Sunday, September 9, 2012

Beat to a Pulp: Superhero

The new Beat to a Pulp anthology Superhero came out yesterday and I'm proud to say that I have a story in it called "Moon Mad".  I know it's silly, but I feel like the odd man...er woman out here because I'm the only female writer included.  Yep, old lady me surrounded by all those handsome, talented guys.  Guys who know all about superheroes.

My superhero is Molly, a shopping cart lady who lives on my fictional Mulberry Street.  Oddly enough this story started when I read one of David Cranmer's tweets that included the line, "a home not my own".  Something about that tugged at me and I scratched out a bit of flash then decided that it might make a better poem.  Well I'm not much of a poet but this is what I came up with.

Unknown

Alone, on the floor.
Another town, not my own.

We are six.
In a room, not our own.
In a place, we don’t belong.
Praying for the night to end.
For the monsters to go home.

The others are huddled.
A curl of sleeping puppies.
On a bed, not their own.

But I can’t sleep.
Not there, with them.
I find no comfort in their arms.
I want my mommy, but she must be dead.

Tears flood the room.
The sobbing brings the monsters back.
And one by one, we’re gone again.

Disappeared.

Other rooms, not our own.
Comes the pain, tearing flesh.
And we’re left bleeding.
In a body, not our own.

Not dead, only wishing. 

The thing is this girl kept haunting me and I wondered what happened to her.  Of course, when David invited me to submit a Superhero story to his new anthology, she immediately popped into my mind - all grown up.     I know this sounds silly, but I reread my story this morning and tears filled my eyes as I read about this little girl's life.  She no longer haunts my thoughts, her story has come full circle.   If you love superheroes you can pick up a copy of Beat to a Pulp: Superhero here   http://www.amazon.com/BEAT-PULP-Superhero-ebook/dp/B0097L9BEO/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347129099&sr=1-7&keywords=beat+to+a+pulp   Oh, and all those cute guys who share pages with my Molly, well here they are.  A very cool lineup and great company to be in.

James Reasoner
Jake Hinkson
Kevin Burton Smith
Garnett Elliott
Liam José
Jerry Bloomfield
Thomas Pluck
Keith Rawson
Court Merrigan
Benoȋt Lelièvre
Chad Eagleton
Steve Weddle

4 comments:

David Cranmer said...

Wow! Love the poem. I had no idea a tweet could go so far, Sandra. And thank you for submitting a terrific, emotional filled story to our collection. Both you and Molly are superheroes!

Al Tucher said...

Love the poem, looking forward to the stories!

Oscar Case said...

Its funny that something sticks in your mind like that and you can't get rid of it until you write about it. Great poem!

sandra seamans said...

I love when little things lead me to a story, David. I never know where the ideas are going to come from.

Thanks, Al, and enjoy the stories!

That happens to me quite a lot, Oscar. The characters that stick usually have the best stories to tell. And thanks!