People either rise to circumstances or fall apart in a crisis. A gunman walks
into a school and out emerges a few heroes who save the day. What about the
other people in the same incident? Some may hide, others might keep children
calm just by remaining composed under stress. There are other individuals who
may do the wrong thing, and the outcome is dark and ugly. Those split moment
decisions say a lot about people, but they don’t always tell the whole story.
Luck, perspective, and instinct can also play a part in a person’s reactions.
The few times in my life when I’ve been in dangerous situations, I didn’t always
make the best decision. If I could go back I time, I would turn into Wonder
Woman and become the hero of my own story, but life doesn’t give rewinds. So
instead, I’m left to ponder why I made the decisions I did.
When I lived in Paris as a college student, the university warned us against
going to Sacre Coeur at night. The place had a reputation as a hangout for young
people. It was also a dangerous place filled with pickpockets and street thugs.
Being young and stupid, my friend and I decided not only to head over to Sacre
Coeur, but to head over there by Metro at night. Two blonde American females
with more bravado than brains. A group of about six men took notice and
surrounded us the minute we stepped out of the Metro station. My friend,
instincts in tact, slowly backed out of the group so if she needed to run, she
could. Me? I remained in the middle of everything until someone took hold of my
collar. Split second decision. I punched him. Straight in the gut. It couldn’t
have hurt, but it sure shocked him. He released my collar, and we bolted into
the Metro and back to our apartment. The punch was a dumb move. If I hadn’t
shocked him, he might have punched back, or pulled a knife, or worse. Sometimes
lucky breaks bring a lot of soul searching. While I like to think I use my
brains in tense situations, I didn’t. Instead, I did something dumb and was darn
lucky.
Years later, I enjoyed a picnic on the banks of a river with my children and my
friend and her children. A beautiful day. The children frolicked in the water,
and the moms chatted about all the things moms chat about. A crack overhead
grabbed our attention. A huge branch started to fall. Split second decision. I
pushed myself backwards to safety. My friend, however, dove in the other
direction, toward the children, a completely selfless action that could have
saved lives. While the branch missed us all, I was devastated. Why didn’t I have
the ability to rescue my children in a time of need?
Why? Because it was a split second decision. My line of vision and my brain
might have assessed that the children were okay, or my brain may have overridden
everything to protect myself. I might have instinctually known that the kids
were out of harm’s way, but I think there was more to it. It was part instinct,
part perspective, and part luck. Maybe my friend had been looking at the kids
while we were talking. When the branch broke, her focus was aimed in their
direction. Whatever it was that made the decision, it’s over. There’s no going back.
My characters have to make split second decisions all the time, and some of the
decisions go horribly wrong.
A split second decision. Have you ever had to make one? What was the end result?
Comment below for a chance at a $5 Amazon gift card. Ends 4/15
She's this assassin's toughest assignment ever...
Socialite Trista
Patterson has turned her back on her life of privilege and dedicated herself to
helping others. Her mission to protect the world’s children often takes her into
the bleak and violent underbelly of third world countries. When a kidnapping
attempt goes wrong, Trista quickly finds herself running for her life...and
married to a man she just met...as she’s placed at the top of the Cartel’s most
wanted list.
Some days no good deed goes unpunished.
Dane
O’Brien has spent his life in the shadows. Once a lethal assassin he grew tired
of losing his soul with every hit, trading his gun and missions for a conference
table and office politics as an undercover operative for the CIA. But when
visiting his humanitarian sister turns deadly, Dane finds himself swearing to
protect her beautiful and passionate friend Trista no matter the cost...even if
it means stepping back into the world he swore never to return to. Although
falling for the tough-hearted Trista is easy, keeping her alive is hard.
A Bostonian by birth, Veronica Forand regrettably lost her Boston
accent while moving from state to state and country to country. Cleveland
probably had the most profound effect on her ability to pronounce the "r" in the
word "park."
She does try to return now and then to visit family and eat
long neck clams and lobster. Summers on Cape Cod are also high on the priority
list.
Her experience in crime involves time as a court appointed attorney.
Eventually, she switched fields to where bigger crimes take place, corporate
tax. The allure of spending mornings in her pajamas homeschooling her children
and writing fascinating fiction caused her to change careers again. Now that the
kids are out of the house (in school), she writes romantic thrillers by day and
is the perfect wife and mother at night.
Her experience in romance is
limited to one man. Luckily, he's still finding ways to charm her by taking her
on vacations to the south of France, Fiji, and the Green Mountains when time is
short. Avid travelers, they love to roam with their kids across continents in
pursuit of skiing, scuba diving, and the perfect piece of chocolate.
She's
lived in London, Paris, Geneva, Washington D.C., and the accent destroying city
of Cleveland. She currently resides near Philadelphia.
I have been surprised a few times in my life... seeing that I was able to function in crazy moments... then breakdown after...
(Colleen Conklin 12:55pm April 15, 2016)
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