Sometimes, Disappearing and Making a New Life Sounds Like a Great Idea...

Imagine you're being stalked by a psychotic killer. No-one believes your story of being hunted and  threatened. Disappearing seems like the only way you can escape, by becoming someone else and praying that the madman won’t find you.

For most of us, leaving our lives and starting over is an impossible daydream. There are lots of reasons why people do this – being really unhappy and seeing no way to correct things, being really bored and wanting to live a life with more excitement, having creditors constantly harassing you, family issues, and many more.

Having committed a crime – say you embezzled millions from your company and they're about to bring in the auditors – getting out of your life is one way to try and avoid prison. Don't bank on being successful, though!

Witness Protection is probably the best, because all the work of creating a new persona and a new life is done for you – although you still have to be careful not to give yourself away. And you've probably witnessed something traumatic before you're accepted into the program as a witness, so maybe it's not so much fun.

For Maggie Kendal, there was really no alternative but to disappear. She knew she was being stalked, but there's a twist – the psycho was killing people he thought had hurt Maggie in some way. He dreamed that one day he and she would be together, but in the meantime, he was 'protecting' her from people who he considered had done her harm. Being a little psychic didn't help Maggie at all – no-one believed that the murdered dead called to her, especially after they'd dug up dump sites she claimed the psychos victims were laid, and found nothing. Maggie had to flee to save the lives of other people she cared about.

But Maggie is a wealthy heiress with the means to move and keep moving, to pay for new identities and finally, to find peace in a small Ontario town. She purchased a community newspaper and resumed the work she loved as a journalist. But she knew that he would find her eventually and she'd have to stand and fight - or run again.

Disappearing is harder to do if you’re poor. You need money to travel, money to buy a new identity, money to live on and keep moving around until you feel your trail has gone cold. So you have to have a lead in time when you can quietly liquidate any assets you have before disappearing. Or, as some people have done, you simply get on a Greyhound bus and go, picking up odd jobs and hoping to one day feel safe enough to settle down in a new identity. You'll probably need several new identities as you go along in order to completely wipe out your trail.

You can check graveyards, find the name and birthdate of a child who was born around the time you were…and go and try your luck at getting documents in that child's name. Sure, you can say your paperwork was destroyed in a flood or hurricane, but most government offices have tightened up on this once tried and true method of getting a new identity.

You'll need to keep moving and changing your identity, losing yourself in cities in the beginning. You'll also need to keep a cash flow going, unless you've got a suitcase full of money from your previous life. Even the disappeared need to eat. That means working at low level jobs where pay is 'under the table' and there's no paper trail. Sure, you may be super well educated and have qualifications out the whazoo, but high powered jobs require documentation, and right now you're just concerned with not leaving a paper trail.

Later, like years later, you might feel safe enough – and savvy enough – to find a way to document your qualifications, perhaps by getting an expert forger to rework your certificates and degree information into your new name, not your old one. But remember, many institutions have become wary of hiring people who aren't who they say they are, and they will check with your previous employers or your alma mater, and then the doo-doo will hit the fan.

So, the grass may seem greener on the other side of the fence that's got you boxed in – but maybe it's all an illusion and home, sweet home, is the best place for you.

You can read about Maggie Kendall's journey to escape her psycho stalker and the courage it took for her to save the life of the man she loved and to make a new life for herself with him in Saving Maggie, to be released on November 7^th!

Saving Maggie 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday’s Inspiration: Quote from Walter Mosley, Award & Grammy Winning Author.

@GlenysOConnell

“We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky. “ Walter Mosley


This quote, which came to me through Goodreads Quotes, really touched me. I confess to being a romantic at heart, and my books all have fair dose of romance in them.

But I also love the idea that we are not static, that we can change, and that we can change the situations around us. If we love ourselves, we can also change the way we live and view the world around us.

But most of all, if we can love another person, or several other persons, or extend compassion to everyone we meet, surely in doing so we can change the world – one kindness at a time?

Walter Mosley is a mystery and thriller writer, and has won numerous awards. Included in his awards are the O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Follow the link with the quote to learn more about Walter Mosley.

Saturday’s Snippets: Happy Valentine’s Day: Legends and Book Deals

@GlenysOConnell


I’d love to send everyone a huge bouquet of flowers to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day! Here are a few tidbits about St. Valentine that I wanted to share for fun – you can check out more on hhtp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

* Roman soldiers were not allowed to marry, but St. Valentine carried out wedding ceremonies for some soldiers with their sweethearts – and got himself imprisoned for it.

* He is said to have cut out parchment hearts to give to the soldiers and others he helped, to remind them of God’s love.

*He was accused of ministering to Christians, when Christianity was forbidden by the Romans and its followers were persecuted.

*When he was in prison, legend says St. Valentine healed the sick daughter of one of his jailers. He was to be executed, and before going to his death he is said to have written to the girl and signed the letter ‘Your Valentine’ .

* The tradition of exchanging candies, cards, and gifts on February 14th started in 18th century England during the Romantic Era, as a way of proclaiming one’s love.

* The busy, business-minded Victorians took the tradition from handwritten notes to commercially manufactured Valentine’s Day cards.

* Sadly, even though we love the hearts, flowers, cupids, and candy, whether the legends are true is a moot point. There were a number of saints in the Christian Church with the name Valentine, and we’ll probably never know whether the saint we celebrate actually existed or is a myth created by the actions of several martyrs.

Even so, here’s wishing everyone a wonderful Valentine’s Day. And remember, you don’t have to have a sweetheart to celebrate – celebrate yourself by doing something nice for the day!

And as a little gift from me, you can get my two romances, The No Sex Clause and Judgement By Fire, for just 99c each for a limited time! And don’t forget, you can get a bundle of ten great stories, including my Saving Maggie, for just 99c, in Running to Love, from Crimson Romance. Enough to bring a smile to any Valentine’s face!

Another Day, Another Deadline

I'm busy doing the final edits on a novel I ghostwrote for someone else. Ghostwriting is a whole different field of writing, one that can be fascinating if you're lucky enough to get the good assignments, mind numbingly boring if you don't. And the clients make such a difference - I've been lucky enough in all my projects to have wonderful clients to work with.
For example, my latest is a kind of chicklit style novelised autobiography for a lovely lady who wants to tell her story as an inspiration for others who are looking for love and beginning to think it will never happen to them. Given the miracle of the Internet, we've worked together to create a 90,000 plus novel that is ready to be polished and then she's going to look for a publisher - she's already made great plans for her work and I sincerely hope that her dreams come true. I'll let you know how that developes!
Meanwhile, I need to finish the final polish. I edited nearly 100 pages today and I'm a little cross-eyed now...I'd hoped to have the whole thing finished and send off to my client, who's quite excited about the whole thing, by Monday but it's not going to happen. I have a family and must keep a promise to go and spend the weekend with one of my beautiful daughters. I'm looking forward to her company, and to the break.
And I have other work, as well - including a non-fiction book that really has my interest, something like Depression: The Essential Guide that I wrote last year for a UK company. So, time to shut down the computer, pack a bag, and get a night's sleep before the big drive tomorrow.
So, goodnight, and happy reading/writing to you all!