Lizanne Sowards tagged me for "The Next Big Thing"-- a blog tag game being passed around the internet right now. It is fun because authors get to talk about our work-in-progress (WIP) ...and how often do we get to do that?
What is your working title of your book?
Clairvoyance
What genre does your book fall under?
LDS Romance. It is mildly a paranormal. The title refers to dreams Jessica has, and that she visit teaches a woman who sees the fate of relationships.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Jessica leaves Arizona, her newlywed father, and ex-boyfriend to make a fresh start at an small Oregon oceanside village newspaper office, and unwittingly gets involved with the residents, learning their past lives and secrets.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
One year.
May we see an intro?
Trrring! Jessica glanced at the chiming cell phone.
Vince. She moaned and disconnected the line so he could not leave a voicemail. “What part of it’s-over-between-us don’t you understand?” The phone bounced as it made contact with the passenger seat.
Jessica pushed Vince from her thoughts, thankful for the twelve hundred miles separating them, and stood from the over-packed car. She breathed to calm her fluttering stomach and stretched her aching muscles from the long drive. She already had the internship at The Ridge newspaper. The manager, Christine Strand, hired her on merit of the writing samples she had sent and also the recommendation of the head of Arizona State University’s journalism department.
Now to meet her boss.
Jessica stood before the building’s double doors and reached for the knob. The door flung open. A young man stepped out and almost ran her down. “Excuse me!” He glanced at her briefly before stepping around and continuing to the parking lot.
“No problem.” Jessica assured him, but suspected he hadn’t heard. She straightened the yellow plaid skirt and white blouse she wore, and checked the hair twist for loose frizz before entering the office.
The smell of newsprint, ink, and the cheerful smile of a twentyish girl greeted her at the counter. “May I help you?”
“Yes. I’m here to see Christine Strand.” Jessica gripped the shoulder strap of her laptop bag in an effort to control her shaking fingers.
The girl’s long, straight brown hair swayed as she headed to an open door at the back of the office. “Hey, Mom! Somebody’s here to see you.”
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A few years ago I visited the Puget sound. There was a lovely Victorian house standing high on a hill overlooking the sound. The story came to me of Jessica living in that house and looking down on a lonely beachcomber who spent the evening hours sitting on a rock. The man tells Jessica his life in bits and pieces as her own story also unfolds.
Thank you Lizanne for tagging me on The Next Big Thing! Liz is just getting started with her medieval blog and her upcoming novel, Shadows of Montsegur, and would love followers.
