Life is about using the whole box of crayons.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
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The Write Way Cafe
The Lost Kitchen: Reflections and Recipes from an Alzheimer’s Caregiver
The Write Way Café welcomes Miriam Green, whose personal experience in the kitchen with her mother before, during, and after her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's adds spice to her book.When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book?
I still remember the first time my mom, Naomi, came into my arms crying that there was something wrong with her. She never acknowledged that she had Alzheimer’s, but she was painfully aware that she was losing her memory. That was more than eight years ago, and that feeling of having to step up and care for my mom pushed me to start writing about our journey together. That and the fact that my dad, Jack, had actually entered the kitchen! He’d started cooking for the two of them when my mom’s kitchen skills began to slide. We joked together that we should write a cookbook called The Man’s Emergency Cookbook that would track his prowess as a chef. It soon became apparent that the vehicle of a traditional cookbook was too narrow to tell our family’s story. What emerged, after many rewrites, it’s the current compilation of prose, poetry and recipes.
What was your path to getting The Lost Kitchen written and published? What type of research did you do?
Prior to my mom’s diagnosis, I had been happily commuting once a week to earn my MA in Creative Writing at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv. I was writing poetry and learning the art of storytelling. With my graduation, and her diagnosis, my focus changed dramatically, and I began commuting weekly to my parents’ home in the coastal town of Netanya. My home, in Beer Sheva, a large city in the Negev Desert, was 2 ½ hours away by public transport. Not only did my commute change, but so did the emotional landscape of my poetry.
I credit the composition of the book to a personal rejection letter from a small publisher that I received just over a year ago. I’d started out writing a traditional cookbook with many recipes and a few introductory paragraphs. From there it morphed into a manuscript that was more prose-based with recipes that added significance (and spice) to the stories I was relating. The poems I was writing were randomly placed. I was sending it out to various publishers and getting rejected over and over again. This one personal rejection letter was interested in the manuscript, but only if I jettisoned sections about my parents’ past and beefed up the information about Alzheimer’s itself. I thought long and hard about these requests and realized that they did not suit the story I wanted to tell. So I rewrote and added to the book, emphasizing the personal as a way to connect. My goal was to openly and honestly write about the difficulties of caring for someone with Alzheimer's. I wanted to tell caregivers that they're not alone, that there is strength in sharing our joys and sorrows.
My book is not heavy on research but on experiential learning. When my mom couldn’t put her bra on anymore, for example, it forced me to explore options that might work for her. We found many types of bras on sale, the best ones being front-opening with snaps that she could easily close herself. Then there were the shoes: laces had to go. We ended up buying shoes with a wide mouth that used Velcro to open and close. Or the idea of eating off non-white plates as a way for my mom to recognize the food in front of her. I came across an amazing study subtitled, “If you couldn’t see your mashed potatoes, you probably wouldn’t eat them.” Any research was through reading. One book in particular stands out, Musicophelia by Oliver Sacks. That, along with the documentary Alive Inside, in which Sacks was interviewed about the role that music plays in the brain. We now know that music is retained almost until the end in an Alzheimer’s brain.
Where did the idea for The Lost Kitchen come from?
There is a funny joke about two older people who decide to have a snack. The wife wants tea, the husband some ice cream. The wife goes off to the kitchen but comes back 20 minutes later empty-handed. “Where’s my beer?” asks the husband. “Where’s the kitchen?” asks the wife. An estimated 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease, and the numbers are increasing yearly. Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.* It begins with memory loss followed by a gradual decline in cognitive and intellectual performance.
The kitchen is such an integral part of my life, made more so by my mom gifting me with all her cookbooks. As I write in my book, my mom inducted me into a practical cooking life. And in my own role as mother of three children, I have used those skills she taught me to nourish my family with comfort foods and love.
*Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimer's Association, 2018.
Can you share what your title, The Lost Kitchen, means to you?
My mom was always queen of the kitchen. It was part of her identity, and she taught me how to cook. I think of this book as a way to preserve that identity for my kids. My mom has already forgotten her grandchildren, and does not understand that she is a great-grandmother. As a caregiver, I have become her active memory. I cherish that role.
What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about Alzheimer’s, cooking, and adjusting to a new normal?
Despite having access to numerous websites and books about Alzheimer’s, many of the skills I use in caring for my mom come from my parenting toolbox. Unless you’ve experienced caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, you can’t quite comprehend how bad it can get, how the incessant questions, the anger, the confusion can wear you down. Then, one day, you realize your whole past has been erased from the memory of one of the most important people in your life. I have learned that it is a challenge—a conscious decision—to find joy in this dark disease. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease. As soon as you adjust, your loved one changes again. There is no new normal, just a constant mourning for who my mom used to be.
As part of my author platform, I write a weekly blog about my visits with my mom, and each blog includes a recipe. The silver lining is that I’ve become a better and more experimental cook.
What have been surprises you've encountered while writing The Lost Kitchen and after?
It is a relief to have found a publisher who was willing to take on my complicated emotional story and bring it into the light. The tag line for my publisher, Black Opal Books, explains it best: “Because Some Stories Just Have to be Told.”
I’ve realized, though, that publicizing one’s book is a full-time job. It is as difficult as—or even more difficult—than writing the book itself!
Throughout the process of writing, I kept coming back to the same thought, that the lessons I’ve learned in caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can help others. I am always grateful when I receive emails and phone calls from other caregivers who are experiencing that altered reality that their loved ones have entered who not only share their coping skills with me, but can use the skills and ideas I’ve shared. Nobody should feel that they are alone on this painful journey.
Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
My computer is set up on my childhood desk that now resides in my home. I live in a one-story house; the office is very close to the kitchen, where I spend the other half of my life. I often bounce back and forth between the office and kitchen. There are times when I find that the hectic life of the house enhances the moments of quiet I steal to write.
What inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always loved writing—and of course reading. When I attended Oberlin College it was with the thought of polishing my writing in their creative writing department. When I graduated from Oberlin, I had two goals—to move to Israel and to continue writing. Moving to Israel was the easy part, especially after I met my husband in Washington, D.C. Writing, though, took me a good fourteen years to get back to. I had heard about an MA program in creative writing that I delayed attending until my youngest was able to stay by himself for one day a week. His older siblings were also home, but I wanted them all to be independently capable of caring for themselves. When I started commuting to class, the floodgates of my creativity literally opened.
I would say that my mom’s illness has inspired me to write, to be her active memory, to tell her story which is also my story and my family’s story. It was a logical outgrowth of my creativity to write about what was happening to us, and a release of the stress that this disease has placed on us. My mom continues to be my muse, my teacher, teaching me to be kind and compassionate in a world that is often difficult.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience writing The Lost Kitchen?
Writing a book and publicizing a book takes different skill sets. There is good advice out there on the internet about how to effectively try to sell your book first to an agent, a publisher, then to the media and an audience. Use any resources available to you to enhance your skills. Finding the right balance between self-glorification and legitimate advertising is difficult. I am grateful to the supportive authors at Black Opal Books who have given me great advice and even led me here to the Write Way Café.
Miriam Green is the author of The Lost Kitchen: Reflections and Recipes from an Alzheimer's Caregiver which will be published by Black Opal Books in 2019. She writes a weekly blog that is posted on this site featuring anecdotes about her mother’s Alzheimer’s and related recipes. Her blog has also appeared on the Alzheimer’s Association website.
Miriam's poetry has been published in several journals, including Poet Lore, The Prose Poem Project, Ilanot Review, The Barefoot Review, Red Wolf Press, and Poetica Magazine. Her poem, “Mercy of a Full Womb,” won the 2014 Jewish Literary Journal’s 1st anniversary competition. Her poem, “Questions My Mother Asked, Answers My Father Gave Her,” won the 2013 Reuben Rose Poetry prize. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Bar Ilan University, and a BA from Oberlin College.
Prior to moving to Israel, Miriam worked at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC, and “cut her teeth” at Moment Magazine.
She is the mother of three sabras and a grandmother of one. A 27-year resident of Beer Sheva, Israel, Miriam lives with her loving husband Jeff, Zipper the very fat cat, and a snake named Popcorn.
Miriam is also one of the founders of the current Voices Israel South group of poets that meets monthly in her home.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
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By:
The Write Way Cafe
Tuesday Special: Katya (Book 1 of The Volkov Family Chronicles)
Caryn Moya Block
Katya: Book One of The Volkov Family Chronicles
(The Volkov Family Chronicles - Second Generation 1)
Illarion Lebedev has secretly watched over Katya since she was in college. He’s proud of her accomplishments. Now that his plans are coming together and he’s the new CEO of Sunrise Advertising, he’s ready to finally claim his mate. But wooing the “Ice Princess” will take more than his good looks and social position. It will take a love strong enough to thaw her wounded heart.
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Caryn Moya Block burst onto the paranormal romance scene with her debut e-book Alpha’s Mate in January of 2012 which won the “Global E-book Awards for 2012” in contemporary romance. She was also named one of the “Top 50 Indie Authors for April 2012” from E-Reader Reviews. A Siberian Werewolf in Paris is a finalist for the RomCon Readers’ Choice Award 2014 in the Paranormal category.
Caryn has continued to write, giving her readers three different series to choose from with Wolfe’s Mate being her tenth novel.
Caryn loves romantic movies and stories that end “Happily Ever After.” She is an avid reader and writer who currently resides in the Virginia Piedmont. Her pack consists of her husband of over thirty years, two grown sons, a beautiful daughter in law, and granddaughter, one cat, one turtle, and four Shetland Sheepdogs. She suffers from “Multiple Sheltie Syndrome”, because one is never enough. She has been intrigued with the paranormal since seeing her first ghost at three years of age. She would love to hear from you at CarynMoyaBlock@gmail.com
Caryn has continued to write, giving her readers three different series to choose from with Wolfe’s Mate being her tenth novel.
Caryn loves romantic movies and stories that end “Happily Ever After.” She is an avid reader and writer who currently resides in the Virginia Piedmont. Her pack consists of her husband of over thirty years, two grown sons, a beautiful daughter in law, and granddaughter, one cat, one turtle, and four Shetland Sheepdogs. She suffers from “Multiple Sheltie Syndrome”, because one is never enough. She has been intrigued with the paranormal since seeing her first ghost at three years of age. She would love to hear from you at CarynMoyaBlock@gmail.com
Monday, June 24, 2019
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By:
The Write Way Cafe
Monday Morsels: Astraeus
ASTRAEUS
by Haley Cavanagh
Chapter One
Year 2140
Sleipnir Science Vessel
Andromeda Galaxy
Dr. Sakota Thorell set her chisel-tip hammer to the side of the moon-rock specimen, ate the last bite of lunch on her plate, and stretched her arms over her head. She’d been so busy analyzing fossils for such a long time, her butt had become one. She shifted in her seat. Hisoka walked over to the window in her peripheral vision. “Hey, Hisoka. Could you grab me the culture tray in the fridge, since you’re up and about? I want to get—”
His sharp intake of breath filled the room, and she swiveled in her seat. “Hisoka?” He ignored her, his palms flat against the window as he stared out at the vast, inky expanse of space. “You okay there?”
“Doc, did you put something in my coffee?”
“Nope. Just cream and sugar, the usual gubbins. I can dope you up if you want me to, though. I’ve some morphine stashed in the back.” When he didn’t retort with his usual one-liner, she frowned. “Why?”
“Because there’s a person floating right outside,” he said, his tone hushed. “He’s got some kind of weird black body armor on, and he’s not wearing any face gear. He’s looking right at me. I th-think he’s alive.”
She cracked a smile. “Oh, jeez. Not this again. Okay, I’ll play along. Let’s say hypothetically,” she made quotation marks with her fingers, “there’s an alien on the—”
“I’m serious.”
His panic-laced, shaky voice shot cold daggers of fear through her.
“Come here, Doc, and look out the window.”
“I know it might have been a long shift and you think us Brits are easy to get one over on, but I wasn’t born yesterday. If you think I’m going to fall for—” Hisoka appeared by her side. He grabbed her hand, yanked her out of her seat, and placed her in front of the window.
“Look.”
Less than a few feet from where they stood, a man floated in the fetal position. A strange black suit encompassed his entire body. It appeared made of unusual mesh-like material, bearing a resemblance to carbon nanotubes. The suit was shredded at the left arm. Torn skin and frozen, congealed clumps of blood latticed the shreds. A thick sheen of shiny frost coated him from head to toe.
“Oh my God,” she said in awe.
The man’s head jerked, and bloodshot light eyes stared back at her. His mouth was set in a firm line, his face full of tension and anxiety. He unfurled his body, smacked his large palms on the glass, and blinked at her. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “Get Commander Rutledge. Now.” Hisoka ran to do her bidding.
“Hang on.” She hoped the guy could read her lips. Did he even know what she’d said? Most likely not. He clutched the outer titanium-grated edges of the window and graced her with a panoramic view of his impressive body. She was speechless.
Though his mouth was closed, his chest rose and fell. She looked him over. His features appeared human, but he didn’t seem to breathe through his mouth or nose. How could he still be alive? He kept his frost-lashed eyes trained on her. Sakota heard commotion and turned. Hisoka raced back into the room with Tatiana Morzeleskov, his girlfriend and the resident cosmonaut botanist who ran the hydroponics lab. Her father, Alistair, followed them in and joined her. The shock in his sharp, blue eyes mirrored the exhilaration pumping through her veins.
“They’re suiting up now,” Hisoka related. “Captain gave orders to bring him in alive, if possible, and sequester him after he depressurizes. She’ll meet us down there.”
“Prepare the room,” Sakota said. “I want all medical equipment prepped and ready.”
“Yes, Doc.”
“I’ll help,” said Tatiana, departing with him.
Sakota turned back to the window and nodded to the man outside. “It will be okay.” She tried to convey with her eyes that they wanted to help him. He trembled. His arm muscles bunched as he held onto the metal grooves of the window frame. He moved his thumb against the window, over where she’d placed her palm. She gave him a gentle smile.
A movement caught the corner of her eye. Commander Brent Rutledge was outside. He’d suited up fast! The upgrades they donned when out in space were the newest prototype, designed for high mobility and made from hardened lightweight fiber, durable. The helmet he wore gave him a computerized three-hundred-and-sixty-degree viewpoint. Both were technological marvels.
Tethered to the air lock, Rutledge approached the man from behind, a laser rifle in one hand. Even from here, the three red lights on the rifle’s side were visible, lit, and set to kill. He scanned the man with a handheld radiation detector before securing the device by his side.
She put both palms on the window and shook her head. “Don’t kill him,” she mouthed. Those gormless idiots would end the man’s life before they’d even gotten the chance to get him aboard.
Rutledge locked his arms around the man’s torso and pulled him away from the window. The man opened his mouth and reached for Sakota. Rutledge removed a syringe taped to his chest and jabbed the needle into the exposed side of the man’s neck.
The man fell unconscious. Rutledge tightened his arms around the guy’s chest, engaged his boot propulsion thrusters, and hauled him out of sight.
Sakota whipped around and fled to the containment chambers.
###
One pre-apocalyptic Earth. One desperate space mission to find a solution. One unexpected alien. When Dr. Sakota Thorell signed onto the mission to scout out a new, habitable planet, she knew discovering extraterrestrial life was always a possibility. But she never expected to find an alien adrift in space, nor for that alien to be so intriguing. Sakota feels an instant and undeniable attraction to Astraeus, but he represents a million possibilities, and just as many threats.
There are others hunting Astraeus, and his rescue may cost Earth its last hope.
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Thursday, June 20, 2019
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The Write Way Cafe
Allison B. Collins Dreams Her Stories to Life
The Write Way Café welcomes Allison B. Collins, who dreamed a little dream and brought her Cowboys to Grooms stories to life.When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book?
Not too long ago, I found a little booklet we had done in first grade. One of the questions was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My answer? A writer!
What was your path to getting The Montana Cowboy’s Triplets written and published? What type of research did you do?
This is the third book in my Cowboys to Grooms series. I wrote the first book about a wounded veteran returning home from war to his family ranch, pitched the idea to a Harlequin editor at the Romance Writers of America conference. The editor liked the pitch, asked for the manuscript, and I submitted the synopses for the next two books as well, and sold all three! As for research, my husband and I have vacationed a couple of times in Montana, and I fell in love with the area, so it was easy to picture the stories unfolding there. Pinterest is also my best friend. I’ve got boards for each book set up, with who I think the characters look like, what the ranch looks like, the horses, etc.
Where did the idea for the Cowboys to Grooms series come from?
A couple of years ago I had a dream about five brothers who owned a guest ranch in Montana. It was so vivid – I saw the wounded brother coming home from the war, the veterinarian, the charmer, the rebel, and the brother who runs it all. Their future wives were in the dream as well!
Why did you pick the setting you did?
I love Montana, with the wide-open spaces, the majestic mountains, the crystal-clear water. I knew I wanted the ranch to be a luxury guest ranch, with a main lodge, large cabins surrounding the lake, plenty of room for several barns, and most of all, peace and quiet.
Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
The characters are imaginary, but I had inspiration for what each one looks like. I’m a very visual person, so it helps if I can look at a picture to describe facial features, the way they move, and so on. Here’s a little secret: the youngest brother, Hunter Sullivan, looks like Jensen Ackles! And like the character Jensen plays on Supernatural - Dean, Hunter loves pies. Especially the pies his brother Wyatt makes! I think every writer has some part of him/herself in their characters, even if we don’t see it. My heroines all have aspects that I’d like to have. For instance, MacKenzie in book three is a stuntwoman. She’s fearless, brave, and has no qualms doing stunts that I’d never even dream of doing!
Did you face any blocks while writing The Montana Cowboy’s Triplets and other books in the series, and if so, how did you handle them?
I was at a weekend retreat last summer, working on the edits for this book, when my mother suddenly passed away. Everything went on hold while we drove out to El Paso to handle everything. My wonderful editor agreed we could push my due date back, so I was able to get them done at a later date. The realization that I was the only one left of my immediate family was difficult, so I threw myself into the world of a big family. I had to put books four and five on hold as it’s taken almost a year to settle the estate, then pack up and move her household to ours. Now comes the sorting!
What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about cowboys, guest ranches, and stuntwomen?
I learned how much I really like writing about large families—the dynamics, the relationships each brother has with the others, how they feel about their own position in the family. For the writing process, since I’m writing a series of five books, it’s important to keep minor details handy. I created an Excel spreadsheet that includes each character and all their details so I have an easy reference to look back on if I get stuck on someone’s eye or hair color. For research, growing up in Texas, I’ve always had a thing for cowboys, so it was a real chore doing research on them (LOL). I took a workshop at RWA last year about cowboys and picked up a lot of great ideas from the panelists. While I wanted a luxury guest ranch so I could write about fabulous cabins, I wanted to convey it’s the people, the land, their work that these men care about the most, and I hope that comes through in my stories. When I created the character of MacKenzie Campbell, my stuntwoman, I had to read a lot about the job. She’s the complete opposite of the type of woman Hunter usually likes—she can outride and outshoot a lot of men. She’s also a great story teller, and she tells the Triples stories about her homeland of Scotland, including castles, ghosts and the Loch Ness Monster!
Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
I’ve got a wonderful writing space set up in my craft room. Alas, it’s overrun with boxes of books and crafts from my mother’s house. So for now I write in my huge recliner in the den, with all my writing paraphernalia on the bench next to me. I set my laptop on a pillow so it’s easier on my arms, and our Momma Kitty usually joins me to nap on half the pillow. She tends to shift and scoot around until she’s got the whole pillow and I’ve got the laptop sitting on the arm of the chair, with the mouse hanging off the side!
What are some of your favorite books and why?
Most favorite of all is “What Happens in London” by Julia Quinn. I love the characters, the dialogue. The first glance at Olivia Belestoke, and you think she’s a prim and proper girl of Society. Then you find out she’s snarky, and funny, and doesn’t think twice about spying on the bachelor neighbor who is rumored to have killed his fiancée. Another beloved book is “Little Women”. I still have the book my grandmother had growing up! Magical (and Magickal) stories are among my favorites as well. Nora Roberts’ trilogies are the best: The Key Trilogy, Sign of Seven Trilogy, The Guardians Trilogy are all ones I’ve reread twice so far this year.
What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
Conflict. I don’t like conflict in my own life so it’s hard to throw bad stuff at my characters!
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the fourth book in the Cowboys to Grooms series, as well as another book about a billionaire and his assistant.
Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
Sir Harry Valentine and Lady Olivia Bevelstoke. They can’t stand each other upon first meeting, then their snark comes out. Their dialogue and banter is amazing. From my own writing, it’s always the current hero and heroine that I’m working on.
Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre? Which one and why?
Yes! I have a Paranormal Romance about witches that is on the back burner. I also have an idea for a Cozy Mystery series. I love Cozies because they aren’t deep and dark, and there’s usually a theme to them, such as knitting, glass-blowing, crafting, cooking.
If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
Nature photographer or book store owner.
Triple threatStuntwoman Mackenzie Campbell is at the Sullivan Guest Ranch to film a movie, not swoon over smooth-talking rancher Hunter Sullivan. The rugged cowboy is everything her mother warned her about in a man. But when a mix-up leaves Mackenzie without a room, she finds herself bunking with Hunter and his rambunctious six-year-old triplet sons.
Devoted single father is not a side of Hunter that Mackenzie expected—it’s completely at odds with his flirty, charming personality. Mackenzie has fallen for Hunter and his boys, but that doesn’t change the fact that once filming is over, she’s moving on to wherever her next job takes her. Although her heart may not be coming with her...
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Award winning author Allison B. Collins believes everyone deserves their happily ever after. Her main love is writing Contemporary Romance, but she has Paranormal Romance and Romantic Suspense projects in the works. While her current heroes are the rugged, handsome cowboys of Montana, she's planning to write happily ever afters in settings all over the world.
Allison and her husband of thirty years reside in Dallas with four lovable, rambunctious cats.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2019
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By:
The Write Way Cafe
Tuesday Special: Witch Wish
JACQUELINE SEEWALD
Black Opal Books Amazon
About Jacqueline Seewald:
Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Nineteen of her books of fiction have been published to critical praise including books for adults, teens and children. Her most recent novels are DEATH PROMISE and WITCH WISH. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse
publications and numerous anthologies such as: THE
WRITER, L.A. TIMES, READER’S DIGEST, PEDESTAL, SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY
MAGAZINE, OVER MY DEAD BODY!, GUMSHOE REVIEW, LIBRARY JOURNAL,
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. She enjoys painting
landscapes and singing along to all kinds of music. Her writer’s blog
can be found at: http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com.
Monday, June 17, 2019
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By:
The Write Way Cafe
Monday Morsels: An Accidental Love Affair
AN ACCIDENTAL LOVE AFFAIR
by Davida Samenski
Chapter One
She could see her tombstone now: Here lies Nicole Elizabeth DeLancey—Procrastination was her downfall.
She knew there were things she needed to do; important things, but no matter how much time she had to plan or organize, she always waited until the last minute to get things done, landing her in a worse predicament than when she began.
Here she stood in the middle of JFK International, lost, with the announcement that her flight to Heathrow was boarding blasting over the intercom. Where the hell was gate 36-B? She shook her head in despair, turning in a circle.
This is what you get, she thought. Once again, your ‘oh, I’ll do it later’ attitude is causing you trouble. If you don’t make this flight, you can kiss your writing career goodbye. Dad’s not going to give you any more chances to follow your dreams. Not on his dime.
Nicole didn’t want to do anything with her life but write romance novels. She wanted to write love stories so intense and beautiful they would rank up there with the best of them. A knock-down, drag-out war on the senses, capturing the reader’s attention so deeply, they would think of her characters long after the book was finished, living in the mind the way Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Jamie and Claire, and Scarlett and Rhett all did. Yes, this was her dream. It was quickly becoming a nightmare.
The second announcement rang over the intercom, a swarm of butterflies fluttering their wings in her stomach. Butterflies, hell, more like a herd of stampeding buffalo. Her pulse started pounding hard, sweat breaking out across her forehead. Was she ever going to find the damn gate?
The powers that be were listening, the crowd’s parting, allowing her to spy the sign that would lead her to her destination. Hmmm, she thought, not too far to go.
Hefting her laptop case to her shoulder, she sprinted down the hall, relieved to see other passengers still filing through at check-in. She wasn’t late at all. From the ruckus behind her, wouldn’t even be the last passenger in line.
“Hold the plane,” someone yelled, as if the airline attendant could hear him over the noise level, which had suddenly increased one thousand percent. It sounded like a swarm of killer bees were heading straight for her.
Do not look, Nicole, she warned herself. You’re on a mission here. What’s happening behind you is not your concern.
Click, click, click. The constant buzz of camera lenses shuttering and refocusing was getting closer, not to mention the hard pounding of someone’s feet running down the corridor. They were coming up on her fast, bright lights flashing, bouncing off the walls in her peripheral vision.
“What the hell?” She stopped dead in her tracks, beginning to turn, but didn’t make it half a rotation.
“Oi, watch out!” the man swore, barreling into her.
Nicole and her assailant collided, stumbling over each other, the speed of his flight carrying them a good five feet before her ankle twisted. They went down, her face slamming into the floor, the laptop case banging her in the back of the head.
“Bloody hell! Are you all right?” the man asked, his accent thick with British crispness.
She lay on the floor, practically French kissing the tile, trying to catch her breath.
It serves you right, her subconscious nagged. You should have gotten here sooner to avoid things like this.
Want to read more?
Heading to London to compile research for her novel, Nicole is bowled over by Reece as they both run to catch their flight. Joining him in first class, they discover an attraction that will carry them through months of romance and heartbreak, especially when his brother steals her manuscript in a bid to further Reece’s career.
Reece is used to being in the camera’s spotlight, but tries to keep his personal life private, which becomes hard for him to do when he falls for Nicole. Will he be able to protect her from the bright lights of his fame or will he step out of the light and be the man they both wish he could be?
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