Let's Talk "Reinvention" (Concordant Vibrancy 4: Inferno Blog Tour)

Hello Awesome Visitors!

I am very glad you could join us on the Concordant Vibrancy 4: Inferno tour. It is an honor to be featured in a collection with such wonderful talents and that you have a chance to learn about their craft and their stories in this anthology.

On this day, C. Desert Rose dishes on her contribution "Calliope's Inferno".

The Wagon Wheel Watusi ...? But, WHY?

Let me ask …

Can we really dance to the beat of a new tune and in so doing find a new way of life?

What brings out the best in people if not the ability to overcome adversity and in the process discover the things that we had inside us all along?

Inner strength, I believe, comes from the opportunity to find that which is hidden inside and bring it to the surface for all to see. But I think I am getting ahead of myself.

First let me introduce you to Calliope.

Calliope is the everyday girl that we all know. The fun, funny, awkward, kind but not stupid girl next door. She is confident in somethings and a hot mess when it comes to other things. She is quirky, aloof, but loves who she loves. Calliope is you and me.

More than that, Calliope has a unique way of looking at the world. She sees it through the lens of Dante, the famous poet who wrote “Dante’s Inferno”. This is how Calliope assimilates the world, how she processes things, events, and more than anything, the people she loves. Her eternal besties.

After breaking up with her long-time boyfriend Calliope finds herself in that mental limbo that we all know very well. That place of, “What the hell am I going to do with myself now?”

Throwing caution to the wind in a moment of asinine misadventures—or so she believes—Calliope joins a dance class. This is something she regrets deeply after the fact but now it’s too late and, well … c'est la vie.

What Calliope doesn’t expect is the outcome of such a rash decision to be exactly what she needed all along.

“Calliope’s Inferno” brings you a fun cast of characters, an upbeat and down to earth story, and something that we can all relate to.

If the theme question is “What are the ingredients to a sustainable blaze?” I believe that Calliope answers that question in the form of a relatable and idiosyncratic tale that’ll keep you hooked. 

Now, without wanting to ruin the story for you, I’ll leave you with a tidbit of an excerpt for your enjoyment.

Toodles!

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Excerpt:

It had been approximately six months since I’d broken up with Thomas Mason. Thomas and I had been together for three years. Those were the best and the worst three years of my life. Our union was the existential “vicious cycle”. We fought, we made up, we had makeup sex and we did it all over again the next day for three whole years.

Finally, I had enough.

I haven’t the faintest clue what our last fight was about but not even the makeup sex helped anymore. I felt empty. Like, I had nothing left to give. And so, deciding that throwing in the towel was more of a life saving factor then continuing to brawl, I said “enough”. I packed Thomas’ things, put them on the curb, changed the locks and left him in Fate’s deserving hands.

There was, however, a downfall to not having a poisonous relationship to occupy your time.

I was bored.

With nothing to do other than work and talking to the girls I opted to join dancing class. The dance of choice? The Wagon Wheel Watusi.

PS: Thank you, “Burlesque”. Oh, dear God.

The facepalm that inevitably followed was out of my control.

Dante, for the love of God, please help me out of this one.

Why that particular class appealed to me, I could not say. I think it was the combination of the image of Christina Aguilera at her finest along with the sound of the catchy name, if for no other reason.

Low and behold, I was caught off guard with a surprise that almost made me want to drop the class altogether. A couple of my classmates were none other than the Ricci twins. Stefania had regrown her luscious locks by now and Stefano had grown into a muscle-bound meathead.

“Oh my God, Cal! Look at you all grown up!” Stefania said as she swept her hair from her shoulders. The fake smile did little to divert my attention from her toned body and long legs. It only reminded me of how much I hated her.