This is a sticky – That means, it’s always going to be at the top 
Just a reminder to not miss my blog CAUTION: Diva Driving about the trip I’m taking this summer driving around the country.
Chat Postponed July 7, 2009
Sorry for the late notice everyone, but I’m afraid that due to unforeseen circumstances, the Live Blog Chat with Tera Lynn Childs has been postponed….this is only good news! It means you still have time to pick up her Rita Nominated book before the winner is announced this month!
Book Club News: Tera Lynn Childs Joins Us June 22, 2009
GREAT NEWS! Rita Nominated Tera Lynn Childs will be joining us for our next book for Luv YA Book Club on Book Club will meet Tuesday, July 7th at 9pm EST. Get ready to jump in!
Check out Tera Lynn Childs HERE and Oh.My.Gods HERE.
Past Rita books Book Clubs:
Tina Ferraro – ABCs of Kissing Boys
Rosemary Clement-Moore – Hell Week
Knowing When Not To Blog June 20, 2009
I’m curious if other people go through spots like this….when the focus has to be on writing or real life or both.
If you’re following me, you know I’m leaving to drive around the country. I’ll be camping and couch surfing, hanging with other writers and spending time solo. I’ll be doing highways and back roads, scenic stops, historic spots and tourist traps…. want to come along, check the trip out: www.divadriving.wordpress.com
But, what I’ll be really focused on is my writing and my own path. I’m excited to see the country, but I’m also excited to be a little schedule-less (except for those DDots) — I haven’t been blogging because I’ve been on yet another deadline and the Diva Drive deadline, but, not what I’m schedule free, I expect I’ll be letting you all know how my writing life and writing career are going again (oh yeah! I know you’ve all been sitting at home hitting the refresh button over and over anxiously awaiting my updates *snort*)
So, bloggers — what makes you take a blogging break?
Excerpt Monday – Cami’s First Kiss – Part 3 June 15, 2009
Welcome to my Excerpt Monday post. Want to get involved? Click HERE – and my partner in crime, Mel Berthier HERE.
This is the 3rd installment of Cami’s First Kiss. For the first 2, click Cami’s Page above.
Rejected and ridiculed I pivoted to leave the heckler alone at the bar where I’d found him, where he deserved to be. In typical Jenna Form, my sleeve caught on the arm of the empty stool, tipping it over and tripping me up. An annoyingly strong arm caught me around the waist and lifted me away from the wreckage before I joined it on the beer-soaked floor.
“Whoa there,” a voice rumbled behind me, his chest reverberating against my back as he held in the laughter.
He was taller than he looked slumped over the bar. My head brushed under his chin as he lifted me over the stool and set me down. His hands slid around to my rest on my hips as if he were afraid I’d spontaneously fall over if he let go.
I probably would have.
“Now,” the voice re-rumbled. “Why don’t you explain to me what you and your little notebook are doing in this bar.”
The hands fell away and I turned, my nose almost brushing the crisp, button-down shirt.
It was truly unfortunate. If Lisbeth had said, describe your dream man, I would have – without a doubt – describe Mocking Guy having never even seen him before.
Tall enough to wear heels with. Dark hair flopping over wire rimmed glasses. White button-down, sleeves rolled and tucked into jeans tight enough to look good and loose enough to, well, to look good.
I glanced at the barstool lying on the floor and considered picking it up, but bending over in a bar seemed like a bad idea unless I was looking to get my butt smacked.
“Okay. Well, thanks.” I stepped over the stool, making sure each foot cleared by at least a clean inch when a warm hand clamped around my wrist.
“I don’t think so, Sunshine.” Mocking Guy pulled my notebook from my hand and settled back onto his stool. “This is the closest thing to fun I’ve had since my friend dragged me in here.”
I gaped at him. I mean, I’d written that description before. Teenagers seem to gape a lot, but now, doing it, I felt just plain stupid. Where were all my snappy comebacks? Obviously I needed someone to follow me and do instant re-writes on my personal scenes.
In horror, I watched him flip the notebook open and page through to tonight.
“NOTE: Although prone to stating embarrassing things in public, men seem to be easily embarrassed by forward-thinking women.” Mocking Guy cocked an eyebrow at me. “Forward-thinking women? Is that what you are?”
Rounding the stool, I came at him from the other side and snatched at my notebook. “Yes. You probably wouldn’t understand the concept, but not all women believe they need to do exactly what’s expected.”
“And yet, I have a feeling that you always do.” He smirked and leaned back, crossing his arms over a chest that matched the aforementioned broad shoulders.
“Please give that back.” I was horrified at the squeak my voice made and hoped he couldn’t hear it over the man warming up with his tin whistle.
“Just a minute.” Mocking Guy reached over the bar and snagged a pen. Flipping to the next blank page, he began scribbling, his left hand held out to keep me at bay. Then, with a nod to himself, he flipped the book closed and said. “Okay.”
“Okay what? Okay you’ve violated my privacy enough? Okay you wrote something sufficiently mocking? Okay I can chalk this experience up to ‘what not to do in public’?”
“So.” His hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me toward the bar. “Can I buy you that drink now?”
A good-looking guy wanted to buy me a drink at a popular nightspot. There were so many things wrong with that statement I couldn’t keep track of them all.
Glancing across the bar, I signaled Lisbeth to rescue me. I expect her to sweep down in all her gorgeousness, distract the arrogant man and allow me to regain my notebook. Instead, the traitor shook her head and motioned for me to do something – probably flirt – with him.
“Listen,” he said, forcing my attention back to him. “One drink and you can have your little scratchpad back.”
Before I could reach for it, he stood, shoved it in his back pocket and sat back down. How was I ever supposed to write in it again now that it had been rubbing against those jeans I had so admired a few minutes ago?
“Listen,” I tried to mimic his tone. “Give it back to me and I’ll introduce you to Lisbeth. All you had to do was ask nice.”
His whole face went all smirky-smirky and he glanced across the bar where Lisbeth was surrounded by a bevy of male model wannabes and a couple of geeky but successful-looking CEO type.
“So, if I asked nice, you’d cut me through that herd of followers to introduce me to your friend just to get this notebook back?”
“In a heartbeat.” That heartbeat stopped. He was going to ask me to introduce him to Lisbeth. The only guy who’d looked twice at me in six years, even if it was to laugh at me, and he was going to ask what every other guy did.
He eased his back against the bar, his hand still warm around my wrist, and leaned in to whisper over the growing noise of the crowd. “Not a chance, Sunshine.”
Links to other Excerpt Monday writers
Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.
Mel Berthier, Urban Fantasy (PG 13)
Christina DeLorenzo, YA (PG 13)
Bryn Donovan, Paranormal (PG)
MG Braden, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Babette James, Fantasy Romance (PG 13)
Cynthia Justlin, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Kaige, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Adelle Laundan, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Historical Romance (PG 13)
RF Long, Paranormal (PG 13)
Crista McHugh, Paranormal (PG 13)
Dara Sorensen, Paranormal (PG)
Next Luv YA Book Club: Oh. My. Gods. June 13, 2009
Our next book for Luv YA Book Club is going to be Tera Lynn Child’s Oh. My. Gods. It’s the final book in the Rita Nominee list for 2009 for us to read!
Book Club will meet Tuesday, July 7th at 9pm EST.
Yes, I know it’s earlier in the month than usual, but I definitely want us to read it before Nationals!
Check out Tera Lynn Childs HERE and Oh.My.Gods HERE.
Past Rita books Book Clubs:
Tina Ferraro – ABCs of Kissing Boys
Rosemary Clement-Moore – Hell Week
Query Letter: Markbearer June 12, 2009
I cannot believe how many hits my old query letter gets. And so, I thought it would be wise to show you the current version of Markbearer’s query letter. Enjoy
Dear Agent:
War ravaged the Birian Isles for more generations than the Lady’s historians have recorded. Now, an outside power greater than either of the small kingdoms threatens them both. Two young royals – one driven by logic, the other by emotion – find themselves connected by the Goddess-given marks they bear. Princess Faela of Elia and Prince Brennid of Seria each believe they have been born without a Markbearer, the skin-mark defining their lifemate, until they accidentally find one another during peace talks.
Headstrong Princess Faela buries her un-Elian emotions beneath the cool logic of her people. She could ignore that failing, if only her awkward height, gawky looks and missing Markbearer didn’t make her stand out in their staid world. The freedom to make her own choices means everything to her until the man bearing her mark arrives. Now she’ll do anything, even if it means denying the laws of her people and the Temple, to find her own path.
Passionate and driven, Prince Brennid envisions a future where the two isles regain the peace of their founders. The last thing he expects to find during the talks is the one thing that will allow him to claim his throne: his Markbearer. When Faela refuses him, he does what any arrogant, self-righteous prince would do – he kidnaps her in order to fulfill his role as the Serian leader predestined by the Goddess. Now he’s racing against Faela’s people, an unknown enemy and his own uncertainties to secure his throne and prepare for a war no mortal can win.
With a BA in English and a Creative Writing minor, and after stints as a teacher, teen mentor, youth leader, nanny, a shop girl, and paying the bills in HR, I’ve returned to my first love, writing. I’m the former Vice President of the local RWA chapter and the Workshop Chair for the 2008 Conference.
Markbearer, an epic Fantasy adventure interwoven with mythology, romance and intrigue is complete and available. While it can stand alone, I’ve envisioned it as the first book in a series and have begun the process of outlining and writing the next manuscripts.
Thank you for your time and looking at my work. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Bria Quinlan
Phone#
briaspage.wordpress.com
Looking Back at the Book June 11, 2009
I’ll openly admit how much went into writing Markbearer. A ton. Yeah.
But, cleaning out my files to begin book two, I noticed some things I did during the process that I’m glad I did.
- I used my Edit Cards system
These were remarkable at keeping me on task and moving forward. They also made sure that each step was getting done, because I don’t allow myself to move on until that card is in the done pile. Can I tell you how much I love watching the done pile grow? - To Do List
Every editing book/workshop/chat/etc tells you to read your book with a notebook next to you and write down the things to be fixed as you go. NOT to go back and find them and fix them right then. Yeah, I didn’t learn that during read thru #1, but I’m completely won over. It saves time AND sometimes what you’re going to change or fix gets adjusted as you get further along. - Kept a Cut File
Killing those darlings hurts! So when you rework your manuscript and realize that you can use bits and pieces (or even an entire scene), it isn’t just time-saving, its - Tracking character growth
There are several characters who are secondaries in book one, but who become main characters OR whose stories are key to the war going on in the series. To make sure they were complete, their stories were clear, fluid and consistent — I cut and paste all the scenes for each one into its own file and read them straight through. You wouldn’t believe how much tweaking happened in this phase. A lot of stuff people may not have noticed b/c it’s so spread out, but the characters and their stories are much clearer. - Minor character list
I’ll admit it, I need a world/series bible…yeah, if you want to do that for me, drop me a line. No? Well, that’s not surprising.
BUT, one thing I did do was keep a minor characters list. It helped me remember who the walk-ons were, what their role was, that their names (fantasy here, no Bob or Sallys) were spelled consistently. Also, if I needed a walk on character again, I went back to the list. There’s enough people in this world, it didn’t need someone more just to hold a door open. - Drew myself a map
It’s bad. No one will ever see it but me, but I know what the world looks like. Mountains can’t move…well, in my book. - Sitting on it
I had a 5 month period where I called it “done” and worked on something completely different. When people say you need to put your book away, all of us newbies go “I don’t have to” or “Two weeks is enough, right?” I can’t tell you how much it helped to put it away long enough that it wasn’t a fresh memory. Also, by switching out of that world…out of that GENRE… I came back to Markbearer with eyes so fresh that certain sections made me want to cry…sometimes good – sometimes not so good.
So, like every first novel, I learned some amazing lessons. And, no. I’m no where near giving up on this book. I have several partials, some fulls, and the revisions written by 2 agents (but requested by 3) out floating around. I’m excited about it again and using what I learned to make my next books go smoother from the beginning.
What lesson writing/editing lesson did you have to learn the hard way?
Readjusting June 1, 2009
The revisions are done and in. This book feels “more” done than ever — itmAs — I’m happy with the new ending I didn’t want to write. My beta readers are happy with the new ending the couldn’t wait till book 2 for. The night before it was to be sent, I woke up and said, “OH! This needs to have chapter 1 totally tossed out and rewritten from scratch!”
Well, that was fun — not. Ok, maybe a little.
I learned a TON about my own writing and about reader assumption. Chapter one is even more important than we’re lead to believe. Here’s why.
I had two people who read MB look at it and report back that I have no description in the book. I found this shocking. My CP found this shocking. My other beta readers found this shocking. Several people responded (when I did a temperature check with them) by writing me lovely emails describing my character, the world, the temples, rooms… and they were all alike. That was good. Imagine if they were all drastically different!
Well, in an amazingly odd conversation after reading the rewritten version, my CP asks, “So did you move all that description to the next chapter?”
When I told her, no. I just added new description in the new version she was pretty shocked. She gave examples of what she thought I’d lose. Luckily, I knew where each of those descriptions were in the book and could point them out off the top of my head. That got us both to pondering what I HAD lost by rewriting chapter one….and the most shocking revelation of my (short) writing career. There was NO description in chapter one. Not. One. Thing…Oh, except for that lovely opening line that had to get tossed. We paged through together feeling a little shocked.
Then I hit chapter 2 and there it was. Description. Chapter 3…check. Chapter 4…yup. And so on.
I’ll admit, description…. not my favorite thing. I did have to go through and strengthen what was there in each chapter (and that darn chapter 1), but it was there.
I asked people what they liked to read and if it was in my book. To a person, if they liked something that was strongly shown in chapter one…they said it was in the whole book. If they liked something that didn’t come in until later, they said it was missing or light…even if it was strong later in the book (even if later = chapter 2)
It really drove home to me how important it is to really have a powerful, well fleshed out first chapter. The mind is a funny thing. We look for what we enjoy and we set up our total experience by the beginning. Just think of the last time you went out for a nice meal. How hard is it for the waitress to recover from a horrible start? Yeah, it’s hard (I’ve been a waitress working with a meanie hostess…tips were always lower when she worked the door)
So, what’s your first chapter lacking? I know mine won’t be lacking description – ever again.
YAY! AND a Poll May 28, 2009
The revisions are in, so I guess I’ll get back to things like blogging after the move this weekend. To be honest, I’m proud of myself for putting aside things like blogging (which I typically enjoy) to just buckle down – it needed to be done and I did it.
Today, at work – there was a heated arguement: Darcy or Wentworth.
OK, so….
Wentworth, best stay true to love, love letter ever
Darcy…well, he’s Darcy.
So, what do you say?
I’m not talking the movie versions, I”m talking the books – who’s your man?
Free YA Paranormal Workshop May 25, 2009
Writing Paranormal Young Adult Fiction with Some of The Hottest Authors in the Genre
May 28th-30th at Romance Divas
Featuring:
Rachel Caine
Cassandra Clare
Lucienne Diver
Christopher Golden
Jeff Mariotte
Alyson Noel
Rosemary Clement-Moore
This workshop will take place at the Romance Diva Forum. All are welcome. To get access to the forum you will need to register.
Dear Friend May 16, 2009
Dear Friend Who Does Not Understand My “Writing Habit” -
Don’t pity me. I love my life.
I have something I enjoy so much — that I want so desperately – that I find time in my busy schedule to do it. I’ve weeded out the unimportant, the unenjoyable, the irrelevant and kept only the important and the things I love so I can fill the rest of my time writing…which also just happens to be on the “Things I Love” list.
I use my mind to build worlds and create people that are so real people fall in love with them or hate them.
I am NEVER bored. Remember that day we were stuck waiting for someone in that bar that was so loud we couldn’t talk and you were bored out of your mind and I kept chuckling under my breath? Yeah, I wrote chapter 4…and it’s funny.
You will never know what it’s like to have someone email you telling you you’re brilliant, or you made them cry, or they wish your hero was real. You will never know what it’s like to feel so passionately about something that even having someone rejected it feels like a step forward. You will never know what it’s like to get The Call and have to decide if that person is the right one to trust with your work because, no matter what everyone says…the career is work, but the writing is personal. You will never have to deal with the minor annoyance of people emailing you saying, “When the heck can I have the next book” — yeah, that’s really hard to take.
Friend, stop trying to tell me you don’t understand but feel bad for me, because the truth is…I feel bad for you. I wish for you a passion, so big, so important, that you fear it as much as you crave it. That success is something you chase after, and yet not the real goal. I wish for you a small portion of what I’ve gotten already from this “Writing Habit” of mine.
Next time you look at me and think, “The poor dear”, remember I’m probably thinking the same thing. I’m probably thinking something like, “May she find something to chase after.” Because, life is short and, as the saying goes, if not now – when? Those things you’re going to try later… don’t wait! Try them now, and maybe one day we’ll sit down for tea and you’ll have to fight to not dominate the conversation because you’ve found your passion and it’s joyfully spilling over.
with love,
bria
Publishing Blogs Weekly Round-Up May 15, 2009
This was a crazy week. Excerpt Monday went live. I posted my own Excerpt. I’m trying to push through the last of these revisions. And so, because the writing always has to come first, I’m answering a question that will allow you to do your own round-up this week. Recently someone asked me for a list of agent’s who blog. This is currently what I have. Have someone else? Add them in the comments!
So, in no specific order:
Nathan Bransford, Curtis Brown
http://www.nathanbransford.blogspot.com/
Jessica Faust
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/
The Knight Agency
http://knightagency.blogspot.com/
Deidre Knight, TKA
http://www.deidreknight.blogspot.com/
Nephele Tempest, TKA
http://nephele.livejournal.com/
Kristen Nelson
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/
Waxman Agency
http://waxmanagency.wordpress.com/
Janet Reid of Fine Print Literary Management:
http://www.jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Jackson of Donald Maas Agency
http://arcaedia.livejournal.com/
Lyons Literary LLC
http://lyonsliterary.blogspot.com/
Caren Johnson Literary Agency
http://johnsonlitagency.wordpress.com/
Colleen Lindsay from FinePrint
http://theswivet.blogspot.com/
Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency
http://blog.wylie-merrick.com/
Sarah Crowe and her authors
http://acrowesnest.blogspot.com/
Dystel & Goderick Lit
http://dglm.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth Jote at Objective Entertainment
http://elizabethjote.wordpress.com/
Jenny Rappaport of L. Perkins Agency
http://litsoup.blogspot.com/
Laurie McLean
http://www.agentsavant.com/as/index.cfm
Lucienne Diver of TKA
http://varkat.livejournal.com
Dianna Fox
http://dianafox.livejournal.com/
Nadia Cornier of Firebrand.
http://www.nadiacornier.com/
Excerpt Monday – Cami’s First Kiss, Part 2 May 11, 2009
Welcome to Excerpt Monday. Want to get involved? Click HERE – and my partner in crime, Mel Berthier HERE.
This is EM2 of Cami’s First Kiss. Check out EM1 HERE
“What is that?” I asked as Lisbeth stepped from the cab.
“What is what?”
“That outfit.”
“Oh, this?” Lisbeth waved a hand in front of the sackcloth she was trying to pass off as a dress. “Cloak of invisibility.”
Sometimes her logic was so…um…different, I struggled with following it, let alone understanding it. “I don’t mean to start one of those conversations where we repeat everything the other person said, but, cloak of invisibility?”
She adjusted the loose fitting fabric on her shoulders. “Last night, Jeremy said he never would have asked me out if I didn’t have such a, and I quote, ‘hot little body only a bimbo could possess.’ I’m senior marketing consultant at a huge company and he dated me to get it on with my body.”
“And so you’re hiding it to date men who are only interested in your mind?”
She nodded. I doubted she was unaware of her beautiful face with flawless hair and make up. Below short, loose dress stuck out perfectly shaped legs leading down to —
“What the hell are those?” I waved at her clunker-shod feet.
Lisbeth shrugged. “They match the cloak of invisibility.”
“Where did you get them?” There’s no way she paid money for those. Well, maybe if they had a brand name I couldn’t pronounce and a three-digit price.
She pointed a toe, still looking dainty in the female club version of steel toe boots. “I think you left them at my house.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes before I realized it might be true. “You can’t really expect to go out wearing that?”
“Oh, like you’re one to talk Miss I’m-dressed-like-our-waiter.”
“What?” I glanced down at myself, somehow not surprised I’d ended up not even knowing what I’d put on. “Darn it.”
“My dress doesn’t look so bad now, does it?” There was that smug thing again.
“I put on the black capris and a pink top, but the pink top needed to be ironed. So I put on the white top with a navy skirt, but it was too snug. Then I tried that grey dress, but it looked too ‘librarians gone bad’ for a bar. So I just put on the two most comfortable things and left the house.”
Lisbeth smirked as only a gorgeous woman could. Slightly arrogant yet still gorgeous. “Nothing screams ‘can I take your order’ quite like a white button-down short sleeve shirt and black pants.”
“Can we just do this?” I pushed, not that I wanted to head into one of those underlit-overheated holes, but getting it over with was a plus. Glancing at her outfit, I added, “We should stop at an ATM. You might have to pay a cover and buy your own drinks.”
Lisbeth got that look you’d give a child who said something stupid but is still adorable.
“No sweetie. I’ll leave that up to you.” She grinned and I knew, even dressed like that, she’d would be surrounded by men all night. Most of them drooling.
The doorman waved me along, but stopped Lisbeth. “ID, miss?”
“Are you kidding me?” I craned my neck to look past the bald, oversized bouncer’s head. “Do you really think she could possibly be under twenty-one? She’s four years older than I am.”
The giant peered over his shoulder. “Do we have a problem, ma’am?”
Cringing at the word ma’am, I snapped, “No. I’m used to it. Go on, Lisbeth. Giggle for the nice man.”
Lisbeth shot a look of pure venom my way, making her appear ever minuet the four years she had on me. I hovered between the door and bar area, waiting for her to finish her flirt-for-entry routine. Eventually, several men turned and stared, the drool almost visible from across the room.
“I chose this place very carefully.” Lisbeth took my arm and steered me toward the bar at its center. “The men are older, no frat boys. All nice, successful businessmen, rolling up their sleeves at the end of a hard day’s work. Even you should be able to handle this.”
I placed my notebook on the bar as I climbed atop my stool. “Thanks,” I mumbled.
“No problem.” Lisbeth beamed, oblivious to the sarcasm.
The bartenders were obviously hired by appearance, not ability. The upside was that Bran could have graced the seven-foot tall poster outside Abercrombie and Fitch.
“What can I get you ladies?” I liked him immediately. He may have looked only at Lisbeth, but he included me in the question. Very impressive skills at noticing shadows.
“Green Apple Martinis.”
“And a Diet Coke,” I added.
“I don’t think so.” Lisbeth turned her smile on the bartender. “Two Green Apple Martinis”
“Green. Apple. Martini.” I jotted in my notebook.
“What are you doing?”
“Noting our drinks.”
“You write YA. You can’t even get your heroine her first kiss. What do you need to know about adult beverages for?”
“Someday I may want to write about this. You know, going out on the town with my friend dressed as Raggedy Anne. Having a couple of drinks. Scoping out guys to hit on in a not-hitting-on-them type of way.”
“Who would read that?” Lisbeth squinted at my notebook, the consultant in her running through possible business strategies.
“How would I know? I write YA.”
The bartender returned with the order: two Green Apple Martinis and killer a smile for Lisbeth.
“You might try slouching a little.” I honestly was trying to help. If she didn’t want attention, I was the girl to show her how to not get it. “Looks lazy and hides those boobs.”
Not only did she not slouch, I swear her shoulders went back. “Sweetheart, nothing can hide these girls.”
She was right. Or perhaps comparison made hers look so big. Next to my not-quite-B cups, anything needing support was impressive.
Studying the room over her martini, Lisbeth jumped right in. “Scoping the guys is a big part of any night out. Start with looks. There are three categories of guys.”
Finally. Something I could answer. “Blond, brunet, redhead.”
Her look questioned my almost perfect SAT scores.
“No. Jeep, Civic, Yugo. Obviously you want to avoid Yugo’s at all cost.”
“Obviously.” Note sarcasm.
“The Jeep is the hot guy. The one that always looks good. And just like his namesake, looks even better with his top off.”
“Are you serious?” If this is what I was going to learn out in ‘the real world,’ no wonder I stayed home so often.
“The Honda,” Lisbeth steamrolled my question. She motioned to my notebook with a pointed look until I raised my pen to capture her brilliance. “Is a nice run of the mill guy. Depending on the year and model, he could be close to a Jeep or, you know more like a rust heap. The Yugo, well, that’s self-explanatory.”
“And probably what I’ll end up with.”
“Jenna, you’re a solid, one-to-three year off the lot Civic. I’d say you’re silver. If you put makeup on, you might even be red. Don’t sell yourself short.”
So where did that leave me? I was dependable, flat-chested, shopped at the Gap, and you could get me drunk off one drink. Yup, I was a mid-level Honda all right.
I looked at my friend, the Jeep, and counted all the blessings of being a Civic. Low cost, reliable, compact, inexpensive maintenance, low gas mileage.
“So, I need a Civic, right?”
Lisbeth scanned the room, weeding out guys in her head like Florida weeds out valid votes.
“Him.”
Almost directly across the bar sat The Target.
Plusses:
- Good looking, but not too good looking
- Not wearing a t-shirt or ten year old fraternity paraphernalia
- Alone. No buddies to face as I made my notations
Lisbeth adjusted herself on the barstool to block the man trying to get her attention. “You can do this. Just be yourse–” Her gaze dropped to my notebook. “Just relax, and smile.”
“I can do this.” I nodded my head in self-affirmation.
I pictured myself walking around the bar without tripping. I picture myself approaching him and no one stepping in front of me. I pictured him turning and smiling at me as I set my drink down without spilling it on him. I pictured him being sweet and understanding and agreeing that, of course it’s necessary to research a fictional seventeen-year-old’s first kiss in a downtown bar.
“Maybe you should leave that here.” Lisbeth took my drink. “You can’t even keep milk in a sealed carton.”
Every part of me wished she wasn’t right, but I left the drink where she laid it. I rounded the bar, no tripping, no bumping, no spilling. First mental picture, completed.
I reached Target Guy’s side. My hands shook like a coatless club girl’s in a January bar line. Second mental picture, completed.
“Hi.” That was easier than expected. Guys complain about having to cross the room all the time.
“I’ve already got a drink, thanks.” Target Guy turned back to the bar.
“I’m not actually a waitress. I’m a writer.” I waved my pen and notebook in front of him like a B-movie cop with his badge. “I write YA, ah, young adult. And I’m doing some research.”
“In a bar?” While it wasn’t an encouraging question, it did give me my in.
“You see, Cami, my main character, just turned seventeen. Now, the publishing house says it’s time for her to get a boyfriend. They’ve told Rachel, my agent, the next book has to have a boy and a kiss. I disagree, but if I want to continue being paid, it’s boyfriend time for Cami.” I laughed, trying to fill the awkward silence before storming forward again. “Which, of course, I worry about. I mean, I know she’s imaginary, but I feel very protective of her.”
I glanced across the bar at Lisbeth and the man sitting in my vacated seat. She gave me the keep going look.
“So, anyway,” I continued. “It’s been a long time since my first kiss. I’m not sure I could image it. I mean, can you even remember your first kiss? I don’t mean like who it was with, but like, what was it like, how did it feel. That kind of stuff. So I was wondering if, maybe, you would consider, perhaps, kissing me and I could think about what it would be like being a first kiss of sorts and, if you don’t mind, make some notes.”
Target Guy looked dumbstruck. It’s a common expression, but this was the first time I’d seen it in action. Or, as the case may be, inaction
“Make some notes?”
Encouraged, I nodded and waved my handy notebook again to reassure him. “Yeah. I’m not some crazy pick-up girl. I just need to make some notes.”
I kept expecting the dumbstruck look to go away.
“Are you ordering another drink?”
The dumbstruck look stayed on his face as the head it was attached to turned toward the new voice.
“I’m not a waitress,” I explained to the petite woman who appeared at my side.
“Sorry. Are you a friend from work? I’m Jamie, Mike’s girlfriend.”
“Oh.” I could feel the heat creeping toward my cheeks, starting at the edge of my waitress-wannabe-white shirt, past my neck and up to my ears. “Girlfriend. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t hitting on him. I’m just doing research for a book.”
“Wow, a book. What do you write?” Cheryl asked.
“Young adult. I write about a teenager girl name Cami.”
Cheryl pulled her stool out to sit as she asked, “What kind of research are you doing here?”
“Ok. I think we have to go.” Mike jumped off his stool. “It was very, ah. . .nice, to meet you. We have a reservation. I’m sure we don’t want to miss our table.”
He had Jamie by the arm and was pulling her away under protest. “But, our reservation isn’t for forty minutes.”
By the time Mike responded, the couple was safely at the door. He glanced over his shoulder, still slightly dumbstruck, as he pushed his girlfriend out into the street.
Men are supposed to be easy. They aren’t supposed to get embarrassed by a woman wanting to kiss them.
NOTE: Although prone to stating embarrassing things in public, men seem to be easily embarrassed by forward-thinking women.
EXAMPLE: Mike at the bar who was too embarrassed to tell his girlfriend about being asked to be kissed. This statement would not have reflected poorly on him, so why be embarrassed?
I set my notebook on the bar and contemplated the fact I may not be the type of girl to pick up a guy in a bar – or even to not really picking him up.
Beyond the chair Mike had sat in, pair of broad shoulders hunched over the bar pulled at my awareness. It wasn’t the broadness of said shoulders that demanded attention, but their shaking. Dark hair with threads of auburn flopped over his forehead. The man hid his face in his hands, elbows propped up on the bar.
Poor thing. To be weeping so openly in public. Some girl must have really ripped his heart out and carted it out the door with her. Pushing Mike’s chair out of the way, I slid over to the stranger. I laid a hand on his arm and softened my voice so no one else would hear.
“It’s ok. I’m sure whatever she said to you it couldn’t be half as bad as it sounded.”
The shoulders shook harder and then slowly, so slowly, the dark head rose. Pink rimmed from crying, his chocolate eyes studied me a moment before the sound burst forth from his mouth.
The jerk! He wasn’t crying. He was laughing. At me.
Want to read some other Excerpt Monday snippets, check out:
Gina Ardito, Historical Paranormal (PG)
Lynne Chandler, Romantic Suspense (PG 13)
Kinsey W. Holley, Paranormal (PG)
Babette James, Fantasy Romance (PG-13)
Cynthia Justlin, Romantic Suspense (PG)
Kaige, Historical Romance (PG-13)
Ansha Kotyk, Middle Grade Adventure (PG 13)
Adelle Laudan, Romantic Suspense (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Historical (PG)
RF Long, Fantasy (PG)
Alina Morgan, Urban Fantasy (PG 13)
