Tuesday, April 9, 2013

WIPpet Wednesday and ROW80: "First Time"

     Before my WIP, a quick update on my ROW80 writing goals: I've already gotten my editor's comments back from book 2 in My Solar-Powered History series. (Book 1, What, No Sushi? is the time-travel/historical fiction book set in a Japanese-American internment camp you may remember from previous WIPs.) And I'm making headway in planning my blog tour for The Beloved Daughter, although I've been writing answers to so many interviews I've actually been typing answers to questions in my sleep!

See my Amazon page!

     Another goal is to work some on my next novel, Saving Natalie. I figure at the very least I can touch up a few paragraphs for WIPpet Wednesday, so in honor of April 10, I give you the first ten sentences of Saving Natalie, as they currently stand. (Funny bit of trivia: I wrote the first draft of Saving Natalie five years ago, before I even knew what Facebook or iPhones were. Needless to say, I've had to modernize the opening paragraphs.)


***


     Jake sat alone in the lobby, thumbing a pregnancy magazine filled with pictures of bronze athletic mamas-to-be. Once he got to the last glossy page, Jake pulled out his iPhone and scrolled through his contacts. There wasn’t anybody to text. His mother would see the Facebook pictures soon enough. If they ever late Jake into the delivery room, that is.
     Jake tried to imagine what it would be like to meet Natalie for the first time. How much longer were Jessica’s parents going to take?
     Jake watched the snow fall outside the lobby window and wondered if his own father had been this anxious when he was born. If his father had even showed up at the hospital.
          Nervouseness might have turned to bitterness if Jake had more time, but his thoughts were interrupted by high heels clicking on bleached linoleum. It was Jessica's mom.

***

Random Fact #4: I'm short. Shorter than any other adult woman I know, including both of my grandmas.

To link up for WIPpet Wednesdays, give us a peak at your current work in progress that something to do with today's date. Then link up here or at My Random Muse.


 

15 comments:

  1. Poor Jake - nothing worse than that kind of waiting (and outside at that)! Nice little teaser about his own background too.

    So glad everything's going well on the tour (sleep typing - a good skill to have... you should have bought your own minions on ebay...). Just bought Beloved Daughter on Amazon too - your author page looks great.

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    1. woohoo! Thanks for ordering!! You'll have to let me know what you think! Hope you're having a great night.

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    2. How on earth can I be the official NZ promoter if I don't read it!!! Am looking forward to it.

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  2. Glad to hear the tour is going good -- they are a lot of work, but so much fun! Okay, sometimes you don't realize the fun until later, but it's there. :)

    Great tease. I'm feeling sorry for Jake already.

    Okay, I have a female friend that is 4' 11 1/2" tall. Trust me, you don't want to be telling someone and forget the 1/2". I'm 5'8". We're quite the pair when we're standing together. ;)

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    1. haha, your friend and I would be eye to eye, however if she had big bangs like in the 90s she'd be taller than me. :) My husband is 6'2'' if you want to talk about a funny pair.

      I'm loving First of Her Kind so far, btw!

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  3. See, the thing with WIPpet Wednesdays is that it's never enough- I need to know what happens next! Why does Natalie need saving? What's going on? ARRRGH!

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    1. I know, WIPpets are kind of brutal like that! I'll probably be working the beginning of Saving Natalie for a while, so you'll get to read more in the following weeks hopefully.

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  4. You can really feel Jake's loneliness and helplessness waiting out in the corridor - a great opening.

    I've just bought The Beloved Daughter too. :-)

    Good going on your ROW80 goals. Oh, and I love your random facts!

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    1. Aw, thanks for buying The Beloved Daughter, Kate! I'd love to hear what you think of it. Hope your characters find Danny!

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  5. It's interesting to see it from the man's perspective, his feeling of not being able to help and the fact that he's alone. A good opening.

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    1. Thanks Elaine. Jake's not necessarily a model "good guy," but I do feel sorry for him at this point.

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  6. In just those few lines, we've got insight both into Jake's own feelings about becoming a father and a glimpse into his past. I'll be interested to see where this goes!

    Also, just ordered my copy of The Beloved Daughter, but my Kindle is at home and I am at work, so I'll have to wait. :)

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    1. Thanks for the feedback, and especially for getting a copy of The Beloved Daughter! I loved your Nutcracker revamp, btw.

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  7. I don't think I ever mentioned it before, but I actually did know a lady who would make you feel tall. She wasn't a Little Person, either (although I have known a couple). She was just tiny.

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