CLP Blog Tours Interview and Excerpt: The Right Design by Isabella Louise Anderson

Week 1 of Full-Time Books: It’s a Wrap! Being Brave…Next Week

CLP Blog Tours Interview and Excerpt: The Right Design by Isabella Louise Anderson

Thanks to Isabella Louise Anderson for stopping by today with a Q&A and excerpt from The Right Design. Please stop by CLP Blog Tours for more of the blog tour and a giveaway!

**Interview**

When did you know writing was for you? In some way, I’ve always known. I have folders upon folders of short stories and uncompleted manuscripts. In March of 2010, and after a few medical setbacks, I started taking an online writing course at Gotham Writers’ Workshop. I loved the Creative Writing class, and decided that it was time to start taking my writing seriously. Since then, I haven’t looked back.

Why was The Right Design a book you wanted to write? My intention of writing “The Right Design” was because I wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It would be my first, so I was really looking forward to it. So on November 1st of 2012, and I sat down to write and didn’t stop. Now, I’m not saying it wasn’t difficult, but writing became easier as days passed. I’m proud to say that NaNoWriMo help me succeed into authorhood.

You are also a book blogger at Chick Lit Goddess. Why did you start your blog and what impact did it have on your writing career? I started Chick Lit Goddess as a way to get my name out there. While I wasn’t a writer yet (I was still taking GWW classes), I wanted to start sharing my love for books, particularly in the chick lit/contemporary romance genre. I have had a chance to meet and interview so many wonderful people (from self-published authors to New York Times Bestselling authors) who have encouraged me to keep writing—even when times get hard. To this day, I’m grateful for the support and love the Chick Lit Goddess has received.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you? Definitely the beginning! From the first chapter to the last, drawing the reader in is very important. You want them hooked right away, so making the first few chapters stand out is always my biggest challenge.

What are your favorite genres to read? Chick lit/contemporary romances! On occasion, biographies, too.

What do you want readers to take away from your story? What I want readers to take away from “The Right Design” is that just because your life might not go as expected or how you envisioned it, things will work out in the end, just like they did for Carrie.

How important do you think social media is for authors these days? Huge! We live in a social media world, so a great way to get your name and your books out there is use social media—Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, book blog tours (like this one), etc.

What would be your advice to aspiring writers? Write, write, write! I know this is easier said than done, but it’s true. As long as you get that first draft written, you have what it means to move to the next step, and continue on until you’re a published author.

**Excerpt**

CHAPTER TWO

Once she was out the door, Carrie gave herself permission to cry. How could he do this to me, to us? Tears fell down her cheeks as she sat in the car and stared at the door, waiting for Roger to run out of the house, take her in his arms, and tell her that it was just a bad dream and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That didn’t happen.

With a large sigh, she looked down at her clothing. This isn’t who I am, she thought. She sobbed more, harder this time, embarrassed at how she must’ve looked, and it was all Roger’s fault. She wondered if he’d even noticed his fantasy had come to life, though he seemed to be too distracted by other activities.

She started the car, slowly pulled out of the driveway and began to drive, with no destination in mind. Memories of the night they met, their first kiss, the first time they slept together, and this morning when he gave her the diamond earrings—they all blurred together.

“What went wrong?” she mumbled out loud, stopping at a red light. Until now, Carrie thought that things had been going well.

In the beginning of their relationship, Roger had been everything she’d looked for in a companion and she thought that he felt the same about her. He treated her with kindness, respect, and a gentleness she’d never known. While she’d dated several guys she liked, there was no comparison between them and Roger. He had been there for her when her cat went missing, and even helped put up missing posters around the neighborhood. Roger made it a point to spend time with her, leaving his guy friends behind, and he didn’t care what they said about him being whipped. The truth was, he wasn’t; he just cared about and wanted to be with Carrie. No other man had been as into her as Roger. Though, the past couple of years, they’d had their ups and downs, all of their issues had resolved—Roger’s spending habits and Carrie’s jealousy. During and for a while after Roger’s cancer scare, his desire for her had faded. As patient as she’d tried to be with him, she’d missed the intimacy they had, and often went to sleep faced away from him as tears ran down her cheeks. Finally, all the tests came back, and Roger was found to be cancer free. Over time, they had worked on their sex life, vowing to try to be more attentive to the other’s needs, wants, and limits—no matter what.

Just last month, they’d started making plans for the future, which included vacations to Ireland and the Cayman Islands. They’d even been discussing marriage.

Tears poured down her face again, and she felt one drop between her breasts. She opened her console to grab a tissue and then dabbed her eyes.

Moments later when her cell phone rang, she declined Roger’s call and then decided to call her sister. Older by three years, Sara had ways of making anything better. They’d always been open and honest with each other, sharing everything, and there wasn’t much they didn’t know about the other. In high school, Carrie had been nervous about fitting in as a freshman, so Sara introduced her to all of her own friends, some of whom the two still kept in touch with. Thanks to Sara, Carrie fit in. Sara always told her, “We Newman sisters have to stick together!”

“Hey, Care Bear,” Sara said in a cheerful tone when she picked up. “How are you?”

“Not good. Are you home or are you at your store?” Carrie sniffed.

“I’m working from home today,” she said. “You’d think flipping through magazine after magazine for possible products to sell would be fun, but—”

“I need to see you. Can I come over?” she asked, interrupting.

“Of course. I’ll be waiting.”

When Carrie arrived, Sara was outside, dressed in her favorite gray cashmere lounge pants, matching jacket, and white T-shirt, holding two coffee mugs. Her dyed light-brown hair was in a ponytail and pulled to the side, and she wore no make-up. Compared to Carrie’s natural brunette hair, which she’d been meaning to have highlighted but with her work schedule hadn’t found the time, wearing clothes she wanted to burn, and bloodshot eyes that spilled black mascara over her heart-shaped face, it would be hard for anyone to believe they were sisters.

After grabbing the clothes she’d worn to work, Carrie walked up the steps to Sara’s large two-story home that she shared with her husband, Sean.

“Hi,” Carrie managed to say.

Sara handed her a coffee mug. Observing her sister’s wardrobe, she asked, “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

Carrie didn’t hold back. “Roger and I are over. He cheated on me.” She took a fairly large sip of her drink, but before Sara could respond, Carrie choked and spit it back in the cup. “Ugh. Sara, what’s in this?”

Sara stood still, blinking at her sister as if she hadn’t heard her correctly. She finally managed to speak. “Apple cider with a shot of whiskey.” Still in shock at Carrie’s revelation, she spoke slowly. “Let’s get you inside before you catch a cold.”

Carrie nodded and took another sip of her drink, this time prepared for the strong taste of whiskey.

Sara led Carrie into her living room, which she had painted a light shade of brown with framed scenes of various landscapes hanging from the walls. The matching couch and sofa were tan with an array of colors and shapes and intricate threaded throw pillows added for color and decoration. Like Carrie, design came naturally to Sara, although she hired a local professional interior designer because she claimed she didn’t have the time and didn’t want to put extra work on Carrie.

After they both sat down, Sara waited until Carrie wanted to talk and didn’t try pushing her.

“He cheated on me.” She looked at her sister as tears welled up in her eyes. “I found them on our kitchen counter going at it.” The same counter that I had custom ordered and had shipped from Paris—for us!

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” She hugged Carrie, allowing her to weep, as she stroked her head. “That’s it,” Sara whispered. “Cry it out.”

“Today’s our sixth anniversary. I came home to surprise him, and that’s when I saw them together.” Carrie paused for a moment as she replayed every gory detail in her head. Damn them both, Carrie thought. “I tried to create his favorite erotic fantasy.” She looked down at her clothing, adding, “That’s why I’m dressed like this.” She reached for a tissue from a box that sat on the coffee table in front of them and wiped the corners of her eyes. Blowing out a heavy breath, she continued, “Everything had been going great, but I should’ve known he and I were too good to be true. I wasted six years of my life with him, and this is the thanks I get. I loved him, Sara.”

“Oh, honey, I know you did.” She squeezed Carrie’s hand and gave her a weak smile. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. But hey, if Kristen Stewart can cheat on hot vampire Rob, then I guess anything’s possible, right?” she said with a half-smile. Shaking her head with a sigh, she knew her attempt at a joke had failed. “Would it be okay if…” she began, but paused when they heard the kitchen door open and close, and Carrie widened her eyes at Sara.

Sara read Carrie’s mind. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.” She stood up, reaching for their coffee mugs. “I’ll be right back,” she said, and then left the room.

When Sara came back in the room, her husband Sean followed, holding a can of Tecate beer. “Hey, kid,” he said to Carrie, sitting down next to her and draping an arm over her shoulders. “Sara told me what happened. Can I do anything for you?”

Carrie nodded and tried to smile the best she could. “You’re sweet, Sean, but I’ll be okay.” Carrie had always liked her brother-in-law, and they had a close brother-sister type relationship. She knew how much Sean loved Sara, especially when Sean asked for Carrie’s help when he’d planned on proposing, just over ten years ago.

Sean had the body of an NFL wide receiver, tall and athletic, and in some ways, he resembled George Clooney with his graying hair and sun-kissed tan.

“If there is anything we can do for you, all you have to do is ask, okay?”

“Thanks, Sean.” Carrie hugged herself through her trench coat. Suddenly feeling shy, she looked up at her sister. “Would you mind if I borrow some clothes? All I have are my work clothes, and I want to get this thing off of me as fast as I can.” They hadn’t exchanged clothes in years, and Carrie was eager to see what Sara had added to her ever-growing wardrobe.

Sara extended her hand. “Of course. Come with me.”

Carrie began following Sara to the landing of the stairs, but before Carrie passed Sean, she paused in front of him. “I hate to ask this of you, but would you mind going to my, er, I mean to Roger’s house and picking up some of my clothes?”

“No problem at all. And just remember, I’m on your side.”

“Thanks.” She nodded. “I really appreciate it.”

When Roger had met Sean just over six years ago, Carrie and Sara had both been happy when the men in their lives had gotten along. They hunted, fished, and even threw guys-only Super Bowl parties every year. They had become more than friends, more like brothers. Though, that had been when life had been perfect.

“How about we go out to dinner afterward?” Sean asked.

All Carrie could do was nod at Sara.

“Sure, babe. That sounds great.” Sara gave him a love tap on his bottom and made her way up the stairs.

“Thanks, Sean. You’re the best.” Carrie quickly followed Sara’s lead up the rounding staircase. Once they were in Sara’s closet, Carrie held her sister’s size-four jeans out at arm’s length and shook her head. “Geez, Sara, you’re so little.”

Sara laughed as she slid on another pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “That’s my trainer’s fault. He kicks my ass. Do those pants work for you?”

Carrie nodded and slipped on a bra, a little surprised that her breasts filled the large C-cup, and then a sweater. She admired herself in Sara’s full-length mirror, liking what she saw until she noticed the diamonds attached to her earlobes. “I know I don’t want these anymore.” She quickly took them off, and then handed them to Sara.

“He gave these to you, didn’t he?”

Looking down at her feet, Carrie said, “Yes,” barely audible.

“I’ll get rid of them for you. Now, it’s time to put that jerk out of your mind.” Sara gave Carrie a hopeful smile. “Let’s go downstairs and wait for Sean.”

Close to an hour later, Sean returned with a box of Carrie’s belongings. “How did things go?” Carrie asked.

He took a deep breath. “Well, he and I had a talk. Roger wants you back. He lost his job today and went to a bar, got drunk, and—”

“Brought that tart home,” Carrie interrupted in a bitter tone.

Roger sat down on the sofa across from Carrie and Sara. “Anyway, he feels very bad about what he did and is sorry.”

Sara gaped at her husband. “Now you’re on his side?” She glared at him, took a deep breath, and crossed her arms.

“No, Sara, I’m not on his side.” He handed Carrie an envelope, then added, “Roger asked me to give you this letter.”

Hesitantly, she took it but didn’t open it. “How do you expect me to believe any of that?” She eyed Sean and Sara for answers, though knew they couldn’t give her any.

All three of them sat there, saying nothing, until Sara broke the silence. “Well, shall we go to dinner?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Carrie nodded doing her best to smile, but she couldn’t. He cheated on me because he’d been drinking?

“We can stay in if you’d prefer,” her sister offered.

Waving her hand, Carrie shook her head and stood up, shoving the letter into her purse. “I’m fine, really.”

“Okay, well let’s go,” said Sean, standing.

Carrie walked out of the room first but heard Sean whisper to Sara, “Is she going to be okay?”

“I hope so.”

**Everyone who leaves a comment below will be entered to win a The Right Design prize pack! Prizes include an eBook of The Right Design, plus a mug and pen! Please note this is open to US/CA residents only!**

Author Bio:

Isabella grew up with a book in her hand, and to this day nothing has changed. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and has been featured on several blogs. While Isabella doesn’t blog a lot, she focuses her time on featuring other writers, along with writing and editing. Isabella Louise Anderson created Chick Lit Goddess to share the love of the following genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Romance, and Romantic Comedies! She loves featuring authors and their books. She lives in Dallas with her husband and cat. She enjoys spicy Mexican food and drinking margaritas, and can be found spending time with family and friends, cheering on the Texas Rangers, and reading. Isabella’s short story, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, was featured in Simon & Fig’s Christmas anthology, Merry & Bright, in November 2013. The Right Design is her first novel.