Have Pauper – Will Travel

I saw a post made by Anthony Kobal wherein he states his obsession with Sean Scully, who played the dual role of The Prince and the Pauper in the 1962 Disney movie. Which brought back a whole flood of memories for me…and my telling of them here might make me a bit vulnerable but here goes.

Back in my day, when we went to bed, my Mom never read to us. Instead, she would put a 45 record on in a little mini player in our bedroom and that would lull us to sleep. I listened to a whole host of records, the most vivid was Danny Kaye reading out fairy tales (Stories for Children). The Tinder Box comes most quickly to mind, with the vivid image of the Soldier climbing down the inside of an old tree and encountering a hound with eyes as big as saucers.

The thing I most remember was the record covers, specifically the one for…you guessed it, The Prince and the Pauper.

(Keep it short, Jackie! Too late….🤣🤣🤣)

As I stared at the cover of the Prince and the Pauper record, a whole host of feelings rose up. I remember not thinking much of the Prince with his fancy clothes and elite status. Instead, my eyes were drawn to the grimy face and ragged clothes of The Orphan, The Pauper. When you’re that young, such stuff stays with you like it had been laid in your brain with several strokes of lightning.

My sister was forever and a day pointing out the Prince, and how handsome he was and wouldn’t I rather be obsessed with him? Unspoken, of course, was the critical thoughts she had – what was WRONG with me? Well, nothing! One of my favorite cartoons was Underdog, because he was, well, The Underdog!

In my family, I was The Underdog because I was the youngest and always feeling left out and unappreciated. (Ah, family dynamics!) So The Pauper (and the archetype that goes with him) has always been close to my heart. 💖

The point of this is…I will never write about characters who are on top of the world. If I write about a Millionaire, then I will write about him when he’s lost all his money and been thrown in jail. I will never write about a Guy Who Lives in the Penthouse Suite, unless he’s Picked the Lock and is Drinking all the Beer While the Owner is Gone. I will never write about a Guy with a Stable Career – unless it is his destiny to fall in love with a Grubby Mechanic With a Tattoo of a Bat on his Right Shoulder.

If you want something shiny in my stories, something sweet, you are sure to get it because all of my stories have an HEA, I promise! But first, you will have to struggle along with my Orphans and Bad Boys and Motorcycle Gang Member with a Heart of Gold. You will have to watch them be cold and hungry and watch them as they get beaten up and you will have to watch them SUFFER because that’s what I like doing best to my characters.

Along the way there might be some sweet, sexy times, but my stories are always going to be on the low steam end of things because I’m too busy worrying about how old that stale piece of bread is that they’re about to eat. That’s just how it’s got to be – but I hope you’ll stick with me!

All the best,

Jackie