The Wife Returns – a story of literary polygamy

Guest Post by William H. Johnson

In January 2010, I wrote a blog post called Back Pocket Mistress – story of literary infidelity. It was about how, after a turbulent love affair riddled with differences that seem irreconcilable, I abandoned a long time story of passion for another. The mistress, as I called her, The Dark Province: Son of Duprin, was only weeks from being released as my debut novel. All was going well, our relationship was a dream. We celebrated our love publicly by day and by night returned to the bedroom to conceive a sequel. Then the wife came back. She walked right into the bedroom, the one we used to share exclusively, and slammed the door.

Many writers are no stranger to juggling multiple major projects at once. However until recently I was a serial monogamist. I wrote short stories here and there and poetry to keep fresh and I directed staged plays on a regular basis. But I was married to one major writing project and that was this small town love story. In 2003 the mistress crept onto the scene and slowly took control of my heart. She was calm, cunning, and collected. Her touch was compelling; her hands smooth and soft. She was a responsive lover that turned whispers of longing into private memories strong enough to sustain a man for days without food or water. By the summer of 2006 I was locked in her trance. I excused my long time spouse and she left angry and embittered.

Now she stood staring at us and the glare she gave me and my mistress was the kind of look that could make the air in the room swirl about violently. She’d just come from the gym. Her hair was lifted back from her face and sweat still wet her temples. Her arms glistening with feminine strength and her legs were shaped like those of a runner. Her words were cutting with brutally honest confessions and she demanded I returned to her.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. There was something about her that was different… compelling. She continued making demands. There was no filter for her enraged words. Let me tell you—she’s really, really sexy when she’s angry. She always has been. I couldn’t say no.

The tables have turned for the moment. The mistress now must stand momentarily to the side as the original wife and I work out our differences. We’re both a little older now, a little more mature. We both know what it is we want from each other. I expect that we’ll all agree to live together, how harmonious that will be remains to be seen. As for me? Typical guy—I’m pretty excited about the prospects. I’ve come to a satisfying conclusion: literary polygamy ain’t such a bad thing.

Time to buy a bigger bed.

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"The Dark Province: Son of Duprin" by William H. Johnson

 An epic fantasy adventure about a man who must defy his religion to follow his faith.

Sitting in the honored stalls of the Crystal Sanctuary, Calvin Gooding should be rejoicing in the message he receives from the Holy King of Duprin. But his heart is heavy. He awaits the carriage in which he must ride to deliver the fated news to his family. Time has run out.

In the midst of sorrow, exhaustion, and uncertainty, a sorceress from the Dark Province appears to Calvin. She promises to make his terminally ill twin sister, Marilyn, well again. As twins, Calvin and Mari share a special bond, and Calvin will do almost anything to save his sister’s life. But in order to free Mari from death’s grip, the sorceress claims that Calvin must travel to the Dark Province–a land where souls and flesh are devoured by the lawless and the spirit of man is bound in shackles. It’s a reckless land dominated by morally corrupt warlords and open sexuality.

Wrapped tightly in his religion, Calvin must make a life-altering decision. He can choose to follow the sorceress into the sinful abyss to save his sister, or he can accept a life of guilt and certain torment over her death.