Eyes as Bright as Stage Lights
All Ouida ever wanted to do was put Monticello in her taillights, and that also seemed to be all she could never manage.
Now available in All Worlds Wayfarer, Issue XVI.
On the Rocks - Now available in Epic Echoes, Vol, I, Issue II.
The Open House - Now available in Rivanna Review, Issue X. Click here for a video with readings from this edition.
"Welcome, friend. You’re the last to arrive at the open house. I was about to call it a night and lock up, but please come in."
D'vorah Shaddai trains armies of pink flamingos and rides her noble gator steed over yonder and down the way in Florida. She writes tales of antiquity, spooky stories, and wild yarns.
Her short story, “Blood,” won the grand prize for Defenestrationism.net’s 2023 short story contest. Other publications include All Worlds Wayfarer, Rivanna Review, and anyone else who won’t shoo her away.
She holds a master’s degree in creative writing and holds cats whenever they deem her worthy. She is currently composing The Seven Sleepers, a haunting novel set in the Eastern Roman Empire.
dvorah.shaddai@gmail.com
Seven Sleepers
Old Phaedra: "There, there. I wouldn't bother a tuft of your sweet fur over this Seven Sleepers nonsense. We know Myrrhine is not to be trusted and what she will do. Look at her. Hair uncovered. Arms on display. Neck exposed. It is no wonder the Strategos took to Eudoxia when his wife already plays the courtesan."
Myrrhine: “Am I special? Do you suppose it's special to see reality and make use of it? I am simply a woman who understands the world for what it is. A marketplace where everything has a price. And those unwilling to pay find themselves cheated.”
The Seven Sleepers
Myrrhine's life started in the swamps of eighth century Ephesus, and it nearly ended there too.
Few could fathom the rise of the woefully unpopular peasant turned patrician lady of a noble house, that is, unless you believe the Seven Sleepers watch.
Old Phaedra: "Of course, Myrrhine dreams of filthy hands reaching for her. They’re the only ones that would. The poor Strategos saddled with a mud bride."
Don't make these three...spell it out for you. There's more magic to be had if you follow this chroma crow's path to Ally Campanozzi's Instagram: @allycampanozziwriting.
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