Susan Hoeflich
Bio
Storytelling is an Artform that is fundamental in growing the human in general. Stories of every kind have been an integral part of who I have become. I can explore and express every part of the human psyche. Writing as therapy? Yes.
Stories (3)
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Open water, closed minds. How one woman, the Sea, and a Dangerous Shark changed an ancient, outdated rule in one intense adventure.
Seychelle was just 20 years old a day ago. Her namesake came from the Achepallago Seychelles, a large grouping of many small islands off the African coast, and was given to her (she always thought it was a weird name) by her mother, whom she had never known. Seychi (her around Island nickname) was told all the time that she looked just like her gorgeous (always big emphasis here, she thought she looked like Caps.) mama. She had come to accept that she most likely never would meet her Mother, as she was a renowned Marine Biologist off to save the World's Oceans far away. Seychi decided long ago it was 0kay, what and who she had was fine for her, it was cool what her mom did; after all, she was out to do pretty much the same. Yes, she had her very own idea of how she could make a difference during her stay on the planet. Suddenly remembering through her soggy Birthday haze, she had brazenly stated to her closest people what her "Grand plan" really was. She, Seychi aka; "Fishfin" was going to become a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer. She recalled that after she finished speaking, you could've heard a pin drop. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with several emotions at once. She was relieved that she had told everyone, terrified that she had committed and could not, would not turn back. Seychelle was well aware of the percentage of successful female candidates to males and she did not really mind. After all, wasn't she just like her mother? As she continued to think through what she had said, how her friends and others she cared for reacted, she became more and more sure of herself and that her decision to become one of the few females to attempt becoming a full ranking U.S. Coast Gaurd rescue swimmer was the right one. Seychelle to0k a deep breath and hopped out of bed to make her signature Cuban Coffee "Fog Breaker" for Dadso before he started grumbling louder than his stomach.
By Susan Hoeflich4 years ago in Fiction
A Magical Warrior, her Destiny, and a Saphire that held the Seven Seas
Oldensfleur blooms were so fragrant and always reminded Selvexa of home by the sea. Selvexa woke to the strong scent of Oldensfleur. They came in from the small vecht windows in the hall and were a gift from the Highst Generals, considered valuable and given only to Priestesses in the Breeders sechtr of Oldenlight Clan. Feeling a heavy fog from the potent elixir she took for sleep, the smell She knew roused her awake, always for some reason, that aroma also made her feel sad. She didn't know why and that drove her mad. She tried to avoid the urge to tip her nose up and inhale deeply, the heady scent reminiscent of her beloved sea. She failed to resist, inhaled, then a sad smile, because she could only feel a loss she didn't understand. That emotion brought unbridled anger that always took her thoughts to a darker place, like the one she was in now.
By Susan Hoeflich5 years ago in Futurism
Creating is a powerful form of self-expression. I find that using a medium that suits my current feeling brings me to comfort and a place of Zen.
My very first memory of my Mother doing something that I was so curious about, so interesting to me that I would get scolded and told to stop bugging her, was of her sitting intently at her sewing table. She was surrounded by lengths of colorful fabric and shiny things. As a little girl that was impossible to resist! It was even more interesting to me than Grandma baking in the kitchen, while I sneakily picked fresh Peaches from her tree. When I reminisce about these moments so long ago, Nostalgia surrounds my heart, and my chest gets tight. The smells of...I can't describe, I never can! A warm summer's eve, and the inexplicable delight of being alive. I truly was a little girl in happily forever after-Ville. Really it's needless to say, but as I grew older my interests naturally expanded to things l was strangely unaware of before. They suddenly surrounded me. Even still, the pleasant experiences of early childhood, enabled a keen sense of color, smell, and texture. I of course did not know what that meant for me at the time, but my mother was happy about it, and when my Mommy was happy, the world was a good place to be. So here I will return to the Child that remembers with rosy-cheeked exuberance, the very first flouncy blouse, without Rick Rack (if you were born after 1980 it is forgiven, if not in your personal dictionary.) I think it was in 2nd grade, and I was so proud of my new "Stevie Nicks" blouse. It was truly a hit that first debut, so much that my teacher inquired as to where my Mom bought that "Fab blouse". I was beaming, and to this day is a favorite memory. This is a true story, so it is not all sugar plums, believe me, there's all that the behind closed doors stuff too. Not that I will tell...we'll see. What I am trying to lead into, is at the end of the day my mother was an "Outside the Box," exceptional seamstress, beyond the times. I wore homemade clothing, all except for the fashion impossible designer jeans of the day. I'm sure most of you are familiar, "Chemin de Fer, Souvenirs, Dittos, etc?" Must-haves for teens then. My other clothing was a mystery to strangers, as far as they knew, I was hitting the Fashion District in San Fran every Fall! My closest girlfriends were the only ones who had the whole down-low. We were all pretty surprised when I took the yearbook title for "Best Dressed Female" in the whole eighth grade. I was not Miss Popularity or any such nonsense, but you'd think it might of been nice of me to give my Mom a little Love right? I didn't, being the teenage, (14 years ancient) Narcissist that I was at the time. Shame haunts me now as it should because my Mom has sadly passed on too soon, and if I could go back, (her words ringing in my head hanging low), "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, Susan Lyn" I would shout out to all just how wonderful she was and not just a Seamstress, she was a multi-talented, well rounded Renaissance Woman. As well the Strongest woman, unshakeable, unbreakable, unbeatable. Just completely everything I wish I could, but never will be. That is a small lead into the graces of my Mom, for none of us have enough time to do her justice. Now to the to real of what I am telling you about. I am an Artist. Full to the hilt Libra-Virgo, and I am not afraid to embrace my flakiness, I like to think it makes me mysterious. I don't mind if people think otherwise, I'm old now at 53 so I like to think what I want of other people as well, keeps it interesting! I'm als0 sensitive, Librans trait as well so please don't feel free to tell me if your thoughts are unkind as I will do likewise. Having said what about my life I think adequate for explaining my Artistic drive, I am not the Scissor Wizard that was my Mom, but I do use them daily for my various crafts and experimental as well as fundamental endeavors. I am mainly a Sketch Artist, that is what came to me as just a breeze, a wonderful gift by any means. I believe it comes from my Fathers' side. Remember my aforementioned Grandma in the kitchen? She was a Non-proclaimed and very talented sketcher of birds. Any and all kinds of birds, and cats too. Birds and Cats, playing together in harmony. She could also write. She made all the Church-ladies have to use their hankies, and she would get so mad at me for laughing. Hey, it was funny when their makeup was all runny, I was a kid, and a Tomboy that didn't cry ever, (in church anyway)I had my tears more than enough, later on when I figured out I was only crying because I was a Libra for sure. I was so mad at that Idiotic crap that went on and changed signs to be a Gemini. I always wanted to have a twin or any sibling for that matter. Soon it came to be, I started to get in trouble in sch00l, mostly in Math class for doodling all over my papers. "Remember the days of "show your work?" They are no more, kids today have it easy comparatively. I guess they didn't appreciate the kind of work I was showing. Being the way she was, rather than suppress my urges to draw on everything every chance I could, (sans her walls in my ro0m) she put me to work in UC Davis annex art classes in the afternoons, only if I quit drawing on my schoolwork, and finished my homework assignments to her satisfaction. Staunch and Stern, she was a Norwegian all the way on that kind of thing. I will note that I am very grateful for that today, not so much then. That is a gift, as it was because I received a much more than adequate public school education. So it was then, throughout grade school, and Junior-High I happily partook in all the art stuff I was mature enough to enjoy. I even made some college-age "friends" I did not know that in time they were going to become priceless mentors to me in the future. That statements bring to mind how endless time seemed then compared to these flash in the pan type of days I am enduring now. Youth is so terribly unappreciated when we are in the midst of it, and that is sad to me, in retrospect. So as the tales trudges along towards the summer of my 14th year, these entities called boys became the most important factor of my focus. I seemed to lose interest in just about everything else, except my favorite tv shows, such as you may have gathered the 70's so...Partridge Family, need I embarrass myself further? I sort of disconnected with my Mom too, and it was no secret that she was none too happy with her "teenage" exorcist reject wanna be so "Cool" version of Me. I still did not mind the homemade clothing, but none of the kids at school were noticing me, and I did notice that to the extreme. I had become the blender type of girl, boring and unnoticeable. Unacceptable to me, even though before, these matters simply did not matter. (Ugh) is the only suitable response to who I thought I had to suddenly become.
By Susan Hoeflich5 years ago in Styled
