Oh, My

As we continue to shadow Jerrica, we find her landing on her feet in Auburn, Georgia, and moving fast into her new life.  Is she about to find the job that will feed her and clothe her for the next few years and eventually introduce her to her dream husband?

"The waitress returned to her table to see what else she might need.  “Sorry I didn't get back to you before this, but like I said…” and her voice trailed off. 

“I know, you're short of help this morning.” And she heard herself asking, “Do you need to hire someone else?”

“Well, I don’t get to make those decisions, but I certainly think we do.  Do you want me to find out for you?”

“If you don’t mind…”

She watched the waitress disappear again into what she assumed was the kitchen.  In a few minutes, she returned.  “The boss will be with you in a minute.”
Could it really be this simple?  Just walk in for breakfast and get hired?

The “boss” ambled slowly from the back  to her table. “You looking for work?”

“Yes, I am,” she replied.

“Ever waitressed before?” 

“Yes, I have, but it was a few years back when I was in college.”

Boss looked passed her and out the window. “I’m not looking for anyone myself but I have a friend across town who’s looking for someone.  I think you may be a better fit for his place…a little more “uptown” you might say.” It’s over on Broad Street.

After getting the name and street address of the friend's place, Jerrica smiled her thanks to Boss and said, “I was getting ready to start rolling silverware at that table in the corner.” 

They shared a friendly laugh and she rose from the table, left an ample tip (considering her financial situation), and walked back across the parking lot to her car. "

This writing thing is funny, strange funny.  Several days ago, I awoke in the morning with a dream fresh on my mind. It took some doing to figure out how this "vision" would fit into this book but after brainstorming with my daughter, it began to fall into place.  It seems Jerrica is not new to walking away from love. Wait until you read about "Young Sam."

Back at you soon!

Springtime

Yes, it's SPRINGTIME.  It gets harder to write every day now, what with wanting to be out and about in this beautiful North Carolina weather.

BUT, The Knock At The Door is progressing.  As Jerrica does a wheelie into her new life, we find her here:

“So how does anyone get a flat tire when they’re flying? You passed me going so fast, I figured you would be in Matamoras by now.”

A teasing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and she was, suddenly and forever, head over heels in love.

That had been four years ago. She could no longer remember why she was headed into the Valley.  She didn’t know if she accomplished her mission there. It no longer mattered.

Jerrica tossed back the sheet and swung her legs to the floor. Turning toward the bathroom she grabbed her cosmetic bag. She turned on the hot water in the shower, letting it run hot long enough to steam up the room. Soap, shampoo, and toothpaste later, she climbed into her jeans, pulled on a fresh t-shirt and stepped into her boots. A new day and suddenly she was starving. Georgia country ham and eggs with fresh hot biscuits for breakfast sounded like a feast.

So how will Jerrica create her new life, here where she knows no one, with very few resources. Let's not forget that Jerrica is a very resourceful woman.

Stay with me while I figure all this out.  :)

Well, HELLO, Springtime!!!

Are you ready for Springtime??? Yes, yes, yes, would be most of our answers.  A long cold, and for many of you, snowy winter. But now those early bloomers are poking their cute little heads above soil and working up a blossom.  For me, it's seemed a long time coming. Winter's not my favorite time of year(and if it is yours, I have to wonder about you :) haha.)

Anyway...you know I advertise myself as a "wannabe" writer, looking for something new, but I'm thinking that  may be on the verge of changing.  I may actually become a real author with this book, which I've been working on for a while now.  The beginning and end came so easy (yes, nobody thinks that's the way a book gets written, but in this case, it is), so when I wasn't getting any inspiration or help from my heroine, Jerrica, I was beginning to think that might be the end of The Knock at The Door. 

Then, miracle of all miracles and feeling like a million dollars, I woke up yesterday morning with the entire thing in my mind, unless that changes somewhere along the way. I never know quite what Jerrica has in mind. Anyway, I dreamed the middle of my book, and I can tell you now it's a romance novel inside out.  I'm so excited to finish it.  I'm telling you, I didn't know I had it in me. The outline is complete, chapters are named, and I am in love with this woman.  Here's a snippet for you:

 'With $55 in her wallet,  a full tank of gas in Sugar, and a thousand dollars on her debit card, there weren't a lot of options now.  But maybe that was best; it certainly narrowed the field.  She was thirty five years old and there were hopefully enough years lying ahead of her in her pastureland that she could make a life for herself, a life she wants that is not carved out for her or determined by fate (ed: really?). Jerrica had survived a bad marriage which had, fortunately or unfortunately, produced no children (ed: and a heartbreaking love affair) so with only two siblings with whom she had no close relationships there was just her.  Just Jerrica. No more Jack, no more Blade.  Enough relationships with bad endings.

“Full speed ahead,” she spoke aloud.  “Full speed ahead.” Again, she pressed down hard on Sugar’s accelerator and tore ahead on the Texas highway that stretched ahead of her, straight and flat, with nothing to be seen in the distance except the edge where land meets sky. Straight into the envelope."

Jerrica is making a fresh start, leaving behind two loves, and heading toward the third who would be the last. Each of them had a part in making her who she was, for better or worse, and she knew no boundaries.

If you're tired of feeling like you need a shower when you finish a book, you'll fall head over heels in love with this book, and deep in sleep to dream...to dream...to dream.

Happy Springtime!

P.S.  Betty Ann Bostic, I'm going to be shipping you a manuscript soon in the hope you're still willing to edit.

BBB

Ready?

Ready?  Here's the latest work in progress.  And this one is FUN!  How cool to create a fictional chameleon character who has the power to make past mistakes work out right! Romance to the heart of things.

STAY TUNED!

At last!

It’s a brand new year.  Fresh, unsullied - as pure as the driven snow - stretching out before us into the future. We’re stepping into unknown territory – our future.  It is at once thrilling and terrifying.

Have you made your New Years Resolution?  Have you already broken it?  :) Oh, well!  This year I decided to make a resolution I had a reasonable expectation of keeping.  So no more powdered coffee creamer in my coffee.  So far, so good.  I don't care for any liquid creamers and I think that powdered stuff may actually be plastic and not one bit good for you, so the only resolve is to drink it black.  It tastes a bit better each morning so I'm encouraged.

I wish for you and yours a wonderful year filled with grand memories and prosperity that you have only thus far imagined. Maybe PCH, or the Lottery.  But if not that, enjoy the things that truly matter - family, friends, quiet moments, your favorite drink by the fireside with a new book - maybe mine!

This, Too, Shall Pass is now available on the Amazon website,  Just type my name – Barbara Basham Bostic – into the search window at Amazon and both my books will be listed.  This, Too, Shall Pass and Before The Lake.

You can also try this link.  If you can't click on it, you can cut and paste it into your browser window.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=barbara+basham+bostic

Here's the Editorial Review

Now a mother and grandmother living in Apex, NC, Barbara Basham Bostic is an interesting combination of a woman who grew up in the country in the years immediately following WW2 to become the wife of a U.S. Army officer who served in the Korean Conflict and Vietnam. During those years, she lived abroad and domestically while rearing her three children. Having lost both parents by age 24 and becoming a widow at the age of 34, the single mother worked to support and bring up her children in Charlotte, far from any help she might have received from her sprawling extended family. Believing that her children had already been deprived of too much, she chose to remain in their community so they might continue in their schools with their friends. Right or wrong, it was the decision she made to the best of her ability to see down the road. Many years later, she would return to Central Virginia for another ten years to renew her relationships with her siblings and their families. Feeling the absence of her children and grandchildren, she returned to North Carolina where she continues to enjoy family holidays and gatherings. And also to write.

How Nice To Meet Carlton!

Yes, I know I said the next time you hear from me would be to say the book is available at Amazon. Not yet, but here's a picture - Changes are necessary, but maybe within the next week, I'll be ready to make it available.

I really want to tell you about an experience I had over the weekend.  

I was visiting with my brother who lives on Smith Mountain Lake and we were sitting downstairs just catching up when there came a knock on the door.  My brother recognized his next door neighbor through the glass so he raised his hand to motion the visitor to enter and in comes this really nice looking young man. (I won't use his full name because I don't have his permission to do so).  His frame completely filled the door opening and as he stepped inside, it became obvious here was a lifter, a VA Tech football player and graduate, turned personal trainer. "I just stopped by to return the book I borrowed from you", he said to my brother. In his hand was a copy of my book, "Before The Lake." As we got properly introduced and he told me how much he enjoyed reading it, there was such a feeling that rose inside my chest that it's hard to find the word to describe it.  Not pride, not curiosity, not apprehension. Just the warmest feeling of pure unidentifiable emotion when I recognized my little book in the hands of a total stranger - and a young one at that - who read it and said he enjoyed it.  Since he grew up in Pittsylvania county, one of the three counties that borders Smith Mountain Lake, he's well aware of the area, but since he's only 29 years old he doesn't know much about the lake's history. 

If you need or want a personal trainer, inquire at the West Lake YMCA.

"Before The Lake" is still available at Amazon.com. Just google my name or the book title and you'll find it.  

Now - back to editing "This, Too, Shall Pass".  Later...

Waiting...

I ordered the proof for This, Too, Shall Pass last week.  According to Amazon, it has been shipped and should be received before the end of this week.  Certainly, there will be changes to be made, flaws to be fixed, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have no idea how to go about marketing this one, so...open to your suggestions, if you have them.  The target audience is those who are dealing with depression, drug/alcohol addition and its crippling results, PTSD. Not a happy place and not a happy book, but it's accurate and quite descriptive of the life I once lived.

And, already, bells and whistles for the next one.  Now all I have to do is wait for the story to completely unravel into words and "Ragtop" will be my third attempt to add another tale to the collection.  This will be my first attempt at fiction (based on some real life adventures - actually begun twenty years ago when I was living in Corpus Christi.)  This should be advance notice to you to begin writing down those words and phrases that come drifting unbidden into the recesses of your mind. You never know when the day will come that you have time to drag them out and step bravely (or trepidatiously) between the lines you created back when you didn't know you were creating.

You will hear from me next when I can say the book is available for purchase on Amazon.  If you (or someone you know) are living in darkness, you might consider purchasing a copy.  There has always been, and will always be, light at the end of the tunnel.

Always and Ever,
Barbara