Introducing: Gino Di Massimo, Charlie Winkler's henchman

Meet Gino, a fictional character in my new novel Les Gillespie's Gold. Gino as you can see from his profle is a very clever and dangerous man. Probably a latent psycopath he manages to keep his urges to kill under control. He can hurt without leaving a mark and his presence is enough to intimidate most.
I'm not quite sure where he will pop up in the story but when he does he will cause trouble.
Check him out below

NAME:                                                 : Gino Di Massimo

Position in story:                                   : More than a Secondary Role 

Age:	37
Nationality:	Aussie born Italian
Socioeconomic level as a child:	Good
Socioeconomic level as an adult:	Middle income group
Hometown:	Torrensville
Current residence:	Mile End
Occupation:	Mr. Fix-it for Raydor
Income:
Talents/skills:	Trained in Psychology and is a martial arts expert with a very mean attitude he is feared by most of his colleagues (Based on Harry Bennett. Henry Fords right hand man)
Salary:	$120,000 + bonuses + expenses
Relationships:	Can’t keep a woman for long he tortures them both mentally and physically
Birth order:	Oldest of two
Siblings (describe relationship):	Rocco (dead, died in uncertain circumstances)
Spouse/partner (describe relationship):	None
Children (describe relationship):	None
Parents (describe relationship):	Maria came out from Sicily to marry Angelo in 1969. Angelo worked in the market gardens in Virginia until they started a fruit shop in the Central Market
Grandparents (describe relationship):	In Italy no current connection
Grandchildren (describe relationship):	None
Significant others (describe relationship):	Retains a mechanic to look after his dragster
Relationship skills:	Very smooth with everyone until he has what he wants and then discards them
Physical Characteristics
Height:	187 cm
Weight:	78kg
Race:	Italian
Eye Color:	Brown
Hair Color:	Black
Glasses or contact lenses?	Gold rimmed glasses photo grey tint
Skin colour:	olive
Shape of face:	Square jaw
Distinguishing features:	Crooked nose
How does he/she dress?	Expensive suits and RM Williams outfitter when in the bush
Mannerisms:	Keeps looking over his shoulder and always chooses a seat in the back corner of any room he is not familiar with
Habits: (smoking, drinking/drugs/addictions etc.)	Doesn’t smoke. Likes good wine and only eats Italian food if possible
Any physical illnesses?	No
Health:	Excellent
Hobbies:	Drag Racing
Favourite sayings:	You’re mine
Speech patterns:	Aussie with a touch of Italian
Disabilities:	None
Style (Elegant, shabby etc.):	Elegant
Greatest flaw:	He has been able eliminate all his shortcomings but vanity will sometimes cause him to lose his cool
Best quality:	There isn’t one
Personality Attributes and Attitudes
Educational Background:	Adelaide Uni
Intelligence Level:	Very high
Any Mental Illnesses?	None
Learning Experiences:	Grew up being bullied for his glasses and being Italian it made him mean and vengeful
Character's short-term goals in life:	Screw everyone to benefit himself
Character's long-term goals in life:	Become very rich
How does Character see himself/herself?	As perfection in a man
How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others?	He doesn’t care for the opinion of others much
How self-confident is the character?	Very and driven by ego
Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or some combination thereof?	Logic he is very cool when cornered
What would most embarrass this character	People referring to his being bullied
Spiritual Characteristics
Does the character believe in God?	He is a devout Catholic and attends Mass most weeks
What are the character's spiritual beliefs?	God will forgive him for anything he does
Is religion or spirituality a part of this character's life?	Religion is a means of finding peace in his actions

 

Les Gillespies Gold is my novel for NaNoWriMo

I started this book not long after writing Kundela and have all the chapter plans and plots in place. However I lost my folder with all of the character profiles etc. After deciding I can no longer keep hunting back through the manuscript for small details, I started printing out new sheets. The warm smells and the whirring of the printer had me searching the 'My Documents' folder and I found a header sheet for the binder spine of lost book. A quick search of the bookcase now has found the folder hiding in plain view.

So now I have a plan to bring this story back on track. It's not that I forgot the theme just the detail. Today I only managed thirteen hundred words, but now having found my compass I'm confident the words will fly next week.
Tomorrow I'll post a character sheet of one of the more evil guys in the story.

Cheers,

Terry

Save Mona

 

This week a friend of mine, Jody D’Arcy, started a new website and named it Save Mona. Her ambition is to save Africa’s rhinos from extinction. I’m sure you will agree this is an honourable goal, a huge challenge, and one we can all take part in.

I’m asking for a moment of your time to make this possible, and with only a couple of clicks of your mouse we can do great things.

Start now with these three simple tasks.

1.   By sharing this e-mail with your contacts and friends you can empower the world to place pressure on the relevant authorities to protect these animals from useless slaughter.

2.   Click on this link to learn more about why the rhino is endangered.

Save Mona: http://savemona.org

3.   Add your name and comments to the petition to the Chinese Government

Link:   http://www.change.org/en-AU/users/64883541

I’m sure that you want to know that your grand children will be able to watch these and other endangered animal species thrive in their natural habitat. If you can help by sharing, then more power to your pen.

If you petition the Chinese Government, you have moved the possibility of saving these animals closer, and you can feel good about it.

If you follow and post you comments on the Save Mona website it is almost like being in the field, you are giving the species life. What greater gift is there to give?

Please remember to share with your friends and forward to your contacts.

Ps:     Don’t forget your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Thank You for your interest,

Yours sincerely,

 

Terry L Probert

Feral Utes and Borrowed Boots - Last rewrite

With help from the Wordsmith's in my writing group this is my last posting of my rewriting of this story. I will probably edit and work it again a few times before submitting as an entry in competitions.

In this final draft I have worked on making the dialogue flow better and tryng to keep the action true to the age of the protagonists. Read on and let me know if you like Sarah, Ally, Matt, and Robbo. Even give me an insight into your thoughts about this foursome and their future relationships.

Terry


Feral Utes and Borrowed Boots                   1495 words

The wheel wrenched in her hands and Sarah felt the front of the Toyota dip. Metal screeched against the road, and she caught a glimpse of the front wheel spearing off into the grass. A battle for control began as Jake’s old work truck slewed onto the verge. A tap of the brakes and then a desperate pump of the pedal did nothing, it went to the floor. The handbrake didn’t work, but she tugged on it anyway. Jake had tormented her from when they married until he moved out six months ago, and today she’d hoped for a new start without him. Yet it seemed he controlled her again. Would she never be free?

It wasn’t her first choice to drive to the other side of the city to work, but all other job applications had failed. Now with a rusted out old bomb collapsed on the side of the road, she had missed this opportunity too. Did he have to take everything? Her car, her phone, her money, her dignity. Pride would not allow her to ask her parents for help; ‘he’s no good.’ they’d told her when she ran off with him five years ago.

Cars swept past, no one stopped to help. A carload of louts hung out the windows and jeered, laughing at her as they flew past. She was late, and without a phone she couldn’t let work know she’d broken down. The highway roared with traffic, and when trucks flashed by the pressure of their slipstreams almost blew her over. Flagging them down had no effect. It started to rain and she decided to wait in the car until it stopped.

The drizzle eased, and she tried again. Two B-double semi trailers buzzed past nose to tail. Their wheels whipped slush into a fine mist and drenched her. Spotting her reflection in the glass, Sarah broke down. Her borrowed suit looked ruined, and her hair a mess. Clay had stuck to the heels of her boots. She tried to remove it by rubbing them together, but it only smeared. She yanked the door open, slumped into the seat, and slammed it shut. What could she do? Sarah rested her head and arms on the steering wheel, and her energy drained. Where was Prince Charming when she needed him? Sarah drifted into misery.

The wheel thumped onto the tray, she heard the sound, but it didn’t register.

‘Hello Miss.’ the voice was male. ‘Are you okay?’

She turned to see where it was coming from. ‘Not really, I’ve got a bit of car trouble.'

‘Yeah, I can see that. I was working the tractor at the other end of the field when I saw you stopped here. I guessed you didn’t have a phone when I saw you trying to flag someone down.

‘Supposed to be first day at work, but now I’ve lost it.’ She said.

‘My name’s Matt by the way.’

‘Sorry,’ she shook her head. ‘Hello Matt, I’m Sarah.’

‘Want to call them?’ He held out his phone.

‘No thanks, it’s gone.’ Her shoulders drooped. ‘All I had to do was get there on time.’

‘Look, I’ve called my mate Robbo, he will come out and tow this to his workshop.’ He pointed to the buildings about a mile away. ‘My wife and I live over there, I’ve just called her. She said to come up and dry off in the kitchen. Maybe you can call someone, or if you want to wait until she does the school run, Ally can drive to wherever you want to go.’

‘Thanks’. Sarah said. Prince Charming he might be, but not hers. He had a wife and kids too, but she was glad for his offer.

The farmhouse was warm and homey. With the introductions over Matt kissed Ally and went back to the tractor.

‘Here’s a couple of towels.’ Ally said. ‘Bathroom’s the third door on your right. Pass me your jacket and I’ll give it a brush, it’ll dry on the chair by the fire.’

‘Thanks. I thought I’d be stuck there for hours, either that or I’d have to try and walk back to town.’

‘Not easy in those heels.’

‘No, and I don’t know how I’m going to tell Jo about her suit, I borrowed this outfit for the job.’

‘Go and get yourself cleaned up and I’ll put some coffee on. Anyway, what type of job was it?’ Ally asked.

‘Oh, bookkeeper in Richmond, but it’s history now.’

Sarah looked at the woman in the mirror and wondered if she’d ever see her smile again. The water felt good, and she held her hands in the bowl soaking up the heat. The room was bright and airy. Toys littered the shelf around the bath and the home had a welcoming feel. She sensed that Matt and Ally had made the place special, and she envied their position.

Sarah combed her hair with her fingers and did her best to tidy it. ‘It’ll have to do.’ She smoothed her skirt, and followed the aroma of coffee and warm scones back to the kitchen.

‘You look better.’ Ally smiled and motioned for Sarah to sit at the bench. ‘Do you mind? I have to get this stew on for dinner. It’s not very adventurous but it’s what Matt likes, and the kids will eat it too.’

‘You’re very kind, thanks.’ She cupped her hands around her coffee and looked over the rim to the neat heaps of chopped vegetables. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cooked for more than one.

‘Not at all, I’m glad of the company. With all the jobs around the farm, I find it hard to get out, other than seeing some of the parents at school. Oh, and I see our friends at football on the weekends. But some girl company during the week is good.’

A friendship seeded, and the day disappeared. At 2.30 they were in Ally’s four wheel drive and heading into town to pick up the children from school.

‘What are you going to do now? Ally asked.

‘I don’t know. This job was it, and now it’s gone. I’ll go back into the grinder again I guess and try to find something, again.’

‘Like what?’

‘I don’t know.’ Sarah said. ‘You know I used to be so confident, I ran the office in my family’s crash repairs where I worked until I got married. We moved here and everything went wrong. I thought I was marrying the man of my dreams. I never expected it to turn into a nightmare. This is probably for the best, I don’t think I could work inside that glass box in the city anyway.’

Ally said nothing more about the job. Too soon they were in the Industrial area and parked in front of Robbo’s workshop.

‘I’ll go in and get him. His place is full of girly calendars and blokes with one track minds. You don’t have to put up with anymore grief today?’

An age passed as she sat there, and occasionally she noticed a heavy thumb and forefinger prise the venetian blinds apart. It unsettled her, and Sarah knew they had to be talking about her, about how hopeless she was.

Ally and a man in his thirties emerged from the darkness. His hands slapped at the dust on the front of his jeans, and his tee shirt showed that he worked out. It was strange, but he was the only panel shop bloke she’d seen with polished boots. His dark hair neatly cropped and had a hint of curl. In this light he looked a bit like Hugh Jackman and unlike any of the crashies she’d ever met before. Sarah slid out of her seat to meet him.

‘Hello I’m Robbo, Ally’s brother.’ He said extending his right hand, she took it. His grip was firm, and yet his touch was warm and gentle. ‘I can’t do much with your car today, in fact it’s probably better off going to the wreckers, for what you’d spend on fixing it.’

‘That good eh?’

‘Sorry.’ He screwed his face up, and then smiled. ‘Ally tells me you’re a bookkeeper.’

Sarah liked the way his nose wrinkled at the bridge when he grinned. ‘Yeah, but what’s that got to do with fixing my car? Are you offering me a job?’

‘Maybe, I’m up to my ears in it. Bookkeeping I mean, and I’ve been looking for someone to manage it for a while now. I just haven’t advertised. Anyway, could you be tempted?

Sarah felt her shoulders lift and her posture straighten. She suppressed a smile. ‘When would I start?’

‘I’m going home soon. I can drop you off, and pick you up at seven thirty tomorrow morning. How’s that for a deal?’

Sarah looked down, don’t be hasty make him wait a bit. A minute passed, she held her hand out... He took it. ‘Deal.’ She said.

Feral Utes and Borrowed Boots (even the title has had a rewrite)

Over the past few days I have reworked this story again to address a few of the comments of my friends in the writing group.

Although I have worked a bit on the punctuation I need to put in more work there. It is a weakness and I'll read it aloud in front of a mirror to see if I can perfect it.

Points I tried to address:

• Relevance of the title to the story
• Kitchen aromas
• Address tense changes
• Introducing Matt
• Simplifying the language
• Correct the spelling

I  hope this rewrite has made the story easier to read, please let me know your opinions.

Feral Utes and Borrowed Boots                  1495 words

The wheel wrenched in her hands, and Sarah felt the front of the Toyota dip. Metal screeched against the road, and she caught a glimpse of the front wheel spearing off into the grass. A battle for control began as Jake’s old work truck slewed onto the verge. A tap of the brakes and then a desperate pump of the pedal did nothing, it went to the floor. The handbrake didn’t work, but she tugged on it anyway. Jake had tormented her from when they married until he moved out six months ago, and today she’d hoped for a new start without him. Yet it seemed he controlled her again. Would she never be free?

It wasn’t her first choice to drive to the other side of the city to work, but all other job applications had failed. Now with a rusted out old bomb collapsed on the side of the road, she had missed this opportunity too. Did he have to take everything? Her car, her phone, her money, her dignity. Pride would not allow her to ask her parents for help; ‘he’s no good.’ they’d told her when she ran off with him five years ago.

Cars swept past, no one stopped to help. A carload of louts hung out the windows and jeered, laughing at her as they flew past. She was late, and without a phone she couldn’t let work know she’d broken down. The highway roared with traffic, and when trucks flashed by the pressure of their slipstreams almost blew her over. Flagging them down had no effect. It started to rain and she decided to wait in the car until it stopped.

The drizzle eased, and she tried again. Two B-double semi trailers buzzed past nose to tail. Their wheels whipped slush into a fine mist and drenched her. Spotting her reflection in the glass, Sarah broke down. Her borrowed suit looked ruined, and her hair a mess. Clay had stuck to the heels of her boots. She tried to remove it by rubbing them together, but it only smeared. She yanked the door open, slumped into the seat, and slammed the door. What could she do? Sarah rested her head and arms on the steering wheel, and her energy drained away. Where was Prince Charming when she needed him? Sarah drifted into misery.

 

The wheel thumped onto the tray, she heard the sound, but it didn’t register.

‘Hello Miss.’ it was a male voice. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Not really, I’ve got a bit of car trouble.' She said, turning to see where it was coming from.

‘Yeah, I can see that. I was working the tractor at the other end of the field, when I saw you stopped here. I thought you couldn’t have had a phone when you out in the rain. Name’s Matt by the way.’

‘My first day at work, but it’s gone now.’ She said. ‘Sorry, hello Matt, I’m Sarah.’

‘Do you want to call them?’ He held out his phone.

‘No thanks, it’s gone. All I had to do was get there on time.’

‘I’ve given my mate Robbo a call, one of his blokes will come out and get this lot off the road.’ He pointed to the buildings about a mile away. ‘My wife and I live in the house over there, I’ve just called her. She said you should come up and dry off in the kitchen. Maybe you can call someone, or if you want to wait until she does the school run, Ally can drive to wherever you want to go.’

‘Thanks’. Sarah said. Prince Charming he might be, but not hers. He had a wife and kids too, but she was glad for his offer.

The farmhouse was warm and homey. With the introductions over Matt kissed Ally and went back to the tractor.

‘Here’s a couple of towels. Bathroom’s the third door on your right. If you pass me your jacket, I’ll give it a brush and hang over the chair by the fire.’

‘Thanks. I thought I’d be stuck there for hours, either that or I’d have to try and walk back to town.’

‘Not easy in those heels.’

‘No, and I don’t know how I’m going to tell Jo about her suit, I borrowed this outfit for the job.’

‘Go and get yourself cleaned up and I’ll put some coffee on. Anyway, what type of job was it?’ Ally asked.

‘Oh, bookkeeper in Richmond, but it’s history now.’

 

Sarah looked at the woman in the mirror and wondered if she’d ever see her smile again. The warm water felt good, and she held her hands in the bowl soaking up the heat. The bathroom was bright and airy. Toys littered the shelf around the bath and the home had a welcoming feel. She could sense that Matt and Ally had made the place special, and she envied their position.

Sarah combed her hair with her fingers and did her best to tidy it. ‘It’ll have to do.’ She smoothed her skirt, and followed the aroma of coffee and warm scones back to the kitchen.

‘You look better.’ Ally smiled and motioned for Sarah to sit at the bench. ‘Do you mind? I have to get this stew on for dinner. Not very adventurous cooking, but it’s what Matt likes, and the kids will eat it too.’

‘You’re very kind, thanks.’ Steam rose from the cups on the counter. Sarah looked over the rim of her coffee to the coloured heaps of chopped vegetables. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cooked for more than one.

‘Not at all, I’m glad of the company. With all the jobs around the farm, I find it hard to get out, other than seeing some of the parents at school. Oh, and I see our friends at football on the weekends. But some girl company during the week is good.’

A friendship seeded, and the day disappeared. At 2.30 they were in Ally’s four wheel drive and heading into town to pick up the children from school.

‘What are you going to do now? Ally asked.

‘I don’t know, this job was it, and now it’s gone. I’ll go back into the grinder again I guess and try to find something again.’

‘Like what?’

‘I don’t know.’ Sarah said. ‘You know I used to be so confident, I ran the office in my family’s crash repairs where I worked until we got married. We moved here and everything went wrong. I thought I was marrying the man of my dreams. I never expected it to be a nightmare. This is probably for the best, I don’t think I could work inside a glass box in the city anyway.’

 

Ally said nothing more about the job. Too soon they were in the Industrial area and parked in front of Robbo’s workshop.

‘I’ll go in and get him. His place is full of girly calendars and blokes with one track minds. You don’t have to put up with anymore of that kind of grief today?’

An age passed as she sat there, and occasionally she noticed a heavy thumb and forefinger prise the venetian blinds apart. It unsettled her, and Sarah knew they had to be talking about her, about how hopeless she was.

Ally and a man in his thirties emerged from the darkness. His hands slapped at the dust on the front of his jeans, and his tee shirt showed that he worked out. It was strange, but he was the only bloke who worked in a panel shop she’d ever seen with polished work boots. His neatly cropped hair was dark, and she thought he looked a bit like Hugh Jackman in the face. He was unlike any of the panel beaters she’d ever met before, and Sarah slid out of her seat to meet him.

‘Hello I’m Robbo, Ally’s brother.’ He said extending his right hand, she took it. His grip was firm and warm, and yet his touch was gentle. ‘I can’t do much with your car today, in fact it’s probably better off going to the wreckers, for what you’d spend on fixing it.’

‘That good eh?’

‘Sorry.’ He screwed his face up, and then smiled. ‘Ally tells me you’re a bookkeeper.’

Sarah liked the way his nose wrinkled at the bridge when he grinned. ‘Yeah, but what’s that got to do with fixing my car? Are you offering me a job?’

‘Maybe, I’m up to my ears in it. Bookkeeping I mean, and I’ve been looking for someone to manage it for a while now. I just haven’t advertised. Anyway, could you be tempted?

Sarah twisted a length of hair around her fingers and smiled. ‘When can I start?’

‘I’m about to go home, I can drop you off now and pick you up at seven thirty tomorrow morning. Do we have a deal?’

Sarah put her hand out, he took it. ‘Deal.’