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Introduction |
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Femme Fatales When we proposed this issue, this is what we came up as an invitation to submit to HARDLUCK STORIES Femme Fatale: A good woman can bring out the best in a man. A bad woman can bring the exact opposite. While femme fatales can bring out both. These wily women use every God-given gift at their disposal, from the carnal to the cerebral, from crass to classy, from cunning to conniving to get their way. They are alluring, sometimes mesmerizing enough to lure their prey into destructive decisions. They are feline-exquisite, soft and beautiful, like the leopard — pound for pound, nature’s most efficient killing machine. These women can suck the life out of good guys, turn winners into chumps and leave pain-in-the-ass innocent bystanders panting in the gutter. When a man loves a woman, all goes by the board. But men aren’t necessarily the only prey to succumb to the charms of the femme fatale. Women can be seduced as well. Then again, there are men and women who know just how to handle these fatal females. The femme fatale has a long tradition in mystery fiction. You are invited to continue that tradition. Purposely, we did not even try to list any famous femme fatales such as DOUBLE INDEMNITY’S Phyllis Dietrichson, because the list might be as long as this book. I’ve known a few dangerous women in my life. None as dangerous as the ones in these pages, but some were pretty close. In nature, the female is often the more efficient hunter – especially among felines and canines, not to mention the arachnids such as our local black widow spider. I know, I should also mention the preying mantis. We humans tend to think of our men as hunters and our women - nest builders, however, we know that’s not always the way it goes. Which, in my opinion, makes humans the most interesting creatures on the planet. All right, I admit, my viewpoint is probably slanted, since I’m part of that species. But you have to admit, we’re the top dogs on this world (for now) and our mating rituals are as varied and unique as snowflakes. How did John Lennon put it? “Whatever gets you through the night.” Well, ladies and gents, some of the men in these pages don’t make it through the night. Some deservedly so. We invite you to make a date with one of these lethal ladies and see what happens.
O'Neil De Noux, March 2007
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