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<\/a><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n
Sent the original post via email from my phone. Several corrections were made and it was kind of a mess. So apologies for that.<\/p>\n
Excerpt —<\/p>\n
When Hannah was young, she knew<\/em> that her father was good man. He’d always told her so, and all she ever witnessed were the golden moments: The hotel openings. The resplendent parties. The employees all perfectly pressed to corporate code.<\/p>\nIt took years for her to notice that the smiles were forced. Her father couldn’t see it\u2014his<\/em> smile was always real, a fierce baring of self-satisfaction in a job well done\u2014but she could.<\/p>\nBy then, her own smiles were forced too.<\/p>\n
People didn’t like her family.<\/p>\n
Even though he told her “Don’t read that trash”\u2014she couldn’t resist taking a peek. She worked for the company now. If there was a PR problem happening, then it was her job to fix it. All neat and legal to keep any backlash from happening.<\/p>\n
Still, she helped change the narrative. That’s how she explained it to her father later. She was adjusting the media focus with a few philanthropic gestures.<\/p>\n
And honestly, it felt good to help mothers and children. It made her think of her own mother\u2014(beautiful face a mess of bruises. The split of her lower lip raw in a way Hannah had never seen before<\/em>)\u2014who she hadn’t seen in years.<\/p>\nSometimes she missed the court-mandated visits of her childhood. At least then she’d had an excuse to give in the face of her father’s jealousy. Now if she visited her mother, he would view it as a personal betrayal and she didn’t want him to know that she’d been lying to him for years.<\/p>\n
She missed her mother. Helping women and children in need eased the ache.<\/p>\n
Even if she never stepped foot at any site, she<\/em> was the one that authorized the release of funds. She<\/em> was the one her father smiled at so proudly when she pointed out she’d cleaned up their PR problem and given them a good tax write-off at the same time.<\/p>\nHe loved sticking it to the IRS. And sure, they’d caught him a few times before, but he’d always bounced back. “It’s all part of the game, honey,” he’d said after the third bankruptcy. And his laugh had been so loud it made her ears ache.<\/p>\n
Sometimes she had to explain things to him carefully. Pointing out the pros and cons of every given situation with her chosen path clearly highlighted. And maybe it helped to dress in rich colors and low-cuts, but that was just business. She knew how the world worked.<\/p>\n
Hannah enjoyed the philanthropic side of things. And after her father caused that little mess, she was finally able to start the charity she’d always dreamed of.<\/p>\n
She wanted her family name to be remembered for both great and good things.<\/p>\n
\/EXCERPT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was working on a drawing project and this idea popped in my head. It’s called “Complicit” and it’s a short story that will be on KDP Select. As such, expect a download link that will allow you to grab a free copy before it’s released to the public. “When Hannah was young, she knew…<\/p>\n Read More<\/span> Sneak peek: Complicit<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"Layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16,22,67],"tags":[225,300,648],"class_list":["entry","author-harperkingsley0-0","post-4414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-coming-soon","category-drawing","category-sneak-peek","tag-complicit","tag-excerpt","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2pPoL-19c","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2566,"url":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/excerpt-paradigm-shift-peek-at-parks-pov\/","url_meta":{"origin":4414,"position":0},"title":"EXCERPT: Paradigm Shift. Peek at Park’s POV","author":"Harper Kingsley","date":"July 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm currently writing the Park portions of Paradigm Shift. He's got a different story than Gregor, his concerns obviously being very different. It's kind of fun :) EXCERPT: Barely home a day and already sent out again, this time for a domestic reason, but just as important. He left his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sneak Peeks"","block_context":{"text":"Sneak Peeks","link":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/category\/sneak-peeks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4306,"url":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/excerpt-overwatch-segment-drawing-whatever\/","url_meta":{"origin":4414,"position":1},"title":"Excerpt: “Overwatch”-segment; Drawing; Whatever","author":"Harper Kingsley","date":"March 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Title: Overwatch Author: Harper Kingsley Universe: Kanon-verse (alternate universe version of Heroes & Villains) EXCERPT - Here I am, he thought. One day older. One day closer. He squeezed his eyes closed. Drew a deep breath in through his nose. Then he pressed the button that raised the top portion\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sneak Peeks"","block_context":{"text":"Sneak Peeks","link":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/category\/sneak-peeks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":460,"url":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/excerpt-facet-of-empire-sapphire-amwriting\/","url_meta":{"origin":4414,"position":2},"title":"EXCERPT: Facet of Empire: Sapphire #amwriting","author":"Harper Kingsley","date":"February 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I thought I would revisit my sci-fi epic. I work on these stories every once and awhile; hardcore space opera, baby, the only opera I enjoy. They're badly in need of editing and I need some smart sci-fi brain to go over them because I'm not sure what's possible or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Real Life"","block_context":{"text":"Real Life","link":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/category\/real-life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4632,"url":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/hand-soap-bubbles-excerpt-corpse-flower\/","url_meta":{"origin":4414,"position":3},"title":"Hand soap bubbles; Excerpt: Corpse Flower","author":"Harper Kingsley","date":"November 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Today's appreciation: The way the bubbles look while rising through the hand soap refill bottle. They make me think of hot air balloons. The more the bottle is squeezed, the more air is sucked back in, and the bigger the bubble. Rising up past the rim and up through the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Appreciations"","block_context":{"text":"Appreciations","link":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/category\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand soap bubbles","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.harperkingsley.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Hand_soap_bubbles-248x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5539,"url":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/excerpt-all-that-remains-kanon-darkstar-after-the-battle-for-terra\/","url_meta":{"origin":4414,"position":4},"title":"EXCERPT: All That Remains (Kanon Darkstar, after The Battle for Terra)","author":"Harper Kingsley","date":"June 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Kanon-Darkstar goes to the care facility after ALL THAT REMAINS (beginning of JUST ANOTHER TITANIC TUESDAY) and looks at Warrick Tobias. Darkstar is dressed in normal clothes and has his powers dampened. DARKSTAR \"You could have been my happiness,\" he says to the unresponsive face. He's saddened by what might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All That Remains"","block_context":{"text":"All That Remains","link":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/category\/all-that-remains\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1177,"url":"https:\/\/harperkingsley.net\/blog\/serious_business\/","url_meta":{"origin":4414,"position":5},"title":"EXCERPT: Serious Business [adult fiction]","author":"Harper Kingsley","date":"July 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Title: Serious Business Genre: fiction Excerpt rating: teen+\/adult Warnings: mentions non-con, language Summary: She was not an object to be possessed. (This is the first part of an upcoming novel.) 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<\/a><\/p>\n