A turning point? ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 06/01/14

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

  

See more at the WeWriWa blog

Welcome to a snippet from Courage of the Heart. Courage of the Heart was originally published by Xlibris in 1999 (BEFORE they went full vanity press) - with no real marketing efforts from the publisher and before I knew much about the subject, it didn't do very well. However it was revised slightly and republished by Vanilla Heart Publishing in 2009 and has enjoyed a healthier reception.

Adam has managed to soften Davie's heart and he has taken her out on a bona-fide date. We're entering during a conversation they are having. By the way, I will probably just do this story for one, maybe two, more weeks. Your commentary has really helped me see the way I present my characters in a very different light and I hope the lessons learned will help my writing get stronger. Thank you.

"…and of course you don't want to get married," Davie really felt she was a long way off from that herself although she eventually did want a family.

"I used to think I didn't," he looked away and left his answer hanging.

"Adam," Davie waited for him to turn back to her, "why are we spending time together?"

He shrugged, "why not?"

"We both know that I'm not your usual type."

"Tell me what my usual type is," Adam grinned; his potent smile was enough to make Davie stammer.

"Uh, you know…older, pretty, sophisticated…and more experienced," she blushed slightly.

He answered her quietly, "you are very pretty, I thought you knew that Davie."

 For more WeWriWa snippets, go to www.wewriwa.com

Courage of the Heart

Sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

Audiobook

Smashwords
Amazon (print)  

(excerpt previously published Jan 2009, and yes, it comes AFTER the 8 sentences above))

There is a theory that if you pick up a book and turn to page 69, you will know if the book is interesting or not
so we are putting it to the test...
~~~~~~

p 69

"Really?" He looked really young and boyish for a moment.

"Of course." Davie laughed. "For some stupid reason I do care about what happens to you even though you keep on pushing me away."

"I'm sorry. Sorry about pushing you away, but not about you caring. I like to know that you care about me." He reached for her hand again. "So, what was the occasion for going home?"

Davie bit her lip. "The sixth anniversary of my mom's death."

"I'm sorry, Davie." Adam knew from the way Davie had talked about her mom that she still took her passing very hard. "I'm glad you were able to be there with your dad."

Davie shook her head and grimaced. "He didn't need me."

"Of course he did."

"Nope. What my father needed was privacy." She looked at Adam with a defensive smile. "I walked in on a lovers' tryst."

"What?"

"It seems that Daddy has a girlfriend and they're getting married."

"That's great!" He saw her hurt expression. "Isn't it?"

Davie stood up and began to pace around Adam's bed. "I guess so. I don't know." Sighing, she stopped at the foot of his bed. "I guess I just have to get used to it."

"You really are upset about this." He frowned.

Davie returned to the chair and leaned closer to Adam. It was comfortable to talk with him. "It's just that I never thought my father could love anybody except for my mom."

"It doesn't mean that he doesn't love her."

#TBT - The Evolution of My Book Covers

A few of my books have undergone physical makeovers like new covers and even a new title in one case - I'd love to know what you think of each cover, old and new.

Can you tell me what the cover "says" to you? I included a brief synopsis, which cover comes closest to the storyline? Please leave me your comments below.

was   

Within the Law

Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiancé. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist. 

Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murdering rapist who took his love from him. 

Alli and Tom share a mutual and passionate attraction but Alli refuses to make any commitments. She is hiding a huge secret. Tom falls in love with her and pursues her despite a false arrest, kidnapping and attempt on his life. 

    was

Courage of the Heart

COURAGE OF THE HEART shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. Adam Sherman has remained quiet about his scandalous past and is comfortable with his reputation as a womanizing and dedicated bachelor. He is an expert in the field of computers including programming, networking and hacking. At twenty-five years old, he is content with his management job at a local Internet Provider. 

Davie Prescott is twenty years old and a college student who is working part-time at the same Internet Provider where Adam is employed. She was raised in a very close knit family of aunts, uncles and cousins. She and her widowed father are very close. Adam is attracted to Davie, but he shies away from her innocence because he feels his shameful past is too harsh for her existence. Adam finally shares his darkest secret with Davie and is amazed to find that she doesn´t turn away from him. 

But when Adam’s past catches up to him, he soon learns that there´s a lot more at stake than just his nightmares. Adam is prepared to give Davie up if need be in order to protect her until he learns that she´s got a secret of her own. With Davie´s help, Adam learns a courage that is born of love, courage of the heart. 

The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

was   

Bartlett's Rule

Bartlett’s Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige’s love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are “real”; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.

When Paige Andrews is given the assignment of courting a famous writer for the publishing company she works for, she meets and entices the sexy, charming and thoroughly dangerous womanizer, Lon Bartlett.

Lon immediately takes a not-so-professional, personal interest in the young woman and pursues her. Lon is thrilled when Paige finally succumbs to his charms only to find that her haunting past sets off a terrifying reaction. Lon learns a heartbreaking reality - Paige is a rape survivor.

Will Lon be able to change his womanizing ways? Will he want to? Will Paige ever learn to trust again? Can they learn to love and live, together?

waswas 

His Lucky Charm

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas this time it follows Brandon and Caitlyn across the country and into a world of espionage and danger. 

The one thing that Brandon knows for sure is that he can't afford to lose his lucky charm, Caitlyn. 

(Previously released as Forgotten, Vanilla Heart Publishing, 2008)

Trying Again - Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 05/25/14

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

  

See more at the WeWriWa blog

Welcome to a snippet from Courage of the Heart. Courage of the Heart was originally published by Xlibris in 1999 (BEFORE they went full vanity press) - with no real marketing efforts from the publisher and before I knew much about the subject, it didn't do very well. However it was revised slightly and republished by Vanilla Heart Publishing in 2009 and has enjoyed a healthier reception.

Adam and Davie have reached a point of amicability and it makes working together a little easier. They are both still attracted to each other. Will they ever move beyond mere friendship into the kind of relationship they both really want?

As far as Davie was concerned, it was obvious that their relationship had no future anyway. There was nowhere for them to go as a couple, especially since she was relatively inexperienced in physical love; Adam's position on commitment, or lack of, was well known throughout the company. She did enjoy spending time with him though.

He had a gentle, vulnerable side that reached out to her as a woman. He had a rakish-quality that titillated her even if their physical relationship never went any further. His interest in her made her feel desirable even if, unfortunately, not enough to him. Even if it was only a fantasy, Davie wanted to be with him.

 For more WeWriWa snippets, go to www.wewriwa.com

Courage of the Heart

Sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

Audiobook

Smashwords
Amazon (print)  

When I write my stories I often think of who I would have playing the main parts as if it were a movie... okay, I admit, I just want to be prepared for that big movie deal, lol. (One never knows?)

Here is how I would cast

Courage of the Heart

Davie Prescott would be played by Anna Belknap

Adam Sherman would be played by Brandon Beemer

Can you see these actors as Davie and Adam?

Summer & Any time Reads

The New York Times book section features an article in today's paper,

When the Water’s Too Cold,
Something Else to Dive Into
A Critic’s Survey of Summer Books

The article lists an interesting compilation of titles, but there are A LOT missing - where oh where are the books by Indie and Small Press authors? While I still enjoy books by some well known and major imprint authors like Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman, Dean Koontz and Patrica Cornwell - and as a Dave Barry fan I do plan to get around to reading his humorous "parenting" book - most of the books I've enjoyed in recent years have been by the lesser known but equally talented Indie authors I "hang out" with on FaceBook and Twitter and in various Yahoo writers' groups.

So I propose Let's Make Our Own Summer Reading List...

Post one book in the comments below. Include the Title, Author, genre, 1 Buy Link (please use bit.ly or another URL shortener), and a brief (approx. 3-4 sentence) synopsis. You can post your own or another author's book, but please give only one title - and then be sure to spread the word.

This season let's really give leisure-seekers something to dive into.

Your listing should look like this:

~~~~

Karma Visited by Chelle Cordero

Paranormal contemporary romantic suspense

Amazon (Kindle)  http://amzn.to/1pjVWWM

Do you believe in karma? Annie Furman has a gift that allows her, while she sleeps, to visit people in their time of need - but who will be there for her when she needs help? Undersheriff Dave Turner is investigating a series of home invasions and homicides. He has no idea that solving this case will lead him to the woman of his dreams.

~~~~~

*I don't think html is accepted in my comments

Please Tweet, Google+, Facebook and Spread the word

& our list!

Appeared on Nina Pierce's Around the Writer's Block 11/30/2008 #TBT

Make Room for Chelle Cordero!

Written by Nina on November 30, 2008 

Categories: Guest Blogging, Interview

I want to welcome Chelle Cordero, a multi-published author and freelance writer whose articles have appeared in various publications including The Journal News, Hudson Valley Magazine, Emergency Magazine, Spotlight, Auto Trim News, EMS Products, Sound Management Magazine and more. Chelle has agreed to set the freelance personna aside for today and tell us about her novels.

Tell us a little bit about you and how you got into writing.
I have always enjoyed telling stories. I was the kid who had very believable imaginary friends and even family members. When I was in high school (HS of Art & Design, NYC) I had to take an elective course and a Creative Writing class led by poet Daisy Aldan fit into my schedule – after that I not only knew that I enjoyed telling tales, I had to.While I was in college (Fordham University at Lincoln Center) I had my very first newspaper article published in both a Bronx weekly paper and in my college newspaper. But it took several years before I wrote full-time. While I was pregnant with my daughter I decided that I wanted to both work and be an at-home mom; freelance writing definitely fit in with my plans.

Please tell us about your books.I am in love with the idea of being in love, so I write love stories. My genre romances Bartlett’s Rule and (coming in February) Courage of the Heart have strong messages as well as inspiring love stories; His Lucky Charm and Within the Law were fun to write because they have continuing characters (but they are both stand alone novels). Another book, due out sometime in 2009, is a departure from the normal romance genre for me: Final Sin has a love story involved but the main story is an edge of your seat crime thriller. I had someone tell me that while they were reading the manuscript, they put a kitchen knife next to them after the first chapter!

How do your stories come to you? Characters first? Plot first? Or does it all just sort of come together at once?Imagine sitting in a theatre, only you didn’t necessarily plan to be there, and the curtain opens to action on the stage. That is kind of how it is with me. It’s like I see a scene played out in front of me and I give the characters “a life”. Then I play “what if” and I just record my characters reactions to the curveballs.

If you came with a warning label what would it read?Caution – this person MAY be a little off-balance. She talks to herself and has a whole slew of characters running around in her brain.

Describe your writing space. Do you move around or always write in the same place?I do most of my actual writing seated at my desk and computer. On very rare occasion, I’ll sit with my laptop on my recliner in the living room. But I do most of my thinking (and creating my stories) ANYWHERE because I never know when a thought will strike.

Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantzer? Do you have comfort drinks or snack foods. Any favorite music you play while writing?I lay out the initial conflict and I decide on the final outcome – how the story gets there is up to my characters. For instance, in Bartlett’s Rule the initial conflict was that Paige was a rape survivor and she detested Lon because of his alleged chauvinism and his image as a player; by the end I wanted them together as lovers and friends with a happy ever after potential. I took the time to give each major character a history and based their actions and reactions on what “drives them” (similar to method acting). The story basically wrote itself and I just threw in a few twists and surprises now and then. I wind up picking a “theme song” that makes me think of my characters and the conflict they are going through – then I play it repeatedly while I am working, and I do mean repeatedly. The theme song for Bartlett’s Rule was Garth Brooks’ “To Make You Feel My Love”; His Lucky Charm’s theme song was Kenny Chesney’s “Because of Your Love”, and Within the Law’s song was Faith Hill & Tim McGraw’s “Let’s Make Love”.

If we asked your friends to name 3 personality traits about you, what do you think they would say?Imaginative – Nurturing – Outspoken

When you’re reading someone else’s books what about a man is a turnoff and why?If he is disrespectful to others, if he doesn’t care about another person’s feelings, if he will “climb over others” without even remorse. A man can be strong without cruelty.

What happened to the first novel you ever wrote?It was a romance novel called “More Than a Friend” and I tried to submit it to a few of the bigger romance imprints. My story was rejected a handful of times because it wasn’t straight genre (one or two rejection letters actually came back citing “too much going on”). I rewrote it several times based on the numerous suggestions I received from helpful editors to eliminate some story, some characters, some conflicts, etc. My story lost focus and, simply put, it didn’t seem to go together anymore. Maybe I didn’t know how to rewrite it for the market back then but now it is hopelessly outdated. If that were to happen to me today, I would investigate other publishers (ie: small press) and I would not limit myself to a straight romance genre house.

I just got this sweater … do you think it compliments my eyes?I don’t know, I can’t hear what it is saying… (No? And I thought torquoise spots over purple stripes screamed “love me”! Huh, I’ll have to try again.)

If you could be one of your characters who would you choose and why?Caitlyn Smythe Price from His Lucky Charm (& continued in Within the Law) – she’s a little bit wild and emotional, but she is also a very strong person and ready to face off against anyone for the people she loves.

If you were sick in bed which movie would be your comfort movie and why?Actually I dislike watching TV or reading in bed, so if I were that sick, I couldn’t quite come up with an answer. Rarely will I watch a movie more than once; I am just no fun that way. I guess my favorite relaxation movies include The Replacements, An American President, and The Pacifier.

What advice would you give aspiring authors?Never give up and never get discouraged. Listen to every critique but don’t treat it as gospel. Believe in yourself in order to make others believe in you.

How does your family feel about your writing?They are very supportive but I doubt that they truly understand how and why my excitement exists over a printed page or a fantasy that’s just running around in my head. They congratulate me on my successes and brag about me to their friends and generally make me feel pretty darn good about myself.

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?I believe I really lucked out meeting the publisher that I did; she is always ready with encouragement and support. She is just so positive that she helps build confidence even when her writers feel a bit unsure. I also have made friends with many other writers, not just with the same publishing company, and I have noticed that, almost without exception, these folks are super friendly, supportive and helpful. These writers have achieved some enormous successes of their own and they are very quick to applaud another’s successes. It’s nice not to have to worry about much of the backbiting that seems to pervade so many other fields.

Chelle … wait, Chelle … oh dear, she’s gone off with one of the cabana boys. I’m sure she’d love for you to stop by her website or friend her on Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook. She’d love to have you visit her blog or Yahoo Group. All of her books can be found at Vanilla Heart Publishing. 

Chelle is actually very chatty and would love to answer your questions. Feel free to show her some comment love!

 See more at: http://ninapierce.com/blog/make-room-for-chelle-cordero/

What about family? - Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 05/18/14

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

  

See more at the WeWriWa blog

Welcome to a snippet from Courage of the Heart. Courage of the Heart was originally published by Xlibris in 1999 (BEFORE they went full vanity press) - with no real marketing efforts from the publisher and before I knew much about the subject, it didn't do very well. However it was revised slightly and republished by Vanilla Heart Publishing in 2009 and has enjoyed a healthier reception.

Thanks to all of your insightful comments last week, I saw Adam's perseverance in a different light and it is a big help to me in my current WIP. This week I'm skipping ahead a bit - Adam and Davie are working on being friends again. This week we'll learn a little about Adam.

Adam, were you alone for Thanksgiving?" Davie was so used to big family gatherings on every holiday and the idea of being alone seemed abhorrent to her.

"I watched the game on TV."

"Alone?"

For the first time Adam had actually felt alone for the holiday; he kept wishing Davie had been by his side, "not everyone goes home for the holidays."

"It's just, uh," she hadn't meant to offend him, "I was just raised with a huge family and these colossal gatherings every holiday; I'm sorry if I offended you."

"We never really spent time with family. My mother usually worked the bar on holidays anyway and then later, it was just my father and me."

 For more WeWriWa snippets, go to www.wewriwa.com

Courage of the Heart

Sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

Audiobook

Smashwords
Amazon (print)  

E-book Club Discussion Packet: Courage of the Heart

(FREE Download)

Book Club Extras Packet includes author bio and photo, title information,
covers, discussion starters, and full color printable bookmarks.

Bid on a Bartlett’s Rule audiobook & 

raise money for Diabetes Research

I’m participating in Brenda Novak’s 10th Anniversary Online Auction for Diabetes Research – the auction runs through May and there are LOTS of terrific items being auctioned off; proceeds go to The Diabetes Research Institute.

AN AUDIO COPY OF BARTLETT’S RULE IS BEING AUCTIONED OFF. 

Bid on a Bartlett’s Rule audiobook & raise money for Diabetes Research

I’m participating in Brenda Novak’s 10th Anniversary Online Auction for Diabetes Research – the auction runs through May and there are LOTS of terrific items being auctioned off; proceeds go to The Diabetes Research Institute.

AN AUDIO COPY OF BARTLETT’S RULE IS BEING AUCTIONED OFF. 

Bartlett’s Rule by Chelle Cordero

BARTLETT’S RULE shares the story of Lon and Paige’s love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.

At the conclusion of the auction, Chelle will send the winner the code
to download the book to the device or computer of their choice directly from Audible.com

~~~~~~~~~~

Malcolm Campbell’s review  of Bartlett’s Rule

At first glance, Paige Andrews’ approach to celebrity writer and celebrated womanizer Lon Bartlett is reminiscent of a child’s first day at the beach, a child who runs down to the incoming waves only to run back to the safety of the dunes beyond the water’s reach, and then again, and then again. Indeed, she desperately wants her evolving relationship to be as spontaneous and carefree as first love.But in looking closer, as both lovers and mad men are apt to do, Lon sees that behind Paige’s engaging smile lie painful memories of man named Hal who raped her and all but took away her ability to get close to anyone again. Lon’s best intentions trigger Paige’s worst fears.

“Bartlett’s Rule” is an easy-to-read novel about difficult-to-resolve issues for rape survivors and the prospective significant others in their lives. For Paige and Lon, sorting out the boundaries of trust and the limits of patience is a treacherous undertaking because they are very much in the public eye and because Hal’s arrogant needs are not yet satisfied.

Unfortunately, Paige’s dysfunctional family is also not out of sight and out of mind, providing additional twists and turns in the plot to keep readers guessing about choices and outcomes until the last page.

Adam is not giving up - Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 05/11/14

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

  

See more at the WeWriWa blog

Welcome to a snippet from Courage of the Heart. Courage of the Heart was originally published by Xlibris in 1999 (BEFORE they went full vanity press) - with no real marketing efforts from the publisher and before I knew much about the subject, it didn't do very well. However it was revised slightly and republished by Vanilla Heart Publishing in 2009 and has enjoyed a healthier reception.

When we last read about Adam and Davie he was trying to apologize and Davie wasn't giving him much of an opportunity. He's persistent. She's stubborn. [creative punctuation has been used and I hope I counted correctly this week] :

         "You are a pompous…egotistical…self-serving…"

         "Can I help you fill in the blanks?" he was trying to get her to smile, Adam really thought she was gorgeous when she smiled, especially when the smile was for him; he was disappointed.

         She let out an exasperated sigh and sat down, "look, I've got exams at school all week, I don't need this harassment"; Davie was aware that her voice had risen and she had left the door open, "look Adam, I need this job, I can't afford to file complaints if you won't leave me alone here…please, leave me alone."

         "Okay, I screwed up again, I'll keep it out of the office," he sounded too patronizing.

         "That doesn't mean you can show up at my door again," she thought she saw him hiding a grin.

         "How about this weekend?"

         "I have plans, I'm going away."

Courage of the Heart

Sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.

Audiobook

Smashwords

Amazon (print)

Weddings and Mayhem

Nearly 39-years ago and just a few days before my wedding my dad pulled me to the side and promised to pick up my in-laws-to-be and my mom and meet future hubby and me wherever we found someone to marry us. Yes, he was proposing that we elope even after almost all of the money had been laid out for the wedding. He wanted us to begin our life together without all the strife, arguments and tears that had plagued our household. Daddy wanted Mark and me to be happy.

For almost a year and a half, the length of our engagement, everyone ELSE had made demands and sometimes even ultimatums regarding our wedding plans. Both sets of parents were splitting the cost of the affair with us. Since we were partly paying for the festivities and it was OUR wedding, I, obviously erroneously, thought we had the right to plan the wedding we wanted with some concessions to our parents. Not all of the “recommendations” were demands, some were authentic suggestions made out of love and caring; I did listen to all and even incorporated some ideas. We were otherwise bombarded with guest list demands, seating charts, insistence on choice of bridal attendants, and more – and no, no one else was offering to pay the bill (as if that would have made things right).

My wonderful mom, G-d rest her soul, tried very hard to do the impossible – keep EVERYONE happy. Unfortunately there were some who thought they could use my mom’s proclivity without any consideration of our dreams. By the way, what I wanted was a simple Rabbi’s study with both sides of the immediate family plus grandmothers; it would be okay if there was a party afterwards including all the extended family. What I got was a wedding ceremony and reception with 80-plus and complaints that lasted at least until my 30^th anniversary. I did marry the man I love (and still do) and all the people we loved (plus) were there - especially since all of our parents passed away within a few years, that was important.

As a writer I’ve had fun planning and executing a few weddings in my stories. Caitlyn and Brandon, and Keisha and Malcolm were married in His Lucky Charm. Tom and Alli married in Within the Law. Lon and Paige tied the knot in Bartlett’s Rule. Jake and Julie, and, off-scene, Matt and Sudah married in Final Sin. More couples got hitched like Adam and Davy in Courage of the Heart, Ryan and Deanna in Hostage Heart,  and Justin and Layne in Common Bond, Tangled Hearts. There have been several Happy-Ever-After endings in my books.

One of my favorite wedding-related scenes comes from His Lucky Charm. After their whirlwind Las Vegas marriage ends with an annulment, Brandon fought to win Caitlyn back. He’s just meeting Caitlyn’s family and is hoping to earn their approval:

Brandon nodded and went to the kitchen. As soon as he came through the kitchen door, he heard Sylvia complaining about the ceremony not taking place in a church.

“Aunt Syl, you know that I haven’t felt too religious since my folks died.”

 “That’s not an excuse. It would have been proper.” Sylvia dramatically put her hand to her chest. “Now Tommy and Joyce, they were going to have such a beautiful ceremony. Oh, that poor child. I just want to cry every time I think about what happened to her.”

Tom’s car pulled into the driveway. Caitlyn saw Brandon in the doorway and motioned for him to say something.

“Uh, excuse me, I just came to get a couple of beers from the fridge.” He walked to the refrigerator.

“Aunt Syl, don’t get Tommy all upset by crying. Please?” Caitlyn was watching the back door in the kitchen where she knew Tom would enter.

Sylvia turned and saw Tommy’s car. She nodded to Caitlyn. And then she changed the subject. “So, what about you Brandon? Are you religious? Don’t you want to be married in a church?”

Brandon stood with the two bottles of beer in his hand. He tried to be as tactful as he could manage. “I was never really raised to observe. Unfortunately it wasn’t that important to me.”

“Oh, but Elvis Presley was?”

Tom walked in just as Sylvia fired her question to Brandon. He tried to hide a smirk. “Hi, Ma.” He hugged his mother by picking her up off of the floor in a bear hug. Putting her feet back on the floor again, he turned to Brandon. “Hey guy, why don’t you pull one of those out for me, too? I take it my dad’s in the other room.”

“Yeah.” Brandon took another bottle from the fridge.

“I’ll be back, Ma. By the way, dinner smells good.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Hi Cat. Bye Cat.” He practically pushed Brandon back through the kitchen door.

He handed him one of the bottles of beer. “Thank you for your timing.”

Tom threw a look back at him. “Well, when I need a favor returned, I’ll let you know.” He continued to the living room and greeted his father.

page 69 theory - Karma Visited

There is a theory that if you pick up a book and turn to page 69, you will know if the book is interesting or not

so we are putting it to the test...

~~~~~~

p 69

“I’m not feeling well.”

“Well you better damn well get yourself … up to it. This is my night and I expect you there. The whole town will expect to see you there.”

Annie spent a good part of the night crying and her head felt like it was going to explode. There was no way she felt up to acting on command. “Scott, I can’t.” She started to clear the table from the breakfast dishes.

Scott shot up from his seat and grabbed her arm. Annie spilled the half cup of cold coffee she had just picked up. “You are going. That’s it.”

She tried to pull her arm back. He wouldn’t let go. “Scott, you’re hurting me.”

“You will be there tonight or I will really hurt you.”

“No.” Annie was trying not to cry. “I… just can’t go tonight,”

She struggled to get away. He shoved her and she fell to the ground.

Before Annie could get up, Scott turned to his mother and told her to call the doctor. He held her down. “Okay, you want an excuse not to go?”

Annie could hear Dianne on the phone. “Yes, she tried to hurt herself. Yes, twenty-four hours, yes.”

“We’ll bring her in. Make sure he’s got everything arranged.”

“No, Scott please.”

“Now you don’t have to go anywhere tonight.”

An orderly met Scott and Dianne at the door as they struggled to bring Annie into the facility. Scott forced pills down Annie’s throat at the house and she was no longer speaking clearly. Her protests were incomprehensible rants to bystander ears.

The attending doctor instructed the orderly and a nurse to bring her into a room and use restraints. “Prepare to give her five of Haldol.” The doctor hoped the antipsychotic would help bring her out of her manic behavior. He turned his attention back to the seemingly distraught husband. “How long has she been like this?”

No one believed her when she denied trying to hurt herself. Scott appeared appropriately upset and Dianne comforted him.

“This episode?”Scott looked directly into the doctor’s face. “She’s been off since she got up this morning. We were having breakfast and she went into the kitchen and got a knife…”

“Did she try to attack you or your mother?”

“No. I don’t think that was her intention. At least I didn’t get that impression.” He feigned innocence. “It’s been a while since she’s had an episode like this.”

Annie tried to call Scott a liar but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Do you know if she took anything?” The doctor headed towards the room Annie was in.

“No. I mean she was out of my sight for about a minute or two, that’s when she got the knife.” Scott and his mother followed closely behind.

Karma Visited

Do you believe in karma? Annie Furman has a gift that allows her, while she sleeps, to visit people in their time of need - but who will be there for her when she needs help? Undersheriff Dave Turner is investigating a series of home invasions and homicides. He has no idea that solving this case will lead him to the woman of his dreams.