All Comments on 'A Perfect She-Devil'

Less a comment regarding She Devil, but more about trying to be published elsewhere. And I STILL think you should try for a series about the Shack. You probably have enough for a limited series if you could get Netflix/or other streaming service to not care about no sex or nudity.

Another enjoyable story from a talented author.

Nuff said.

I confess to a weakness for both redheads and strong-willed women. I believe that I might be a bit in love.

Another very well written and greatly appreciated story - you're a master of your craft, and we're fortunate that you share your talents with us.

We might be seeing more of our mysterious witch you wrote about previously.

But this was awesome, just great,

Thoroughly enjoyed that story. 5*

Historical references, strong women, unusual romance and happy endings. What other glue does one need to read through to the end. Masterful story crafting. May you have many many more stories to share. Thank you for such wonderful delicious stories.

Amazing story, and once again a Five Star hit! Wishing you, and your family Happy Holidays! Semper Fi.

1st I'm glad that you have updated the death toll from the American Civil War. May people still use the old figure of 620000 deaths when in fact the new research shows that figure is probably close to 725000 or 750000

Your depiction of the Virginia Secessionist woman is pretty accurate. Like most people at the time they did not have a full grasp of all of the issues in the information that they had was of course heavily distorted.

This was particularly true of southerners who like trump voters tday werec and are deeply ignorant with regard to reality. Losing an election and having someone getting elected president of the United States that was not a Southerner is no reason to leave the Union and cause a Civil War.

the Southern States still dominated the Supreme Court as well as the senate so there was actually nothing that Lincoln and the abolitionists could do legally to end slavery... Unless of course the Southern States tried to leave the Union which is Allow the president to uses war powers act to end slavery in the rebellion States.

One other point with regard to the battle of brandy station And the impact that battle me of had on Jeb Stuart and his value to do his job at Gettysburg. Some new recent scholarship shows that in fact Stewart actually had conflicting orders and Lee did have enough Calvary to provide some reconnaissance with his advance up the Shenandoah Valley into central Pennsylvania. I hardly recommend the following book and for those who wish to learn more about this new scholarship

Eric Wittenberg and J. David Petruzzi ---Plenty of Blame to Go Around: J.E.B. Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg.

No need to worry about stepping outside your comfort zone for your writing. If this story is any indication the whole literary world is your comfort zone. It is very good and engaging. Have to love the spirited Mary. I'm sure this tale took a huge amount of research and while it can be rewarding it is sometimes daunting, I know.

Thanks for your hard work

Woodmanone

About time you seek publication. You are a true master of storytelling, sir.

My only regret is that it may cut down on your time to spin these yarns for us.

No matter the genre, your products are outstanding. Thanks for sharing another direction for enjoyment (but keep them cards and letters from The Shack and St Clair coming every now and then, y'all hear?)

Given the mediocre stuff the so-called mainstream publishers put forth, it is long since time that you joined the ranks of published authors.

As misplaced as her royalties ran, you have to love the spunk and courage of Mary Green.

Most that fight in a war, it is as simple as which country, which religion, even which part of the country they happen to be born in. That doesn't mean there are no right sides in a war, but most simply support an allegiance out of circumstance and the tribe they are born into.

Beautifully told story. There are many love stories told, within a major conflict or cataclysmic event, that seem so out of place told within a much more important story. This one is done absolutely beautifully!

"'Might' came out 'Maht' and 'Like' came out 'Lahk'." - Thank you for explaining the pronunciation rather than writing all the dialog phonetically.

Was "guerrilla" a term in use back then?

Excuse the nitpick but Hargrove is a "New York" Captain with the 1st New Jersey Cavalry?

Definitely a different sort of romance!

Would make a great TV movie, I think.

A 5* read.

Not bad, but not very good. Three stars is generous. It looks like some people are drinking the Koolaide.

John Singleton Mosby was so successful that Ulysses Grant ordered that if Mosby or his men were captured they were to be executed. Mosby survived the war and like many other Southerners moved to California where he was often a welcome visitor to the home of George S Patton's parents. It was there that Mosby would tell young George stories of his exploits during the war.

Harry is just projecting because his party is still salty about having to give up their slaves and having their latest plans to import more temporarily thwarted.

And to Harry in Virginia, ignorance is bliss. You must live in a constant state of joy.

Enjoy 2020.

"Unfortunately, there was simply nothing appropriate about the lithe young woman to start with, and while she did seem to have a surplus of handholds, they were, like the girl herself, far from polite."

Great characters, lovely scenery, arresting writing - excellent work. Again. I enjoyed every minute of it and I'm looking forward to your next story as well as to your first book. And please give my regards to the Missus.

I enjoyed this a lot. Very entertaining. I fwded the info to a very good friend who I think will identify with Mary. Her response was "Fuckin A"

A masterfully written story. Thank you so much for sharing.

Always a pleasure when I can.

Wonderful tale. Full marks and a tip of this gentleman's hat.

A very well written and entertaining story. Thanks.

What a great story. This deserves to become one of the best all time high scoring stores. A really good read

This is a brilliant story. Fun and entertaining, yet historically interesting. And it has a happy ending, which is a major plus. Well done, Todd.

To be here for a while. This is the second story I've read and if the rest are nearly as good as the two I've read so far... I suppose I'm surprised a bit by this story and a couple of comments as I have actually read about and was aware of Mary Jane Green and Moseby's time spent with the future General George Smith Patton that lead to his eternal passion for cavalry that was transformed into armored stratagies. Thank you and the Missus for the information in a fine story. Signed: BTW

Wonderful story and great writing again. Congrats and best of luck on getting published. You will have several of us joining the ranks to purchase your upcoming work! Believe Colonel Mosby is gaining popularity here. A subject of a great story by JoeDreamer in another Randi led literary event not too long ago.

Thanks for sharing your stories and talent!!

DS

...wonderful.

by a true master. 5*

It's taking me forever to read because I have to force myself to stop laughing every 30 seconds. This maybe the best story I've ever read on this site so far. I knew I was going to love it in the very beginning when Mary said she didn't mean to kill him when she shot him for the third time.

This is one of those stories you can't wait to read but at the same time, you never want it to end. Well, back to reading. I can't wait to see what she does next.

and not your best. But cant all be swings and hits. Good luck on publishing!

The female characters are engaging and, for the most part, hilarious. This was a fun read, but I must say I'm even more of a fan of the Shack and Needles stories. Thank you for writing.

As for Harry in VA. If he is a published "Civil War" author, standards have fallen precipitously. First, it was a war of independence between states with one side seeking independence and the other seeking to prevent it. It was not a war over who was entitled to rule all of the states from Washington. Second, women in Virginia were no less well informed that men in Virginia or Northerners, for that matter. Third, of course in 1861 NO ONE was aware of the Republicans post hoc "higher" rationalization for invading the South, an expedient first used only to keep Britain from recognizing the South and that didn't get wide circulation until after the end of the war. If Harry did something as simple as read Lincoln's First Inaugural and the Corwin Amendment he might be distressed to see that the claim that that Lincoln waged the war to end slavery is ridiculous. If Lincoln had said the purpose of the war was to end slavery, there would have been no Union Army. Abolitionists in the North were a vanishingly small percentage of the Northern population, and Northerners would not have fought for abolition. As Thomas DiLorenzo and others have conclusively shown, Lincoln's invasion of the South, which had the support of Northern industrial and commercial interests, was motivated by a feared loss of tariff revenue and the protection the tariffs provided Northern business special interests. The public rationale was a crude, malignant appeal to nationalism in the form of "saving" the "Union". That form of "Unionism" has no basis in the Constitution. The colonies obviously believed in a right of states to secede. This was further confirmed when nine of the states seceded from the government under the Articles of Confederation to form a new federal republic under the Constitution, the language about "Perpetual Union" in the Articles notwithstanding. The Constitution itself is, as pointed out in Federalist Papers, one of strictly enumerated powers, none of which includes giving the federal goverment the right to force states to remain in the Union. Moreover, the Constitution reserves such unenumerated powers to the states. As for the "Rebellion" lie, the process followed by the Southern states regarding declaring independence was more orderly and democratic than that followed by the colonies in the Revolutionary War, and at least as orderly and more democratic than the process followed in seceding from the Articles of Confederation and ratifying the Constitution. As for the behavior of the Union armies in the South during the war, even Sherman said if they didn't win they could justifiably be hanged for war crimes.

While I realize that embracing the Post-War Unionist myths about the noble nature of the war is a kind of "virtue signalling" for virtually everyone these days, its foundation is historical falsehoods, omissions, and distortions. The War Between the States was a disaster motivated by merchantilism and malignant nationalism. Maybe one day we will grow up and realize that that was was more than a tragedy, it was a crime.

Loved the image that you portrayed of the she-devil.

What a fabulous story! Love it! 5 stars. Any day there’s a new Todd172 story is a very good day!!

I wonder what Anon who thinks this is only a 3 star story has ever written?

Harry in Va never seems short on opinions. He spews them out like diarrhea. And the commentor who said Harry’s just salty because his party had to give up their slaves - I almost blew beer out my nose, lol.

Todd, I wish you and the missus great success! And I hope you never get tired of writing!

Case of mistaken identity - no relation between the Mosby in this great work by Todd172 and Mosey in JoeDreamer’s Great and Terrible Things. My apologies to both authors. Still this another fantastic read!!

DS

I loved this story. As an amateur historian, I'd never heard of Mary Jane Green but you can bet I'm now going to research her. Of course this is 5*s all the way.

As a huge Civil War buff, 26thNC, I absolutely loved this story, and the remarkable She Devil. She was an astonishing heroine, and very true to her times, and people. Col Lodge was ok, for a mercenary Yankee. The action was well presented and seemed authentic to me. Your knowledge of the weapons of the era is spot on. I have the honor to own both an 1860 Army Colt, an 1851 .36 Navy Colt, a family legacy, and a p

pair of 1860 Light Cavalry Sabers in my collection. I'm still enjoying this one , and although every story great, this.my favorite. Thank you.

WELL DONE WROTE --- "As for Harry in VA. If he is a published "Civil War" author, standards have fallen precipitously."

It's funny and quite insightful that YOU have gotten your panties in a bunch over innocuous and self evident comment I made. You can always count on white supremacists libertarians secret supporters of KKK to bring out radical extreme nut cases likeThomas DiLorenzo

..."First, it was a war of independence between states with one side seeking independence and the other seeking to prevent it. It was not a war over who was entitled to rule all of the states from Washington. ..."

>>>At no point in my comment above did I claim otherwise ... so why are you saying I did?

...."Second, women in Virginia were no less well informed that men in Virginia or Northerners, for that matter. Third, of course in 1861 NO ONE was aware of the Republicans post hoc "higher" rationalization for invading the South, an expedient first used only to keep Britain from recognizing the South and that didn't get wide circulation until after the end of the war. ..."

>>> again so what? I never said otherwise!!!! . In fact I specifically stated that Lincoln had NO power or constitutional right to end slavery as long as the southern states stayed in the union.

..."If Harry did something as simple as read Lincoln's First Inaugural and the Corwin Amendment he might be distressed to see that the claim that that Lincoln waged the war to end slavery is ridiculous....".

>>> again you fucking redneck neo confderate retard I NEVER said Lincoln waged war to end slavery

...". If Lincoln had said the purpose of the war was to end slavery, there would have been no Union Army. ..."

.>>> Yet AGAIN you idiot I never said otherwise . I Fully AGREE WITH YOU

..."Abolitionists in the North were a vanishingly small percentage of the Northern population, and Northerners would not have fought for abolition.... "

>>> In 1861 yes you are correct. By 1864 you are 100% dead wrong

" As Thomas DiLorenzo and others have conclusively shown, Lincoln's invasion of the South, which had the support of Northern industrial and commercial interests, was motivated by a feared loss of tariff revenue and the protection the tariffs provided Northern business special interests...."

>>> Ah the neo confederarevb white suprmacist DiLorenzo defense !! LOL

..."The public rationale was a crude, malignant appeal to nationalism in the form of "saving" the "Union". That form of "Unionism" has no basis in the Constitution"

>>> You are mentally ill if you believe that. In fact the constitution specifically allows the president to call up the militia to suppress armed insurrection. It speaks volumes that retards like you can even recall the actual sections of the constitution and how the president is to handle armed insurrection and rebellion

"The colonies obviously believed in a right of states to secede. This was further confirmed when nine of the states seceded from the government under the Articles of Confederation to form a new federal republic under the Constitution, the language about "Perpetual Union" in the Articles notwithstanding."

>>> BUT that is the KEY point you idiot. The term "Perpetual Union" DOES matter.

..."The Constitution itself is, as pointed out in Federalist Papers, one of strictly enumerated powers, none of which includes giving the federal goverment the right to force states to remain in the Union. "

>>> It does not say that at at all --- in ANY of the federalist papers. Libertarians kooks like you make this shit up all the time. If it did say that YOU would cite the passage

"Moreover, the Constitution reserves such unenumerated powers to the states. As for the "Rebellion" lie, the process followed by the Southern states regarding declaring independence was more orderly and democratic than that followed by the colonies in the Revolutionary War, and at least as orderly and more democratic than the process followed in seceding from the Articles of Confederation and ratifying the Constitution."

>>> AGAIN SO WHAT? Even if you're stupid enough to believe is that there is a constitutional right to leave the union that requires political action or statement to trigger or justify leaving the union. As even you stated above in his inauguration address Lincoln stated that he had no right to end slavery and therefore there was no reason to leave the union. The confederate states tried to leave the union after the 1860 election and before Lincoln was inaugurated. This was not constitutionally justified.

>>> As for the behavior of the Union armies in the South during the war, even Sherman said if they didn't win they could justifiably be hanged for war crimes.

Sherman NEVER said that. That fake quote has been going around for decades. Sherman was a great man and I hope my ancestors killed many of yours.

The civil war was a great thing that destroyed fascism and slavery in America and your defense of white supremacy and white nationalism reveals to all how would deeply disturbed and ignorant neo confederates idiots like you still are in the 21st century.

At no point did I talk about whether or not Lincoln said at the beginning of the war it was about slavery. At no point did I say it was about saving the union. At no point in my initial essay did I say that the southern states was justified or not

justified in leaving the union. All I stated was that there was no justification after the November 1860 election for the southern states to leave the union since of course Lincoln was not even inaugurated until March 1861

But this doesn’t change the fact that southern declarations of secession made clear holding onto slavery was a key reason for that fight for “independence.”...

Oh, I also enjoyed the story, Todd172; thank you!

5starrs .........as usual

It flowed from beginning to end. It captured the mixed emotions of a war where brother fought brother and the enemy was often a friend or even a relative. This was very well done. I salute you.

I can completely see John Wayne and Vera Miles playing this out on the big screen. 5*

One more feather in Todd's colorful hat.

And the hat of The Missus.

Great writing, play with words,

and, as always, wonderful humor.

Top ratings from me.

Wonderful characters who we engage with, wreathed in smiles, from the beginning and don’t want the story to end. Funny and gorgeous, with pain and pathos aplenty, lovely scenes and great plot moments to keep us interested. This is one on my favourites that I will again and again, even though I know the ending, simply because of the brilliance of this wonderful journey of words.

Well, I guess Sweetie qualifies as ‘adventurous!’ But probably not by LW standards. As best we can tell, she was ready to shoot (with a low-power boot pistol) anyguy (blue or grey) who happened into her sleeping area.

Only quibble ...

Bullet train from Galena, IL to Boston, MA. Maybe Liz and Sweetie She-Devil took a jet plane? 12 Dec.1865 was a busy day!

5*

The Confederacy was one of the vilest regime's ever to exist. It is high time the Lost Cause romanticising stopped.

Satisfying and fun in every way--just beautifully done. I bow down to a master (even if his riders use "reigns" rather than "reins").

Thanks, ohio

Great plot, well-developed characters, excellent writing. Thanks.

as always...

Quibbles? The motivation for the infatuation of the female lead with the male (more or less) lead (I'm not really sure who was the male lead) seemed a bit thin to me. A nurse would have sat with her, in many situations, through the ordeal. Getting married might help do it, but the motivation for getting married was... delusional. Not exactly knowing that she was married was an interesting bit of writing, and kept the interest up... I laud you for that one. Since I had to toss a SOD card for the infatuation, the "love conquers all" ending kinda overdrew the bank.

I imagine the female lead being played by a younger Kathy Bates.

On the other hand... I heard "... by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." in my mind as I was finishing the story. It took me aback - I thought "Damn, Todd is a true patriot", which is kinda obvious... but here he is speaking a larger thing.

Have to think about it - as my suggested reading relates, there are texts which enlargen themselves by rereading and contemplation. May I suggest https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2019/11/reading-gettysburg-address-abraham-lincoln-eva-brann-90.html for something on the Gettysburg address?... in particular the concerns about the long time between the Revolution and the Civil War, and the attendant loss of history.

For those of you hungering for Hot Links for the Wine and Roses invitational, they are to be found in the Romance Section.

Green-something

(ps - my apologies to the author for a bit of hijacking of his discussion... and I don't want to get into any discussions about the Civil War.)

...will your work be available for purchase? Ever since “Soldier Girl”, I’ve loved most everything you’ve gifted to the pages of Literotica. Mary stands prominently amidst the remarkable heroines you and the Missus have conjured. As inadequate as it seems to say, thank you.

I definitely would buy this for my kindle library if it was available, along with just about anything else you wrote.

...editors, beta readers, and of course, the readers who have been supportive since we started. Knowing that we've provided some distraction from daily life for a few people is a great feeling. The idea that thousands of people have taken some time from their hectic lives is amazing - there is always so much to do every day, and yet readers still take time to take in our tales. Thank you, that's really the highest compliment a story teller can get.

Like most large wars, the American Civil War was really several different wars. Mary Jane Green's war in what became West Virginia was just a very small slice of the much larger war, with its own motivations beliefs and factions. I've found that to be common in most of the wars I've been involved in.

As to the errors - entirely my fault - there were no bullet trains. I was supposed to put 22 December there. I originally had then-Captain Lodge join in the charge with the 8th NY Cavalry, but after reviewing accounts of Brandy Station, I changed it to the 1st New Jersey, but missed that Captain.

Thanks again,

Todd & The Missus

I may be a dinosaur, but I’m not on Facebook, so please leave a note here somewhere when you do get published. I will buy your published book, even if they are rewrites of your stuff here on this site. Would love the chance to support your work.

Thanks for another good story, and thank you for all the time and effort you put in to entertain us.

K.S.

A very enjoyable read! Thank you!

I live in a small town in Tennessee and for at least 50 years at only tavern we celebrate Major Mosby Day on his birthday (Didn't know he made Colonel). My friends and I spend all the night before bar-b-Qing a hog and serve it free. Good job.KnK

Ninth of June 1863:

... catch the reigns of riderless horses ...

... he reached over and grabbed the reigns of the blood-drenched horse ...

Lose the "g"

Yeah, I like your humour and writing style, especially, “Was like a penis... but smaller”. Funniest insult I ever read. I’ll buy your book.

Said and done

Great story, well told, thank you. The slave state rebellion against the USA was our darkest chapter. Inhuman.

Brilliant writing and editing. You sir, as is sometimes said of great writers, have a way with words. Hoping that when this story, when it gets to Hollywood, has you to write and edit the screenplay. Cheers!

Excellent story, really loved the ending.

Storyteller!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The war of northern aggression was horrible. The yankees wanted to take over and steal the South, so they forced a war.

They freed the slaves to punish the South and hurt the economy. It was never about slavery, just yankee greed.

The serb's have Ratko mladic as their hero war criminal, the yankees have several the most prominent being william tecumsah sherman, who killed and raped women, and children both black and white, destroyed slaves homes and food supplies, and was an all around murderous piece of trash. His men were responsible for the starvation and death of tens of thousands of non-combatents, including slaves.

...that she was sexy, but you sure painted her to be such a hellion, and the process of getting them together was such a slow burn. It proved quite endearing to see her mellow and really come to love him.

I thoroughly enjoyed every word! 5

But I mistakenly voted a 4 instead of a 5. Shit!

Abraham Lincoln: "TAXES"

"The Civil War: A Narrative" by Shelby Foote

is worth reading the nearly 3,000 pages. For The Truth.

I'm a native San Franciscan. I was taught Yankee History.

Wonderful piece, never saw it coming , hat off

...but got a romance instead. Definitely mislabeled.

Fun story, sort of an odd romance. The writer likes to keep his stories together that's one reason it is in the LW category. Besides that she was married to the Lieutenant, remember? And she was a loving wife, shot him to save his life!

what the fuck r u babbling about u old asshole....

Great story with some wonderful lines including "I would send her to England just to keep her away for a while, but I believe that would be considered an act of war."

Don't see anything wrong with the classification as LW.

love your stories. Looking forward to more.

great story

A very enjoyable story.

Different even great I gave you a 5 but would have preferred a 10 for different, writing and positive ending.

As are all of your stories - my best to you and The Missus. I have followed you on FB.

I can almost picture the scene. Of course which house is irrelevant but from having been there a half dozen times ,y imagination says the Galena home was on the “West” Bank of the Galena River. Most assuredly high enough to see across the river.

Great story. Thanks for writing it.

Sturdy, authentic, *****

Todd posted this on his profile page where very few will read it.

We have novelized the first three Needles and Delaney stories into an ebook on Amazon, titled, originally enough as "Needles and Delaney." We did that partly because so many have asked us to, partly because it was just something new to do, and partly as to protect the work - there are people who skim sites for stories then publish them as ebooks under false names. Some of the real heavy hitters here have had that happen to them.

Doc Spirit 3

Oh, by the way, I loved this story.

Doc Spirit 3

No wonder I couldn't find it in romance....a rollicking good story

Interesting tale

Recreation of a historical lady in a heart touching manner

She was a brave woman established herself in the field of war... A men's world.

Just like Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod, better known by the stage name Mata Hari....

I've also send you a friend request on facebook to connect with you in future

I sill think this I one of the best on this site. A tragic event, the American Civil War, and some if that is portrayed but this love story with it humour, pathos and sentimentality make it extremely readable and enjoyable.

Great, including humor!

I like this story a lot, I feel you are a better than good writer bordering on great. You have a feel for making things real!

Great work!!!!!!

I only wish I could give you a 6star rating

A really great story well told. You are an especially talented writer who obviously does extensive research. I would like to thank you for the hours of pleasant reading you have provided

I grew up in Alabama with stories of the war of Northern aggression as the war was called at school.I heard about a number of women like her.They fought alongside our men and distinguished themselves in battle.Gos bless them they have my undying gratitude and respect.Great story as usual from Todd.

Congratulations to the assembly of talent. Under the circumstances it seems impossible to thank any One.

I totally enjoyed this story. This is the last story of yours I have read. I now have read all your stories and some more than once or twice. Maybe some as many as four or five times. I look forward to more stories from you and the Missus. I have purchased your book from Amazon and look forward to more being published. Keep up the good work.

Great story.

Brilliant story. Really enjoyed it and all the technical and historical details at the end.

One equal to the best of any I've ever read on LIT. Thank you.

Simply a masterpiece in short story entertainment. A masterpiece of writing, a masterpiece of creativity, a masterpiece of thought and design, a masterpiece of research and story building upon that, and a masterpiece of editing as well. I'll be looking at the rest of your work here.

Good story, liked the back ground you provided at the end.

Very enjoyable and 5 stars awarded, particularly because Miss Green was such a cantankerous person. Loved the charcterisations, if that's the correct word and the storyline kept me reading 'till the end. If I was to quibble about one minor detail it's Irish Mary's manner of speaking. For example, Irish people do not normally say "nae" unless perhaps they've lived in Scotland for a very long time; which of course did happen a lot. So maybe Irish Mary was actually Scottish Mary but was thought to be Irish.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Had to read it again, love this story!

Wonderful story. humorous and sad at the same time. The stats on the civil war were appreciated and disheartening at the same time. The stats on the Vietnam war really piss me off. Over 50 thousand died in that and it was fought from DC by politicians. Now Vietnam is a trading partner?????????????

I was in the Army 64 thru 66, three years I lucked out got sent to Germany, had good time there just met a girl then screwed up and got sent to France, what hole that was. Never met more rude people in my life. Got out of the Army just as they were starting to big build up in 67 for Nam. I was very fortunate. Keep writing Todd you do great work. Thanks to all your editors and proof readers. Oh ya, don't forget the most important one, The missus'!