. This year I'm writing the fourth book in the Baby Girl Series
, Bite the Big Apple. The book is well underway and more than halfway there. The contest is 50,000 words so I have opted to write books 5 and possibly 6 in the series as well. November writing for me is dedicated to Cleo and her life adventure.As an author and teacher I support creativity. That's what NaNoWriMo is about and not just for adults but kids as well. Click the link to read more.
Last night I watched a chef show with children. Yes, children. They were cooking all types of fantastic food. These children were prodigies and amazing! Their talents were displayed across the country through TV. As a writer I want today's young author, child writing prodigies, to feel that same support and success. NaNoWriMo is one way to do that.
I have donated to the event but want to go one step further and I'm asking for your help. For the rest of November for every .99 ebook sold I will donate 100% of my royalties and for every ebook above .99 sold I will donate $1. For every paperback sold I will donate $2. If you have the books already than help spread the word to your friends and family. Creativity in our children is something to fight for.
What I've been working on...
Chapter 1 in Bite the Big apple (remember its not edited yet :-))
Miss Executive Secretary
The wine in my glass was nearly extinguished. I tapped my phones’ speaker icon with my finger so I could refill my glass. Kacy’s voice filled my small rent controlled studio apartment which had been a tip from La Tige, my ex boss and fatherly figure in my life..
“Girlie, how’d you land this fantastic new job?” Kacy and I spoke nearly once a week, sometimes more. It was refreshing to keep a friend while at the same time somehow disturbing. I had never kept relationships of any kind.
“His bulldog of a wife, she literally looks like a bulldog, jaw jowels, bent arms, the whole works. She was walking inside at the same time I was walking out. It was the annual Christmas party and I wanted some fresh air. The night was warm for December in New York. She slammed into me And I went flying backwards into the trash can. Thank god it was lidded or I would’ve been sitting in it.”
Kacy interrupted, “She didn’t! I woulda’ kicked her bulldog…”
“I’m not done. She scowled on the way inside, never turning her head mind you, ‘I hope that orange mop isn’t natural, you’re a disgrace to the company’.
“I totally woulda’ chased her down and whooped on that rich bully ass.” I could hear the tension in her voice.
“I’m sure you would have but I’m classier than that.” I retorted.
“Whatever! Miss I left my boyfriend without sayin’ a word.” I could hear Kacy chuckling on the other end. I also heard a slight hesitation in her voice.
“You told him, didn’t you?” My voice laced with angst over a man who wasn’t truly my boyfriend. At least the words had never been voiced. Fetch was more of a play guy, simmering hot, but no life goals. I refilled my wine for the second time and let the sweet red juice drizzle slowly down my throat.
“I didn’t…You got me I did. I only told him you took a better job in New York. I didn’t give him you’re address or anything.”
“Some best friend you are?” I sneered. The two times Fetch had called I ignored the rings allowing the messages to go to voice mail but he left none.
“He’s like the hottest guy ever. He comes into the bar like a broken puppy, droopy eyes, no spark. I’m a sucker for puppies and I told.” Kacy was a sucker sometimes but she hadn’t watched a boyfriend, my Einstein, get jolted across the road during a hit and run and die in front of her eyes or stood her next lover, Didier, up on the altar because she was pretending to be something she wasn’t. No, that was me. A broken home had led to my broken life which I was desperately trying to fix.
“I’d kick your butt if I was there.”
Silence filled the air for about 30 seconds before Kacy replied.
“Sorry sweet. I really think he’s in love with you. The two of you make the best couple I think I’ve ever seen.
“I know. I’m not angry. I… He never said the words. If I’m meant to be with Fetch it’ll work its way out, somehow, someday. If not, than it’s wasn’t meant.”
“You are a romantic fool, sometimes you gotta take life by the horns and just do it.” Sentiment creeped into each of Kacy’s words.
Wanting to get off the whole Fetch conversation I rerouted the conversation. “After bulldog slammed into me William III helped unplaster me from the trash can. We started talking. Would you believe he wasn’t allowed to watch movies like the Wizard of Oz or Oliver Twist when he was a kid.”
“No freakin’ way!” I was glad the phone was on speaker or her words would have blasted my ear drums.
“Yes, freakin’ way. According to him his parents said those movies were too scary and would give him nightmares. Instead, he could only watch the news or the stock market.”
“No Sesame Street?” She asked, genuinely concerned.
“None! I’m surprised he turned out so normal.” Not that I had watched Sesame Street either but I wished I had.
“My mind is blown, completely. Poor deprived children. How many kids are there again?”
“William III is the oldest Briggs child, then Patrice and last Candace.”
“I’m shocked they made it to adulthood.” We both chuckled at her response. “Keep going babe, wanna hear the rest.”
“I went home and Monday when I arrived at work I had an email from him to meet at Vinny’s New York Style Brick Oven Pizza House. He even sent directions. I was stumped and nervous. An unhappily married man wanting lunch with a lowly receptionist. All kinds of thoughts and images went through my mind.”
“Creeepy.” She drug the e out for effect.
“Exactly. Okay, We met for lunch. I was all tensed and ready to run thinking affair no way! Turns out all he wanted was to ask me to be his executive secretary. You already know I accepted. The best part, my pay has tripled!”
“Luck finds you. Got no complaints. Love my bar, my bar is my life. No, that’s not true Javier is my life.” A touch of sarcasm entered her voice.
“Incorrect, the bar is your life, Javier is secondary.” The scent of fresh, crisp late New York December air filled my apartment through the open sliver of my window. It mingled with the garlic small from the Italian chicken I had cooked for dinner.
“He is not. He’s busy with school all the time and the bar…I love the bar, the people. It’s home to me.” She meant that literally as she had grown up above the bar. In the time we lived together I had seen similarities in our lives, although hers was a whole lot more normal than mine. Growing up in a shack with a junkie fake mom who eventually went missing, turning up dead floating in the Sacramento River had done a number on me, and forced me to grow up long before my time. Kacy had grown up above a bar with a happy family, even so she had grown up quickly.
“You’re hopeless, you know that. Javier will marry you one day and the two of you will stroll off into the wild blue yonder together, leaving us all behind.”
“So not true, My bar will be the milk and bread of our marriage, if it ever happens. At least until he gets a job that pays enough, we can raise a family.”
“Who is the hopeless romantic now?” I questioned, knowing how much she adored every millimeter of Javier.
“I totally love you Shanna.” My body cringed at that name, not that I hadn’t gotten used to it but I wanted to be me, Cleo. Not Shanna or Justine or even my mom’s name for me, but Cleo- short for Cleopatra as Einstein put it. I had to face facts I would always love the one I could never have because he was taken at too young an age. My love whom one day I would meet again if there was a heaven. I truly wanted Kacy to know everything she was my best friend, only I didn’t understand the entire story yet so how could I tell her? At this point all I knew is the Briggs’ had hired Slug as a ‘hit man’ and somehow my kidnapper-fake mom-junkie Perdy took me to protect me from evil powerful people who have been hunting me.
“Kacy, you are the best friend I’ve ever had.” And one day I will tell you the entire story.
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