suzanneruddhamilton

Mr. Wrong

The metal sound of clanking lockers amid the variable echoing rumble of a thousand adolescent conversations meant one thing… school had begun. After barely surviving middle school, Katie hoped freshman year in high school would be the dawn of a new horizon with endless possibilities. “I’m calling it the great awakening, because I hope itContinue reading “Mr. Wrong”

Speaking Yiddish

How did a young white bread shiksa girl from the south Chicago suburbs learn to speak Yiddish? The answer comes from the most unusual place… at Christmas dinners. In Chicago, the Jewish population was a mere shadow of its sister city of New York, so we didn’t have a lot of exposure. Case in point,Continue reading “Speaking Yiddish”

The Heist at City Hall

Sitting at my desk at The Old Bug, I usually tune out the scanners. The banal monotonous cadence of fire and police dispatchers using codes and chatter are incredibly annoying. And its small potatoes… only newbee beat reporters handle that. But today I heard something that caught my complete attention. It said “robbery at CityContinue reading “The Heist at City Hall”

A Rockin First Date

Tracy was very wary of dating a coworker. Working at a big office she’d seen many of her friends begin romances just for them to end in difficult situations, seeing an ex every day. But as a shy girl Tracy didn’t have a lot of prospects in or out of work. Then Tony started workingContinue reading “A Rockin First Date”

Stay On The Bus

Gazing at her son’s graduation picture sitting next to his wedding photo on her piano, Kate smiles at her grown up son, now 30 years old. Then her phone rings. It’s Brandon. He often calls on his way home from work just a chat. “Mom, Carrie’s very depressed that we can’t get pregnant. I don’tContinue reading “Stay On The Bus”

Three Strikes & You’re Out

Rule 66 , persistence always pays dividends. This is my third try trying to nab our crooked mayor McKenzie on something concrete. I long suspected he was involved in some manner in the counterfeit scheme I thwarted but was never able to nail him on anything. He’s a slippery fox. He covers his tail well.Continue reading “Three Strikes & You’re Out”

Florida Santa

“Welcome to Peacock Perch.” The sales lady said to Santa and Mrs. Claus. “Here are the keys to your new home.” When the sales lady left, Santa and Mrs. Claus looked around their new home and each other. “This is gonna be an adjustment,” Santa said, uncertain. Clad in a red collared Hawaiian shirt withContinue reading “Florida Santa”

Rock and Roll Lover

I like to sing. I sang in church and school choirs all my life and at karaoke nights. But when the Covid lockdown came, my club nights were over, so I was looking for a singing outlet. A friend recommended a singing app to me, and I signed up. You could sing any song youContinue reading “Rock and Roll Lover”

Rules of the Roadtrip

While traversing the vast regions of the USA on a month long roadtrip in the 70s, my parents had a lot of rules of the road. You can only eat at McDonald’s, Howard Johnson’s or Burger King. My mom believed big corporations and franchises were always reliable. She had no interest in local flavor. WeContinue reading “Rules of the Roadtrip”

Movie Magic

Author’s Note: This is a sneak peek of the new series, A Timeless American Historical Romance Golden Age. Hollywood Hush follows Greta as she is dropped in the beginning of the pioneering days of motion pictures. Click below for discount preorder – Coming in June. Greta was terrified. For months she heard her boyfriend HarryContinue reading “Movie Magic”