'F' is for...??

Yesterday's word was 'Embarrassment' -- thanks for all your guesses and comments!!  Today, Jessica Bell and I have chosen a word that starts with 'F', and we want you to try and guess what it is.  The word is a noun and either an emotion, a feeling, or a state of mind.  We've each written a short, fictional scene where our characters 'show' this emotion/feeling/state of mind.  Here's my passage:

This is ridiculous, she thinks as she hobbles around on one black sling back pump.  Her first professional job interview is in forty minutes, which means she should be in the car right now.  She shoves aside a pile of dirty laundry in the corner near the closet, shoves it back to check behind the other side.  No shoe.   Los Angeles traffic is unpredictable at any hour of the day, and the offices of Chiat/Day/Mojo are two beach cities up the Pacific Coast Highway from her sister’s apartment in Hermosa Beach.  She needs this job so she can afford a place of her own. 

Stomping across discarded magazines and art supplies that litter the floor, she yanks aside the curtains flanking the window.  The shoe isn’t hiding there, but the little, pink teddy bear her ex-boyfriend gave her is.  She punts it with her pump-armored toe.  

Where the hell IS it?  She turns, fingers digging into the waistline of her pencil skirt.  And there, on the second shelf of the bookcase, peeking out from under a fallen over copy of Jane Eyre, is the elusive pump.  She snatches it up and wiggles her foot into it.  A glance at her watch tells her traffic has to be light and she has to hit all green lights in order to (maybe) make it on time.  Then a devastating thought hits her:  Where the hell are my keys?

~*~*~*~

Figured out the emotion/feeling/state of mind?  Leave your guess in the comments!  And please follow this link to Jessica's post and read her take on the 'F' word of the day!

                                    

'E' is For...?

Thanks to everyone for commenting yesterday -- our prompt word of the day was 'Disgust'.  For those who are new to my blog today, Jessica Bell and I are A-Z Blogfest writing partners!  We've chosen a list of words, all nouns, that refer to particular emotions / feelings / states of mind.  Today, based on my fictional paragraph(s) below, try to guess in the comments what 'E' emotion/etc. I've depicted.  Then, follow the link at the bottom to Jessica's post and read her take on our prompt word! 


Here's my 'E' entry:

The upscale store teemed with Saturday afternoon shoppers, business-women in search of the perfect suit and ladies in need of a special occasion outfit.  Amanda had been assisting customers for hours and her feet were beginning to feel snug in her peek-a-boo pumps.  A stout woman approached her.  As she asked where she’d find the blouse dressed on the mannequin in the window, Amanda noted she wore no make-up to mask her motherly glow.

Leading the woman toward the rear of the shop, Amanda asked over her shoulder, “So, when is your baby due?”

The hesitation lasted one stride of Amanda’s pump, but it was enough to send her blood rushing to her cheeks.

“I am not pregnant.”

The urge to dive into a rack of dresses or lock herself in a dressing room had never been stronger.

~~~~

Any guesses?  And don't forget to visit Jessica's blog HERE.  See you there!

                                    

'D' is For...??

Jessica Bell and I are A-Z Blogfest writing partners!  Today, we've chosen a word, a noun, that refers to a particular emotion / feeling / state of mind that starts with 'D'.  Based on my fictional paragraph(s) below, try to guess in the comments what emotion/etc. I've depicted.  Then, follow the link at the bottom to Jessica's post and read her take on our prompt word! (BTW, yesterday's word was 'Confidence'!)


Here's my 'D' entry:

Every sound soothed my frazzled soul:  the gentle swells lapping against the row boat as it slipped along the lake’s surface; the hollow clunk of the oar when my inexperienced movements banged it against the craft’s aluminum side; the loon’s haunting song.  I’d been in desperate need of this little excursion, to a place of childhood memories where I’d spent carefree summers before… well, before.

Another couple pulls of the oars and I steered the boat into what we kids had dubbed Beaver Bay.  The inlet of water protected a cove where the reeds grew tall and beaver houses dotted the surface.  I lifted the oars out of the water and twisted around to view the bay.  The smell hit me, fetid and rank.  My jaw dropped open.

Trash littered the shoreline.  A mound of tires, black and baking in the afternoon sun, rose to the right.  As the boat drifted closer, I looked over the edge.  I could just make out my reflection, eyebrows knit and lips pursed, despite the rainbow sheen coating the water’s surface.

The boat’s bottom scraped along the sandy bottom of the shore.  I stood to get a better view, but I wouldn’t get out.  Flies swarmed around a torn white plastic trash bag next to the boat.  I lifted an oar out of its pinning, staggering a bit under its unbalanced weight, and poked the bag.  The flies lifted for a moment, but settled greedily on their meal.  A soggy egg container fell apart, revealing a mass of wriggling, rice-like maggots.  I covered my mouth, gagging, as the oar clattered to the bottom of the boat.




Any guesses?  Leave me a comment telling me the emotion/feeling/state of mind you think I was describing.  And please shoot over to Jessica's blog (LINK HERE) to my partner's paragraph.  See you over there!


Thanks for reading!!  

                                    

'C' is For...?

Jessica Bell and I are A-Z Blogfest writing partners.  Today, we've chosen a word, a noun, that refers to a particular emotion / feeling / state of mind that starts with 'C'.  Based on our fictional paragraph(s), try to guess in the comments what emotion we've depicted.  Here's a hint for mine:  It's NOT the POV character who is 'showing' the emotion(/etc.).  It IS through the characterizations of the other character that you should base your guess.

Here goes:


I expected Catherine Pouvoir to be loud, since everyone who had ever spoken of her to me seemed to use the word 'fabulous.'  So rather than watching the doorway for her to make her entrance, I had my ears tuned while I read over my agenda for the day.  I heard no resounding laughter or boisterous clamour from an entourage, but I knew instantly that she’d arrived.  Every head in the room had turned in the same direction.


She stood in the doorway, indubitably commanding time and space.   Beauty emanated from her like the dazzling flecks of early morning sunlight reflected off the gently lapping water at a lake’s edge, blinding everyone brave enough to stare directly at it.   We all waited for some sort of cue from her, collectively unable to proceed without it.


Glancing at her wristwatch, her angular facial features quickened in comical disbelief.  "Impressive!" she said.   "You all must be incredibly punctual, if I’m the last one here!”  


Appreciative applause, sprinkled with laughter erupted from the room.

What emotion / feeling / state of mind is Catherine Pouvoir emanating?  Any guesses?  Leave it in the comments!  Thanks for reading, and please shoot over to Jessica's blog to read her 'C'emotion-inspired paragraph.  See you over there!

                                    

'B' is For...??

It's Day Two of the A to Z Blogfest and Jessica Bell and I are going strong.  See, we teamed up for this adventure with the hopes of stretching our writing muscles.  Be sure to follow the link at the bottom of this post to her blog.

Here's the deal: We have created a top secret list of A-Z prompt words to inspire our blogfest entries.  The words are all nouns, and they are all emotions.  We challenged ourselves to come up fictional entries that 'show' a character(s) in the grips of the emotion of the day.  We ask you, awesome reader, to read my entry (since you're here) and guess, in the comments, what emotion I've depicted.  Then shoot over and read Jessica's entry.  Still think you've guessed correctly?  Let her know!  (And natch, if you happen upon her blog first, in future, won't you shoot over here after you comment there? :D)

So, without further ado, here's my 'B' entry.  What 'B' emotion have I described??

Jenna stared into the deep, inky pools of Cliff’s eyes.  Had it just been two hours ago that she’d felt lost in them?  The urge to glance at her wristwatch (again) and verify the time was strong, but she resisted.   Instead, she forced her eyes wider, just a tab more, and redirected her focus to the tiny mole just northeast of the bridge of his chiseled nose.  In her peripheral vision, a waiter in black and white passed with a tray of steaks, sizzling on cast iron plates.  The smell taunted her famished stomach.  Cliff was still talking, his words mingling with the restaurant’s din.  She admitted he was the most handsome blind date she’d ever gone out with, hands down.  But he’d turned out to be all looks.  His conversation dominated the evening, his baritone voice a constant drone of self-proclaimed accolades that left her wishing she carried a pistol in her purse.  The question was, who would she aim it at first?  Cliff?  Her own temple?  She narrowed her eyes.  No...she'd take a shot at Sara, her soon-to-be ex-friend who’d set her up in the first place.


Figured out what emotion that starts with 'B' I described?  I can't wait to read your comment :))  And, to read Jessica's 'B' entry, click THIS LINK.  See you over there!

                                    

'A' Is for...??

The A-Z Blogfest is finally here!  And ‘cause that’s how we roll, Jessica Bell and I have teamed up -- once again -- as writing partners.  We decided to challenge ourselves with identical A-Z prompt words. 

Together, we created our list of twenty-six nouns, all of which are emotions.   Each day, we will each write a paragraph showing a character feeling that emotion.  It’s going to be fun for us to read what the other has come up with!  And, hopefully it will be fun for our blog visitors, too.  

Here’s how we want to draw you into our little fest: Say, for example, the prompt for A (today) was 'Acceptance' (it's not, btw).  You read my post, and then, awesome reader, you have the opportunity to GUESS in the comments what emotion my character portrayed.  After, click the link at the bottom of my post to visit Jessica’s blog and read her paragraph.  Still think you guessed the right emotion, based on her flash?  We’d can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Here's my 'A' Entry:

Caty screamed, at the pain, at the pain.  Relentless, it crashed in overlapping waves, drowning every corner of her mind and every inch of her body.   The world was one, giant, cruel vortex, pulling her down, down and inside-out.  She gasped, gulping the air, and screamed again.  From somewhere Gary’s voice floated, reminding her to pant.  She spat a string of stinging obscenities at him.  Another voice, commanding, insisting, announced that this was "it."  The voice called her name, twice.  It ordered her to focus now; now, now you push.  Harder, Caty.  That’s it, here she comes, Caty.  And Gary’s voice coached in her ear; his gentle hands held her under the arms, pushed forward on her back, his strength seeping through her skin and into her soul.  And she was one with the pain, the pain was one with her.

Gary eased Caty back against the pillows, as the doctor laid the baby in her arms.  Giant navy eyes stared up at her.  Caty stared, stared back.  The pain was gone.  Gary wiped a stringy strand of hair to the side of Caty’s brow, and a tear fell and mingled with her sweat when he kissed her forehead.  She couldn’t think, couldn’t process what her eyes saw, her ears heard, her heart felt.  Her daughter was here, she was her.  She was the most beautiful thing Caty had ever seen, and she was really here.

So, can you guess the emotion (a noun) depicted in this piece that begins with the letter ‘A’? (Hint: The prompt word I share with Jessica is gleaned from the second paragraph, but I can think of an emotion or two that fits the first paragraph.  Guess at both, if you like!)  All guesses and thoughts in general are welcome!  And please shoot over to Jessica’s blog to read her interpretation of our ‘A-prompt word.  Here’s the link!

                                    

You've GOT to see THIS!

This is the just released book trailer for Jessica Bell's highly anticipated debut novel, String Bridge. Not only is this trailer hauntingly beautiful, but its music track features Jessica singing the lyrics and accompanying herself on the guitar. She IS my definition for crazy-talented!

Enjoy the video first, then read on to learn how you can be in the running to win fabulous book prizes, including signed copies of String Bridge!





Here's a blurb from Jessica's blog post today:

I would really like to get the trailer for String Bridge circulating around the Internet. Do you think you could help me out?.....It's easy. All you have to do is link to my BOOK TRAILER somewhere on the web. In return, I am giving away FIVE books (from a choice of fifteen) -- so that's FIVE WINNERS (open internationally)....

For all the contest information, shoot over to Jessica's blog post (LINK here). See you there!!

Oh, and Jessica? Congrats on this awesome trailer, and on all your successes, present and future!