introducing a young new author…
The daughter of a high school friend of mine is an aspiring author (and what a great thing to be, right?!), and I am pleased to be able to present the first two chapters of her current work in progress. I’d like to request that everyone leave some sweet and constructive comments to help her along. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Evelyn stirred as the bright sunlight filtered in through the open window. Still sleepy, she hugged her teddy bear tighter and tried to go back to sleep. After a few moments, she sat up as it suddenly dawned on her that her window was open. She glanced at her clock and gasped when she saw the time.
“ Ten o’clock in the morning! Oh, gosh, Mom never lets me sleep in this late!” she said to herself as she tried to focus her foggy thoughts. Rolling out of bed she threw on some sweats and stumbled down the stairs to the dining room, where she noticed a box of doughnuts and a note. She opened the note which read:
Evelyn,
We’ve all gone to town and probably won’t be back ’til around 1:00. Eat these doughnuts for breakfast then clean up the living room some. We’re expecting guests!
Mom
P.S. Ivy and Kayla will be here around 10!
Evelyn smiled when the door bell rang almost instantly afterward. She ran to the door to open it for her two best friends. Ivy, she had known since kindergarten, and Kayla had joined their twosome a few years back making it a threesome.
“ What in the world are you doing still in your night clothes?” Kayla instantly asked, shaking her reddish brown hair.
“ Kayla!” Ivy scolded Kayla, her violet eyes sparkling, “She’s the birthday girl!”
Evelyn perked up, “ Oh ya! Today is my birthday!”
Kayla rolled her eyes and smiled while Ivy laughed out-right, “Your 18th birthday! Now we all match! Except in a couple months we won’t ’cause Kayla will turn 19!”
Evelyn grinned as her stomach growled, “You almost made me forget my breakfast!”
Kayla laughed and upon spying the doughnuts, invited herself to breakfast.
“Ivy,” Evelyn said between bites, “I’m beginning to think you can wear anything and still look beautiful!”
Ivy blushed and looked down at her faded shorts and shirt and ancient flip-flops. She reached up to self consciously pat her golden ponytail as she murmured, “Thank you.”
“ The only way she pulled that off was because she was at my house,” Kayla laughed,”Her mom would have killed her for wearing that!”
“Oh, speaking of my mom, last night we had a supper with one of my dad’s coworker. He has this really cute son. He has light blond hair and sky blue eyes. Oooh! And he’s so gentlemanly too. He’s so poetic and romantic ,ya know, one of those knight in shining armor kinda guys.”
“Wow! Ivy you’re so lucky!” Evelyn exclaimed, “The only guy I know really well is Jake, and he’s my cousin! He has his own band, ya know!”
“Wow! Are they popular?” Kayla asked, helping herself to another doughnut.
“ Not yet. They’re still in the recording stage of their first CD.”
“Still, that’s pretty cool.”
Just then, the door bell rang. “ Ugh!” Evelyn groaned, “Kayla can you get that? I’m gonna go get ready.”
“Sure,” said Kayla jumping up.
Evelyn dashed upstairs and threw on some jeans and a shirt and brushed her hair into a somewhat decent style. She dashed back sown the stairs and collided with someone.
“Jake!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her favorite cousin’s neck.
“Evie!” he shouted, hugging her back. “Evie, I want you to meet the rest of my band. This is Phil,” he said pointing to a tall dark, blonde with impossibly blue eyes. “And this is Kyle,” this time pointing to a shorter guy with curly brown hair and chocolaty brown eyes.
Evelyn’s heart rate increased when their eyes met and she mentally scolded herself for not taking more time to dress. She somehow managed to stay calm enough to introduce her friends. “Jake, these are my friends Ivy and Kayla.”
“Nice to meet you!” he enthused, shaking their hands.
“Ummm… we were just headed upstairs for a sec. If y’all want some doughnuts,” Evelyn said hoping they could escape for a moment before she made a fool of herself. Before she could say “be right down,” the guys had already descended upon the doughnuts, and the girls made their hasty retreat. Once they got to Evelyn’s room, they all collapsed on the floor.
“Evelyn,” whispered Ivy breaking the silence, “do you have something else I can wear?”
“Maybe, if you do my hair!” she laughed.
“Deal,” Ivy grinned.
“Kayla’s the only smart one. She actually has her hair at least halfway decent and some partially nice clothes on!” Evelyn observed as Ivy straightened her hair.
“That’s what you think! When I opened the door and saw Jake I promise my mouth dropped open two feet,” Kayla replied.
“Not really! Ivy said.
“Uh! Ya! It did! Then he gave me this weird look. So embarrassing!”
“At least you don’t look like you’ve just been rolling in the dirt!”
“Neither do you!”
“Whatever!”
“Come on. We’d better hurry before the guys get worried,” Evelyn interjected. In a few minutes, they were back downstairs and completely composed.
“Took you long enough,” Jake teased. “Speaking of long enough… Do you know what kind of welcome I get when the door opens? This young lady here just stared and stared and stared! I mean I know I’m the cutest thing ever but come on!” He laughed at this to let everyone know he was teasing, but Kayla still blushed a cherry red.
“Awww… man look what you’ve done !” exclaimed Phil, “you embarrassed her!” Kayla blushed an even deeper red.
“You’re a lot of help!” Ivy shot back punching his shoulder.
Kyle cracked up at this, “She just punched you, dude! You’d better not mess with her!”
Phil responded by throwing a pillow at him and was rewarded with a shove from Ivy that sent him toppling off the ottoman he had been sitting on. He grabbed a pillow and threw it at Ivy who launched it at Jake hitting him full in the face.
“Whoops!” said Ivy and scrambled for another pillow to shield herself.
“You’ve done it now,” laughed Kyle who was quickly cut off by Evelyn who shoved the corner of a blanket into his mouth.
“Hey!” he exclaimed coughing and sputtering, “What was that for?”
Evelyn just shrugged and grinned. Kyle grinned back, “I liked it!”
Evelyn just rolled her eyes and caught a flying pillow launching it back at the sender. The next few minutes were a flurry of pillows, shoes and bodies as the girls and boys waged war against each other. Kayla had managed to move some chairs and created a fort for herself while Kyle hoarded “ammo” in his little corner. Sometime in the middle Evelyn had come in with a basket of marshmallows and was shooting them out of an air gun at whoever got too close. Finally exhausted, they all collapsed onto the chairs in Kayla’s fort and congratulated each other.
“I loved it when you brought out the marshmallows! You make me proud to call you my cousin!” Jake said to Evelyn feigning tears.
Kyle smiled a special smile at Evelyn and her heart sped up.
Just then Evelyn’s parents and twelve year old twin sisters came bursting through the door.
“Jake!” cried her mother and ran forward arms open wide.
“Aunt Kim!” Jake shouted and ran forward also. “Oh Aunt Kim, Uncle Ron, I want you to meet my band!” he introduced Kyle and Phil. Soon everyone except Evelyn’s sisters, Dolly and Dora, were talking like great friends. Dolly and Dora were too busy trying to impress Kyle and Phil.
Ron and Kyle had found a kindred spirit in one another and sat in a corner talking about the Cardinals. While Kim, Phil and Jake sat looking over scrapbooks of Jake when he was little. This left Evelyn, Ivy and Kayla to talk.
“Wow, Ivy, I didn’t realize you could be so aggressive!” said Kayla as they talked about the fight.
“ Oh ya!” Evelyn laughed, “you’d better watch your step around her from now on!”
“You’re as bad as Jake!” complained Ivy.
“Speaking of Jake,” Evelyn whispered in a confidential tone, “He was totally staring at Kayla during that war!”
“I noticed!” Ivy replied in her gossipy voice.
“Whatever!” Kayla protested with a shake of her head.
“He totally digs her!” Ivy went on as if she hadn’t heard her.
“I know, did you see him tackle that pillow before it hit her?”
“Yes!”
“And Phil was definitely flirting with you Ivy!” Evelyn laughed turning the tables on her.
“ No,” Kayla whispered jumping in, “I think she was flirting with him!”
“What?” shouted Ivy then covered her mouth when she realized that everyone in the room was looking at her. “What?” she whispered again.
Jake and his band stayed for supper that night then sat outside talking with the girls. They talked about the stars for awhile before the conversation turned to themselves.
“What do you like to do over the weekends?” Jake asked Kayla, who had been quiet for awhile.
“Well, my family usually has a game night Saturday night and we watch movies or play board games. Then on Sunday morning we go to early service at out church together. After that my dad usually has to pack because he travels a lot with his work so mom makes a roast or soup for lunch. Then we all head to our various church activities.”
“I used to go to church!” Kyle said with some regret in his voice, “but my mom and dad are always busy on Sunday mornings so they never wake me up in time and on Sunday night our band has practices, not a lot of time!”
“What about Wednesday nights?” Evelyn asked him.
“I didn’t know you could go to church on Wednesday night.” he replied slightly incredulous.
“Ya!” Kayla enthused, “my youth group gets together and our youth minister gives a very cool, very relevant sermon type thing. We have music and singing beforehand. In all, Wednesday nights are very encouraging! I think you would like it if you went.”
“Maybe I will,” Kyle replied thoughtfully.
“That would be great!”
“Hey!” interjected Phil, “while we’re inviting people you girls should come to our concert tomorrow night! Well not really a concert it’s really a party my mom is throwing and we’re playing some of our softer music. I think you guys would like it! Its kinda nice so you might want to wear dresses but its by no means formal! Do you think you could come?”
“Ya!”
“Sure!”
“Great!” chorused the girls.
“Great!” shouted Jake grinning at Kayla.“Well, we really have to go! See ya!”
After a round of hugs, they drove off leaving the girls feeling giddy about the next night. They had just begun discussing their wardrobe when Ivy’s phone trilled the opening notes of Handel’s “Messiah.” Kayla looked at her and began laughing.
“What?” Ivy asked, pulling out her phone. “My mom buys all my ringtones!”
“Speaking of my mom,” she groaned, looking at the caller ID. She slid the phone open and answered, “Hello. Yes.
What?! Mom I already… Fine have him call me. Love you, too. Bye.”
She slid the phone shut with a sigh. “Mom said Richard wants to take me to a movie tomorrow night.”
“Couldn’t you come afterwards?” Kayla suggested.
“It’s at the same time!” Ivy moaned.
“Maybe you could take a rain check or something.”
“Ya know sometimes you are pretty smart!
“I know! Call me a genius!”
They all laughed when the phone rang immediately afterwards. Ivy stood up and took it to another room to answer. Kayla and Evelyn sat nervously waiting for about ten minutes and she still didn’t appear.
“Ugh. What is taking her so long?” Kayla asked mostly to herself.
“No clue! But it is Ivy we’re talking about!” Evelyn grinned.
“True!” Kayla laughed.
“I wonder if she really does like Phil.”
“She seemed to. Then again, she also really seemed to like Richard.”
“I know.”
“Evelyn, what do you know about Jake?”
“Lots of things. What did you want to know?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering.”
They both lapsed into silence for a few more minutes when Ivy finally came barging in, her face glowing.
“You took long enough,” Kayla grumbled.
“Guess what?” Ivy asked, not noticing or caring about Kayla’s tone of voice.
“What?” asked Evelyn eagerly. Ivy’s consistent happiness had always rubbed off on her.
“Richard is taking me to the party tomorrow night.” she sighed obviously very happy with herself.
“Ummm… Ivy do you really think that’s polite? I mean they invited us not Richard.” Evelyn replied her mood dropping quickly.
“Ohhhh… I didn’t think about that!”
“That wouldn’t be the first time,” Kayla observed quietly to herself.
“I heard that,” Ivy laughed her mood not at all dampened.
“Ivy! We need to call Jake.” Evelyn snapped getting her back on track.
“Right well I don’t have his number, so could you call him?” Ivy pleaded.
“Fine. But you totally owe me!”
“’K!” She said not at all phased.
Evelyn shook her head and stepped outside into the cool night air. She replayed the fight scene and smiled to herself as the phone rang.
“Hello,” said a deep unfamiliar voice.
“Hello?” Evelyn replied cautiously.
“Oh, hey Evelyn! It’s Kyle!”
“Hey! There for a minute I thought I had the wrong number!”
“Sorry about that but Jake is in the middle of writing a song.”
“Oh then will you tell him we’re bringing an extra guest or rather that an extra guest is bringing Ivy?”
“What?”
“I know it sounds weird but this guy is in love with Ivy and she has offered to let him take her.”
“Wow! Does she like him?”
“I think so. Why?”
“Because, well, don’t tell, but Phil really likes her. Alot!”
“Oooo! Really?”
“Ya! But don’t tell or I’ll get scalped!”
“Right! Well just let Jake know and we’ll see you tomorrow night!”
“OK! Bye!”
“Bye!”
Evelyn walked in with a grin on her face.
“Did you tell him?” Ivy asked nervously fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
“Not exactly. He was writing a song but I told Kyle. Bye the way Ivy, do you like Phil?”
“Evelyn are you thinking of matchmaking because if you are I can’t let you take it any further! I’ve got Richard!”
“Right! But you never answered my question!”
“Evelyn I hardly know him!”
“She didn’t ask if you know him she asked it you like him,” Kayla smiled leaning closer.
“Sheesh! Gang up on me why don’t you? Fine. I think he’s cute and has a good personality!”
“Is that a yes?” Evelyn asked inching forward.
“Fine! Yes, yes, yes! I’ll shout it to the world if means you two will leave me alone!”
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a little bit more…
I’ve got all but the very last portion of Tara’s birthday story posted. Go read! Be sure to leave me comments and let me know what you think!
Filed under Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday | Permalink | Comment (0)just for Tara…
My friend, Mika, always gets a short story written by me for her birthday. This year, our friend, Tara, requested the same. Tara reads mysteries, which is outside my comfort zone. I also tried writing the story in first person, which isn’t my usual style.
But while Mika has always shared lots of similarities with me, Tara has always challenged me, pushed me in ways I hadn’t expected. So it seemed fitting that her story push my writing in new and different ways. I hope she likes it.
I’m going to be posting the story in segments this week, but I’ll just keep adding to the same post. For today, I hope Tara - and the rest of you - enjoy the first portion.
Love you, Tara.
Filed under Uncategorized | Permalink | Comment (0)Menu Plan Monday
It’s nowhere near Monday (yay!) as I’m writing this, but I’m making my grocery list and menu, so now seems like as good a time as any to write this. 
I’ve spent the last two weeks using up most everything from the fridge/freezer/pantry, and I think we’ve pretty much accomplished that. There’s some Laughing Cow cheese in the fridge (a fave… purchased on a recent run to Sam’s), some VitaTops muffin tops and Skinny Cow ice cream in the freezer, and a bunch of Crystal Light (on sale) in the pantry. So I’m ready to restock and start over.
We’re going to be eating at home, trying out the new recipes I’ve found. I got the new Hungry Girl cookbook, and a new issue of the Food Network magazine. Let’s see what we can whip up this week…
Saturday - chicken tacos
Sunday - cinnamon rolls… grilled sandwiches (geez, what I’d do for a panini press!)… crazy, lazy dinner
Monday - veggie burgers -These are yummy and unexpected. Fresh strawberries and bananas on the side.
Tuesday - Cinco de Mayo - Mexicali rice with chips and salsa
Wednesday - Beer can chicken with lime asparagus and grilled corn on the cob
Thursday - Smokey turkey burgers (Griff’s end of the year chorus concert is at 6:30, so we’ve gotta eat early in time to get there on time… quick and easy) … JennieO turkey burgers with melted gouda cheese and turkey bacon… a little BBQ sauce to finish it off. Served with cucumber and carrot sticks.
Friday - Smoked paprika chicken with warm buttered radishes
This is the first week that Mike is pretty much done at the office, so I’ll be planning things for breakfast and lunch that I can leave for him, that I can take in my lunchbox to work, and that Griff can take on days that he doesn’t want school lunches.
Cereal or muffin tops for breakfast… sandwiches for lunch for the boys… hummus veggie wraps for me for lunch.
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Last week ended up kinda crazy & we didn’t follow the menu at all. And now I’m not feeling like making a list much this week. Payday is Thursday, and we’re kinda working with what we’ve got till then just because I don’t much want to have to go to the store.
So here’s our muddled plan for the week…
Monday - pancakes (they were really good… Eliza had four!)
Tuesday - chicken enchiladas with salsa and chips (picked up the enchiladas already made at the fresh counter at the Sam’s when we went to get Eliza a dress to wear tomorrow for her pre-K graduation photos)
Wednesday - chicken fettucini alfredo
Thursday - take-out! It’s payday after all.
Friday - the chicken with warm buttered radishes from last week (in the new Clinton Kelly book - thanks for the birthday present, Linda! - has a super easy recipe for a radish appetizer that I’m going to HAVE to try soon.)
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