WIPpet Wednesday: So Long, Moe

     Well, I've decided to shelf Saving Natalie again. Lord-willing, I'll be working all of June on a new novel project (more details to come), but I'll be posting updates on my blog if you want to stay in touch.

     Since Saving Natalie is about to go to manuscript purgatory, I'll leave you with one more excerpt with Moe. I love this guy so much I doubt my little heart could stand keeping him on the shelf forever. So, until he emerges again to face the light of day, here's Moe and the last 29 sentences of Saving Natalie that you'll see in a while.

***

                “E’cuse me,” he said loudly. “I’m wiping tables.”

                Jake wasn’t feeling particularly patient today. He was about to tell the man to move out of his way when a woman came bustling towards them.

                “Moe,” she called, “you can’t clean that table because there are people still sitting there.”

                “But I need to finish this row.” Moe held up his rag as evidence. Dirty water dripped on Jake’s head.

                “You can finish this row after these nice folks leave. For now start cleaning the table behind them.”

                Jake scowled and wiped his hair. Hospitals are no place for guys like this to be working.

                Moe banged into Jake’s chair as he went by. His Santa hat fell on the floor.

                “Oops…SORRY!” Moe shouted. He reached for his hat and bumped Jake on the knee. 

                Moe smiled and showed Jake the oversized red felt. “It’s for Christmas. It’s what they gave baby Jesus.” Moe struggled to fix his festive headwear but couldn't get it on straight. “Baby Jesus didn’t have a home, you know, so they had to put him outside in the barn, and all he had was a red hat to stay warm. Just like this.”

                Jake was about to nudge Moe away when Jessica stood up and helped him put his Santa hat back on correctly.

                “Thank you.” Moe smiled at Jessica. “You're pretty,” he said and squinted his eyes in what Jake had to guess was an attempted wink. “Sorry about your baby.” Jake looked at Jessica, who looked as confused as he felt. “God took care of baby Jesus, too.”

                “All right, Moe,” the woman beside him cajoled. “Let’s finish one more row and then you can have a cinnamon bun.” At the mention of a sticky sweet treat, Moe went right back to work. As he wiped the next table, he hummed Silent Night to himself, a little bit too loudly and pathetically out of tune.

***

Random Fact: I volunteered as a candy-striper for about four years as a teenager.

Love My WIPpet Buds: If you didn't see it, fellow WIPpeter Kate Frost interviewed me on her blog. I'm going to return the favor soon because THE BUTTERFLY STORM IS ABOUT TO BE RELEASED!!!

Join the WIPpets! If you want to join the WIPpet fun, give us an excerpt from your current Work In Progress that has something to do with today's date (like 29 sentences for May 29), then link up at My Random Muse.

WIPpet Wednesday: Cone Head

     I love WIPpet Wednesdays, especially now that some of our WIPs have become actual books in print. I think Emily said it best when she noted how fun it is to read a story and realize, "Hey! I remember that from her WIPpet post way back!" The same thing happened to me last week when I read K. L. Schwengel's fantasy novel, "First of Her Kind."

     I also love how writers from vastly different genres have come together every Wednesday to support and read each other's work. Some of the WIPpet scenes I've read are way more gruesome than anything I'd ever pick out of a library shelf, while others have more creative fantasy power than I could dream up in several decades.

    So now that I've sung the glories of WIPpet Wednesdays, here's 24 sentences from chapter 1 of Saving Natalie, brought to you on the 24th of April.

***

     Jake took a deep breath. If he waited any longer, it would be obvious that he was stalling. Not knowing how to prepare himself for the next few minutes, he squared his shoulders and walked down the hallway to meet his baby girl. Jake walked into the birthing room and stopped in the middle of the doorway. Jessica was reclining in the hospital bed, cradling Natalie in her arms. Jake leaned his hand against the delivery room doorframe and stared at his daughter.

     She wasn’t the picture-perfect, chubby-cheeked cherub Jake was expecting. Swaddled in a pink and turquoise hospital blanket, Natalie scrunched up her face. Her skin was dark and blotchy. She had black nappy hair and a pronounced point at the top of her skull, a real cone-head.

     Jake took one hesitant step into the room. “Hi there.” Jessica turned around. “Whoa,” Jake gasped. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

     Jessica glared at him through angry red slits, each encircled by day-old eyeliner. “I broke the blood vessels pushing.” Jake cleared his throat and took one more shuffle closer to his daughter. “So they finally let you come back, huh?” The bite in Jessica’s voice was as out of place with this picture of motherhood as the skull tattoo that peeked out from the top of her hospital gown. Or maybe Jake was just being old-fashioned

***

Random Fact #11: Saving Natalie was about the fifth novel I started writing and the first manuscript I actually finished.

     And now it's time for you to join the WIPpet game! Show us a snippet form your current Work In Progress that has something to do with today's date (like 24 sentences on April 24). Then link up here or at My Random Muse. And speaking of My Random Muse, you really should buy and read K. L. Schwengel's First of Her Kind. I'm usually not into fantasy (shhhh... it's a secret), but I really enjoyed her book! Oh, and WIPpeters, I'll be tied up most of the day so I might not get to your blogs until tomorrow. Can't wait to read your WIPs!

WIPpet Wednesday: From the Birthday Girl

     Well, first for the really important news: It's my birthday! And do you know what would make me really, really happy today as I turn 30? TONS of book sales!! (wink, wink...)

     As far as my 80-day writing goals are concerned, I've met all but two of them. The Beloved Daughter is now a Kindle ebook as well as a paperback. My second round of edits for book 2 in my time-travel/historical fiction series for kids are with my publisher right now. And my virtual book tour is coming along swimmingly! All I need to do now is find a few more homeschool blogs to review my newly-released What, No Sushi? (which arrived just yesterday) and keep up with Saving Natalie, which I'm doing right here for WIPpet Wednesday. Then it's on to my 80-day get-a-life goals. (Yeah, I'll let you know how that goes...)

     You might remember that last week Jake was waiting to meet his newborn daughter for the first time. Here are the next 17 sentences in the opening pages of Saving Natalie.

***


It was Jessica’s mom. Rhonda fidgeted with her smartphone and walked straight past Jake. Jessica’s father paused long enough to extend his hand. “Congratulations.” Rhonda stopped several feet in front of her husband, tapping her screen with flamingo-pink fingernails.

Jake wondered what to say. “How is she?”

“She’s doing fine.” Jessica’s father only came up to Jake’s shoulder. Both men shuffled their weight from one foot to the other. “Tired, of course, but the doctor said she should have a pretty easy recovery.”

Jake had actually been asking about the baby.

Rhonda cleared her throat and swept her brown hair over her shoulder like some middle-aged runway model. “Mark, we’d better get on the road. It’s pretty ugly out there. If we leave now you still might make the meeting tonight.”

“I better go,” Mark mumbled and scurried to keep up with his wife.

***

Click to Tweet: Congrats @aboynamedsilas, Women of Faith writing contest winner.

Random Fact #7: I assisted with my first autopsy when I was only 16 years old.

Go WIPpets! If you want to join the WIPpet fun, just give us an excerpt from your current Work In Progress that has something to do with today's date (like 17 sentences on April 17). Then link up below or at myrandommuse.wordpress.com.

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.


 

Wednesday WIPpet: "If You Destroy Me"

      It's been a busy week. In addition to winning two novels by WIPpet hostess K. L. Schwengel on her recent giveaway, I also won second place in the Women of Faith writing compteition!

     Now for the real fun part ... publishing "The Beloved Daughter." My first batch of paperbacks are on their way right now, and my website is up and ready to accept orders! I'm planning my blog tour and having a great time with it all.

      So now for today's WIPpet. Here's four paragraphs from chapter three of "The Beloved Daughter." This may be the last snippet I post online from "The Beloved Daughter," so be sure to order a copy if you want to read the whole story of Chung-Cha, who was (un)fortunate enough to be the daughter of an outspoken Christian in contemporary North Korea.

***

      On hearing Father’s words, I was sure the officer would beat him, but for the slightest moment, a look of terror flashed through Pock-Marks’ dark eyes. I was certain that Father noticed it as well, and he glanced in my direction as if to say, Did you see it too, daughter?  

     Unfortunately, that moment of victory was fleeting.The officer looked Father up and down, then smiled. “It’s a dangerous proposition,” Pock-Marks goaded, “being so bold when there are children present.” 

     I stood still, willing myself to breathe. The corner of Father’s lip quivered, but his voice betrayed no terror as he spoke. “Chung-Cha belongs to Christ,” Father declared. “Even if you destroy me, God will still watch over my daughter.” 

     The agent chuckled, taking a single stride toward me. “And what if I destroy her?” 

***

     Join the WIPpet fun. Post an excerpt from your current Work In Progress that has something to dwith today's date (like four paragraphs from chapter three on 4/3). Then link up here or at myrandommuse.wordpress.com

     Oh, and I'm trying something new. If I remember, I'm going to add a random fact about myself at the bottom of each post. So here is Random Fact #1: Yesterday was the first time in six years I pumped my own gas. (And I remembered how to do it!)

Click to Tweet: Congrats to @ABoyNamedSilas, 2nd place in the Women of Faith writing contest! 

Read an excerpt from THE BELOVED DAUGHTER, 2nd place winner in the Women of Faith writing contest