Have you gotten your copy of Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book & Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?
I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about recent events with a previous place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination, growth from the transition after resigning from that company, and life’s foibles and overall experiences. I welcome your visit.
Every so often, I come across a book that rattles me to my core and shifts me in ways I am not usually shifted. And when it’s a book of fictional work, too, that makes it even more special! Watering Words: 52 Short Stories by Bridgette Kay is a book of this caliber. Every story tapped into my spirit, tuned me in completely, and held my attention until the very end.
I savored this book, finishing it in just under a month. I wanted to sit with her words and allow every story to connect with me in some way. I am glad I allowed myself to do this. As an admirer and writer of fiction myself, I understand the importance of creating characters that readers can understand, love, and believe. Bridgette does this flawlessly.
Below you will find the review I shared on both Amazon and Goodreads:
A Work of True Literary Art
I began reading this book knowing I would enjoy every page. Bridgette Kay doesn’t disappoint with Watering Words.
Every story is an in-depth look into the lives of characters that morph into their very own pieces of beauty, beast, friend, and foe. I took my time reading this one, savoring it for close to a month.
I wanted to become one with the words, and I did.
I appreciated several things I recognized reoccurring in different stories as symbols or perhaps themes: the name “Theo,” the number thirteen, and familial struggles brought about from the mother/matriarch of the family.
You will find tales focusing on love, loss, and grief with hints of magic, witchcraft, and religion sprinkled in. To say that many of the stories had me on the edge of my seat is a crippling understatement.
Beginning the book with Waiting for the Bus and ending it with Rainy Day Recruit is pure unadulterated genius. Most, if not all of these stories are extremely powerful, they can stand perfectly on their own, but these two stories are placed exactly where they should be, and I believe they entice the reader to come back for additional reads.
I know I will.
I had no doubt that when I purchased Watering Words, I would enjoy it. And I did. Hands down, the BEST collection of fictional stories I have had the pleasure of reading in an extremely long time. If you’re looking for bold tales centered around love, loss, growth, pain, and the absurdities of life, this collection of stories should be yours.
I guarantee that you’ll be singing its praises, too.
Have you gotten your copy of Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book & Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?
I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about recent events with a previous place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination, growth from the transition after resigning from that company, and life’s foibles and overall experiences. I welcome your visit.
One year passed by so quickly. On October 30, 2024, I launched Séduire, and I allowed my first collection of fiction to flourish as an e-book while I tweaked the paperback version and released it a few days later. Both lived on Lulu for what seemed like forever. The paperback version just cleared the global distribution queue, and is finally…. F I N A L L Y, on Amazon to purchase. I have no idea what took so long, and at whose mercy I had been, but the High Priests of one of the most highly trafficked online purchasing stores considered my work of fiction ready to grace its digital domain.
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.
Of course, like all great storytellers, Tremaine lifts the veil on the community, the neighborhoods, and the villages we call home. Her characters are the people we encounter daily and may even know personally. And within the pages of Séduire, I found two characters who immediately set my world ablaze.
When I met Phara for the first time, which was the morning after I got the book, her story impacted the next few days of my world. Without going into details, there is enough in the opening lines of her story to fill the reader with rage, hate, and pain. Phara’s is a story that hobbles the heart. Within the first few paragraphs, Tremaine Loadholt, in her masterful style of weaving a narrative, brings home the sad, horrendous reality of what happens behind closed doors in many homes. It is a five-star read, cushioned just at the end of the first section of the book. —Nigel Byng
Stories such as “We Don’t Talk About Daniela,” “Phara,” “Reflections of a Lost Love that Will Never Be Found,” and “Mr. Bradford and His Ox Collection” are deeply affecting, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. The serial story “Clover,” narrated by a child, captures a family’s aspirations as they climb the social ladder, despite racial prejudice they have to contend with. Yet, the collection balances darkness with warmth, including tales of lovers’ reconciliation, a rebellious teen transformed under the guidance of a caring aunt, first-time parents, and more, inviting readers to witness characters navigating life’s trials. —Khaya Ronkainen
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
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
The holidays are just around the corner. Looking for stocking stuffers for the family reader? Séduire is it! Have you fallen short of what to buy the person who has everything? Throw Séduire their way. Do you need a new-to-you book that titillates, motivates, and inspires? Allow Séduire to be that new book for you.
To this date, Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction has sold 54 copies. My heart is full from the weight of this number. I don’t have to sell another copy, and I will be the happiest writer on this great earth. My maternal grandmother died from lung cancer in October of 2003, at the age of 54. There is significance in this number. It is a number of reflection, and a number of peace and prosperity for me. I believe my grandmother is proud. I hope she is.
Please join me in celebrating Séduire‘s first anniversary!
Autumn has gotten comfortable enough to undress,
to finally tame the seasonal shift.
It does this with the perfect amount of finesse.
Autumn has gotten comfortable enough to undress.
We find ourselves somehow stressing less,
and this is truly the perfect gift.
Autumn has gotten comfortable enough to undress,
to finally tame the seasonal shift.
Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?
I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with a previous place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination, growth from the transition after resigning from that company, and life’s foibles and overall experiences. I welcome your visit.
Zeyla snuck out on a blistery cold night–escaping the sheltered lifestyle her parents invented for her. Her best friends Catarina, Shiloh, and Bree awaited her arrival. Even in the darkness of the forest, her hair greeted others before she could make an appearance. It was as wild as the woods, and long, like weeds that hadn’t been tended for weeks. Yet, there was something so incredibly demure about her–something inviting.
She floated into the heat of their embrace. Each one took a turn laying their hands on her, examining Zeyla for signs of tampering or further parental distress. She leaned into their powerful, enveloping arms. The plan was to evade checkpoints, hop on the next ship chartered for Aruba, and blend in–in a new country.
Everyone who knew them wanted the women banned from public spaces and fought the town’s authoritarians for years to make it so. Superpowers had been labeled passé, yet Zeyla and her best friends flaunted theirs as if the new rules did not apply to them.
Zeyla, within seconds, could morph into two different versions of anyone standing in front of her. Catarina blew coal ash from her mouth–up to 500 feet. Shiloh could enter the body of her opponent, puff into a gigantic ball, and telepathically order them to spontaneously combust. And, Bree?! Well, Bree’s superpower was the most unsuspecting of them all…she could shape-shift into her opponents’ grandparents, and use this when it was most necessary. After all, what person of sound mind is going to kill their grandparent?
The four of them knew they were no longer wanted in their home country. They had heard the whispers–saw the evil looks on their neighbors’ faces. It was only a matter of time before a riot ensued. Orchestrated by the mastermind of the group, Zeyla, this plan was a surefire one.
All they had to do was survive for five days away from home–away from their power source, and if they did… their superpowers would remain forever.
**Musical Selection for this story:
This flash fiction piece is in response to Fandango’s One Word Challenge, and the word is “demure.”
Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?
I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with a previous place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination, growth from the transition after resigning from that company, and life’s foibles and overall experiences. I welcome your visit.
my baby’s prints came today…
her paws…
I’d been waiting for them
since the 12th of September.
a lovely sympathy card
accompanied the red pieces
of art, neatly tucked behind them.
every member of our vet’s office
signed it.
their words and names crowding
the corners.
I smile. I cry. I remember the
best part of my life
no longer exists.
I stand at the edge of
my kitchen, shifting on
the balls of my feet. I am
shaking. I tilt my head to
look at each print, and the
smell of Jernee wafts across
the room and lingers in the
hallway. she’s still alive
in me; she hasn’t let go.
or, maybe I’m still holding on?
Zumi pats at the glass of its
terrarium, bargaining for my
attention, and I rush over to
see what the fuss is about.
food? check. water? check.
I think it just wants to hear my
voice, so I call its name in
a sing-songy way to appease it.
Zu-mi, Zu-mi, Zuuuumiiii.
what a silly tortoise you are.
it looks up at me and then
walks with urgency to its
hidey-hole.
we all need comfort.
tortoises are not exempt.
our home is quieter than it’s
ever been. the tapping of
paws are no longer morning
gifts or late-night signals of
an impatient senior dog who
“had me at, hello.”
I don’t know what I’m doing
with this life of mine now,
I’m just mulling on—making do.
I say that all I need is work—to
keep busy, but I think I am
telling myself this because I
am afraid of what will happen
to me if I sit down and focus
on every passing thought of
a love that was the greatest
love I’ve ever known.
where will I land if I
give my heart permission to
break and stay broken?
is there a name for people
who are no longer whole
without the pets they spent
nearly two decades becoming
one with? I don’t like having to
answer the same questions
every other day: “How are you?”
How are you holding up?”
“What are you doing with
yourself now?”
I wish there was a perfect way to
say, “I am cracking and folding
into myself because somehow
I no longer feel safe alone
with my brain, heavy heart,
and dying soul. somehow, I
no longer feel safe in this
body. something is not right.
something is not right.
it’s more than losing Jernee,
it’s all the ick of the world
that is seeping into our
skin, making our veins its home.
we’re trapped.
so, sometimes, I just need poetry
when everything is wrong
around me, and there’s no
guarantee it’ll change.
I need poetry to help me
remember who… and why
I am.
Originally published in Poking the Bear’s Belly on Substack.
A Cornered Gurl 
You must be logged in to post a comment.