She Writes

GMTA PUBLISHING
GUEST POST WITH AUTHOR, JAYE FRANCES

GUEST POST WITH AUTHOR, JAYE FRANCES

Contributor

Written by

GMTA PUBLISHING

April 2012

Read more by GMTA PUBLISHING

GUEST POST WITH JAYE FRANCES WHOSE NEW RELEASE IS DUE OUT TODAY! "THE POSSIBILITIES OF AMY"

[image]

Thank you, Kitty, for hosting me on Great Minds Think Aloud today. I really appreciate the opportunity to give your readers a sneak peek at my new romance novella, The Possibilities of Amy, and to provide a little background of the book.

The Possibilities of Amy is one of those stories that is intensely personal. Springing from an unexpected flood of bittersweet sentiment experienced while attending my twentieth high school reunion, I wanted to write a sometimes funny, sometimes poignant exploratory into the nervously uncertain male brain.

Determined to tell the story with brutal honesty, I became David, a shy, seventeen year old senior who is immediately love-struck when he takes his first glimpse at the new transfer student, Amy. To say that he’s got it bad is an understatement. The problem? His affections for Amy are in direct conflict with the intentions of his two best friends, who decide she is a delicacy better shared than exclusively savored. Will he reveal his true feelings and protect her? Or will he succumb to the pack, and accept his portion of the spoils from the hunt?

Here’s an excerpt:

It could have been me—if I had just said something. I’d had the advantage for over two weeks, but what had I done with it? Nothing.

If I had been creative, like Pete, I would have thought of the bus stop. I could have met her there. She might have even recognized me from class. It would have been so easy. But I had waited. And now it was too late. Too f**king late for me. But not for Pete. Sh*t no. Pete’s just in time.

The millstone of pity pinning my head to the desk exploded into shards of anger. I bolted upright in the seat, my hands clinched into fight-ready fists. I wanted to strike out with savage, brutal force. If I could be granted a single wish, it would be for Herculean strength, the kind that would enable me to lift Pete off his feet and viciously slam him into the stadium fence with enough impact to push him through the chain link, reducing his body to a bloody pulp of crushed bone and serrated skin.

The sound of advancing voices jolted me back to reality. Others were beginning to drift into the classroom. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down, not wanting anyone to see how agitated I was.

Turning sideways in my chair, I waited for Amy to walk in. She arrived later than usual, after the room was already three-quarters full. I half-heartedly hoped I would see her differently, that her newly established acquaintance with Pete would bring previously unseen flaws to light. But she was stunning, her beauty setting her apart from everyone else in the room.

As she started to sit, she looked directly at me and caught me staring. For the first time, I didn’t turn away, and our eyes locked just long enough to mutually acknowledge the contact. Her smile widened. I dropped my eyes to the floor.

What the hell am I doing? I immediately glanced up, but it was too late. She was chatting with the girl in front of her.

My anger turned inward. Maybe I didn’t deserve her. Maybe Pete was the better man. It would be easier to just admit it: I was never going to meet Amy—or any woman like her. My actions, or the absence of them, made it clear that I lacked the confidence and courage to be with a beautiful girl. It was time to accept my pathetic limitations and give up my pursuit of unrealistic relationships. Perhaps in the long run, I would be happier, avoiding the roller coaster ride of frustrated expectations and cruel disappointment. The first step was to admit the truth: Amy was gone. I had lost her to Pete.

My ravings of self-deprecation—condemned to a lifetime of losing to the better man—quickly settled into the bedrock of my future. And surprisingly, with my resigned surrender, came an overwhelming wave of relief. The realization of my inferior mettle had dissolved the worry and stress of the last two weeks. I no longer had to force myself to consider the depressing prospect of another regrettable outcome. My fear of rejection had vanished, and in its place stirred the pure motivation of reckless abandon.

I imagined myself standing up, marching over to Amy, and waiting until she noticed me. Then, without hesitation, before she could ask me what I wanted, I would tell her everything—about The Plan and Pete, and about his intention to compromise her with his slightly crooked index finger. I could almost hear my own words, spoken without emotion, my voice flat and resigned, the way I might read a recipe from a cookbook, revealing the ingredients for a date from hell.

Here’s a brief synopsis:

Amy is the ultimate trophy girl—gorgeous face, killer body, and a vivacious personality. But there’s something else about her, something that makes her even more special. Amy is new. A transfer student from out of state, she’s starting her senior year without knowing a soul. And that means she’s up for grabs, available.

Infatuated from the moment he sees her, David is determined to meet Amy, and if the fates are willing, to spend the rest of his life with her. But his shyness prevents him from approaching her—until his friends devise a contest to determine who will be the first to prove their manhood by seducing her.

Author Bio: Jaye Frances is the author of the new romance novella, The Possibilities of Amy, and the paranormal-occult romance book The Kure, the first novel in The Kure series. She is also a featured columnist for the NUSA SUN magazine. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Her upcoming books include The Cruise - All That Glitters, a humorous take on a shipboard romance, scheduled for a May 2012 release, and Journeys From Above and Below the Belt, a collection of adult fiction novellas and short stories, scheduled for a Summer 2012 release. Jaye lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes. For more information, visit Jaye’s website at www.jayefrances.com, or Jaye’s Blog at http://blog.jayefrances.com