The Novel "Life by Fire" Archives ⋆ Thrivival

Forward: Act of Courage

D.Lynn — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

What’s on your bucket list? I contemplated my life from my funeral backward: sobering. What do I aspire to accomplish before I die? My bucket list is short. At the top? Write a novel. I value words, appreciate literature, relish a good book, revel in a beautiful poem. I want to create something from nothing, […]

The post Forward: Act of Courage appeared first on Thrivival.

Preface: Birth of a Story

D.Lynn — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Saturday, July 25, 2009: I lay face forward, sprawled across a pile of pillows, eyes shut, as another wave of contraction shudders through my core. My mouth opens wide into an O and I feel a deep long loud “ooooohhhhh” pass over my lips. Deep breath in, deep breath out, “ooohhhhhhmmmmm”. The compression around my […]

The post Preface: Birth of a Story appeared first on Thrivival.

Phoenix Dreaming

D.Lynn — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Monday, February 12, 2007: Death by fire. I dream of dying in a burst of flames. Searing heat traveling from my feet, up my legs, swirling around me. Hot, dry, release. My soul purified by fire—a quick, dramatic death, nothing left but ash. The antithesis of my life.

The post Phoenix Dreaming appeared first on Thrivival.

Phoenix Slouching

D.Lynn — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Tuesday, February 13, 2007: I awaken to the offensively chipper chatter of morning show hosts from the clock radio at my husband’s bedside. Pulling up my knees, I withdraw deeper into the dark, warm covers and lift them over the back of my head, relieved when he hits “snooze” and heads to the bathroom. A ten-minute reprieve.

The post Phoenix Slouching appeared first on Thrivival.

Phoenix Delivered

D.Lynn — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Thursday, July 16, 2009: The year transpires much the same, one distraction to the next. By day, I split myself in two—half domesticated mom, half professional businesswoman—accomplishing neither whole-heartedly. Perpetually fatigued and scattered.

The post Phoenix Delivered appeared first on Thrivival.

Phoenix Sleuthing

D.Lynn — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Monday, July 20, 2009: In the days that follow, I carry the mysterious letter with me everywhere, pausing often to re-read it and re-examine the envelope.

The post Phoenix Sleuthing appeared first on Thrivival.

Phoenix Rising

D.Lynn — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Wednesday, July 22, 2009: My curiosity over the letter’s origin turns to obsession. Who could have written such a letter and under what circumstances? The question rests on my pillow, and the letter under it, as I drift off to sleep that night.

The post Phoenix Rising appeared first on Thrivival.

Forethought

D.Lynn — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Gisa Catarina Gärtner was born at sea on October 5, 1933, halfway between the province of Tirol, Austria, and the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, thereby becoming the youngest of 91 Catholic Austrian emigrants headed to found a new colony in the New World.

The post Forethought appeared first on Thrivival.

Foundations Laid

D.Lynn — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 05:00:00 +0000

1933 – 1939: Dreizehnlinden, Santa Catarina, Brazil: By the time Gisa grew old enough to go to school, the rudimentary communal barracks had transformed into small neat houses and productive farms, and the settlement of Dreizehnlinden into a community complete with a church and a store, as well as a school.

The post Foundations Laid appeared first on Thrivival.

Foundations Shaken

D.Lynn — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 05:00:00 +0000

1939 – 1942: Dreizehnlinden, Santa Catarina, Brazil: No sooner had the stalwart community of Dreizehnlinden established foundations, than political unrest and natural disaster combined to shake them to the core.

The post Foundations Shaken appeared first on Thrivival.