The two principle characters, Keilah and Norelle, definitely have some ghosts of past loves creeping behind them. As with Keilah and Norelle, the former relationships we have witnessed or found ourselves in, shapes all relationships that follow them.
If you were like me, between Sesame Street and Romper Room I grew up watching The Young and The Restless with my babysitter. Back then, there were no VCRs and I had often finished my activity books by 12:30 when the soaps began. By 3pm when General Hospital came on, I was faking my nap and peeking at the television through the blanket. Now granted, the soaps were not as explicit as they are now, but they would still left impressions on me. When you factor in Cinderella and Snow White, I was heading for the big set up.
Whether it was two sisters via for the same man or men running to the rescue of damsels in distress, my tender little mind began to form ideas about love. Then when I got home, the image was slanted. My mom never cascaded across the room in a flowing gown with a silver platter of food in her hand. My dad didn’t come home, sweep my mother off her feet after he chugged a glass of cognac. Most often, once we arrived home from another busy day, my mom changed from work clothes to comfortable sweats and pulled some Murray’s steak out of the freezer for dinner while my dad had just enough time to fix a sandwich and head to his second job. In between the hustle and bustle, I saw plenty of hugs and kisses and few arguments. By time I was teenager, I was looking for the Luke & Laura love experience and didn’t even realize it until I was well into my twenties.
No matter if we came from a two parent home, a single parent home or none of the above, what we saw or didn’t see will run head on with the not so subtle images society at large has given us, leaving us in some cases with a warped idea of love.
For both Keilah and Norelle the relationships of their parents became lessons in do and don’ts that followed them well into their adulthood. Whether they got right or wrong could only be determined by the course of actions these two ladies took. Each is duplicitous in their approaches with Keilah as an idealistic pessimist while Norelle was a starry eyed realist, with all the rest of the cast falling in between.
*************************more to come**********************more to come**************more to come***********************more to come********more to come
Monday, December 17, 2007
For Every Love There Is A Reason - Chp 1 Excerpt
Chapter 1
“I never really prepared for our winter, because I held onto our summer.”
— Keilah
When Keilah’s mom told her André called, she smiled. She knew André missed her because she missed him too. No matter what, or who, he was doing, she always felt she was his heart. In the back of her mind, she always knew she would forever be a “special one” and never “the one.” Her heart reluctantly lagged behind; dragging bags of memories, making getting over him difficult, like one emotional hurdle after the next. She was reluctant to return his call. Time passed and she was able to put her feelings in check, even though she knew, deep down past the apathy, the anger, and the hurt, love still endured. He seemed insistent on seeing her, and she was curious. Did he miss her? Did André finally want to share how he had been a fool all this time and beg her to come back to him? Ha!
As Keilah sat across from André, she heard nothing but the three words he casually slipped into the conversation. The clatter of dishes and the chatter at nearby tables were barely audible. Keilah’s concerns about the little pimple, which formed along her right temple, seemed minuscule. Even her weight gain was of no importance at the dropping of those three words.
Breathe, Keilah, breathe.
Keilah learned to hide her emotions. Through the years, it had become something of an art form. She quickly learned how to pull lipstick from her purse when she felt her bottom lip quiver, gliding a fresh coat of paint across a false grin. The stiffening of her jaw line could easily be camouflaged by resting it casually within the palm of her hand, while she averted attention to something else in the room. Yes, awkward moments brought out the actor in her.
Yes, that is what the hell he said. Get it together.
Keilah played repeatedly in her mind, how she’d run her lines, the gestures, the movements . . . this one moment she unwillingly prepared for. The one thing she didn’t factor was overwhelming her, the solitary tear. One monumental tear, burning the more she tried to hold it back, was building up in the well of her left eye. There is nothing capable of holding back that type of tear. Unlike actual crying, where each tear has its own specific emotion to attend to, a single tear must do the job of a million tears and contain every emotion within itself. As she sat across from André, absorbing the shocking news, she felt like she was trying to hold back a tsunami. That one salty tear was filled with so many powerful emotions—shock, hurt, anger, surprise, mourning, hate, jealousy, envy, and remorse.
After all those emotions built up that one tear, love ran from the back, thrusting through emotional commotion and desired nothing more than to submerge itself deep within that one solitary tear. Aligning itself on the rim of her left eye, love took hurt and anger by the hand and dove in. Hoping to be overwhelmed by hurt and anger, love rode the wave from the corner of her left eye, sliding quietly down her cheek, only to be caught by a napkin and tucked away for later. Hate laughed because love wanted to drown and die—surprise and shock looked on, wondering what was next. Jealousy and envy joined hate and mocked love. Remorse sat close by and wept. Mourning hugged love tightly and whispered, “You know you can’t die.” Love pushed through and she hated it. She heard those three words clearly. “I’m getting married.”
André had found her.
“I never really prepared for our winter, because I held onto our summer.”
— Keilah
When Keilah’s mom told her André called, she smiled. She knew André missed her because she missed him too. No matter what, or who, he was doing, she always felt she was his heart. In the back of her mind, she always knew she would forever be a “special one” and never “the one.” Her heart reluctantly lagged behind; dragging bags of memories, making getting over him difficult, like one emotional hurdle after the next. She was reluctant to return his call. Time passed and she was able to put her feelings in check, even though she knew, deep down past the apathy, the anger, and the hurt, love still endured. He seemed insistent on seeing her, and she was curious. Did he miss her? Did André finally want to share how he had been a fool all this time and beg her to come back to him? Ha!
As Keilah sat across from André, she heard nothing but the three words he casually slipped into the conversation. The clatter of dishes and the chatter at nearby tables were barely audible. Keilah’s concerns about the little pimple, which formed along her right temple, seemed minuscule. Even her weight gain was of no importance at the dropping of those three words.
Breathe, Keilah, breathe.
Keilah learned to hide her emotions. Through the years, it had become something of an art form. She quickly learned how to pull lipstick from her purse when she felt her bottom lip quiver, gliding a fresh coat of paint across a false grin. The stiffening of her jaw line could easily be camouflaged by resting it casually within the palm of her hand, while she averted attention to something else in the room. Yes, awkward moments brought out the actor in her.
Yes, that is what the hell he said. Get it together.
Keilah played repeatedly in her mind, how she’d run her lines, the gestures, the movements . . . this one moment she unwillingly prepared for. The one thing she didn’t factor was overwhelming her, the solitary tear. One monumental tear, burning the more she tried to hold it back, was building up in the well of her left eye. There is nothing capable of holding back that type of tear. Unlike actual crying, where each tear has its own specific emotion to attend to, a single tear must do the job of a million tears and contain every emotion within itself. As she sat across from André, absorbing the shocking news, she felt like she was trying to hold back a tsunami. That one salty tear was filled with so many powerful emotions—shock, hurt, anger, surprise, mourning, hate, jealousy, envy, and remorse.
After all those emotions built up that one tear, love ran from the back, thrusting through emotional commotion and desired nothing more than to submerge itself deep within that one solitary tear. Aligning itself on the rim of her left eye, love took hurt and anger by the hand and dove in. Hoping to be overwhelmed by hurt and anger, love rode the wave from the corner of her left eye, sliding quietly down her cheek, only to be caught by a napkin and tucked away for later. Hate laughed because love wanted to drown and die—surprise and shock looked on, wondering what was next. Jealousy and envy joined hate and mocked love. Remorse sat close by and wept. Mourning hugged love tightly and whispered, “You know you can’t die.” Love pushed through and she hated it. She heard those three words clearly. “I’m getting married.”
André had found her.
Tell me what you think... wanna read little more...post a comment and tell me so!
Kenda
Thursday, February 22, 2007
On finally getting published..now what
Wow, what a journey!!! I am finally a published author. The excitement has not waned but the reality has finally set in...I gotta work!!
We aspiring authors imagine as soon as our books hit the shelves that fortune and fame will be quick to follow. We look at the Nora Roberts and the Terry McMillians and immediately imagine our novel on the small small screen or nearest cinaplex. We imagine reviews pouring in from Publishers Weekly , blurbs in Essence Magazine or radio interviews galore. Then we realize that the phone hasn't rung , no one has yet to return your email and your publicist has assured you that the book signings are being scheduled. Doesn't anyone recognize my gift! Yes, you just have to wait until the pass on the good news about your novel to their friends. In the meantime, keep positive, don't slack on your day job, and use every opportunity to promote yourself and your novel.
Now, I don't have all the answers nor am I an expert but I have started off to a modestly good start. Here are a few tips that I think helped me make steady strides.
1) A Myspace page - its free and you have access to more people than you can imagine. Post excerpts from your novel ( with approval from your pub if you have one), thoughts for the day, etc. Make friends with not only fellow authors or book clubs but people that may fit your demographics. Do not narrow your friends down by race or gender. But be wise, a 55 year old retiree may not appreciate your literary rendering of hoodlife. If you feel your novel falls into a genre that an established author writes in , acquaint yourself w/ some of their friends.
2) Enlist foot soilders - Friends and family should be armed with postcards, promo excerpts and what ever else you may have that can promote your novel. Try get family and friends that work at hospitals and large corporations. Choose your troops carefully. If they are not the most loquacious or outgoing do enlist them unless the specifically ask you. While they may support you , don't make them feel guilty of they are not comfortable being outgoing.
3) Become an internet sleuth - Surf for sites that feature authors or post work. There are tons of web sites that feature authors, post book signing, interview, etc. Some are fee based, so decide of the fee is worth it.
4) Be an online columnist or blogger - What better way to build a readership than writing an online column or blog that revolves around the subject matter of your novel or book. Many website and web zine take on columnist. Even though you in most cases you will not get paid, you have a world wide presence.
5) Join online groups- Make sure to not only join writers groups but reader and literary lovers groups. Be interactive and post comments and questions regularly so people can get to know who you are.
6) Vistaprint.com - this website by far has the lowest printing cost I have ever seen.
7) Exhale - If you can work overtime for a J-O-B. , you can work overtime to make your dream a reality. Rome wasn't built in one day , it took hard work , planning and faith.
I hope this little list helped... check out my synopsis and excerpt !!!
We aspiring authors imagine as soon as our books hit the shelves that fortune and fame will be quick to follow. We look at the Nora Roberts and the Terry McMillians and immediately imagine our novel on the small small screen or nearest cinaplex. We imagine reviews pouring in from Publishers Weekly , blurbs in Essence Magazine or radio interviews galore. Then we realize that the phone hasn't rung , no one has yet to return your email and your publicist has assured you that the book signings are being scheduled. Doesn't anyone recognize my gift! Yes, you just have to wait until the pass on the good news about your novel to their friends. In the meantime, keep positive, don't slack on your day job, and use every opportunity to promote yourself and your novel.
Now, I don't have all the answers nor am I an expert but I have started off to a modestly good start. Here are a few tips that I think helped me make steady strides.
1) A Myspace page - its free and you have access to more people than you can imagine. Post excerpts from your novel ( with approval from your pub if you have one), thoughts for the day, etc. Make friends with not only fellow authors or book clubs but people that may fit your demographics. Do not narrow your friends down by race or gender. But be wise, a 55 year old retiree may not appreciate your literary rendering of hoodlife. If you feel your novel falls into a genre that an established author writes in , acquaint yourself w/ some of their friends.
2) Enlist foot soilders - Friends and family should be armed with postcards, promo excerpts and what ever else you may have that can promote your novel. Try get family and friends that work at hospitals and large corporations. Choose your troops carefully. If they are not the most loquacious or outgoing do enlist them unless the specifically ask you. While they may support you , don't make them feel guilty of they are not comfortable being outgoing.
3) Become an internet sleuth - Surf for sites that feature authors or post work. There are tons of web sites that feature authors, post book signing, interview, etc. Some are fee based, so decide of the fee is worth it.
4) Be an online columnist or blogger - What better way to build a readership than writing an online column or blog that revolves around the subject matter of your novel or book. Many website and web zine take on columnist. Even though you in most cases you will not get paid, you have a world wide presence.
5) Join online groups- Make sure to not only join writers groups but reader and literary lovers groups. Be interactive and post comments and questions regularly so people can get to know who you are.
6) Vistaprint.com - this website by far has the lowest printing cost I have ever seen.
7) Exhale - If you can work overtime for a J-O-B. , you can work overtime to make your dream a reality. Rome wasn't built in one day , it took hard work , planning and faith.
I hope this little list helped... check out my synopsis and excerpt !!!
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