help me choose?
Hello there,
August was a month of major ups and terrible downs, and I’ve had bronchitis and a sinus infection for weeks–so I’m asking for YOUR help! I’ll be doing some readings from Parallel Peril soon.
I’m trying to decide which passage to read. I’d greatly appreciate it if you could glance through these half-dozen excerpts then REPLY TO THIS EMAIL and tell me which one you think I should go with.
OPTION 1
He got out and looked around, wearing beat-up jeans and a faded, nicely fitted tee shirt. Dammit. She shouldn’t have worn her good jeans, and she should have worn a tee shirt instead of the linen blouse. Too dressy.
Jesus, was she actually nervous?
C’mon, Vick, you’re not in junior high.
She walked toward him. “Hi, Pete.”
“Vicky.”
He was first to open his arms for a hug, which she returned carefully. They fit together just as perfectly as they did before they went their separate ways, but it was a far cry from the greeting she’d fantasized about.
Instead of running toward each other in slow motion, arms outstretched, dramatically bending into a long, luscious kiss—instead, his kiss brushed the side of her mouth.
Almost a cheek kiss, really.
Then he stepped back.
Okay, she hadn’t really expected a movie-tale greeting, but a kiss on the cheek? All right, Vick. Recalibrate. Play it cool. She already had much too much going on in her life to jump into a relationship anyway.
OPTION 2
Clara’s heavy dress, rough boots, and burlap shoulder bag weighed her down in the icy snowmelt. The frigid water stole her breath. Panicked, she flailed and grabbed for anything solid. She finally caught hold of an overhanging branch and dragged herself back to her feet, retching and coughing. She’d followed the creek long enough. Surely by now the dogs could no longer find her scent.
Dear Creator, please, please help me.
She pulled herself onto the bank and sat, heaving, gasping. She pushed her wet tangled hair away from her face. She was young and strong, everyone said she was a good worker, but she was so, so tired, and now shivering wet. The sharp scents of incense cedar trees and clean, fresh runoff filled the air. Other than the rippling water, she heard nothing—not even a bird chirping or insect buzzing, and no sounds of her pursuers. Daemon was probably leading them.
That dog would fight his way through hell to find her.
OPTION 3
With lilt in her steps, Vicky Robeson strode through her stylish fifth-floor condo. She went to close the shades on the west-facing windows so the June sun wouldn’t bake the room while she was away. She was on the hunt. She was going to track down one more long-shot clue as to whether anyone in her family was still alive.
She paused as the trip’s purpose hit her. Flashes of terror, of smoke and screams—and loss—stabbed her memory. She made herself stop and acknowledge her emotions, as her new therapist recommended. She stared out the window, took deep breaths, and methodically set aside those images.
Focus on the future, Vick.
OPTION 4
Susan started tapping on her phone. “Okay, Chrissy. Tell me every single thing you know.”
“I already did.” Chrissy sounded impatient. “At the end of school today, the principal made an announcement that no one was allowed out the back way. We had to leave out the front and go straight home. I found Jackson”— here she glanced at Vicky—“he’s the custodian. He tells me stuff. He said someone was hiking on the trail back there and his dog ran off into the woods. The guy followed it and found a body with blood and guts all over and called the police.”
“What kind of body? Human?” Susan asked.
“Jackson just called it a body.”
Vicky stared across the field. “When did he find it?”
“Today. Jackson said it might have happened today. The blood was fresh.” Chrissy lowered the binoculars. She sounded slightly electrified, and a bit spooked. “So whoever did the killing might still be around.”
OPTION 5
Her heart started to beat just a bit faster. “It’s been a while since we were in the same state.”
“It has. Are you there working?”
“I’m on vacation, doing some research for a travel article I might write. And some personal stuff.”
Several seconds of silence stretched between them. Vicky’s reticence about ‘personal stuff’ had caused much of the friction between them. She thought about filling in a few details but waited to see if he would ask.
He didn’t. Instead, his voice warmed and dropped into the suggestive tone that had almost always sparked a hot rush of anticipation in her.
Or maybe she was imagining things. All he said was, “Did you build in any time for recreation?”
OPTION 6
“Shit.” Pete glanced at Vicky. There was no room to turn around. The rain and wind howled.
“Shit is right. But I wonder if this is the Hart place? The gate looks like what Matthew described.”
“We’re going to have to drive back down in reverse.”
“I’ll get out and guide you.”
Pete reached behind Vicky’s seat for a canvas tote. “Care for a poncho?”
“Sorry, Pete, guess I should have listened.”
“I knew what I was getting into.” He tugged the poncho over his head before he leaned over and kissed her. “It’s always an adventure with you.”
I’m eager to hear which option you find most interesting!
Speaking of interesting–one of the ups in August was being a guest on FOX4 in Dallas to talk about my books.
