Sample Sunday

Hey Lovelies!
Today is Sample Sunday!!  Can't believe another week is gone by!  So as I have mentioned before I have started FOUR new stories, so it is a fair statement between them and older works I do have my fair share of samples to pick from.  However since two of the new stories that I started are sequels, I'm holding back on them (mischivously giggles).  Maybe in a couple weeks I'll change my mind because I'll be too excited, no promises though.  However what I have been trying to do for years to rewrite a new edition of Beauty and the Beast.  Yes Family Ties has been compared to a fairy tale, I have a small collection of rewritten fairy tales such as Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, The Swan Princesss, but I really wanted to do Beauty and the Beast because it is one of my favorites.  Yet this month the story line finally came to me!  I don't have much written on it because I've been a little all over the place plus school.  I'm curious if anyone can guess what is wrong with the "beast" in the very small sample I have today, and yes the female lead in my story has a strange name, my friend Amy hates the name, but I really like it, the name is staying!  I hope you all will like the small sample, next week I'll give a larger sample of something.  Enjoy!
~Ottilie

Beneath the Scars

(I wish my pretty font could show up!!)

Chapter One
Rily

Darkness. Everything around me was surrounded by shadows of the past unable move on, wanting to stay to torment me. The only light source in my apartment was the blinking light from the television as I flipped through the channels to find something to just fill my time. My muscles in my body were restless, craving for the exercises that use to be routine for me, but my mind wanted nothing more then this old chair that belonged to my father and the television before me. The words didn’t seem to click with my ears, spacing out as I stayed in my chair. My brain was mushafying. Dishes were scattered and piled on top of each other all over my apartment, besides me was a plate of spaghetti, but now was just a plate covered in red sauce that I was not about to go clean.


I use to be able to run with equipment strapped to my body in extreme heat, now I was ruler of an old lazy boy chair letting my sturdy body grow sluggish. The only life I have ever known had rejected me after a great time in my life which only turned to be the worse. I was cast aside because of what I had become, an awful looking grumpy beast. No person was to ever set eyes on me, known as a hero yet the treatment one would expect from a traitor. The vodka bottle next to me had a ring along the bottom of the last few drops.


A pair of sweats and a hoodie covered a muscled body that I spent years perfecting, now I wasn’t even sure what laid beneath the fabric. I wanted to hide every inch of my body from the world. I was alone, family was no longer among the living and what friends I had were gone for varies reasons. One of which was my fault with a few of my fellow friends, even though their kind words were out guide me in a time of need, my heart had shrunk were the words could not even enter.


Sleep will come to me soon, another day gone, another day wasted in this useless form only wishing to be dead.

Chapter Two
Eponine

Genevieve sat in the seat behind me with a tennis ball in her hands, her little fingers running over the green fuzzy surface as Bubbles was squished in the backseat of the car with her. His furry head resting on Genevieve’s lap, ears pointed up in the air as his eyes followed the ball in her small hands, yet he was well trained not to try to steal the ball from her. The two were very quiet in the car as I glanced into review mirror at them.


“So I’m thinking of maybe having a little camp out in the family room till we have the place set up, couldn’t that be cool?” I spoke up as I peeked into the review mirror again as Genevieve just shrugged her shoulders.


I chewed on my lip, the pasted couple of month had been hard, and that was the understatement of the year.


(I'm still writing chapter 2!)
To be continued...

Trying to Find Sanity

Hey Lovelies!
So I'm trying to get things worked out in school and writing.  I'm doing a pre-student teaching thing this semester in school where I'm be in a school for over a month and actually be teaching, now that should be interesting!  Poor high school students!  My friend Amy is still reading through Pirates, poor girl, but this weekend we are going to have a little fun and work on the new cover for End of the Line!  I can't wait to give pirates to BCP, people have been excited when I mention it!  Now that is exciting when I dont' have the story out and people are loving the samples!  Sorry I haven't been sleeping and I'm still excited from last night's radio show; which I may add was amazing if you want to listen it's still up!  I'm hoping to also get a few things on top of school (a couple of lesson plans...) get names of characters organized for my sanity.  I have over 50 stories started there are too many voices in my head I need to get them organized!

Speaking of stories I don't want to get anyone overly happy, but I thought of two possibly sequels that I had never planned on writing sequels for...End of the Line and Family Ties.  Now I always talked about keeping them by themselves.  I also hate when authors write sequels that aren't needed.  Big pet peeve of mine.  So I'll probably still work on the two stories and see where they go.  End of the Line's sequel came to me first the title then the idea, the plot could be some fun and mischievous, so the title is, ::::drum roll for cheesiness::: Walking the Thin Line!  Then with Family Ties, don't ask me how, but I was reading for one of my education classes and the idea popped into my head, I don't know how...so that title is for the moment is The Invisible Bond.  I told my friend Taylor about the plot of it and she seemed pretty interested.  Hehehe so mischievous!
~Ottilie

Review/Interview plus radio show

Hey Lovlies!
The amazing Cambria, I'm sure I've mentioned her before she did an interview of me and a review of Family Ties that you all should go check out!  She asked some pretty awsome questions!  You'll laugh and also I'm going onto the radio show that she hosts with Cassie and Amy, a group of truly awsome ladies that really know how to make people laugh with really sweet hearts.  You really should check out the review/interview and the radio show on Tuesday 9pm-10pm!
~Ottilie

Book Review: Hostage in Time

Hey Lovelies!

I recieved an email not too long ago asking me to review a copy of a new author's work!  I do not know this author, nor know why she picked me, but I thanked her so much for giving me the chance to do so.  If you like historical fiction books with romance you'll enjoy this book.  I'm really sorry that the picture does not do the cover justice!  Hope you enjoy it!

~Ottilie

Hostage in Time

By Linda Lauren

3.5 stars out of 5

Amanda is a Jersey girl who is in her twenties. She is realistic as she currently loses her job as a photographer because of the current economy. She drags her friend Carrie onto a historical tour to a local home that belong to a friend (a character made up for the story) of Thomas Edison’. For those who don’t know Thomas Edison had his station of creative up in Orange County of New Jersey, so I really enjoyed opening up the book to read that relatable area.

As Amanda is exploring parts of the historical house that are suppose to be off limits to everyone Amanda is transported into the past. There in the past she meets a string of characters as she is accused of being a spy by Jonathan Brisbane who is worried for his friend Thomas Edison’s inventions getting into the wrong hands. As Amanda tries to adjust to Jonathan’s life so that he can keep an eye on her, his mom, friends, and his ex wife all have different agendas.

Hostage in Time is a historical romance that will warm your heart. Linda Lauren writes beautiful descriptions that make you feel that you are a guest in the Brisbane home in the year 1894. Amanda’s reactions to the new world around her in addition to Jonathan’s introductions to the future items such as Mace were both funny plus realistic. Her characters were witty, relatable, and constantly thinking of what to do.

The book was a fun light read. I was eagerly flipping through the pages at fast paces to find out what happened next between classes. I love the historical fiction, but I worry with other readers might have a little problem having an actual real historical figure such as Thomas Edison in a fiction book play out as he does later on in the book. The other issue that I had with the book is the change in Jonathan’s ex wife’s personality, Lavinia. Otherwise this book had twists that I was not expecting. Hostage in Time was a beautifully written story that will grab its readers, leaving them warm and fuzzy.

Sample Sunday

Hey Lovelies!
I know I am kind of slacking on the Sample Sunday's!  I'm sorry I'll try to get them more frequent, well see I started classes this past week and it is going to be an interesting semester.  I have to do 100 field work hours in either a middle school or a high school in Hamilton New Jersey.  I'm kind of excited and curious on how that'll go!

So other than getting a sample today I wanted to talk about genres.  As I've mentioned before I'm working on getting End of the Line re-released (might be soonish!) and I was thinking how about how that story and Family Ties are pretty different.  I was having a discussion with a group of friends a couple of months ago about what made fanasty vs sci-fi.  Amy and I were talking about what made fanatsy vs paranormal.  There seemed to certain rules that helps a person understand what they are reading.  Yet there are stories that when you go to different stores are in different sections like the book Poison Study.  Sometimes it's in Romance while others it is in Young Adult.

Even when I look at all my own stories I see that they are Young Adult, but End of the Line is sci-fi which I never really thought about that I was an author of, Family Ties is modern with hints of historical fiction.  The others are some form of Romance with ones that are modern, sci-fi, historical, and who else knows.  So today one of my other samples today is another classified Sci-fi story.  I'm hoping to finish this one, I really think this could be a real good tale when it is done.  The story is called Beaker to Life, it is about a Sciencetist who creates the first human clone (Alice) and the clone lives with him and his son Derek.  What happens while the two grow up together since they are only a couple of years apart from each other, I have the story start out when Derek is a very little boy to when he is in college, shows their relationship and how the world views Alice.  I thought of the story when in Junior year of High School my English teacher was teaching the classic Frankenstein.  Now this is a little longer sample then I have been giving so hope you enjoy!

Beaker to Life

Prologue

The rain started to hit the window making my ears to pick up sounds as I came to life from a night’s sleep. I refused to wake up as I brought the sheets closer to me as I tightened up on my little ball. I refused to wake up knowing that I could make my own choices now that he was gone. Yet sleep wouldn’t come over me again as much as I tried so I got up to go look out the window.


My fingers pressed against the cold glass lightly as the water droplets ran down. My eyes stared at the water and its trail it left behind for another to follow after it. Like ever water drop it was all made the same. I wasn’t like the other water drops; I was ‘born’ another way. I’ve always wanted to be like the others because I always found that I was some kind of freak, he called me special, but I knew I was just a freak.


I didn’t even get to live a normal way of living. The scientist never gave me true affection and just treated me like a prize vegetable. I wasn’t a real person just was some award he thought he should be showing off to a world who half of wanted me dead. If he actually took me somewhere people would be shouting at me, saying I was a sin, a creature of hell, and I was against all laws against nature. People knew who and what I was so they hated me not understanding.


With all the hate towards me I would just end up curled up in a ball at night crying. Then against all his’ father’s wishes Derek would come down and sit with me to make me feel better. He was the only one I really got to talk to and he didn’t seem to care what others said about me. Derek and I were friends through it all. I don’t think I could have survived without so when he and I had a fight I was completely alone in the world.


Being the only human clone in the world will make you stand out. That isn’t really a good thing when people just think of you as a science experiment for a Science Fair instead of a living breathing human. I just wish I was treated the same as any other human instead of the freak studied by some and hated by the rest.

Part One

Seventeen years earlier

Chapter one Derek

I wanted to play with my trucks! Where was Daddy taking me now? He didn’t ever let me into his lab so I was a little excited for that. I ran a little faster to keep up with his steps, he was really happy about something. He was smiling for real now and I started to smile hoping that I did something to make him happy, but he then ran to the back of the room and I tried to see what he was looking at on one of the counters, I wish I was tall. I started to jump and down to see, but failed.


“Now son, do you know what this is?”


I don’t even know what he’s pointing to! I am little doesn’t he remember that? I just nodded my head as he started explaining something in those funny big words I couldn’t understand. It was better to pretend that I knew what he was talking about, my mommy called it make believe.


Then he shifted and held something in his arms wrapped in a blanket tightly. I stood on my toes as I pushed myself up against his knees to get a better look at what he was holding. That was when a tiny nose was sticking out of the hat and blanket.


“It’s a baby. Did the stork bring me a little brother?”


“No! This isn’t a stork baby! On the contrary my dear son, this was made by science!”


“Frank, Derek is four. He’s not going to understand your experiments.”


I looked at my parents really confused. Didn’t the stork bring the babies, so what did science have to do with baby? When my Aunt had a baby mommy told me the stork brought it to them and the big bellies were marks for the birds to find them. My mommy walked over with her princess grace and took the baby into her arms. I started to feel jealous as she held the little bundle in her arms that she held so lovingly. I was her baby she held me that way. She then sat on the ground so I could see.


“Come here, Derek, she’s not going to hurt you.”


I walked so slowly not sure what do make out of the baby. I didn’t figure out what a baby was doing in my Daddy’s lab when I wasn’t allowed to be! Did he like baby more then me? I stood in front of my mommy she stroke a long finger down the sleeping figures face.


“See, she’s not going to hurt you.”


I looked down into the sleeping face realizing she was so small, I thought the babies were a little bigger.


“It’s a girl!” I cried out scrunching my face together.


My mom laughed her pretty face and small laughter made me smile. That was when the baby woke up and her big blue eyes wide and looking at me then to my mom. I put my hand out to go touch the baby as she did the same to me. I started to smile at my mom who put her other arm around me as I sat by her.


“It’s a science marvel! What do you think you’re doing acting like it’s one of your children?!”


“Oh, Frank, she’s just a baby. Even if you cloned her, she’s just a child. She’s just as human as you are.”


“It’s going to prove all science-“


“Oh, shush Frank, I know this is a big deal, but she’s still human.”


“It’s a science experiment.”


“She’s just a baby who you don’t treat her like she’s a living breathing human.”


I just let my parents words fly over my head as the baby looked at me.


“There are big hopes for it.”


“Frank, refer to her as you would to your son!”


“You gave birth to our son just like every other human! This thing was created in a science lab to prove that cloning humans is possible! Think of the possibilities!”


My mom sighed now looking sad. I hugged her as she held me tighter.


“Frank, what happened to the man I married.”


“What are you talking about?”


“You have no real compassion to this little girl.”


“Do you not get what this could do for our family, Melanie? We could be the richest people ever and-“


“Forget the money. After you created this little girl what did you expect to happen to her? Were you expecting no emotions or thoughts to cross her mind?”


What were they talking about? I don’t understand adult talk!


“Frank, I’m proud of you for doing this! Really I am, but honey you have to think ahead and remember this is a living being!”


“And I just don’t think you really understand the magnitude of this!”


“I just don’t think you understand the full extent of what you have done.”


“What harm can a baby do? It’s not like I have brought life to a full grown man corpse like in Frankenstein.”


“She won’t be a baby forever-“


“Just shut up you don’t know what you’re talking about!” my father yelled as he was angry now.


I really didn’t hear my dad yell in my life expect lately since he started talking about a big project. I looked at the little girl my mom was holding.


“Is she my sister?”


“No! It’s not part of this family! It’s a science experiment!”


I crawled closer to my mom now after at the yelling man while the baby started to cry.


“Oh, please Frank calm down! You’re frightening the children! Calm down little one, everything is going to be okay.”


My mom got up and started to head to real part of the house. I stared to run after her as she rocked the baby in her arms.


“Does baby have a name?”


My mom smiled as I stood by her as she sat down at the kitchen table.


“What do you want to name her?”


“Dotty!”


“How about the name Alice, Derek?” my mom laughed.


“Hi, Alice.”


She smiled at me as I went closer to her and I smiled more. Then the baby threw up on me and I screamed.










I want to sleep, so why do mommy and daddy yell so much. I crawled out of my Spiderman sheets and tip toed out of my room holding onto my teddy bear that wore a Spiderman costume. I stood up high to reach the handle and turned it to just to look out the small opening in the door. I didn’t see them as I moved quickly to the room that Mommy put Alice in, but Daddy didn’t seem to like the room.


I slowly opened her door and walked in carefully making sure I wouldn’t wake her up if she was asleep. I walked very afraid of my actions as I went near her crib holding Teddy close to me in a hug. If I move too loudly she screams really loud. I used my hand that wasn’t holding Teddy to grab onto a bar to try to pull myself up to look at her. Her brown eyes turned to look at me. She looked scared like me. I started to pull myself up on her bars and climbed in to sit next to her.


“It okay Alice, you’re my friend.”


Her lip started to shake like it usually did before she was going to cry because Mommy and Daddy started to yell louder. I helped her sit up a little so she could sit in my lap as I hugged her and Teddy. I wish Mommy and Daddy would stop fighting.










I sat on the floor twisting the winding up car. Alice was now almost one my Mommy kept telling me. Alice sat across from me taking one of my cars and putting the car into her mouth. The hallway was the best place to play with the cars because it was the longest road for them. Alice then started to hit the car against the floor.


“Hey! Don’t do that!”


Her brown eyes looking sad into mine and I was still mad at her.


“Okay Alice, it’s naptime.”


Mommy came into the room and gave me back my car as Alice started to cry while she was brought upstairs. Her spit was on the car, gross. A few minutes later she came back downstairs and kissed me lightly on the forehead then sat down next to me.


“My little Derek, you’re such a good boy and I want to thank you for being such a good boy to Alice.”


“She’s okay for a girl.”


My mommy smiled as she ruffled my hair that was the same color as hers. I looked into her green eyes and smiled.


“Melanie what are you doing?”


“I’m sitting here with our son, Frank, what does it look like I’m doing?”


“Where is it?”


“Alice is now asleep for her nap.”


I looked up at the tall man my father is. He wasn’t looking at me, but at my mother who even sitting down at my level was just as tough like my father, but not as scary.


“Son, go up to your room, your mother and I need to talk.”


His voice reminded me of one villains in one of my movies when they spoke to the good guys before they did something bad. His voice made me scared at how something didn’t sound right. So without looking back I started to head up the stairs to hide in my room. To only have my dad come up around dinner time all sad.


My dad sat down on my Spiderman covers taking off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.


“My son, please sit down next to me, I have to try to explain something to you that you are too young for.”


I titled my head looking really confused. So quietly I climbed up on the bed next to my father. His brown hair very short unlike mine as he turned to try to look at me, but it wasn’t the same as when my Mommy did.


“Derek, my son, your mother…she left.”


“Did mommy go to the store?”


He was quiet for a moment then sighed.


“Not like that Derek, you are too young for this, but honey Mommy will not be coming home again.”


I was confused. What did he mean Mommy wasn’t coming home? How could Mommy not be coming home? Tears started to come.


“Daddy, what do you mean?”


Dad put a hand on my shoulder as I looked at the ground. As Teddy sat on my floor staring at us still smiling because he wasn’t confused like I was.


“My son, your mother doesn’t want to be near us because she can’t take this family anymore with Alice.”


“But Mommy said she was happy at how I was being a good boy.”


“Woman are really complicated son, never forget that. Your mother doesn’t want to be with us so she decided she didn’t want to be a wife and a mother so she just left.”


Mommy didn’t want to be a mommy anymore? She didn’t want to be near me anymore? I could feel the tears roll down my cheeks as I still didn’t understand what my daddy was trying to tell me.


“I’m sorry son, I know you probably don’t understand this, and this is going to be hard, but Derek I’m here for you just remember that.”


To be continued...