Laina Turner's Blog, page 12
February 2, 2020
Cupids & Crooks a Cozy Mystery
Can Presley finally relax and enjoy a surprise vacation with Cooper, or will murder derail her fun in the sun?
Presley is thrilled when Cooper surprises her with a trip to an all-inclusive resort in Cabo San Lucas. Presley’s agenda of no work and all play is ruined when renowned Mexican soap opera star Lucia Vegas turns up dead in the hotel pool—and it’s not an accident.
Presley can’t help but wonder who murdered Lucia. When her ever-present curiosity kicks in, she decides to solve the murder.
When she meets a reporter named Belinda, who shares her theory that Lucia was just one of a string of murders targeting young actresses, Presley has to solve the crime — vacation or not!
Chapter 1
How did it go today?” Cooper asked, setting down his bag and loosening his tie.
I was lounging on the couch reading my latest US Weekly. “Eh. It went well enough, but same old story. Too qualified for an entry–level job. They don’t think I’ll be happy if I take an entry–level job; they’re concerned I will leave as soon as a better offer comes along. I get it. After years in the human resources field myself, I realize from their perspective it is a legitimate concern, but dammit, I’m trying to change careers here and no one is making it easy.”
I had a business degree and had been the VP of human resources at a large corporation for years, thinking it was my dream career. Turned out I was wrong, and I quit. I tried a few different things since then, with nothing being that dream job I was looking for. I wasn’t even sure I knew what it was that would be my dream job. I loved books and writing, but had been struggling with actually finishing anything, and I was enough of a realist to know that the chances of making a career out of writing were slim. At best it would take years to ramp up enough to support my shopping habit. As I had been soul searching to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I’d continued to work part–time at Silk, a high–end retail boutique I’d managed for a while. Today my interview had been with a small publishing company for a position as a junior editor. It was an entry level job paying far less that I had made during my last stint in corporate America, but more than I made as a part time sales girl at Silk. It was a job I thought I would enjoy, and these days that was much more important to me than money.
“Well, I have something that might cheer you up.”
“What? Not another offer to work with you, is it?”
“Would that be so bad? I didn’t think it went too terrible in Dallas,” he said, referring my stint as part of his team on one of his recent jobs. A position he only gave me thanks to a bet I had won.
“Not at all, but I thought you said new clients were on hold for now until you decided what to do about the company.”
“It is,” he said, planting a kiss on my cheek as he sat down next to me on the couch. “I’m meeting with the potential buyer tomorrow morning. It’s the after–meeting part that I think you’ll be interested in.”
“What?” I turned to face him. “What do you have up your sleeve?” I looked at him suspiciously.
“He leaned over to where he had set his bag, rifled around for a couple seconds, and pulled out an envelope which he then placed on my lap.
I looked down. “What’s this?”
“Well, go ahead, open it and find out,” he said, smiling.
I opened the envelope and pulled out two tickets. After looking them over, I turned to Cooper. “We’re going to Cabo San Lucas?”
He nodded, still smiling.
“We’re going to Cabo San Lucas,” I shrieked, threw my arms around him, and then sat back grinning from ear to ear. Being mid–February, it was cold and snowy here in Chicago, and getting away somewhere warm would be amazing.
“I kind of thought you would be happy. Can you be ready by tomorrow afternoon?”
“Uh, yeah! I can be ready right now. What brought this on? Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled, but you’re not usually Mr. Spontaneous.”
“Well, for once I’m trying to change that. After all it is Valentine’s Day Friday, so what better time to be spontaneous?”
“You’re the best boyfriend ever.” I was beyond elated. I mean I had hoped for dinner and some candy, not a trip to Mexico. I grabbed my laptop off the coffee table and opened the lid, balancing it on one hand. I looked at the ticket and brochure that accompanied it and typed the name of the resort we were staying at in the search bar. “Wow! Look at this, it’s gorgeous. We’re really staying here?”
“It comes highly recommended by one of my clients. I think you will find the poolside to your liking.”
“And the five–star restaurant and the snorkeling! This is the best Valentine ever. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I said again, hugging him while trying not to let the laptop slide off into the floor.
“You’re welcome. Now, you can keep looking at the website, I’m going to jump in the shower.”
“OK. What do you want for dinner?”
“What are my choices?”
“Well, I could cook, or order a pizza?”
“Spinach and mushroom, please,” he requested walking to the shower, and I laughed. I wasn’t a very good cook, and while he tolerated it well, he rarely passed up a chance to forgo my cooking. I didn’t blame him one bit. I reached for the phone to call the pizza place and then started making a mental list of everything else needing to be done before I left.
*****
“You said you’d be ready. Now c’mon, the car is waiting,” Cooper said, sounding a bit exasperated.
“I know, I know. Just need to grab one more thing.”
“That’s what you said three things ago!”
I rolled my eyes. “Got it,” I said, grabbing the pair of shoes I was looking for and stuffing them in my already bulging suitcase.
“Good, now let’s go.”
I locked the door behind us and we made our way down the elevator. Coming out into the lobby, I waved at Charles, the doorman who’d worked at this building longer than I had been alive.
“Going somewhere, Miss Thurman?”
“Just a few days in sunny Mexico.” I smiled, not able to keep the excitement out of my voice.
“That sounds fun. You have a good time and I’ll keep an eye on things.”
“Thanks, Charles,” I said, waving over my shoulder as Cooper rushed me out the door.
“Where’s your car?” I asked him, looking around and not seeing anything besides a black Lincoln Town car that didn’t look like the Buick he had rented from Enterprise when he got to Chicago a few days ago. Cooper officially lived in San Diego while I resided in Chicago. While not the optimal situation, he traveled a lot, so we were able to make it work. Though if he sold his business, as he had been talking about, things could change. Something that made me excited and nervous all at the same time.
Cooper motioned to the Lincoln. “This is your airport transportation today.”
“OK, wait a minute,” I said, setting my Louis Vuitton bag down and crossing my arms in front of my chest. “What is going on here? Did you win the lottery or something?”
Cooper laughed. “Nothing that exciting. It’s John’s. The guy I met with last night. When he heard I was headed to the airport this morning, he offered me the use of it. Said he didn’t need it until later, and the driver would have plenty of time to drop us off. Who was I to refuse?”
“I’m glad you didn’t. This trip just gets better and better. I could get used to this curb side service.”
Unfortunately, the trip getting better stopped at the airport. O’Hare was always a crap–shoot when it came to flights being on time, and this trip we lost big. After two delays and an hour on the tarmac waiting for other planes in front us to take off, we finally were on our way. Only to arrive at the airport in Cabo to a lock–down by the Policia because someone had been caught smuggling drugs so we sat there for two hours.
“I’m hot, tired, and hungry,” I said when we were finally able to leave the airport and were settled in a taxi to take us to the resort. It was six hours after when we should have originally arrived.
“In a few minutes you can sit poolside and refresh yourself with a cold margarita,” Cooper replied.
I closed my eyes. “That sounds like heaven.”
We rode in silence the rest of the way to the hotel. I was thinking about that refreshing margarita, and every time I opened my eyes to look at Cooper he was checking his email. It seemed like he never stopped working. If he did sell his business, I hoped it would give him more down time than he seemed to get now. I felt the taxi come to a stop. The driver put the car in park and I opened my eyes wide. Stepping out of the taxi, my weariness wore off, as I could smell the ocean and see a sliver of the beach from where I was standing.
The driver set our luggage down on the stone driveway. Cooper paid him and then grabbed our luggage. Walking into the lobby, I was greeted by a young woman passing out what appeared to be a fruity drink of some sort, which I gladly accepted.
I took a drink. “Ummmm…rum punch. Now I am starting to feel refreshed.”
“Why don’t you have a seat; enjoy your drink and I’ll get us checked in.”
“Thanks, babe,” I said, kissing him on the cheek. “You’re too good to me, you know that?”
“Right. I’ll remember that next time you’re mad at me,” he joked.
You can get the entire book here!
The post Cupids & Crooks a Cozy Mystery appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
November 27, 2019
Holiday Lights Out A Cozy Mystery Short Serial Starting Dec 2nd
Stella Cavanaugh planned the trip to Thief River Falls to get away from things and relax but instead stumbled into trouble.
The bus ride to Thief River Falls was uneventful until they arrived at the hotel and not everyone got off the bus.
One of the vacation goers was dead.
But how? Who?
Stella can’t relax and enjoy her vacation until she gets to the bottom of things. But can she figure out who killed Reginald before someone comes after her?
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The post Holiday Lights Out A Cozy Mystery Short Serial Starting Dec 2nd appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
November 26, 2019
Stilettos & Scoundrels a Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery – authors note + free chapter
Stilettos and Scoundrels is, and always will be, near and dear to my heart. It’s the first book I wrote start to finish and then went on to publish. I wanted to be a writer since the second grade. Though it never felt within my reach until the advent of the e-book and Amazon transforming the publishing landscape.
My entire life, I dabbled in writing and continuously thought about how amazing it would be to become a published author one day. Every year I went to the library and checked out the book Writer’s Market. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a huge (like thousands of pages) book that has lists of agents and publishers along with publishing opportunities plus much much more. I’d scour through it, looking for potential agents who might be a good fit for what I wanted to write. I’d create a list, and then tell myself that this year would be the year. I’d finally finish a book and send it to an agent starting my author journey. But I never did. Why? I was too afraid of rejection, so I made sure to come up with plenty of excuses for why I could never actually finish the book and send it off to an agent.
My mother also had the same dream. While she never went as far as getting a list of agents, at least not to my knowledge, she always talked about how she wanted to be a writer. She attempted to write a few stories but never really pursued it seriously. More just a pipedream because she lacked the confidence to pursue her dream. The exact thing I did for years. That halfhearted attempt at achieving something we both wanted.
I know that her fear was the same as mine. It was a fear of failure. Isn’t it crazy how many things we don’t even try because we’re afraid to fail? When often the worst that can happen if you fail isn’t really that bad.
If back then, I’d finished a book and sent it off, and that person didn’t like it, it’s not like it would have killed me. Sure it would hurt, and my ego would be bruised, but it wasn’t life-threatening.
When the exciting new world of self-publishing opened up, I got a renewed desire to publish. For the first time, I could do this. The second thing that finally motivated me was my circumstance. I was in my late 30s going through divorce doing the typical taking stock of your life thing. You know, what I’d accomplished and what I still wanted to do before I died. The dream of becoming an author had never left, and it was finally time to achieve that dream.
When I started writing Stilettos and Scoundrels, I planned for it to be romance. My reading tastes bounce around from romance, mystery, thrillers, and suspense. I knew, or least I felt, that I could do the best job with a romantic comedy type book — nothing too deep, nothing too complicated, something that would be lighthearted fluffy and fun. I knew before I started writing that my main character’s name would be Presley Thurman, to pay homage to my mother. Her maiden name was Thurman, and she loved Elvis Pressley. Fun fact: I was conceived after an Elvis Presley concert now, aren’t you all thrilled that you know that about me?
My original premise was that she would lose her job in Chicago, go back home, and run into an old high school flame. Then they’d have the normal – oh, I’m attracted to you, but this won’t work with some funny mishaps thrown. Until they finally decided that they were meant to be and would live happily ever after.
However, if you’re reading this after reading Stilettos and Scoundrels, you will realize that’s not what happened. Instead, a senator turned up dead. In a romance book that might not be a big deal as a side story but Presley had a mind of her own and decided she needed to solve the mystery. This decision of hers, and I say hers because it was not mine, she has a mind of her own, changed the trajectory of not only the book but Presley’s future as well. Instead of falling back in love with a high school sweetheart, staying in her hometown, and living happily ever after, she’s now solved 13 mysteries and counting. I plan on getting through all 26 letters of the alphabet. Thank you, Sue Grafton, for the idea. While the series didn’t end up being the romance I’d planned, Presley’s actions have allowed me to launch and sustain a writing career that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
This book was also over 100,000 words in its first iteration. That was in 2009, and trust me; it wasn’t 100,000 words of amazingness. Over the years that book has been re-edited several times, it’s had several different covers, and has only gotten better with age.
Like most of us.
People often ask me if Presley is fashioned after myself. To some extent, all the main characters in my series have some things in common with me. My heroines love coffee, Diet Coke, cheese, food in general. None of them are a size two. They are also curious, stubborn, and don’t take no for an answer. I think most writers, to some extent, interweave real life into the books. I always tell my friends no one is safe. There are glimmers of personality traits. Common phrases that my friends say, situations that have happened, that are all ripped from the headlines – yes, I’m a big Law and Order fan.
I often get asked where the idea for Cooper came from, and it’s an exciting story. There was this boy in high school, who will remain nameless to protect the innocent who was a bit of this bad boy. While we never had a serious boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, we did go out a couple of times. I liked this guy, and I think he liked me; we were just different. As a teen, it was a barrier, and so we never managed to go past a couple of dates. When I thought about who I wanted to model Cooper’s history off of, I thought of this guy. Cooper didn’t have the best upbringing, and got in a little trouble, was a little bit of that proverbial bad boy but deep down was the sweetest guy ever.
Interestingly enough, I haven’t talked to this person since I graduated from high school many many many years ago. Recently, Facebook gave me one of their suggested friends, and it was his wife. No big surprise because we all went to high school together, and I’m glad that he’s happy and seems to have a beautiful family.
As for Cooper and Presley living happily ever after well, I guess you will have to keep reading.
Read the first chapter of Stilettos & Scoundrels below
Chapter 1
What was I thinking? Did I just tell my boss off and get myself fired? I smiled, thinking back to the moment when I told David Ritter that I wouldn’t sleep with him if he were the last man on earth. By the look on his face, I could tell that no wasn’t something he was accustomed to hearing. Though I was now unemployed, it was a small price to pay for telling him off.
I made my way back to my condo, forgoing the bus in lieu of a brisk walk along the few blocks from my office—well, my former office. It was a nice day out, and frankly, I hated public transportation. Besides, walking those few blocks would take me past one of my favorite boutiques.
I thought back to what had happened a few hours earlier. The day had started out good. My hair had turned out well because the low humidity helped keep it frizz proof. I’d stopped at Starbucks on the way to work, and walked through the door to the office with a few minutes to spare. Enough time to chat with my best work friend, Tonya, who’d been smoking surreptitiously outside the employee entrance, just underneath the no-smoking sign.
“Tonya, one of these days you’re going to get caught and get in big trouble,” I’d said to my friend.
“Whatever,” Tonya had replied, waving her hands absently. “They can’t afford to get rid of me. I know where all of their skeletons are buried,” she’d laughed.
Tonya had been joking, but she also wasn’t far off. Working at McLaughlin Industries for the last fifteen years, Tonya was the only one on our floor who had been there the entire time our boss, David Ritter, had, though he hadn’t always been the boss. David Ritter was a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen and Tonya knew about everything he had done that the company had tried to sweep under the rug.
Tonya twisted her cigarette against the brick wall to put it out and flicked the butt in the trash can. “We might as well get this day started.”
About an hour after we had gotten back from lunch, David had called me into his office, not an unusual occurrence in and of itself. As a Senior Human Resource manager, I’d had many meetings with David in his capacity as Vice President of Sales. He had always been coming on to me, and it had grown tiresome. A couple of times, I had complained to his boss, Gary, after David wouldn’t stop texting about taking me out or about how I looked that day. I wasn’t sure what Gary had said when he’d talked to David, but David had mostly behaved since then. When forced to speak with me, he’d been curt and tense, but I hadn’t cared because it had been better than the alternative. Although lately, I’d wondered more and more why I was still working there under those conditions. I didn’t trust him, and I had just been waiting for his old antics to flare up again. Today, I hadn’t been disappointed.
“You wanted to see me, David?” I had walked into his office and stood in front of his over-sized, mahogany desk.
“Yes. Have a seat.” David had gestured to one of the chairs beside his desk, next to a small coffee table.
I’d sat down as David had leaned against his desk, and I could barely stand the overpowering stench of his cologne. I’d wanted to gag, and had hoped that whatever he had to say would be quick.
“I wanted to talk to you about the workforce reduction reports, Presley. We are still four percent higher than where I asked you to come in the last time.” This topic wasn’t surprising. I’d known this would be coming eventually. One of the aspects of my position that I’d hated most was that I’d been responsible for cutting jobs. I’d understood that it was unavoidable if the company were to remain profitable, but it had been a distasteful duty, nonetheless.
“David, I realize the numbers were above expectations, but the higher average salary of some of the more tenured employees hadn’t been figured into the original numbers. Head count came in on target, one person less even, but the salary piece was higher.”
“Not good enough. You needed to hit those numbers, otherwise it throws off the rest of my projections. I’m accountable for those. You need to fix it. Get rid of Evans and Thompson. You can hire four college grads on their combined salaries and still have cash left over.”
“How do you expect me to do that?” I’d glared at him, incredulous. “I can’t just get rid of people because they make too much money and don’t fit into your spreadsheet calculations when they are the best people for the job. That’s how lawsuits happen.”
“Hey, I’m the sales guy, you’re HR. It’s your job to figure it out.”
I’d seethed, my hands clenching. I’d wanted to punch him. There was only so much I could do from a legal and ethical standpoint. He’d just wanted to make my life difficult, and he was doing a fine job at it.
“Maybe we could work something out,” David had said, putting a lecherous hand on my knee.
I’d deliberately taken his hand, removed it from my knee, and looked him straight in the eye. “And what exactly would that be?”
“Let’s just say, if you are nice to me, I could be persuaded to overlook the discrepancy. Then you wouldn’t have to lay off any more people,” David had replied, flashing his version of a charming smile and returning his hand to my knee.
Furious, I’d jumped up and faced him, putting my hands on my hips. “If you think I would do anything outside of my professional capacity for you, you are sadly mistaken. Your behavior is despicable, and I’m not going to tolerate it.”
David had flushed a deep red. “Are you sure about that, Presley?” he’d sneered. “We’re making cuts all across the company, and if you aren’t doing your job, which you clearly aren’t by being over budget, well…”
“Are you trying to tell me that if I’m not nice to you, you’re going to fire me?” I’d demanded, using finger quotes on the word nice.
“I’m not doing anything. It’s your choice.” David had sat back in his chair, looking smug, as if he’d thought I was going to change my mind if he threatened me about my job. “Well?”
“Well, nothing. I won’t do it.”
“Then I guess you’ve left me no choice. You’re fired.”
“What? You can’t do that.”
“Yes, I can. Like I said, we need to make more cuts.”
I couldn’t believe what I heard.
David had gotten up and gone behind his desk. “That’s all,” he said, dismissing me. “Please clear out your desk and leave. I assume you won’t cause any trouble on your way out. I would hate to call security.”
I’d been dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I’d walked over to his desk.
“Is there something else, Presley?”
“Just one more thing.”
David had looked up expectantly. I’d picked up his coffee cup and thrown the contents at him. His jaw had dropped. He’d stood there, dripping coffee off of what was probably a five–hundred–dollar suit.
I’d started laughing. “That’s all I have to say.” Then I’d turned around and walked out of his office.
The post Stilettos & Scoundrels a Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery – authors note + free chapter appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
Stilettos & Scoundrels a Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery – authors note
Stilettos and Scoundrels is, and always will be, near and dear to my heart. It’s the first book I wrote start to finish and then went on to publish. I wanted to be a writer since the second grade. Though it never felt within my reach until the advent of the e-book and Amazon transforming the publishing landscape.
My entire life, I dabbled in writing and continuously thought about how amazing it would be to become a published author one day. Every year I went to the library and checked out the book Writer’s Market. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a huge (like thousands of pages) book that has lists of agents and publishers along with publishing opportunities plus much much more. I’d scour through it, looking for potential agents who might be a good fit for what I wanted to write. I’d create a list, and then tell myself that this year would be the year. I’d finally finish a book and send it to an agent starting my author journey. But I never did. Why? I was too afraid of rejection, so I made sure to come up with plenty of excuses for why I could never actually finish the book and send it off to an agent.
My mother also had the same dream. While she never went as far as getting a list of agents, at least not to my knowledge, she always talked about how she wanted to be a writer. She attempted to write a few stories but never really pursued it seriously. More just a pipedream because she lacked the confidence to pursue her dream. The exact thing I did for years. That halfhearted attempt at achieving something we both wanted.
I know that her fear was the same as mine. It was a fear of failure. Isn’t it crazy how many things we don’t even try because we’re afraid to fail? When often the worst that can happen if you fail isn’t really that bad.
If back then, I’d finished a book and sent it off, and that person didn’t like it, it’s not like it would have killed me. Sure it would hurt, and my ego would be bruised, but it wasn’t life-threatening.
When the exciting new world of self-publishing opened up, I got a renewed desire to publish. For the first time, I could do this. The second thing that finally motivated me was my circumstance. I was in my late 30s going through divorce doing the typical taking stock of your life thing. You know, what I’d accomplished and what I still wanted to do before I died. The dream of becoming an author had never left, and it was finally time to achieve that dream.
When I started writing Stilettos and Scoundrels, I planned for it to be romance. My reading tastes bounce around from romance, mystery, thrillers, and suspense. I knew, or least I felt, that I could do the best job with a romantic comedy type book — nothing too deep, nothing too complicated, something that would be lighthearted fluffy and fun. I knew before I started writing that my main character’s name would be Presley Thurman, to pay homage to my mother. Her maiden name was Thurman, and she loved Elvis Pressley. Fun fact: I was conceived after an Elvis Presley concert now, aren’t you all thrilled that you know that about me?
My original premise was that she would lose her job in Chicago, go back home, and run into an old high school flame. Then they’d have the normal – oh, I’m attracted to you, but this won’t work with some funny mishaps thrown. Until they finally decided that they were meant to be and would live happily ever after.
However, if you’re reading this after reading Stilettos and Scoundrels, you will realize that’s not what happened. Instead, a senator turned up dead. In a romance book that might not be a big deal as a side story but Presley had a mind of her own and decided she needed to solve the mystery. This decision of hers, and I say hers because it was not mine, she has a mind of her own, changed the trajectory of not only the book but Presley’s future as well. Instead of falling back in love with a high school sweetheart, staying in her hometown, and living happily ever after, she’s now solved 13 mysteries and counting. I plan on getting through all 26 letters of the alphabet. Thank you, Sue Grafton, for the idea. While the series didn’t end up being the romance I’d planned, Presley’s actions have allowed me to launch and sustain a writing career that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
This book was also over 100,000 words in its first iteration. That was in 2009, and trust me; it wasn’t 100,000 words of amazingness. Over the years that book has been re-edited several times, it’s had several different covers, and has only gotten better with age.
Like most of us.
People often ask me if Presley is fashioned after myself. To some extent, all the main characters in my series have some things in common with me. My heroines love coffee, Diet Coke, cheese, food in general. None of them are a size two. They are also curious, stubborn, and don’t take no for an answer. I think most writers, to some extent, interweave real life into the books. I always tell my friends no one is safe. There are glimmers of personality traits. Common phrases that my friends say, situations that have happened, that are all ripped from the headlines – yes, I’m a big Law and Order fan.
I often get asked where the idea for Cooper came from, and it’s an exciting story. There was this boy in high school, who will remain nameless to protect the innocent who was a bit of this bad boy. While we never had a serious boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, we did go out a couple of times. I liked this guy, and I think he liked me; we were just different. As a teen, it was a barrier, and so we never managed to go past a couple of dates. When I thought about who I wanted to model Cooper’s history off of, I thought of this guy. Cooper didn’t have the best upbringing, and got in a little trouble, was a little bit of that proverbial bad boy but deep down was the sweetest guy ever.
Interestingly enough, I haven’t talked to this person since I graduated from high school many many many years ago. Recently, Facebook gave me one of their suggested friends, and it was his wife. No big surprise because we all went to high school together, and I’m glad that he’s happy and seems to have a beautiful family.
As for Cooper and Presley living happily ever after well, I guess you will have to keep reading.
The post Stilettos & Scoundrels a Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery – authors note appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
July 1, 2019
2019 Goals Update!
It’s halfway through the year (can you believe it? I can’t) which means it’s the time when I review the goals I set in January and my progress (or in this case lack thereof) to them.
I’ve always loved goals and goal setting. Although these days, I like the idea of goal setting more so than the actual working to achieve my goals. I’ve had a big problem lately with follow through. And by lately I mean the last couple years.
That’s a problem, and for me it’s atypical. I’ve always been super goal oriented, and I’ve struggled with figuring out why I’ve lost my focus/motivation. I’ve complained about it for the past couple of years but haven’t changed any behaviors.
Which as we all know means I’m living the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Instead of making changes, I’ve allowed my lack of progress to make me feel bad, which doesn’t help matters at all. When you feel bad about yourself, it perpetuates the negative.
It’s a slippery slope, my friends.
It’s interesting, at least to me, how much time and energy we spend (I don’t think I’m alone in this) on wishing and wanting and the woulda/coulda/shoulda. When the same energy spent on working toward goals would be a much better use of time.
Anyways the goal of this post isn’t to be a woe is me I can’t reach my goals post. Rather I wanted to share some of my own struggles in case anyone reading this is having the same issues you will know you’re not alone.
#unmotivatedladiesunite
Enough complaining!
Here is a rundown of where I’m at to my January goals (read the full post here) and how I’m adjusting for the back half of the year.
Goals
Simplify my life in my finances and home clutter. Did not happen.
Finances – my goal was to set up everything on autopay and then forget about it. You’d think in 6 months I could manage that, but it’s one of those things that’s such low priory I kept rolling it over to the next day/week/month.
I commit to having this done by July 6th.
Home decluttering – I want to blame my family for the inability to get this done. I just don’t have the energy to constantly be on them to help. However, if I don’t, it won’t get done, and we’ll be in this vicious circle and eventually drown under a pile of crap.
I commit to making a list of things (by July 20th) that needs to be organized/decluttered and working on one per week.
Set better boundaries with the kids, so I have more structured work time. Did not happen.
Honestly, I am not sure I can. I know that sounds horrible, but I’m being honest, so for now, I’m going to take this one off the list.
Write a bucket list of things I want to do with the kids. Sort of happened but not the way I wanted. It MUST be done if I want to have these memories before they leave the nest, which isn’t far away with Caden.
I commit to having this done by September 1st.
My writing. The goal was to branch out to writing romance. I have one 80% done but need to finish. I have a schedule and even contracted my first round editor through the end of the year to have one book a month to her. I started this in May, and I’ve delivered, BUT they’ve not been completely finished books. However, it’s pushed me, and I need that. I’m going to keep plugging along and finish/release 6 more books this year. Plus, I’m re-releasing all the Presley books in updated/expanded editions which will hopefully give me a good bump.
I commit to writing every day. Even if it’s only 10 minutes / 100 words like I tell my writing group!
Make my writers educational site more self-study. I haven’t touched it.
In writing group Writing Warriors Collective, I’m going to focus on interacting in the group and not worry about the content as much right now. I need to focus on my writing for the rest of 2019.
Weight loss. Lose 30 lbs. I lost 10, so that IS a win. Especially since I didn’t gain any weight in Italy and I honestly don’t know how that even happened. I ate myself silly in olive oil and gelato.
This is a never-ending battle, but slow and steady wins the race and all that. I am scaling back my 30lb goal to 20lb, which means I’m halfway there. As long as I keep up the pace I’m currently on; I will be successful!
I look at that list and want to feel shame and beat myself up, but you know what. I’m not going to let myself go there because it’s NEVER TOO LATE TO START!
Instead of focusing on all I didn’t accomplish, I am choosing to focus on what I did. I want to keep the momentum going by celebrating the successes no matter how small or insignificant because really they aren’t small or insignificant. Diminishing your wins is counterproductive.
So YAY me I lost 10 lbs.
Now it’s easy to write these goals, but the hard part is to keep the motivation going to put in the work to achieve them. Motivation I’ve been sorely lacking for a long time.
How can you boost your motivation?
My 3 go to’s when I’m in a rut and don’t want to get up and do anything are as follows:
1. Just start. I know that’s so much easier said than done. We all know, sitting watching Netflix and thinking about starting is going to keep your procrastination and lack of motivation alive. It makes it harder to find motivation for anything other than watching more episodes of Netflix. Funny how I can always find motivation for that.
2. Do a small/easy task. Often what blocks your motivation is overwhelm. You have too many things to get done, don’t know where to start, and therefor don’t do anything. Pick a small task on your list that can be done in a small amount of time and then celebrate that win and use that momentum to move to the next task.
3. Do something else fun to get you excited and energized or at least up and moving. I know this might seem counterproductive, but it works. Going for a walk, going to Starbucks to get a latte and work, or even throwing in a load of laundry so you feel productive even if it’s not work related can help me. Don’t allow yourself to sit and stew about what you should be doing. Just do something, and that activity will spill into the next and the next.
I’d love to hear your goals and what gets you motivated!
The post 2019 Goals Update! appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
June 9, 2019
How to Have an Effective Novel Brainstorming Session
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One question I get asked a lot is how I get my ideas. I don’t have a concrete answer for that because most come to me at the most random time unexpectedly. It’s not some formal process I follow to generate ideas for my next book.
My not a process, process is to have an idea for a story pop in my head at the most inconvenient time. Like when I’m in the shower or at yoga. Two places where I don’t have something immediately handy to record my idea. You wouldn’t believe how many ideas have come to me that way and that I could not remember by the time I could write it down.
Pathetic, yes, I know.
However, those ideas are usually vague story ideas. They’re not fully developed storylines. It takes a lot of brainstorming (at least for me) to come up with enough ideas within a particular storyline, so I can piece together to make an entire book.
The main story idea is the easy part. The rest of it is what makes me want to pull my hair out.
One aspect I enjoy about being an author is figuring out the storyline because it’s like a puzzle. Though it can be incredibly frustrating when your characters aren’t doing exactly what you want them to do.
Seriously! Isn’t it crazy how they don’t behave? I know people are unpredictable, but I didn’t realize until I wrote that even imaginary people are unpredictable.
Who knew?
I know I’m not the only person who struggles with being able to figure out all the scenes to get from the beginning to the end of their book. Not to mention the dreaded middle. So, I thought I’d write about how I brainstorm for my novels.
The most important thing you should do when sitting down to have your novel brainstorming session is being open-minded. You may have a story idea in your head, and that’s great but be willing for it to head down a different path than the one you think it’s supposed to go down.
If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you know that your characters have a mind of their own and don’t always listen and do what you want them to do. If you don’t allow them to dictate where the story is going, it will make your writing life miserable. You can’t fight the muse so don’t even try.
Besides not being open to new ideas kind of defeats the idea of brainstorming in the first place, doesn’t it? The definition of brainstorming is to produce ideas (literally – I looked it up). The nice thing about writing is you can always hit the delete button. So it’s fine to go off in a new direction you didn’t expect. When you go back and read what you wrote you and hate it, you can delete it and forget it ever happened.
The second most important thing in your brainstorming journey is to have colored pens and post-it notes. I truly believe that fun planning tools help get your creative juices flowing. I’m only a little joking. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m not joking at all.
I couldn’t live without post-its and colored pens. They are vital to my productivity. Writing would be boring if you only had white paper and black ink.
Am I right?
Once I have the right materials, the goal of my brainstorming session is to solve the problem of creating content for a 60k book when all I have is a 3 sentence idea.
Easy, right?
Getting started is often the hardest part of the brainstorming process, but don’t let the blank page scare you. Once you get going, the ideas will come. They may end up coming faster than you want. Now that doesn’t mean they’re good ideas, but that’s fine. Sometimes you need a lot of bad ideas to find that one good one. At least I do.
If I could make money from bad ideas…I would be filthy rich.
When you brainstorm, take one thought at a time and try to exhaust the possibilities before moving to the next.
For example, if you know that Jack is the victim of a gunshot wound and he’s going to be found by Jill, You have a few places to start with your brainstorming.
1. Where is Jill going to find Jack?
2. Where was the gunshot wound?
3. What was Jill’s reaction?
Let’s take #1 Where is Jill going to find Jack.
Pull out your post-it notes and write all the places you can think of and put them in your notebook or whatever you use to stay organized. I keep mine in a notebook because I can peel off the ones I’m using and move them to a different page. I keep all the old ideas for later.
TIP: NEVER toss old an unused idea. You never know when it might fit a different story.
You can probably come up with 25 places or more, but not all will be ones you want to use. Let’s say your 3 favorites are:
1. The garden
2. The Library
3. The car
That gives you 3 different scene possibilities. You then brainstorm ideas on each one of those.
1. The garden
A. She finds him by the roses, is that symbolic?
B. She finds him in the fountain thinking at first he drowned which sends her down the wrong path at first
C. She doesn’t find him. Her dog finds him as he’s hidden in the bushes.
Get where I’m going? Instead of trying to find the perfect idea that connects to the next, come up with several and then decide what might fit. Trying to hone in on one will slow you down if not stop you, and you’ll spend hours on one scene.
I’m constantly surprised at how often I go with the idea that wasn’t my first choice. It often makes for a much more interesting storyline than anything I’d originally envisioned.
Also, set a timer, so you don’t spend 3 hours brainstorming ideas for one topic. I usually set my timer in 15 minutes increments. It’s long enough to get more ideas than I’ll ever need and short enough not to exhaust my brain. My brain exhausts easily. If yours doesn’t, then you can brainstorm longer.
When you brainstorm, don’t focus on trying to figure out how these ideas might work together. Focus on generating ideas. What might not fit for your current WIP may be a perfect fit for your next.
Go grab your post-it’s and get started!
The post How to Have an Effective Novel Brainstorming Session appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
June 8, 2019
Have You Tried?
Have you ever thought, OH MY GOD I want to do that?
I want to travel the world.
I want to open my own business.
I want to change careers.
But then you say, or think to yourself, immediately. I can’t.
I can’t because…
I don’t have the money.
I don’t have the time.
I don’t have the skills.
I don’t have the ability.
I know I’ve told myself all those excuses at one time or another along with millions more. Then when I send myself in a spiral of self-doubt, I remember something my dad would say anytime I said “I can’t” when I was a kid. When I felt I couldn’t do something and got discouraged.
He said, have you tried? Calm yet forceful he would say those 3 little words, and it would go a long way to changing my mindset.
At the time, it inspired as much eye rolling and me thinking he didn’t at all understand the struggles of a kid, as it did to propel me to try. It would make me so mad that he thought it was so simple when it was not at all simple. At least not in my young brain.
Though I did always end up trying, when he was right there telling me to give it a go, how was I supposed to sit there and say I can’t.
Plus, I didn’t want to disappoint him by not trying. Not that he would have been disappointed that’s not why he said what he did. He didn’t want me to disappoint myself and hold back from the greatness he knew I was capable of achieving.
The funny thing about parental advice…….it’s so often right. Oh how hard that is to admit even though now I’m adult.
I repeat this phrase I learned from my dad often to my kids who have about the same response as I did. But also as I did more often than not, they try and more often than not are surprised with the result.
Think about it what’s the worst that can happen if you try something you’re not so sure about?
You fail?
So what. Think of all the amazing things that came from failing. Read this article and see how Walt Disney, Abraham Lincoln, and Oprah, just to name a few, failed at first but yet went on to greatness.
You too can fail and go on to greatness, so what’s stopping you?
Google can tell you a lot, but it can’t predict the future. You will not know for sure that you will fail until you TRY. To defeat yourself before you’ve even given an attempt isn’t being the best version of you and it isn’t the best pattern of behavior.
You’re better than that.
My father’s lesson really stuck with me. I say it to myself all the time as an adult (even though I’ll be the first to admit I don’t always listen to myself). I do realize it’s a bit ridiculous that after over 40+ years, I’m still having the same internal conversations. You’d think I’d learn.
Lately, it’s been at boot camp. Sometimes that evil trainer, Jessica (who is not at all evil and is pretty awesome – if you’re in central Indiana check her out) wants us to do exercises that I think no way no freaking way. I can’t do that. Then that little voice in my head says, “have you tried.” So I force myself to do it, and while I might feel like I’m going to die at the moment, I don’t die (she so far hasn’t killed anyone with her workouts though I swear it’s been close a few times). A few hours later, I feel awesome for my accomplishment and wonder why I doubted myself in the first place.
Until the next morning, when the doubts creep in all over again.
I’ve done the same thing with my fiction writing. I’ve published 25 books over the last 10 years and yet every single time I’m writing one I think; this is crap. I should throw it out and start over. No one will want to read this.
Then I publish, and it sells, and I get excited and wonder why I doubted myself. Then one day I might have a bad sales day, and what do you think happens?
Yep, I start doubting myself all over again.
I even experienced the same fears about my second marriage. When my current husband and I decided to get married, we were both scared. Who wouldn’t be? I had failed, as had he, the first time around. If we couldn’t do it the first time what in the world made either of us think we could do it the second time around.
This decision was even harder because I HAD tried and failed, but what was the worst that could happen? We divorce? Yep. That would suck but wouldn’t it be better to try then not to try and wonder if I’d thrown away my chance at happiness?
Now that I’m 3 years in and happy, I can say absolutely it was worth the risk. And truth be told I’d rather be in pain from trying than in pain from not.
So what are you not trying? What’s stopping you? What’s the worst that could happen?
There is nothing you can’t do.
NOTHING!
And even if you fall short unless you have a crystal ball, you aren’t going to know that UNTIL you try. Sitting on the sidelines isn’t doing you any good.
It’s easy for me to sit here and tell you all the reasons why you should try.
Why you should take that leap of faith.
Why you shouldn’t give in to your fear and that you CAN conquer the world.
It’s much harder to act on it.
My challenge to you this week is this. I want you to do something that scares you. I don’t mean pet a spider or anything (can you even do that) but something you’ve wanted to do but haven’t because you’re afraid.
Push through your fear, and do it. If it can’t be done this week, start the planning on getting it done. Tell me in the comments what your small challenge is.
Put it out there and be proud.
You’re fabulous, and you CAN do anything!
The post Have You Tried? appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
June 7, 2019
Friends and Foes – A Read Wine Bookstore Cozy Mystery FREE Chapter
Trixie is ecstatic that she is about to reach her lifelong dream of owning a shop which is a combination bookstore, coffee shop, wine bar. It’s the best of all worlds. To make it even better she’s doing it with her best friends Sally and Cora.
Everything is going smoothly until strange things start to occur. Someone trashes their store mere days before they are to open. Then Sally gets stranded when someone puts sugar in her gas tank.
Who has it in for them? Is it Sylvia, Sallys ex-husbands new girlfriend or is someone trying to sabotage Read Wine?
Download the full novel today for FREE. Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.
Follow me on Bookbub and Amazon.
Chapter 1
“I told you Facebook was the devil. Life was much simpler when we didn’t live it in front of everyone. Like back when we were twelve and we passed notes that couldn’t go viral. Or being made to feel like we aren’t enough when looking at everyone’s highlight reel.”
“Yeah, but then we didn’t know what everybody’s doing every minute of every day.” My best friend, Sally, laughed. “I don’t know how we used to survive without knowing who was having what for dinner. Much less all the other things people post that they really should keep to themselves. Like when Peter Dyer commented on Teresa Green’s post of the picture of her in a bathing suit, saying she looked hot. And his wife saw it? He’s lucky he’s still alive.”
“Facebook has really brought out the stupid in people. Like his wife wasn’t going to find out. And when she did, what did he think would happen?” I shook my head, thinking about his stupidity.
We were sitting in my kitchen doing some Facebook stalking, though since people put it all out there for everyone to see it wasn’t exactly stalking. Just looking. Why? We were bored, and after a few glasses of wine, it seemed like a good idea. Maybe find someone we could live vicariously through. It was harmless and quite entertaining, until Sally decided to see what her ex was up to and found herself confronted with a bunch of pictures of Tom and his girlfriend. The woman he’d cheated on her with, and who’d ruined Sally’s marriage. ‘Sylvia the slut,’ Sally called her. Sally tried to put on a brave face and pretend seeing the pictures didn’t bother her, but I could tell it did. They’d been together for a long time, and had kids together, so it wasn’t easy for her to get over.
My name is Trixie Pristine. I got saddled with the unfortunate perky-blonde-bimbo- sounding name because my mother, an avid reader, loved Trixie Belden books as a kid. I always held it against my dad that he wasn’t able to talk her out of it. It had made junior high school a living hell. Pristine was the leftover surname from my ex, but my maiden name, Gradowski, was nothing I cared to go back to. At least people could spell Pristine. My brown hair and dark brown eyes just didn’t fit with the name Trixie, or Trix as my friends called me. And yes, I’d heard my fair share of “Trix are for kids” cracks growing up. With a name like this, I should be blonde with a perfectly groomed appearance and big boobs, but that more aptly described my friend Sally.
Even after three kids, she looked fantastic. If she wasn’t one of my best friends I’d hate her. Considering my plain brown hair, rarely finding the ability to put together an outfit that made me look my best, and average boobs, I considered myself ordinary. Though I’d had my share of compliments, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.
I’m thirty-eight and divorced, with an eight-year-old son. I’m the librarian at the local library. Not the most exciting job on the planet, but it paid the bills. I have a good boyfriend and great friends. Thank goodness I have good friends who are always my saving grace. Even if we do pass the time Facebook stalking.
“I don’t know what I saw in that jerk anyways,” Sally said, drawing me back into our conversation from my daydreaming.
“So why are we even looking at his Facebook page?”
“You’re right. Why torture myself like this?” She closed the lid to my laptop and took another drink of her wine. “By the way, this red Moscato is really good.”
“I know. What makes it even better is it was on sale for five bucks a bottle with an additional ten percent off. I bought ten bottles.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I had to take advantage of a good deal.” I pointed to my wine rack, which was full of red Moscato, with the overflow sitting next to it on the counter. The overflow that might be gone at the end of this evening the way we were going.
She laughed. “You wino.”
“Well, some days the thought of a glass of wine is all that gets me through.” I paused a moment. “God, I do sound like a wino. I’m always thinking about what I want to be when I grow up,” I said wistfully. “I’m so bored. I love the people I work with and the people who come in for books, but the day-to-day is so tedious.”
“You’ve been saying that for years now, Trix. Why don’t you do something about it? Go after something different. Go after your dream.”
“Which one? Find a rich, old dude with one foot in the grave and no dependents to take me away from all this?” I said, sweeping my arms all around me. “Or the one where I open a bookstore with a coffee shop and wine bar?”
Sally pretended to think. “Well, being that this town seems to have a shortage of rich old dudes with one foot in the grave, but a surplus of people who like to drink and who can probably read, I think the bookstore idea might be the better choice.”
“Ahh, it’s always nice to dream.”
“Dammit, it’s time we stopped dreaming and started doing. Living the life we want and deserve,” she said loudly, startling me and drumming her fist on the table, her blonde hair flying.
“Whoa! Calm down, sister.” I stood up to refill my glass and topped off Sally’s. “You’re talking crazy.”
“No, I’m not. Things just finally fell into place and became crystal clear.” “Really? Just this minute?” I said. “Are you sure it’s not the wine talking?”
“Stop. Now, listen to me. You have always dreamed of owning a used bookstore. The only thing that’s stopped you is money.”
“That and the fear I would be a big, fat failure, but there’s no reason to dwell on that because I don’t have the money in the first place.”
“That may be true, but I have a big windfall headed to my bank account by the end of the month,” Sally said, and I started to shake my head. “Just hear me out, Trix. I have spent half my life keeping Tom organized at work, taking care of all the details and finances. I’m good at that stuff. You know books. I need a job, and you need to finally realize your dream. This is perfect for us. We can be partners.”
I opened my mouth to object, then closed it. I found myself instantly excited at the prospect of my days being spent at my own bookstore, where people could enjoy books while drinking coffee or wine. But I knew it wasn’t realistic. I wasn’t in a position to follow that dream. “Sally, don’t think I don’t love the idea. I do. But not only do I not have money to invest in a business, but you need to do something a lot safer with your settlement than potentially throwing it away on a venture that may not work. This is your life’s savings you’re talking about. Who’s to say our small town can even support a used bookstore?”
“Who’s to say it won’t, until we do our research? Surely, if we can support three bakeries, we can support a bookstore.”
“I don’t know—”
“Oh, please. Don’t be such a wuss. We won’t fail. We’re too awesome, and this is a great idea. Do you want to look back in twenty years and regret that you didn’t follow your dreams?”
Between the two of us, I was the more practical and less of a risk taker.
Sally was always up for something. She’d been the first to pierce her ears with an ice cube and needle, and without her mom knowing. The first to go all the way with a boy, and the first to get married and have a baby. Sally jumped into things with both feet first and thought about consequences later. That was one of the many things I loved about her. Me? I worried about the consequences before anything else. We’d always balanced each other out well.
I mean, I wouldn’t call myself a glass-half-empty gal, just maybe a glass-half-full-so-we-better-drink-slowly-because-there’s-no-back-up-in-the-pantry gal. I was cautious, whereas Sally was full of vibrant passion. Even catching her husband playing hide-the-sausage with the receptionist at his Buick dealership didn’t dampen that optimism.
“This town would thrive on it,” she said. “You have to drive to the next big town for a bookstore, and the bars here aren’t the most relaxing place to drink a glass of wine. Unless you want to go to half-price wine night at Applebee’s, you’re out of luck. The only coffee shop is the old diner, and the Tanners have got to be ready to retire soon, and that will only leave McDonald’s. C’mon, Trixie, take a chance for once. You owe it to the town of Plainville to spruce the downtown area up a bit.”
“Even if I decided I was up for the risk, it doesn’t change the fact I don’t have a pile of cash lying around.”
“You may not have a million buried in the backyard, but you have options if you really want to follow your dreams. The money part can be figured out. It’s only money. Your house is almost paid off, you have a healthy 401k, and a college fund for Cody. Borrow from one of those.”
“So, when I lose all of Cody’s college money or our house on a business whim, what should I tell him? ‘Sorry, dude, but Mom was having a mid-life crisis and decided to spend your future?’”
Sally rolled her eyes. “Fine, don’t use the college fund. My point is, you have options. You just need to think outside the box. Opening a business is like having a baby. There’s never a right time. You just need to do it.”
Her enthusiasm started to get to me, as it usually did. She didn’t typically have a difficult time swaying me to her way of thinking. It had gotten me into trouble a few times as a kid, but I’d always had a good time, making the consequences worth it. I hadn’t felt too excited about what I was doing in my life for years and had come to the belief that maybe this was just what it meant to be an adult. You did what you needed to do, rather than what you wanted to do. That was the responsible thing, right? But thinking over the possibility of doing something I actually wanted to do? Wow, it sure was fun.
“At least think about it,” Sally implored.
What did I have to lose if I explored a little? “Okay, fine. I’ll think about it.” Sally squealed with excitement. “I just know you’re going to see this the way I do, Trixie.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Download the full novel today for FREE!
Follow me on Bookbub and Amazon.
Download the full novel today for FREE. Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.
The post Friends and Foes – A Read Wine Bookstore Cozy Mystery FREE Chapter appeared first on In Pursuit of Fabulous.
Friends and Foes – A Read Wine Bookstore Mystery FREE BOOK
Trixie is ecstatic that she is about to reach her lifelong dream of owning a shop which is a combination bookstore, coffee shop, wine bar. It’s the best of all worlds. To make it even better she’s doing it with her best friends Sally and Cora.
Everything is going smoothly until strange things start to occur. Someone trashes their store mere days before they are to open. Then Sally gets stranded when someone puts sugar in her gas tank.
Who has it in for them? Is it Sylvia, Sallys ex-husbands new girlfriend or is someone trying to sabotage Read Wine?
Download the full novel today for FREE. Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.
Follow me on Bookbub and Amazon.
Chapter 1
“I told you Facebook was the devil. Life was much simpler when we didn’t live it in front of everyone. Like back when we were twelve and we passed notes that couldn’t go viral. Or being made to feel like we aren’t enough when looking at everyone’s highlight reel.”
“Yeah, but then we didn’t know what everybody’s doing every minute of every day.” My best friend, Sally, laughed. “I don’t know how we used to survive without knowing who was having what for dinner. Much less all the other things people post that they really should keep to themselves. Like when Peter Dyer commented on Teresa Green’s post of the picture of her in a bathing suit, saying she looked hot. And his wife saw it? He’s lucky he’s still alive.”
“Facebook has really brought out the stupid in people. Like his wife wasn’t going to find out. And when she did, what did he think would happen?” I shook my head, thinking about his stupidity.
We were sitting in my kitchen doing some Facebook stalking, though since people put it all out there for everyone to see it wasn’t exactly stalking. Just looking. Why? We were bored, and after a few glasses of wine, it seemed like a good idea. Maybe find someone we could live vicariously through. It was harmless and quite entertaining, until Sally decided to see what her ex was up to and found herself confronted with a bunch of pictures of Tom and his girlfriend. The woman he’d cheated on her with, and who’d ruined Sally’s marriage. ‘Sylvia the slut,’ Sally called her. Sally tried to put on a brave face and pretend seeing the pictures didn’t bother her, but I could tell it did. They’d been together for a long time, and had kids together, so it wasn’t easy for her to get over.
My name is Trixie Pristine. I got saddled with the unfortunate perky-blonde-bimbo- sounding name because my mother, an avid reader, loved Trixie Belden books as a kid. I always held it against my dad that he wasn’t able to talk her out of it. It had made junior high school a living hell. Pristine was the leftover surname from my ex, but my maiden name, Gradowski, was nothing I cared to go back to. At least people could spell Pristine. My brown hair and dark brown eyes just didn’t fit with the name Trixie, or Trix as my friends called me. And yes, I’d heard my fair share of “Trix are for kids” cracks growing up. With a name like this, I should be blonde with a perfectly groomed appearance and big boobs, but that more aptly described my friend Sally.
Even after three kids, she looked fantastic. If she wasn’t one of my best friends I’d hate her. Considering my plain brown hair, rarely finding the ability to put together an outfit that made me look my best, and average boobs, I considered myself ordinary. Though I’d had my share of compliments, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.
I’m thirty-eight and divorced, with an eight-year-old son. I’m the librarian at the local library. Not the most exciting job on the planet, but it paid the bills. I have a good boyfriend and great friends. Thank goodness I have good friends who are always my saving grace. Even if we do pass the time Facebook stalking.
“I don’t know what I saw in that jerk anyways,” Sally said, drawing me back into our conversation from my daydreaming.
“So why are we even looking at his Facebook page?”
“You’re right. Why torture myself like this?” She closed the lid to my laptop and took another drink of her wine. “By the way, this red Moscato is really good.”
“I know. What makes it even better is it was on sale for five bucks a bottle with an additional ten percent off. I bought ten bottles.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I had to take advantage of a good deal.” I pointed to my wine rack, which was full of red Moscato, with the overflow sitting next to it on the counter. The overflow that might be gone at the end of this evening the way we were going.
She laughed. “You wino.”
“Well, some days the thought of a glass of wine is all that gets me through.” I paused a moment. “God, I do sound like a wino. I’m always thinking about what I want to be when I grow up,” I said wistfully. “I’m so bored. I love the people I work with and the people who come in for books, but the day-to-day is so tedious.”
“You’ve been saying that for years now, Trix. Why don’t you do something about it? Go after something different. Go after your dream.”
“Which one? Find a rich, old dude with one foot in the grave and no dependents to take me away from all this?” I said, sweeping my arms all around me. “Or the one where I open a bookstore with a coffee shop and wine bar?”
Sally pretended to think. “Well, being that this town seems to have a shortage of rich old dudes with one foot in the grave, but a surplus of people who like to drink and who can probably read, I think the bookstore idea might be the better choice.”
“Ahh, it’s always nice to dream.”
“Dammit, it’s time we stopped dreaming and started doing. Living the life we want and deserve,” she said loudly, startling me and drumming her fist on the table, her blonde hair flying.
“Whoa! Calm down, sister.” I stood up to refill my glass and topped off Sally’s. “You’re talking crazy.”
“No, I’m not. Things just finally fell into place and became crystal clear.” “Really? Just this minute?” I said. “Are you sure it’s not the wine talking?”
“Stop. Now, listen to me. You have always dreamed of owning a used bookstore. The only thing that’s stopped you is money.”
“That and the fear I would be a big, fat failure, but there’s no reason to dwell on that because I don’t have the money in the first place.”
“That may be true, but I have a big windfall headed to my bank account by the end of the month,” Sally said, and I started to shake my head. “Just hear me out, Trix. I have spent half my life keeping Tom organized at work, taking care of all the details and finances. I’m good at that stuff. You know books. I need a job, and you need to finally realize your dream. This is perfect for us. We can be partners.”
I opened my mouth to object, then closed it. I found myself instantly excited at the prospect of my days being spent at my own bookstore, where people could enjoy books while drinking coffee or wine. But I knew it wasn’t realistic. I wasn’t in a position to follow that dream. “Sally, don’t think I don’t love the idea. I do. But not only do I not have money to invest in a business, but you need to do something a lot safer with your settlement than potentially throwing it away on a venture that may not work. This is your life’s savings you’re talking about. Who’s to say our small town can even support a used bookstore?”
“Who’s to say it won’t, until we do our research? Surely, if we can support three bakeries, we can support a bookstore.”
“I don’t know—”
“Oh, please. Don’t be such a wuss. We won’t fail. We’re too awesome, and this is a great idea. Do you want to look back in twenty years and regret that you didn’t follow your dreams?”
Between the two of us, I was the more practical and less of a risk taker.
Sally was always up for something. She’d been the first to pierce her ears with an ice cube and needle, and without her mom knowing. The first to go all the way with a boy, and the first to get married and have a baby. Sally jumped into things with both feet first and thought about consequences later. That was one of the many things I loved about her. Me? I worried about the consequences before anything else. We’d always balanced each other out well.
I mean, I wouldn’t call myself a glass-half-empty gal, just maybe a glass-half-full-so-we-better-drink-slowly-because-there’s-no-back-up-in-the-pantry gal. I was cautious, whereas Sally was full of vibrant passion. Even catching her husband playing hide-the-sausage with the receptionist at his Buick dealership didn’t dampen that optimism.
“This town would thrive on it,” she said. “You have to drive to the next big town for a bookstore, and the bars here aren’t the most relaxing place to drink a glass of wine. Unless you want to go to half-price wine night at Applebee’s, you’re out of luck. The only coffee shop is the old diner, and the Tanners have got to be ready to retire soon, and that will only leave McDonald’s. C’mon, Trixie, take a chance for once. You owe it to the town of Plainville to spruce the downtown area up a bit.”
“Even if I decided I was up for the risk, it doesn’t change the fact I don’t have a pile of cash lying around.”
“You may not have a million buried in the backyard, but you have options if you really want to follow your dreams. The money part can be figured out. It’s only money. Your house is almost paid off, you have a healthy 401k, and a college fund for Cody. Borrow from one of those.”
“So, when I lose all of Cody’s college money or our house on a business whim, what should I tell him? ‘Sorry, dude, but Mom was having a mid-life crisis and decided to spend your future?’”
Sally rolled her eyes. “Fine, don’t use the college fund. My point is, you have options. You just need to think outside the box. Opening a business is like having a baby. There’s never a right time. You just need to do it.”
Her enthusiasm started to get to me, as it usually did. She didn’t typically have a difficult time swaying me to her way of thinking. It had gotten me into trouble a few times as a kid, but I’d always had a good time, making the consequences worth it. I hadn’t felt too excited about what I was doing in my life for years and had come to the belief that maybe this was just what it meant to be an adult. You did what you needed to do, rather than what you wanted to do. That was the responsible thing, right? But thinking over the possibility of doing something I actually wanted to do? Wow, it sure was fun.
“At least think about it,” Sally implored.
What did I have to lose if I explored a little? “Okay, fine. I’ll think about it.” Sally squealed with excitement. “I just know you’re going to see this the way I do, Trixie.
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May 24, 2019
Friend Friday – Julie Moffett
Today’s Friend Friday is spotlighting author Julie Moffett and her novel, No Stone Unturned: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery.
Buy it on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and Nook.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Geek girl Lexi Carmichael thought getting engaged would mean calmer days ahead. But when Slash’s past brings up more questions than answers, she’s not going to let anything–or anyone–drive them apart.
Getting engaged is supposed to be a fun, exciting time in a girl’s life. But things are never that easy for Slash and me. Instead, someone is threatening to expose Slash’s past–a past so secret, even I know very little about it.
Before I can get used the weight of Nonna’s antique ring on my finger, he’s on his way to Rome…and we’re farther apart than we’ve ever been. Still, I have no intention of sitting at home and letting him take on the Vatican by himself.
With a little expert-level hacking, I learn Slash is keeping secrets from me. Big ones. Dangerous ones. In fact, the more I dig into Slash’s past, the more I discover things about him I never knew–things that eventually pit us against each other.
From Rome to the Amalfi coast to the highest levels of the Vatican, we both race to discover the truth. No matter what I find, we’re officially a team now, so I won’t let him face this alone. Even if I don’t know if our relationship can survive it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie Moffett is the bestselling author of the long-running Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series and the young adult White Knights spin-off series featuring really cool geek girls! She’s been publishing books for 25 years, but writing for a lot longer. She writes in the genres of mystery, young adult, historical romance and paranormal romance. She has won numerous awards, including the Mystery & Mayhem Award for Best YA/New Adult Mystery, the HOLT Award for Best Novel with Romantic Elements, a HOLT Merit Award for Best Novel by a Virginia Author (twice!), the Award of Excellence, a PRISM Award for Best Romantic Time-Travel AND Best of the Best Paranormal Books, and an EPIC Award for Best Action/Adventure Novel. She has also garnered additional nominations for the Booksellers’ Best Award, Daphne du Maurier Award, the Dante Rossetti Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.
Julie is a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending high school in Okinawa, Japan; backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months; a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland; and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues.
Julie has a B.A. in Political Science and Russian Language from Colorado College, a M.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and an M.Ed from Liberty University. She has worked as a proposal writer, journalist, teacher, librarian and researcher. Julie speaks Russian and Polish and has two awesome sons.
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