Thank you to Laura J. Whiskens for the invitation to take part! Laura is the author of The Hunter Collection, Danny Boy and her newest release Telling Tales. I read Danny Boy a couple months ago and couldn't put it down. What a lovely story of friendship and love. You can check out her work on Amazon by clicking here.
For this blog tour I have been asked to answer several questions about a character in my current work in progress, which I am hoping will be the book - This girls Journey.
This Girls Journey
The main character of my current work is Thea. She is fictional but I added in traits of those I admire around me.
The story starts in a little town in Michigan and then heads south to Indiana. I am pretty sure that it will end up back in Michigan, I haven't decided on that yet. It is set in modern times, no year is really given but it will span the course of 15 years.
What should we know about your character?
Thea is a surivor. She is headstrong. She has a lot of inner turmoil going on. She is easy to love but always seems to get her heart broken.
What is the main conflict? I.e. what 'messes' up her life?
In the beginning you find out that she learns that she is pregnant and at the age of 16. Her boyfriend doesn't want to be tied down to a baby so he decides they will "take care of it". Thea coming from a very religious family has a hard time with this. But after it is done and her family finds out what she had just done they disown her. She now has to figure out life on her own and try to forgive herself in the mean time.
What is the personal goal of the character?
Thea's personal goal is to find love, even if she is the one loving herself. She really needs to forgive herself and let go of her past.
Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
"This Girls Journey" is the working title. I am hoping to post often on the blog some short snippets. I am hoping to have this finished and ready to go by the end of the year.
About This Girls Journey...
Thea Michaels had always been the good girl. The girl who always respected her parents, went to Church every Sunday and Wednesday, got straight A's and never did anything out of character. That is until one night when she loses her virginity to her boyfriend at a friends party and becomes pregnant at the age of 16. Her life will be flipped upside down when she is told to get an abortion by her boyfriend and then her religious family finds out.
Follow Thea through many heart breaking decisions and pain as she sets out on this new journey in life. From abortion to heartache to abusive relationships to love. It is the journey that many hope they don't have to face but some will.
Excerpt from This Girls Journey (unedited)
Feeling a little claustrophobic,
she threw open the window next to her, as she sat on the lid of the toilet
waiting. Five minutes seemed to take forever to determine her fate. She twisted
her blond locks in between her fingers and prayed. She couldn’t believe her
eyes as she sat and watched the line on the stick go from one to two.
Positive…
How could she be pregnant? She had
only slipped up once. Her father was going to kill her. Growing up in the Bible
belt her family, most of all her father, were strong believers in abstaining
until marriage. She had that grilled into her head from the time she was old
enough to understand the difference between male and female, boy and girl,
mommy and daddy. She started to panic. She needed to get out of there and fast.
The walls of the salmon colored bathroom felt like they were closing in on her.
The hand stitched scripture above the door stated, “As for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord”. She started to hyperventilate.
Not only was her father going to
kill her but so was God. How could she let this happen? She knew better. Of
course she did! And it was just once with Phil. She got down on her knees and
started to throw up into the bowl. Was it morning sickness or the nerves? She
couldn’t tell but she knew that if she wasn’t careful her mother would hear and
she would be found out.
After what seemed like an hour of
heaving up her breakfast, she pulled her head back, wiped the residue off of
her lips with a tissue and flushed the toilet. She was going to be late for
school if she didn’t wash up really quick and head out the door. She pushed her
disheveled hair back away from her face and looked in the mirror. Her mascara
and eyeliner were badly smudged from the crying and puking that she now
resembled the raccoon that her dad always said he was going to skin for getting
into the garbage can.
She grabbed the washcloth from the
shelf in the closet and wet it down. She began wiping at her face and neck, the
cool cloth felt good against her feverish brow. She knew that it was only do to
the panic she was feeling. She wet the cloth down again and placed it on her
cheeks praying under her breath as she did.
“God, if you will still listen to
me” gulp “please oh please oh please let this be wrong.”
But she knew it wasn’t wrong. She
was usually on time but she had skipped her period for the last two months. She
picked up the stick off of the counter and placed it back into the box. She
grabbed her toothbrush, put some paste on it, and then began vigorously
scrubbing away at her teeth and tongue. She hated the bad taste in her mouth
and wanted to get rid of it.
Knock. Knock.
“Thea! You are going to be late for
school!” Her mother yelled through the door.
Thea spit the bubbly mixture out of
her mouth and looked in the mirror again.
Knock. Knock.
“Thea! Did you hear me?!!”
Thea rolled her eyes and took one
last look in the mirror. She would be fine. She needed to talk to Phil, he
would tell her what she should do.
Knock.Knock.
Thea swung open the door and peered
out at her mother.
“I am almost ready mom. I am just
finishing. I will be down in 10 minutes” She stated. She pushed the strand of
hair that had slipped into her vision out of the way.
“Okay, dear. Just remember that you
have chores to do when you get home, so do not be late. We don’t want to make
your father upset by leaving things undone.” Thea shook her head yes, pulled
back into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She was glad that her
mother hadn’t insisted on coming in to grab her wet towels like she usually
did. She just went on her merry way down to start cleaning the kitchen, or
whatever room she thought was dirty at the time. Thea grabbed the box with the
test inside and slipped back out of the bathroom and into her room at the end
of the hall. She really did need to hurry now or she would be late for Homeroom
with the warden, Ms. Thorton.
She went into her closet and pulled
out her uniform. Every other day she would gripe and complain about wearing a
uniform but not today. She was so happy that she didn’t have to pick anything
out to wear; it would have taken her forever. She pulled her long blond hair up
into a messy ponytail, grabbed her backpack off of the chair by her desk and
then headed downstairs.
As she was walking by the dining room her mother peeked her head out. "Have a nice day at school Thea." Then she was gone again...
Next Week's Blog Tour...
Ryan Gladney is is the author of Nine Lives of Adam Blake, a contemporary novel set in Minnesota that combines elements of speculative fiction, urban fantasy, philosophical fiction, coming-of-age, and literary fiction. It was released in February 2014.
Ryan was born in St. Louis, and has lived in Boston, Orange Country, Ann Arbor, Los Angeles, and Minnesota. He attended college at the University of Michigan. When not writing (or working), Ryan spends most of his time with his wife, son, and cats. He’s an active book-clubber, kickballer, bike-rider, brunch-eater, and live music aficionado. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Check out his work on Amazon by clicking here.
Heather Heffner is the author of The Tribe of Ishmael. This story is the first book in the dark epic Afterlife Chronicles. Ishmael Abajian has always been a play-by-the-rules kind of guy, so when he stows aboard a train to escape from dangerous pursuers, he figures his guardian angel will overlook it. Check out the book to see how it goes.
Heather is originally from Washington State. Growing up, her well-meaning parents dragged her and her brother along on countless hikes. To amuse themselves, they made up stories. Eventually Heather started putting those stories down on paper, and things just went from there. Heather is also the author of the urban fantasy books: Changeling Sisters Series and the dark fantasy Afterlife Chronicles.
Check them out on Amazon by clicking here.
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