Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors
I'm sharing a snippet from the 2nd Alex O'Hara mystery novel, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé. Alex is a P.I. in the small Lake Michigan resort town. She's not as financially desperate as she was in the first novel, thanks to the Feds who rewarded her for capturing an assassin.
Blurb:
She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti?
Snippet:
Dottie shut up
for as long as it took to jog across the drawbridge over the Red Oak River that
led out to Lake Michigan. As we headed down to the windswept beach, we angled
between the orange snowfences.
“Let’s get
back to Nick,” she said.
“No. He’s gone,
and good riddance to him.”
As we passed
Bonnie Bernacki’s Bed and Breakfast, she blew a raspberry.
“What was that
for?”
Blabbermouth
Bonnie—the bane of our existence since middle school—hadn’t done anything
lately . . . that I knew of.
“She stopped
me at Meijer’s and asked me about you and Nick. Right there in the produce
aisle, and she made sure her voice carried.”
And the rest of the scene:
I groaned. So
far, only three people knew for sure he’d left—Dottie, her husband Jim, since
she couldn’t keep anything from him, and Dan Hoesen, Far Haven’s police chief.
I’d managed to put off the nosy parkers who didn’t need to know the details of
my love life. My former love life.
“Are you going
antiquing tomorrow?” I asked.
Dottie loved
to hit the antique shops on Saturdays. Me, I’d rather sleep in. Maybe if I got
her talking about her weekend plans, she’d stop the questions about Nick.
“Of course,
wanna come?”
“I have to
work.”
At the Point,
where the summer cottages began, we turned around. I was thankful she’d gotten
off the subject of Nick the Rat.
“He loves you,
Lexie.”
“I told you
not to talk about him. That subject is verboten.”
“C’mon, Lex. I
know he loves you. I saw it in his face when he—”
“That’s it. You’re
on your own.”
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Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week!
Hmm, I wonder if Dottie knows something about Nick that Lexie doesn't. Intriguing!
ReplyDeleteInteresting thought.
DeleteTo say something or stay silent. That's always hard to decide when a couple breaks apart. You captured the heart-ache and town nosiness very well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gem.
DeleteThey have good chemistry--an easy friendship. It seems they can both say what they're thinking. Nice job pulling away from the conversation by throwing in details about their surroundings. Creates a visual to draw in the reader. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa.
DeleteYour dialogue is delightfully natural.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ed.
DeleteI so adore these books! More, please!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm working on--baby step by baby step.
Delete“She stopped me at Meijer’s and asked me about you and Nick. Right there in the produce aisle, and she made sure her voice carried.” <--THIS!!! Small town gossips at their best, and you captured the imagery perfectly.
ReplyDeleteWow. Thanks, Sue.
DeleteShe's hurting for him!
ReplyDeleteOf course, even though he left her. She wants an answer.
DeleteSome people don't get when to back off on s subject.
ReplyDeleteTweeted.
LOL You are so right, Daryl. Thanks for tweeting.
DeleteFun snippet and I liked the sense of the place you give us as the two run through town. Really effective! Enjoying the story...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Veronica.
DeleteExcellent description of a small town.
ReplyDeleteWhere everyone knows everything. LOL
DeleteYou draw this small town very well through the eyes of those who see it every day. I hope Alex can steer her away from conversation about Nick permanently, although I have my doubts. Great snippet!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenna. No, Nick is at the top of her mind.
DeleteI love their easy friendship. Great banter.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen.
DeleteThough Dottie is well-meaning, it seems like she's rubbing salt on the wound--unless she has information about where Nick is.
ReplyDeleteWell meaning is right.
DeleteThey've got a great friendship - even if Dottie won't let certain topics go.
ReplyDeleteLOL You would think she knows better.
DeleteThe book sounds great, Diane! More power to you! All the luck with this new release. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteGreat back and forth between friends. They know how far they can go.
ReplyDelete