Last year I published a book I'd been working on for months, a "romance" with a twist. I couldn't write a conventional, boring romance. So this one contains a lot of non-romantic elements, including addiction. Then there are my standard ingredients: lots of food descriptions; a wise old lady; it's set in Atlanta and Augusta; the male main character is a young attorney; the female main character is a smartass (cough, cough) just like me. I could go on... Two of my guy friends have read it and liked it, so it's not just for the gals. PLUS -- AND THIS IS A BIG BONUS -- YOU CAN READ THE FIRST COUPLE OF CHAPTERS BEFORE YOU BUY! Click on the link to go to the Amazon page and then click on "Look Inside" - right under the photo of the book cover. Check it out.
The Wedding ConspiracyBy Dee Thompson and Annabelle St. Clair
If you're still on the fence, I've included an excerpt. In this scene our main character, Alex, is visiting her grandmother, asking for advice.
“Alex, this man you’ve described to me sounds very uptight, but he doesn’t sound like a bad person.”
“I know, Granny. To tell you the truth, I think I might be falling in love with him, but it scares me. I don’t think he loves me back, and maybe he never will.”
“Oh child, love scares everyone. Nothing is more scary.”
“But worth it, right? Especially if it gets you to a happy marriage?”
“Yes. Those are not easy to have, though.”
“Mom told me once that anything worth having is going to be hard to get, including a happy marriage.”
“She is right.”
I rock and think. This is why porches are so important – great places to think, even on a scorching hot day.
“Seemed like you and Harold had it pretty easy.”
She snorts, then chuckles. “Oh my, you have no idea. Harold was no picnic, especially right at first, but he was trainable. That’s important. Men are just like dogs. They have to be house trained.”
I giggle. “Trained how?”
“Oh gosh, Harold was an old slob. He had to be trained in everything – to put his dirty clothes in a hamper, to put lids back on things in the kitchen, to tell me when he left the house so I wouldn’t worry and wonder. Those first couple of years were tough.”
“I see. You loved him though, right?”
“Well of course. I wouldn’t have put up with him if I hadn’t loved him.”
“How will I know if what I feel for Paul is the real thing, or if it’s just an infatuation?”
Granny sips her tea and gives me a very penetrating look. “Alex, you are reaching out again, for a life, and that makes me very happy. You’ve hidden away for the last few years.”
“Well, Covid made a lot of people hide,” I respond defensively.
“It was more than that. When that man attacked you he took away your self-confidence. I hated to see what it did to you. We have all been worried about you, even that rascal Adrian.”
I nod, feeling tears in my eyes, but I also have to smile.
“I thought he was going to hit Paul.”
“Well, he feels like you’re his daughter! I’m glad to hear it.”
We rock in silence for a while.
“Was Harold the love of your life, Granny?”
“No, your grandfather was the love of my life, but Harold’s love was what I needed at that time and we had a lot of good years together.”
She smiles and waves at an older lady walking in from the parking lot. She wears white pants and a cheerful red top/ Her white hair has a blue aura to it.
“Who is that?”
“Oh, just my friend Pauline. She makes the most wonderful sandwiches for bridge club. Curried chicken salad.”
We rock in silence for a few minutes. Just when I think Granny might be nodding off to sleep, she pops out with a question.
“Alex, you said that last night Paul showed his butt and acted really cold after Adrian came in, so what makes you think he might be the one?” she asks.
I have to think how to describe my feelings. “When Paul kissed me, it felt like time stopped, like there was a magical place where time stands still. There was nothing else in the world but the two of us. I’ve never felt like that before. It was how I’ve always wanted to feel!!”
Suddenly I realize that I have a hunger inside of me, a hunger to be touched again, to feel a man wanting me, but not just any man. Then the tears come. I stop rocking and put my head in my hands.
“Oh baby girl, please don’t cry,” Granny says softly. “I know you’ve been through a lot the past few years but my old heart can’t take seeing you so sad.”
She gets up and goes inside, then comes back out with a box of tissues and hands the box to me.
I pull away and look at her. “Are you all right Granny?”
“I didn’t mean it literally, Alex,” she says tenderly, handing me a Kleenex.
“Thank God,” I sigh, blowing my nose.
“Here’s my best advice, Alex. Give it time. Get this wedding over with and by then you will have spent more time with him and hopefully the way will be clear by then. You’re right though – a man who makes time stand still has a powerful hold on your heart.”
“Thank you Granny,” I sniff, blowing my nose again.
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