Write Words

The email

September 16, 2010 started out like any other day. I had internship hours, signing models up for Greenville Fashion Week in October. It was extremely slow, so I kept trying to check my email on my iPod Touch, but the internet wasn’t consistently working either. That didn’t stop me from poking my email button when I’d been sitting there for twenty minutes and having no one come by. Oh good, I thought as I didn’t get an error message, something’s going right. My heart stopped when I saw the subject line ‘Expectations/Family Saga/Romance/88,830’ –submission response. My halted heart jumped to impossible speeds. With a glance at the sender line, I realized the email was sent from Staci at Lazy Day Publishing…the email I’d been waiting for since I sent in my manuscript three weeks before.

My mind started racing along with my heart. Should I open it? Do I wanna know? What if I’m rejected? Do I want to find that out here with strangers surrounding me? I hesitated for only a moment until my hopeful curiosity trumped my fear.

“Hi Liz,

We have finished reading Expectations, and fell in love with the way you told the story.  Your manuscript is the first one we have accepted with such drama, turmoil and compassion. The way you weave the tale is truly powerful. We at LazyDay Publishing would like to offer you a contract to publish your book.  Congratulations!  We look forward to forming a very successful and lucrative partnership.”

Tears filled my eyes as I read the words again and again. Could an author get a better email? Of course not, I had a publisher who believed in me and my manuscript. Expectations is launching as an e-book on December 1, 2010. I’m a part of a dynamic and amazing set of ‘founding authors’ for LazyDay. You’ll get to meet some of these very talented people in the form of guest posts in the coming months.

Thank you all for sharing this journey with me. I can’t wait to see what’s in store. 

 

Knew the Answer

EXPECTATIONS, depicts the struggle between what we desire for ourselves and our familial obligations. This is personified by Chris and Matt Taylor, identical twins, who are trying to win their overbearing father’s approval and acquire their trust funds. Their best friend and roommate, Aiden O’Boyle, left his family behind in Ireland to pursue a career in dance.

Chris: Alone in the rented photography studio, my thoughts started racing again. I’m insane, right? Of course, I am. Remember how I said I found Meghan, Aiden’s sister? I did.

She’s here in New York. Actually, she’s coming here to this studio any minute. Shit. Again, I’m getting ahead of myself. Through the Google search I found out that Meghan moved here from Ireland six months ago and she’s now working as a model. Or that’s what I gathered from her headshots, which really need to be redone if she wants to get any decent work.

So, why am I insane, you ask? Number one, I set this photo shoot up on a whim, but in doing so I got some very expensive designer clothes and used my connections to get it into a national fashion magazine. Great, right? Phenomenal exposure for both me and the model. Yes, but I don’t know this model. We’ve never worked together and she might not be who I think she is which leads to my other point of insanity…

How do I know this is Aiden’s sister? I mean really know? I don’t. I can’t. Yes, I talked to her and her accent was prominent to say the least, but what kind of proof is that? It isn’t any proof. It would not hold up in a laboratory that’s for damn sure.

Let’s even say it is her. How do I know she’s a good person? How does Aiden know that? Once again neither of us does. Seven years is a long time to be away from someone and still think you know them…

Damn it! I’m crazy. The only thing I thought about when I set this up was taking Aiden’s pain away, or lessening it, but if I got it wrong and she’s not his sister, or  she is and wrecks havoc on his life, that would be worse. The only consolation I could take in all of this is I hadn’t told Aiden first. He has no idea what’s going on, only that I have a shoot with a new model. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost didn’t the soft Irish accented voice behind me say, “Chris Taylor?”

I didn’t miss it though. When I turned around and her familiar green eyes met mine, I smiled and asked the question I already knew the answer to, “Yes, and you’re Meghan Cain, right?”

 

Harem Girl 311- Guest Post

Jason Beymer and I connected through Twitter. After talking with him and reading excepts of his novel Rogue's Curse I knew I had to get it and I did, the day after it came out. It was hysterical, just like him. I'd encourage all of you to read this post and then go get the book. Or skip to the bottom and get it now. We'll wait. 

Rogue's Curse is a dark comedy set 2000 years after the Rapture. Doban discovers the talisman responsible for the Rapture and it embeds itself to his skin. Now the entire kingdom is after him. He must turn to the only woman who ever loved him—a woman he once left to die in a tomb—for help. Rogue's Curse has tons of sex, monsters, palace politics, romance, humor and adventure. 

Story Introduction: In Rogue's Curse, King Perlezod maintains a harem of over 350 women, all with unusual gifts that fit his sexual tastes. Here Brianne, Harem Girl 311, makes a desperate appeal to a palace soldier.

Harem Girl 311

 

If I show them, you'll only raise an eyebrow, maybe whistle, then you'll ask to touch them. You're all the same. It's the reason daddy kept me hidden in the barn all my life. But I don't have much choice and I need to get your attention; I need someone to listen to me. So, fine. Here. Get a good look.

 

Oooh, I have three breasts, okay? Whoop-dee-doo. Yes, one of them is smaller than the others. Yes, the nipple is pierced. Don't you know me? Wife number 311. That's my name: 311. It used to be Brianne. But when a girl joins the Royal Harem, you bastards stamp them with a number, then send them into the east wing with all the rest.

 

And these women don't like competition. My first week was tough. I walked through those tall double-doors and the girls formed a gauntlet, each one trying to figure out my "niche." I kept my head down as I passed the girl with one arm, the woman with webbed fingers, the well-endowed dwarf with no teeth. King Perlezod has unusual tastes, huh? They muttered to each other and pointed. Some spit. I wanted to go home, back to the barn where daddy kept me hidden: his freak daughter with three breasts. I'd spent my whole life there, safe. I was stupid to sneak out of the farmhouse, stupid to think people would accept me.

 

Hey, I'm up here. Can you please stop ogling?

 

Anyway, once King Perlezod got wind of my…peculiarity…he ordered you soldiers to add me to his collection. You guys entered the barn, told me I didn't have to hide anymore, and said the king would take care of me. Love me. You gave my daddy a sack of gold and brought me here. I'd replaced some other wife who "disappeared." Apparently harem wives "disappear" all the time. Competition for the king's attention is fierce and bloody.

 

I've been living in the palace a while now, but I've only made love to the king twice. I gave him my virginity, but he didn't care. He just finished up, rolled out of bed and ordered two soldiers to return me to the east wing. I don't like to think about that night, but I put on a brave face. I used to lie to the other girls about it, telling them how much the king loves me.

 

Stupid, right? What? Oh, yes, you can touch them.

 

But I don't talk to the other girls anymore, not since Lady Mumford's arrival. None of the girls gossip like they used to. Everyone's afraid. Why? Why? Do you really have to ask me that? It's because of Lady Mumford! She doesn't sleep in the east wing with the rest of us; she sleeps with the king. And King Perlezod hasn't stepped foot through our doors in weeks. We're all worried, panicked about what he might do with us now that he's in love. I never sleep. Nobody does. At night the girls speak of mutiny; they talk about murdering that bitch. They talk about getting our king back. Tonella scares me the most. She's our de facto leader, responsible for most of the harem wives' "disappearances."

 

I try to keep to myself. I don't want any part of the mutiny. Tell the king that, okay? Tell him I just want to go home, back to the barn where I can hide. Something bad is going to happen; I know it. Hey, where are you going? Get back here! Tell the king I want to go home. Please. Just tell him I want to go home.

Now I'm sure you want to read the whole book? Of course you do and I would be remiss without giving you ample opportunities to do so:

Here's a link to a longer except: http://tiny.cc/vgcsv  

To buy on Amazon go here: http://tiny.cc/6itqq

And from Jason's publisher, Lyrical Press: http://tiny.cc/k2knf 

Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/beerandtv

And check out his blog: http://www.beerandtv.com/

Thanks, Jason! Readers please give him love and remind him how awesome he is!

Hell

EXPECTATIONS, depicts the struggle between what we desire for ourselves and our familial obligations. This is personified by Chris and Matt Taylor, identical twins, who are trying to win their overbearing father’s approval and acquire their trust funds. Their best friend and roommate, Aiden O’Boyle, left his family behind in Ireland to pursue a career in dance.

Matt: I’m so close to Carley. It’s incredible. I’m on a god awful long flight to San Diego. With her next to me. Watching the way her hair falls into her face, I desperately wanted to brush it out of her eyes, but I didn’t.

You know why?

It doesn’t matter what I wanted. I was going to a place where I’d be reminded of that constantly for three days.

So, I did what any sane person would do. I turned away from her, struggled not to smell her fruity shampoo that filled the air in the closed cabin. I fought to keep racing my heart racing a secret as her arm brushed mine. The excitement was stupid and irrational anyway.

I knew that. Of course I did. Didn’t stop the aching in my chest that, unfortunately, wasn’t helped by the gin and tonics I kept downing.

When she placed her hand on my leg, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Shit. What’s wrong with me?

“Do you think your father will meet us at the airport?” She asked quietly.

I smirked before answering without really meaning to. “Not likely. When Chris and I would come home for the holidays from boarding school, he’d just send a car.” I at once loved and hated her for the sympathy I saw in her eyes.

No. That’s not true. Even you don’t actually believe that I could hate her even for a second. God, putting this distance between us would kill me. I’m sure of it.

“But it’s been so long since he’s seen you. I’d think he’d want to do so as soon as possible.” She said retracting her hand from my leg.

I shook my head as much at her words as her actions. No, that just wasn’t the way Robert Taylor worked. He’d move heaven and hell to add another dollar to his billions, but to bond with his sons?

Bond and my father don’t mix. As the plane descended to my personal hell, I handed over the last of my drinks and realized the last of what had any chance of keeping me from turning into ash was gone.

And I continued to push Carley away. Looking at her, I realized she wasn’t going to go easily.