates on how things are going. 

Last week I released a brand new short story in the Once and Future Series. I intend for this story to be free for everyone. I am still waiting for Amazon to price match it, however it is already free on BN.com, KoboBooks and Smashwords. Here is a description.

The shocking prequel to The River Maiden.

When she left Kettle Hollow, Molly MacAlpin hoped never to see her remote mountain home again. She returned eighteen months later angry, pregnant and abandoned by the man she loved. So, she threw all her energy into making sure her daughter had the best life possible. 

With the help and sometimes interference of her mother, she is raising a bright, sweet child she they hopes will have every possible opportunity. Until one spring day a brief conversation with her little girl brings her world crashing down around her. 

I am currently participating in a Book Hop Giveaway through LiteraryAddicts.com. You could win an ebook or a signed paperback of The River Maiden. You can enter at Taking Time for Mommy.I'll be heading back to the James River Writers Conference in a couple of weeks. Very excited about this. I had as great time last year. There are terrific speakers. I'm especially looking forward to an Author Platform Master Class with none other than Hugh Howey.I am well into Book 2 of the Once and Future Series, which has the working title of Cauldron. Excerpt below. A Strange Encounter

Sarah was glad that she had Dermot to lead her around Edinburgh, because she had no doubt that she’d never have made it anywhere without him. That wasn’t because it was a difficult city to navigate, but because every time she left her flat she found herself gawking at this old building or that restaurant she wanted to try or a busker doing something amazing. A building at home was old when it had been standing for a hundred years. Here, that was practically new. And while Chapel Hill was fairly cosmopolitan, it had nothing on Edinburgh. There was every kind of food and culture on display, and she was ready to soak it all up.

She had no idea where Dermot had taken her for lunch, or what type of food it had been other than delicious. They had been working all morning at the research team’s office putting furniture to rights, assigning desks, and organizing equipment and supplies. Aside from the utterly drab environment of the white walled office, her mood had been dampened by having to endure the company of Kirstie Robinson. The team had its first official meeting this afternoon, but Kirstie had taken it upon herself to show up days early and ‘help’ set things up. Sarah was sure that Kirstie was probably a nice person under normal circumstances, but she made it plain at every opportunity that Sarah was an interloper, a yank and a nuisance.

When Dermot called lunch, Sarah jumped at the chance to get out of confines of the office. She felt a little bad about how relieved she was when Kirstie declined to go to join them. It was obvious that the girl needed some kindness and maybe some help loosening up.

The restaurant had been small and dimly lit, betweeen two other small shops on West Nicholson Street. The owner had been friendly and boisterous suggesting dishes most of which Sarah had never tried before. Now, as they made their way back to the office with spicy aroma of the restaurant still clinging to them like a cloud, Sarah felt nothing but excitement. How many years had she been dreaming about coming to Scotland? The reality of being there with him was beyond anything she had imagined. She glanced up at Dermot as he was walking beside her. The sun was behind him and burst in rays around his head. Suddenly, Sarah couldn’t hear the bustling noise of the street and the traffic behind him blurred. She loved this man. She’d change his mind. She had to.

He glanced down at her and away again quickly, clearing his throat. She wished so badly that she could take his hand that her fingers itched. She put them in her pockets to fight the temptation.

“Are ye cold?”

Not really. She smiled. “Still getting used to Scottish weather.”

He made throaty noise and continued walking. Sarah tried to keep up.

Just around the corner, Sarah noticed a panhandler sitting on the cold sidewalk. He sat close to the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest. He had wrapped his legs with a worn and filthy blanket. The edges of a folded newspaper peeked out from underneath him, and his coat was also filthy and torn at the shoulder with insulation spilling out in a little cloud of fluff. He wore a threadbare stocking cap that Sarah didn’t think could be offering nearly enough warmth for the weather and several strands of matted gray hair trailed across his shoulders from under it. His straggly salt and pepper beard rested on his knees and his eyes stared vacantly across the street toward the campus.

As beautiful and exciting as Edinburgh was, it was still a big city. There would always be those who needed help. She was struck by the difference between the rural poverty that she had seen in the holler, and the urban poverty of a modern city. They had been poor, but at least they had been able to grow their own food. At least they’d had a home. Sarah fingered the change in her pocket where she had stuffed the few pounds change she’d gotten after paying for lunch.

When she reached where he sat, Sarah knelt down in front of him and put the money in the rusty can at his feet. She reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently until he turned his unfocused eyes to hers. She waited a second longer until the cloud in his eyes seemed to lift. She smiled at him. “I hope you find help, brother.”

He smiled back, and Sarah thought she caught the gleam of tears in his eyes. She gave his shoulder another friendly squeeze and stood. She was a couple of steps away when she heard the cracked old voice whisper, “Mòran taing, a’bhana-phrionnsa.”

She stopped dead, and suddenly felt the mid-winter cold surge in her veins. The last person to call her princess had been holding a gun to her head. She turned back, but the man was gone. Sarah stepped back to where he’d been. There was no sign that he’d been there, not even a rust stain on the concrete where his filthy can had been. Sarah checked her pocket for the money, wondering if she had hallucinated the whole thing, but the money wasn’t there and it wasn’t on the sidewalk.

She was about to go back around the corner to see if he had run that way when Dermot’s voice cracked through her confusion. “Sarah? Where did you go?”

“Sorry.” She said when he reached her. “I stopped to give the man some money.”

“What man?” His forehead wrinkled in concern.

Sarah glanced up and down the street again hoping to see him. “The panhandler. He was right here. I gave him a few pounds and then he disappeared.”

“I didn’t see a man.” He shook his head.

“You walked right by him him. He was right here.” She hoped she didn’t sound too crazy insisting the man had been there.

“Alright. Maybe I just wasna looking.” He took her elbow and leaned down to admonish her softly. “But you shouldn’t be stopping for people like that. I know you want to be kind, but anybody like that could be the next Ryan Cumberland in disguise.”

“That’s just it, Dermot. He called me princess.”

He grabbed her wrist and began to scan the street around them. “What was he wearing?”

“He was filthy. All of his clothes were grimy. He had on a-” She thought, trying to remember something distinct through the dirt. “-A black stocking cap, grey beard…straggly gray hair.”

Dermot studied the crowd on either side of the street. Then walked to the corner to look back at the way they had come. He hadn’t let go of Sarah’s wrist and dragged her around the corner a few yards scanning side to side. Sarah looked to, but there were no alleys or shops that he could have ducked into fast enough to completely disappear the way he had. Sarah dug in her heels. “He was here, Dermot. I swear.”

He studied her for a few long seconds before nodding. “Aye, well. We won’t find him now. But ye’ll let me know if you see him again. And do us both a favor and hold off on the in person donations, yeah?”

She sighed, hating that she had to be afraid of showing a little kindness. “Yeah.”