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 07.06.2006
For all you writers—check out my Story Sensei critique service Summer Sale! Get a 10% off coupon just for entering!
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback.
My Monday book giveaway is RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On FRIDAY (not Thursday), I'll draw the winner for LOVE ONLINE and post the title for another book I'm giving away—PLUS . . .
Save the date! On Friday July 7th, to celebrate the release of THE REDEMPTION by M.L. Tyndall (my good friend), I'll be posting a contest for a free book AND two free tickets to see the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Curse! But you can only enter all day on Friday, July 7th!
Ronie’s trip to California: I got to spend some time with Ronie and her family when they visited Dineen’s place yesterday!
TMI:
Writing: I got my contract yesterday! How weird to see it in black and white. I’m going through it now, although I understand less than 20% of what’s going on. I think I’ve even been assigned my 10-digit ISBN numbers for three of the books in the series. Now THAT is hecka surreal.
My agent Wendy already went through the contract so I don’t expect to find anything worse than maybe a typo or two that escaped her fine-toothed comb. She has been FABULOUS throughout this entire thing.
Okay, let’s be crass and talk money in suitably vague terms. I can’t imagine NOT having an agent for this. She negotiated a higher advance than I ever dreamed I’d get. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally true when they say not to quit your day job, but her diligence has given me a little more pocket money.
If you don’t have an agent when you get a contract (or even before that), get one NOW. In fact, much of the number-crunching was actually done on the Profit and Loss statement drawn up BEFORE my manuscript even went to committee, before it was approved for publication. So it was vital that I had Wendy as early as that stage of the process.
For all you writers—check out my Story Sensei critique service Summer Sale! Get a 10% off coupon just for entering!
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback.
My Monday book giveaway is RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On FRIDAY (not Thursday), I'll draw the winner for LOVE ONLINE and post the title for another book I'm giving away—PLUS . . .
Save the date! On Friday July 7th, to celebrate the release of THE REDEMPTION by M.L. Tyndall (my good friend), I'll be posting a contest for a free book AND two free tickets to see the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Curse! But you can only enter all day on Friday, July 7th!
Ronie’s trip to California: I got to spend some time with Ronie and her family when they visited Dineen’s place yesterday!
TMI:
Writing: I got my contract yesterday! How weird to see it in black and white. I’m going through it now, although I understand less than 20% of what’s going on. I think I’ve even been assigned my 10-digit ISBN numbers for three of the books in the series. Now THAT is hecka surreal.
My agent Wendy already went through the contract so I don’t expect to find anything worse than maybe a typo or two that escaped her fine-toothed comb. She has been FABULOUS throughout this entire thing.
Okay, let’s be crass and talk money in suitably vague terms. I can’t imagine NOT having an agent for this. She negotiated a higher advance than I ever dreamed I’d get. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally true when they say not to quit your day job, but her diligence has given me a little more pocket money.
If you don’t have an agent when you get a contract (or even before that), get one NOW. In fact, much of the number-crunching was actually done on the Profit and Loss statement drawn up BEFORE my manuscript even went to committee, before it was approved for publication. So it was vital that I had Wendy as early as that stage of the process.
Comments
Have fun, lady! And congrats!!!
donna
Happy writing,
Julie
I was following your next clue for the treasure hunt and sort of going off on tangents. I came to 2 places that reminded me of something that I feel is important.
I may have mentioned somewhere that my mother was always upset that at church they prayed for the missionaries and the people who were ill but never prayed for the people that the missionaries were ministering to, to have the Holy Spirit prepare their hearts for what the missionaries were doing for God's glory. Never were the caregivers of the sick mentioned and she herself knew from almost 10 years of caring for my father after his stroke, how much prayer support she truly needed.
Anyway, to get to the point: I think we should be praying *now* already for the Lord to prepare the hearts of those who will be reading your books. He knows for whom these books will be a special blessing and our prayers will be meaningful.
I think I told you about the other Christian writer, Angela, who first got me on blogs. She wrote to her newsletter group about 6 months before her book came out to ask us to pray that God would prepare the readers for the message he wanted to convey to them through her book. Once it was out, she was amazed at how many people were touched by God through what she had written. The book is already in its third printing.
Please also pray for Angela herself. I haven't heard from her for over two months. In her last blog entry on April 29, she wrote about damage done to her home by weather and some challenges she was facing. I've written her an e-mail but received no response. So I'm worried about her because she always answered any e-mail promptly just like you. Thanks, Camy and anyone else who will pray.
So not going to be jealous that you hung out with D and Ronie without me... hell what am I saying, yes I am!
I guess I just keep plugging. Any advice you could give would be much appreciated. :)