It's a question asked a lot of authors--where does the story, the characters come from?
"Andy" in my latest work
Safe At Home from
Decadent Publishing was born when I booked this young man on the television show I produce.
Drew Baldridge showed up, talented, sweet, and cute as a button--and while I was trying to time a show and listen to him sing, my mind kept calling him "Andy" and filling in his back story.
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| Drew Baldridge |
It took about a year (remember, I have two other jobs) to finish off his story, and in the meantime Drew released a CD and it just so happened nearly every song on the album reflected a part of "Andy's" and "Charly's" relationship.
Safe At Home is the baseball story I've been waiting to get published. While it's not the 300,000-word book I penned when I first started seriously writing (which, by the way, hasn't been published -- way too much head hopping, misplaced modifiers, and enough new-writer mistakes that would make an editor tear out his or her hair), it is an ode to that effort.
And, I love baseball,
Safe At Home is ready to order now for delivery to your device on October 25th. Hope you enjoy it! Oh, and thanks, Drew!
When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy has a full time job behind the scenes in television, a part time job in radio and an even 'parter' time job trying to keep her house clean. She lives with her cute chef husband and two fuzzy felines in the Great Lakes region of the Mid-West.
Safe At Home excerpt:
Ten minutes later, two little girls were both dry and asleep. And, as Breanna insisted, in their parents’ bed. Charly rested her head against her husband’s. “Sorry, hon.”
“About what?”
She looked around the bed. “The interruption. My irritation. Too little of you know what these days, and then….”
“Hey.” His warm fingertip lifted her chin. “I love you.” Kissing her gently, he promised, “There’s always tomorrow.” He winked at her in the darkened room. “And I’ll make sure you get off like you’ve never gotten off before.” He stopped for a moment, cuddling a daughter. “Anyway, this is almost as good.”
“I guess we need to put a lock on that door.”
“What for? That would ruin all the excitement!”
Quietly, as to not wake their girls, they laughed together.
The thoughts that had darted to the front of her brain earlier in the evening, returned. A question spilled from her mouth before she had any chance to stop it. “So, this trade,” she began.
“Yes, Charlotte.”
No, not my given first name, this is not going to be good. “You know, don’t you?”
“I didn’t want to upset, you Char.”
So you were keeping me in the dark! “Just tell me, Andy.”
“New….”
“No….” With the utterance of that one word, she knew. A city she loathed, a metropolis that had emotionally chewed her up and spit her out. She hadn’t been to The City in more than a decade, and it would take some doing to get her to return.
“…York, the Bronx.”
Swallowing hard, she blocked the tears. A defeated, disgusted sigh left her. “No, Andy, not New York, not the Titans.” Cuddling Chloe closer, she turned her face from her husband and cried herself to sleep.
Two weeks later, the spring baseball rituals began. As much as she hated it, still Charly put on a happy face. If this were any other year, the girls would’ve been outfitted in little Milwaukee Breakers shirts, but mentally holding her nose, she honored her husband by dressing them in tiny Titans jerseys. They sat atop their father’s carry-on at the front door.
Charly watched as he squatted in front of them.
“Daddy’s going to miss you.” He clutched them tightly, smooching them wetly on the cheeks.
“Daddy going to Forida,” Bree mentioned.
“Florida, baby.”
“When he rose to meet Charly, there were tears in his eyes.
“What, Andy?”
Taking her into his arms and holding her tightly, he whispered, “This gets harder all the time.”
Knowing that, she didn’t let on how much his leaving affected her as well, especially since in Florida, there’d be no familiar faces to hang with, no women who understood her and she them. She’d be with strangers. “But, it’s what you do, honey.” She hugged him in return, kissing his cheek. “We’ll see you in a week or two.” His hold tightened about her.
His voice quiet, nearly apologetic, he confessed, “I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to ‘get busy’ lately, Charly. You know how much I’m going to miss that.” He kissed her ear, his voice even more quiet, secretive, “I’ll ask Mom to come to Florida with you. We can get a little alone time then.” His took her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers for a long, deep, gotta-make-it-last kiss.
When the car service driver rang the doorbell, a not so pretty chapter in their lives began.
I wonder if my favorite authors, like Brad Thor, James Rollins, Mark Dawson and more get the same feeling? One that never leaves you, and one you never get accustomed to. Maybe it's what mothers feel when a new baby enters the picture, I don't know. I do know 'Known & Wanted' is my new baby, and the cover sprites at Decadent Publishing again did an amazing job with the cover. And, that feeling - another book being released.
