A True Surrender Exerpt

Below are just a few of the 6000+ words I wrote during my writing 'marathon' on late January. I thought you might like a little teaser...And if you're not already on my email list, please join!

Aaron wasn't sure what good his presence was. He sat in Cheryl's home, in her living room, and listened as the police officers recounted the details of her suicide.

She had overdosed on pills and pot.

The irony was not lost on him, and he felt physically ill.

There was apparently a note, but he wasn’t privy to the contents.

Cheryl's mom, June, sat in a chair in the corner and cried intermittently. Cheryl's younger brother (only 17 years old, he learned) sat in stony silence, as if he were numb. Which he probably was.

Only part of him registered the scene, as if from a distance. Robert took charge, of course, extracting each person's experience of the night before and that morning. Aaron recognized that he was trying to tie them together, to get a complete picture of what had gone so wrong.

Why a young woman was dead.

Robert turned to June last. "Mrs. Young," he said. "Did anything out of the ordinary happen yesterday or even the day before?"

Mrs. Young shook her head. "She went to work, she walked the dog, she watched TV..."

"Any change in her routine?" Robert said. "Any upsets with her friends?"

"Friends?" June's brow furrowed in concentration. "There was one thing. Unusual, I guess you'd say...an Army friend came to visit with her."

Aaron felt Scott stiffen beside him.

"I thought it was odd it wasn't one of you,” June continued. "But she still has friends in the Army and it's her business who she associates with..."

"June." It was unlike Scott to interrupt, and it set Aaron's nerves on edge. "Do you remember the soldier's name?"

She shook her head. "I'm not good with names," she said, "and you all look alike to me, especially with those camouflage things you wear."

Robert pulled a file folder from his briefcase and extracted a photo. "Mrs. Young, is this the man who was here?"

She took the picture with shaky hands, and dabbed her eyes with a tissue for the hundredth time. "The clothes are different," she said, "but this certainly looks like him."

Aaron saw Robert take the photo from her as if in slow motion. Somehow, he knew. He knew before Robert tilted the photo unobtrusively toward them.

Jared's head shot.

One Helluva January

Winter in Minnesota is supposed to be slow. Quiet.

Bor-ing.

But in the past month, I spent a miserable week trying to fight off a virus only to finally succumb and spend two days in bed. My kids got sick and being the mom, that meant I had some nights with very little sleep.

I ordered a keyboard (the musical kind!) and went into the music studio to record backup vocals for the Mark Cameron band.

I took extra taiko drumming classes because I thought I'd have the time.

I joined the Romance Writers Association and attended my first local meeting, where I was invited to join a critique group - something I have wanted and needed for a while.

The final 10 days in January found me writing intensely and purposefully every free minute I had. I worked on a new section of True Surrender - a section I added after getting feedback from several of my readers. The real fire under me was (big surprise) a deadline: the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award opened for submissions on January 24 and would accept "only" 5000 entries before it closed. I wanted True Surrender to be one of those entries! On February 1, I met that goal.

I didn't have time to celebrate, because I had a new product launch event for work on February 4 - and timing was so tight, I was picking up the final parts that morning.

And now a new adventure: the first live band gig I've done in EIGHTEEN YEARS. Yep, I'm singing with the band on February 19 (Rafters Bar in Stillwater). My kids are starting to sing along since I've been "studying" whilst driving them to/from school etc. Next week we'll rehearse and try to wrap up the recording work.

And then ... I think I'll need a 3-day nap!