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, Stardate 07.01.2006
Blog book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway is CONSIDER LILY by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt.
My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for CONSIDER LILY and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.
TMI:
Delia tagged me AND complained about no posts on Saturday (but she did it very gently). So today, just for her, here’s a meme for your blog-reading pleasure.
1. My home is... filled with dog hair and never clean enough.
2. I am listening to... I flip between a worship playlist on my iPod and the 2005 RWA National workshops on MP3.
3. Maybe I should... take a few months to read the dozens of books in my TBR pile.
4. I love it when... I finish watching a really good movie or reading a really good book. The Aaaaaah at The End is priceless.
5. My best friend... is my husband. I’m trying to come up with a blog ID for him rather than his name, and I’d like to call him Coffeegeek but he protested.
6. I don't understand... writers who don’t read, either books or instructions. A writer who doesn’t read is like an engineer who doesn’t know how to use a calculator.
7. I lost... the last vestiges of my sense of tact when I met Robin. I wish I could go all out and REALLY not care what people think of me. If I don’t like them, why should it matter, right?
8. People say... I’m sweet. They don’t live long after that.
9. The meaning of my blog name is... I’ve always loved loft apartments—big, airy, relaxing. Someplace to hang out and sip wine coolers. I try to make my blog someplace to put up your feet, relax, and enjoy the read.
10. Love is... in my hubby’s smile and my doggie’s wet nose.
11. Right now, somewhere, someone is... being kidnapped and sold into slavery, probably a young girl being bought because sicko men with AIDS in third world countries believe having sex with a virgin cures them of the disease, and only children are guaranteed virgins. GIVE TO ZOE CHILDREN’S HOMES!
12. I will always... Now that’s a loaded question. I can’t even say I’ll always love French fries because what if I get preggo and suddenly can’t stand them? (Well, obviously I’d be nauseated and depressed at the same time).
13. Once upon a time, I... was 120 pounds.
14. Now, I... am, er...a lot more.
14. I never want to... GAIN MORE WEIGHT! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I jiggle!
15. My personal motto is... You’re kidding me, right?
16. When I wake up in the morning... I don’t. I wake up around noon. If I do happen to get out of bed before that, I don’t remember.
17. I get annoyed when... a heroine in a book starts off really strong and then does something completely Too Stupid To Live.
18. People always... breathe. Unless they’re dead.
19. I sing... for youth group worship on Saturdays and for main worship on Sundays once a month.
20. Hugs are the best when... they’re from people who showered.
21. Today I... exercised and ate a salad! Woohoo!
23. Tomorrow I will... see Dineen and we will get together and get writing done! (I filled out this meme on Wednesday)
24. I really want... to earn enough money where Coffeegeek wouldn’t have to worry about finances.
Looking for a good read? Virginia Smith (JUST AS I AM, a great chick-lit) has a list of authors and what books they recommend on her monthly newsletter. I’m one of those authors! My recommendation is a novel coming out next month called RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker—a really terrific book about a heroine who gets breast cancer. Believe it or not, it’s part chick-lit, part women’s fiction, and it completely captivated me.
TMI:
Now that's romance! Today my husband came home with a large McDonald's fries for me. Still hot!
I asked him why. He said, "It was next to the grocery store, and I was thinking of you, so I bought it for you." He didn't even pilfer a single fry (he's not a bit fry fan, though), he said he wanted me to have it all.
Forget roses and chocolate! Hot McDonald's fries, just "because"! That's true love, baby!
Blog book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway is CONSIDER LILY by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt.
My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for CONSIDER LILY and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.
TMI:
Delia tagged me AND complained about no posts on Saturday (but she did it very gently). So today, just for her, here’s a meme for your blog-reading pleasure.
1. My home is... filled with dog hair and never clean enough.
2. I am listening to... I flip between a worship playlist on my iPod and the 2005 RWA National workshops on MP3.
3. Maybe I should... take a few months to read the dozens of books in my TBR pile.
4. I love it when... I finish watching a really good movie or reading a really good book. The Aaaaaah at The End is priceless.
5. My best friend... is my husband. I’m trying to come up with a blog ID for him rather than his name, and I’d like to call him Coffeegeek but he protested.
6. I don't understand... writers who don’t read, either books or instructions. A writer who doesn’t read is like an engineer who doesn’t know how to use a calculator.
7. I lost... the last vestiges of my sense of tact when I met Robin. I wish I could go all out and REALLY not care what people think of me. If I don’t like them, why should it matter, right?
8. People say... I’m sweet. They don’t live long after that.
9. The meaning of my blog name is... I’ve always loved loft apartments—big, airy, relaxing. Someplace to hang out and sip wine coolers. I try to make my blog someplace to put up your feet, relax, and enjoy the read.
10. Love is... in my hubby’s smile and my doggie’s wet nose.
11. Right now, somewhere, someone is... being kidnapped and sold into slavery, probably a young girl being bought because sicko men with AIDS in third world countries believe having sex with a virgin cures them of the disease, and only children are guaranteed virgins. GIVE TO ZOE CHILDREN’S HOMES!
12. I will always... Now that’s a loaded question. I can’t even say I’ll always love French fries because what if I get preggo and suddenly can’t stand them? (Well, obviously I’d be nauseated and depressed at the same time).
13. Once upon a time, I... was 120 pounds.
14. Now, I... am, er...a lot more.
14. I never want to... GAIN MORE WEIGHT! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I jiggle!
15. My personal motto is... You’re kidding me, right?
16. When I wake up in the morning... I don’t. I wake up around noon. If I do happen to get out of bed before that, I don’t remember.
17. I get annoyed when... a heroine in a book starts off really strong and then does something completely Too Stupid To Live.
18. People always... breathe. Unless they’re dead.
19. I sing... for youth group worship on Saturdays and for main worship on Sundays once a month.
20. Hugs are the best when... they’re from people who showered.
21. Today I... exercised and ate a salad! Woohoo!
23. Tomorrow I will... see Dineen and we will get together and get writing done! (I filled out this meme on Wednesday)
24. I really want... to earn enough money where Coffeegeek wouldn’t have to worry about finances.
Looking for a good read? Virginia Smith (JUST AS I AM, a great chick-lit) has a list of authors and what books they recommend on her monthly newsletter. I’m one of those authors! My recommendation is a novel coming out next month called RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker—a really terrific book about a heroine who gets breast cancer. Believe it or not, it’s part chick-lit, part women’s fiction, and it completely captivated me.
TMI:
Now that's romance! Today my husband came home with a large McDonald's fries for me. Still hot!
I asked him why. He said, "It was next to the grocery store, and I was thinking of you, so I bought it for you." He didn't even pilfer a single fry (he's not a bit fry fan, though), he said he wanted me to have it all.
Forget roses and chocolate! Hot McDonald's fries, just "because"! That's true love, baby!
Comments
And you and D WRITING? Uh, yeah. Ok. Whatever.
"people always breath. Unless they're dead!" Gaffaw!
#
#13,14,20 muy funny!
#3, I have a huge TBR and a TBF[finished] pile!
and #17, I found that I get supper annoyed with this too and/or the guy of the story is just too perfect to live.
raeshylle@yahoo.com
your entries are really entertaining..i'm definitely going to bookmark your blog.. :D
Sorry I didn't get to read this until now! But, I loved your answers! And the Saturday post!