Dear Readers ~
Coming up with an idea for this year's ONC was difficult. My genre of choice is usually historical fiction, but inspiration and motivation have been hard to come by.
Then, right around the time the prompts were posted, an old song that I loved as a child (but haven't heard for years) randomly popped in my head. Strange and fortuitous timing.
As some of you may have guessed from the title of the book, the song is “Miss Otis Regrets,” a jazzy tune written by Cole Porter in 1934. The lyrics tell the tale of a high society woman who commits murder and ends up being lynched by an angry mob. Great bedtime song for kids, right?
The story of Miss Otis is so absurd and delivered in such an old fashioned, tongue-in-cheek style, that I decided it should be expanded into a story. To best showcase these stylistic choices, I added a hint of old Hollywood glamor, a dash of 1950s crime noir, and topped it off with a new take on the “Karen” trope.
Many talented, prestigious artists have recorded the song “Miss Otis Regrets” over the decades (including Ella Fitzgerald in 1956). If you'd like to listen to the song for the sake of this story, I recommend Bette Midler's upbeat 1990 recording, as it best represents the overall tone of the story. (Listening to the song is not necessary; the lyrics will be provided for you.)
For this story, I'll be using prompts:
#28, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
And #27, Sometimes love is what drives you to take your next breath. Other times, it's revenge.
Note ~
This story might not be to many readers' taste. First, in a kind of homage to Agatha Christie's ensemble pieces, it's told from third-person omnipresent with no clear-cut singular protagonist. And second, it's the opposite of everything Wattpad has ordained as “marketable.” But I've never been one to conform with what's popular, so why start now?
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This story is dedicated to everyone who has ever been bullied, abused, forgotten, neglected, passed over, or made to feel less than.
I see you.
You matter.
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© Notice:
Miss Otis Regrets is my original creation and is published exclusively on Wattpad. If you are reading this novella on any other platform, it has been posted without my knowledge or consent.
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𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝙾𝚝𝚒𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 | ONC 2024
Mystery / ThrillerONC Ambassador's Pick & Shortlister! Rumors. Infidelity. Lies. Secrets. MURDER. And all before lunch time. Who knew being a socialite in 1951 could be so thrilling? ~~~ On a lovely June afternoon, as the oh-so-chic members of the Gilded Grove Ladies...
