The fusillade, lighting up the night sky, missed the intended target and landed harmlessly in the ocean.

Burt's writing career went nowhere as his tastes ran to self-help books with such titles as "How to Make a Decent Cup of Coffee" and "The Proper Way to Blow Your Nose."

What he thought was true love was really a Russian computer program.

Her kiss-and-tell memoir was a dud, since it was the tenth to reveal the scandalous behavior of the congressman. 

Eric's book, which began as a suicide note and then kept growing, was nearing its conclusion and the author hadn't yet decided whether to kill himself or not.

Obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, he was continually duped into buying fake souvenir items, from undergarments to oven mitts, the star supposedly used.

The back-up singers hated one another and would often vie for aural dominance leading to cacophonous cat fights on stage.

Hassan, at one time considered a terrorist, now spent his time flipping burgers as a fry cook.

It was the first year in which her wedding anniversary passed without fanfare following the death of her husband.

 "That boy sure does think he's the cock of the walk," said Earl as Tad walked by in his new Sunday suit, his cap jauntily perched on his head.

Ruled by the tempestuous and volatile opinions of the blogosphere, the company treaded lightly when making any decisions.

Teresa, home-bound and broke, began working any and all scams that didn't require her to leave the apartment.

They twisted his words to their own ends.

The Tates hated their neighbors, the Thompsons, but were so good at hiding it that to the outside world they were the best of friends.

The smiles and loving glances were still visible in the faded wedding photograph.

Happy Roberts was the saddest clown of them all.

"When Ida ran out of things to say, she stopped talking and that was 40 years ago," her cousin told me as we ate chicken at the family reunion.

At 90, Arthur realized what it was he wanted to do with his life.

The party was over, the revelers gone, and only the empty bottles and dirty dishes remained.

With no children of her own and no one willing to publish her, Velma began a blog to pass on her wisdom to future generations.

With a whir and a bang Dr. Tittle got his perpetual motion machine working again moments after his investors had slammed the lab door behind them.

The noise of jackboots on cobblestone kept residents indoors.

His view of the world was based on what passed by the window next to his sickbed.

Troy banged his head on the piano in frustration to the great thrill of the small audience and it was then that he realized he had just created a marketing ploy for his musical career.

Glancing back through the skeletal winter trees, he saw the beast — its muzzle already stained with the blood of his companion — steadily gaining ground.

Tequila bottle in one hand, gun in the other he waited in his room.

When Tina's memory began to falter she realized her unfinished memoir was in grave danger of staying that way.

Her career over at 12, when she went from cute to gangly,  the ex-child star became a Godsend for supermarket tabloids.