Category: Prose

Séduire: Delayed but Upgraded

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2 more days until Séduire is here!

Front and Back E-Book Only Covers for Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction. Created by Tremaine L. Loadholt with Canva

October 30, 2024, is the targeted date for Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction, my first fiction book. However, I ran into a roadblock when trying to add the front cover you see above for the paperback version. That said, another front cover had to be created for the paperback version. As it stands, October 30, 2024, is still the targeted date for the E-Book version of Séduire ONLY.

Implementing a new front cover for the paperback version has delayed its publishing date, however, the front cover has been upgraded. For those of you who are old-school like me and prefer to hold a book in your hands, you will get Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction in an upgraded form as it pertains to the front cover, which is below:

Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction paperback version front cover. Created by Tremaine L. Loadholt

The photograph used for the background image is one of my own (taken in the Western NC mountains earlier this year). This should be no surprise to those of you who have read my other books. Almost all of them have my photography as the book’s cover image. What I do not like about this situation is running into this roadblock so close to the publishing date. However, for the paperback version, I actually think this cover is more suitable. But I am biased.

Upgrading the front cover for the paperback version has now pushed its date for availability for purchase to at least November 04, 2024, to November 06, 2024. I will keep you updated and make a separate announcement for the paperback version when it is available and ready for purchase.

I have ordered my proof copy and I am simply awaiting its arrival to give it a once-over before I approve its release.

I appreciate your comments, love, encouragement, and willingness to come along with me on this journey. I have fallen in love with this book so far, and it is my hope and prayer that many, if not all of you, will do the same, too.

Below is the official description for Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction and what you can expect from the book:

Séduire is a collection of serial fiction tales and flash fiction standalone stories written over a period of three years. Dive into the world of a little girl whose family uproots and moves to “The Deep South” because of a new opportunity presented to her father. Transport yourself to the life of a little girl who becomes a mother and a sister to her child at the hands of her sadistic and evil father. Walk with a grieving sister and her mother as they remember a woman who was brutally murdered by her partner. Her young boys live out her legacy as they mourn her.

Experience parenthood as you enter the world of soon-to-be young parents and their ups and downs in life change them significantly while they journey along their new path. Make a brief cameo into the hearts of a dedicated aunt and a rebellious teenage niece whose father has lost his grip on his child.

There are so many more characters with which to connect. As you thumb through each page, the author wants you to feel something; with these stories, you will.

Are you interested in reading my previously published books? You can do so here.

Stay Tuned. 2 More Days!

15 More Days Until Séduire Is Published!

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The publishing date is October 30, 2024!

Séduire (Front & Back Covers): Serial Tales & Flash Action

Séduire is a collection of serial fiction tales
and flash fiction standalone stories written over a period
of three years. I want you to feel something,
and with these stories, you will.

Below are the blurbs shared over the last few months about Séduire, and I am more than grateful for these words of acceptance and approval in advance:

Tremaine isn’t just a writer; she is a sage who applies the practices and alchemy of empathy. She doesn’t just create compelling characters; she inhabits them and allows them to speak their truth through her grounded prose, regardless of how vulnerable, how conflicted, how beautiful, or how harrowing.

–Barry Dawson, Jr. IV, Writer/Poet

In Séduire, Tre Loadholt gives us the full range of her storytelling magic. Beyond the humorous dialogue, the raw earthiness of relationships, and the intense despair of grief and loss … eternal hope is the emotion that always shines through her stories.This iconic collection of short fiction belongs on your must-read list.

–Kay Bolden, Writer & Editor

Tre is an absolute force—the kind of writer who makes others  (like me, often) feel this thing I like to call “Writer’s Envy,” where you love the writing so much you wish you could get on her level. Séduire shows her at her absolute best (so far) and you’ll find yourself either flying through piece by piece, or reading it over a period of weeks because you keep going back to re-read certain passages. Either way, you won’t want to put it down.

—Scott Muska, author of I Thought This Was Worth Sharing: Stories and Some Other Stuff about Love and Some Other Stuff

Whether I’m reading her poetry, serial fiction, or autobiographical prose; whether the characters are rooted in reality or possessing of supernatural abilities beyond my own imagination, I am always blown away by Tre’s ability to portray the way we all relate to each other in such a completely relatable way. Her characters breathe, think, and feel just like I do. Just like you do. I do not need to have experienced exactly what the character is experiencing; Tre understands that if readers can feel what the character feels and connect that way, they can step into the page and fall into the story. She really gets us. All of us. And it’s an amazing feeling, being understood.

–Elizabeth Bentley, Writer & Health Program Analyst

Séduire is a smorgasbord of delectable–short but expansive–subtle but insidious–spicy but tame short reads that have a little something for everyone’s taste buds that sits right on the tip of your tongue, solidly, before dissolving into a low-key irreverent balance of salty, sweet, sour, and bitter read. There’s something for everyone!

–Walker J. Lee, Writer, Playwright, & Poet

Are you interested in reading my previously published books? You can do so here.

Stay Tuned.

The Disrespectful Acts of a Ghost

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Photo by Nothing Ahead on Pexels.com

There is no easy way to share this information, so I will just spill it. Spirits are attracted to me. I am not weirded out by it nor does it frighten me.

It’s intriguing.

This past Wednesday afternoon, while making calls for work, my coffeemaker turned on and attempted to percolate. However, there was no water or coffee in the machine. I had to quickly finish my call, run to my kitchen, and turn the darn thing off. I even unplugged it for good measure.

Fast-forward to this past Sunday–my dishwasher turned on and began a washing cycle. Um . . . I don’t use the dishwasher. I never have. I am old-school, I wash dishes in the kitchen sink.

Now, me being the logical person I am, yet innately aware of spiritual manifestations, I have no qualms with this ghost/spirit. But if it plans to continue to stick around and activate appliances, I need it to start pitching in on the bills. No one is allowed a free ride. Even my pets, Jernee & Zumi, supply me with love, kisses, and attention. They have become accustomed to this way of life without paying me monetarily.

Paranormal activity from beings I cannot see are no different. It will not live here rent-free if I’m not benefiting from it in some way.

I mean . . . conjure up some groceries or make a couple monthly bills disappear. Spook the hell out of these streaming services and have them drop their prices. DO SOMETHING other than stir up noise while I’m working or trying to relax. Times are far too hard to have electricity going to waste like this! I do not think I’ve ever had this level of disrespect from a spirit.

When I was in my late twenties, I stayed with a then-lover and her family, and in the room I called home for three days, the TV came on and went off during the night by itself–every night. I asked her family if it was on some sort of built-in timer and both she and them confirmed it was not. I chalked it up to my late, maternal grandmother trying to connect with me on some level and left it at that.

A simple act, right? No harm, no foul. No interruptions that I couldn’t get through and maintain a sense of normalcy.

This particular ghost/spirit, though, is already shaping up to be something of a force to be reckoned with. The disrespect! The total lack of care! The utter unwillingness to think about my pockets and my bank account!

I have resorted to keeping my ears to the ground. If another occurrence takes place, I am sure it will be some sort of sign.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s trying to tell me something.

Séduire (Just One More Month!)

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The publishing date is October 30, 2024.

Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Action

Séduire is a collection of serial fiction tales
and flash fiction standalone stories written over a period
of three years. I want you to feel something,
and with these stories, you will.

As we near the publishing date for Séduire, what I will tell you about this book is that my heart, soul, and dreams are in it. Characters have been speaking to me since I was nine years old. I have always found it best to heed their conversations and share their stories. I haven’t stopped yet. And as long as there is breath in me, I will continue to weave the words I hear from every character into the stories they want me to share. I am certain they will never stop talking.

Here is one last blurb from a friend of mine and a fellow writer and author about Séduire:

Thank you to those of you who have always supported me. I hope you will do so again when Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction is published on October 30, 2024.

Are you interested in reading my previously published books? You can do so here.

Stay Tuned.

Everything Was Perfect but the Truck

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Our first date was on a cold and blistery winter’s night.

WordPress Free Images

It was a cold, winter’s night in December of 2005. I had just moved to North Carolina in June. I settled into the new life surrounding me and laid my cares and burdens down to pick up another day.

I ran away from Georgia the first chance I got. I was always running away from something, someone, or somewhere back then. Ran from Georgia to the Bronx. From the Bronx to Long Island. From Long Island back to Georgia, and then . . . the final marathon saw me running from Georgia to North Carolina.

And this is where I have been since 2005. And although I’ve lived in two different cities, I haven’t found the gumption to speed away again. Not yet.

The first few months in my new home were magical. It seemed as though this life was designed for me. At that time, the woman in my body loved everything she had to offer and yearned for others to see it, too.

I met him online. Facebook, to be exact. It was wild how we connected, clicked, and cautiously approached each other for digital conversation and the goings-on of getting to know one another.

My best friend was my roommate at the time. She was great “company to keep”, but I wanted more. And he was the more I was seeking.

After a few weeks of shooting the shit, we decided to meet in person for our first date.

WordPress Free Images

Which brings me back to that cold, winter’s night. I do not remember the time we agreed on nor do I truly remember what we did. My bones tell me we planned to do movies and then dinner. So, let’s say we did exactly that.

When he arrived at my apartment building’s front entrance, I smiled at the sight of him. I walked outside to our stoop because he called to tell me he was turning the corner and would be at my place shortly.

He was a perfect gentleman. He ran up to me, scooped me up, and hugged me as tightly as he could. It was a full embrace –a Grandpa Hug. I melted in his arms.

To this day, whenever I see him, I say, “You give the best hugs.”

It was lip-biting cold and we were freezing our asses off, so we decided to get into the truck and escape the monotony of the night. He guided me to the passenger side, peeled back the door, and held it with one hand while he led me inside with the other. Once I was seated, he had to summon the strength of The Hulk to close the door with both hands.

This truck was old. Nah, it wasn’t just old . . . it was ancient. It made a loud, clanking sound while we rode up and down the hills of Winston-Salem. I panicked the entire ride. The heat worked. It sputtered and coughed and he had to tap the dashboard every few minutes to keep it from going cold.

I sat in my seat and prayed we would not get stranded anywhere in this still new-to-me city. He reassured me, “It gets me everywhere I need to go.” While I thought to myself, “Yeah, but how safe is this vehicle, really?!”

He was the best date I had since an old high school-to-college love of mine. He was respectful, a lover of music and writing, the eldest of four children, and was soaking in the newness of recently burying his father.

Something in me cried for him. We dated off and on for about nine years–breaking up and getting back together. Finally, I told him, “We are so good to each other but we are not good for each other.”

Because no matter what we did, our schedules failed us. His grief failed us. My intent on writing, connecting, and running to other people failed us.

He traded in that clunker of a truck for a Jeep Cherokee one year after it finally died on one of our major highways. He traded in the recklessness of who I was for a lovely sweetheart of a woman who knows how to stay put.

We had an amazing life together. We just weren’t amazing together. You sit with that for a while. It’ll come to you.

Every time I think about my first winter in North Carolina, I think about him and that old clunker of a truck, and the strength it took for him to close the door to his broken down and beat-up vehicle, and the heart it took for him to finally walk away from me.

And honestly, I smile. Because really, everything was perfect but the truck.

Running With the Clouds Part VI

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Jake Understands Now (Microfiction)

Jake sees the Bone Marrow Specialist near his oncologist’s office for a consultation. The staff is helpful. The specialist is knowledgeable with a lovely bedside manner.

His success rate is 94%. Many of his patients live an additional ten to twenty years. His demographic is geriatric, but Miranda pleaded with him to see Jake. He agreed. He said Miranda’s plea moved him.

Now that they have her bone marrow, they can perform the transplant. Jake sits with every detail, says a silent prayer for his deceased sister, and cries softly.

Her death gives him life.

This concludes the Running With the Clouds series. Thank you for reading.

Part I, Part II, Part III,  Part IV, & Part V