キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain's Log, Supplemental
Lynette tagged me. So I am tagged twice. But I love this particular meme so here's another 15 things to entertain or annoy you:
16) I love Levenger.com. It's a store for writers and book lovers. I spend time every month perusing their catalog from cover to cover. Pathetically.
17) Cussing in books does not bother me.
18) Sex in books does not bother me. I have read Harlequin Blazes and various erotica. GASP! And I still call myself a Christian!
19) I love ebooks because I can carry a several dozen with me in my PDA. What sane book lover wouldn't enjoy being able to effortlessly cart her books with her everywhere?
20) I recently bought 45 MASTER CHARACTERS by Victoria Lynn Schmidt because Dineen was raving about it. And I have to admit, it's a great book so far.
21) I also bought WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK because both Robin and Dineen raved about it. I'm just a lemming.
22) I am mentioned by name in SAHM I AM by Meredith Efken in her acknowledgements section!!! And she put me before three published authors!!! Bwahahahahahaha! Who says Randy Ingermanson is the only one interested in Total World Domination?
23) I love the old Regency romances. My Listmania list on Amazon.com has most of my favorite authors.
24) I usually have 3-4 books I'm reading at a time. I have a book in each room of the house, including one in each bathroom.
25) How do I know how many books I own? Because I have an Excel spreadsheet listing them all by author's last name. Before you gasp in organizational horror, Heather has the same thing.
26) On that Excel spreadsheet, I also list the books I've read in the past few years, whether I kept them or not. I put down my impressions of the story and characters next to the title.
27) Reading now: WITH THIS RING, I'M CONFUSED by Kristin Billerbeck.
28) You can get a free download of the MP3 of PYROMARKETING by Greg Stielstra at www.pyromarketing.com. So far, it's been a great book.
29) I just finished a Betty Neels book, THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE. Sure, it was predictable, but it's so romantic and comforting. There's also a lot of neat subtexting.
30) I mentioned I love eating while reading. My favorite snack is taro chips, which my parents brought to me from Hawaii.
Writing: I'm now going to go revise because Robin scolded me.
Lynette tagged me. So I am tagged twice. But I love this particular meme so here's another 15 things to entertain or annoy you:
16) I love Levenger.com. It's a store for writers and book lovers. I spend time every month perusing their catalog from cover to cover. Pathetically.
17) Cussing in books does not bother me.
18) Sex in books does not bother me. I have read Harlequin Blazes and various erotica. GASP! And I still call myself a Christian!
19) I love ebooks because I can carry a several dozen with me in my PDA. What sane book lover wouldn't enjoy being able to effortlessly cart her books with her everywhere?
20) I recently bought 45 MASTER CHARACTERS by Victoria Lynn Schmidt because Dineen was raving about it. And I have to admit, it's a great book so far.
21) I also bought WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK because both Robin and Dineen raved about it. I'm just a lemming.
22) I am mentioned by name in SAHM I AM by Meredith Efken in her acknowledgements section!!! And she put me before three published authors!!! Bwahahahahahaha! Who says Randy Ingermanson is the only one interested in Total World Domination?
23) I love the old Regency romances. My Listmania list on Amazon.com has most of my favorite authors.
24) I usually have 3-4 books I'm reading at a time. I have a book in each room of the house, including one in each bathroom.
25) How do I know how many books I own? Because I have an Excel spreadsheet listing them all by author's last name. Before you gasp in organizational horror, Heather has the same thing.
26) On that Excel spreadsheet, I also list the books I've read in the past few years, whether I kept them or not. I put down my impressions of the story and characters next to the title.
27) Reading now: WITH THIS RING, I'M CONFUSED by Kristin Billerbeck.
28) You can get a free download of the MP3 of PYROMARKETING by Greg Stielstra at www.pyromarketing.com. So far, it's been a great book.
29) I just finished a Betty Neels book, THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE. Sure, it was predictable, but it's so romantic and comforting. There's also a lot of neat subtexting.
30) I mentioned I love eating while reading. My favorite snack is taro chips, which my parents brought to me from Hawaii.
Writing: I'm now going to go revise because Robin scolded me.
Comments
I'm anxious to see you pubbed, so hurry up.
Hugs!
I sat for an hour yesterday and wrote ONE PARAGRAPH. And I don't even like the paragraph. I hate days like that.
I want to write 10 perfect pages every time I sit down. Is that too much to ask?
ARGH.
Mir--who also doesn't mind sex in books, only minds badly done, salaciously done, pages and pages and pages of cliched sex in books.
Okay, you've been shaken. :)
Mir, sounds like my day. Except after that one paragraph started looking somewhat decent to my tired brain, the computer fritzed and I lost said paragraph. Nothing like losing something you convinced yourself you wanted, eh?
Camy