Why is it that when we look our worst, that’s when we see people we know? In this scene from my WIP, Elly and the Geriatrics, poor Elly is a mess.
Elly paused at the door to Grandpa’s shed, arched her back in a stretch, and stepped from behind the cedars lining the driveway. As she looked up, an old pickup truck rolled down Bluebonnet Lane.
Is that Derek?
She jumped back behind the foliage and watched as he backed up and turned into her grandmother’s driveway.
Doggone it. It is.
She edged toward the shed, hoping to hide inside, when she stumbled over a wheelbarrow filled with all kinds of hand tools. The contents fell onto the concrete with a clatter. Elly heard footsteps thumping down the driveway.
“Mrs. M? Is that you?” Derek asked.
Elly took a deep breath and smoothed her t-shirt. That action left streaks of dirt down its front, adding to the grime already there. She’d started out the morning in sweatshirt and jeans, but as the day warmed and her physical activity increased, she’d pared down to T-shirt and cutoffs. Now she wished she’d dressed a little better. She wore not a smidgen of makeup, not even lipstick. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tied it with a shoelace hours before, and she knew it probably stuck out like a bouquet of thistles by now.
The man will probably run the other direction.
Not that I care.
She stepped from behind the trees.
In case you’re curious, here’s what a thistle looks like. Of course, Elly’s hair is red, not pink.
While you’re visiting our blog, take a look at the trailer for I.O.U. SEX (below). Hope you enjoy it!
What are Sweet Saturday Samples?
Each week, writers post brief samples of their work on their own blogs and then link them to the main site, so readers can conveniently “hop” from blog to blog, meet new authors and become better acquainted with ones they already know. All samples are rated PG-13 (or milder), though the books from which they're taken may be spicier.
For more SWEET SATURDAY SAMPLES, click HERE.
Each week, writers post brief samples of their work on their own blogs and then link them to the main site, so readers can conveniently “hop” from blog to blog, meet new authors and become better acquainted with ones they already know. All samples are rated PG-13 (or milder), though the books from which they're taken may be spicier.
For more SWEET SATURDAY SAMPLES, click HERE.
Photo source – Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Highfields/Gallery?rdfrom=commons:User:Highfields/Gallery#My_Uploads
And those darn thistles are s-h-a-r-p! We have them in the corner of our garden to attract the goldfinches.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Maybe I should find a better comparison for Elly's hair. I originally wrote "a red broom" but I liked "bouquet of thistles" better!
DeleteLoved this encounter between Elly and Derek. And yes, you always meet the one person you don't want to see when you're looking your worst! One of Murphy's Laws, I think. LOL BTW--LOVED the trailer for IOU Sex. Perfect! :)
ReplyDeleteJenna, Sandy made that trailer all by herself! She does amazing things on the computer, while I'm not even sure this reply is going to work when I hit "publish". LOL. I am REALLY proud of Sandy's IOU SEX trailer!!!
Delete*Miss Pickles (alias Sandra Allen)
Thanks for your kind comments, Jenna. I like challenges and trying new things, so making the trailer was fun for me.
DeleteOh, isn't that the truth? We never look our best at those times! Loved the snippet...and here's MY SWEET SATURDAY SAMPLE
ReplyDeleteLaurel, there is only one time that I can recall when the "looking awful" rule didn't apply to me.
DeleteI was a young professional in my early twenties and was wearing a hip new outfit on my thin body, with my long, straight hair shining and hanging down to the middle of my back. That's when I ran into my first love's wife looking frumpy and fat with her squalling baby in a stroller. LOL.
I loved your trailer, especially the picture of the diary. It must be a rule that you never see the one you'd like to impress unless you're at your worst.
ReplyDeleteElaine, that diary is actually one of Sandy's old ones, but I won't mention just how old it really is. LOL. Reading her diary was, after all, what set our imaginations off and resulted in the creation of I.O.U. SEX!
Delete*Miss Pickles (alias Sandra Allen)
Elaine, I'm glad you enjoyed the trailer. I had fun making it.
DeleteThis book will have you intrigued, laughing and in tears from that laughter as you follow the lives of those women back in time. Sandy is personable, generous and loving so this is a real treat for anyone that is looking to escape into another time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great video too.
What nice compliments, Mamie! Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
DeleteBet he wants to run to her.
ReplyDeleteThey're barely getting to know each other in this scene, but there's an attraction between them for sure! Thanks for commenting, Lindsay.
DeleteI really love how Elly's character is showing through. Her dilemma reminds me a bit of when I was doing some group painting mural for Earth Day in 5th grade and started to slip forward. My crush (whom I later grew to be embarrassed I ever liked that much) tried to pull me back, but I fell out of his grip and fell right into the paint. Even a proud tomboy doesn't like looking her worst in front of her love interest.
ReplyDeleteLove how you've shown her character in this excerpt! Great snippet! :)
ReplyDeleteI am *really* enjoying this story, and "bouquet of thistles" is BRILLIANT. I live in the humid South with my naturally curly hair, so that part made me laugh out loud. It's the most insanely perfect description I've ever heard for what happens to my pony tails!
ReplyDelete