Friday Fun: Double 7's

 

So today I'm back with a Lucky 7 post. I've been tagged twice recently (therefore the double 7s in the title) and I'm going to work it to my advantage. You'll see.

Now, about the people who tagged me... First was Loni Flowers, a writer I met through Triberr, who blogs at Loni Flowers - Author and whose book Taking Chances is available on Smashwords and Amazon. I haven't read Loni's book yet, but I'll tell ya, I had to take the adult content filter off at Smashwords to get to the link. Just sayin'  ;)

And just this week, I was tagged in a Lucky 7 Facebook post by Clover Autrey.  Clover's a Texan, and I met her through the WANATribe network. She blogs here and her new book, Highland Sorcerer, is currently on sale for $0.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It looks like an awesome read...

There are rules to this Lucky 7 thing. I'm not going to follow them, exactly, but if I was, here's what I would do:

Post seven lines from an unpublished work of fiction:

Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript (fiction or non-fiction)
Go to line 7
Post the next 7 lines or sentences on your blog as they are (no cheating, please!)
Tag 7 other authors to do the same

 

I mean, those are fine rules, and I'll be really close to what they say. Anywhoodle, because I'm playing Double 7's, I'm going to share snippets of two different works. The first is from a short story I wrote late last year, The Santa Drag that was in the anthology Christmas Treats: Santa's Nice List. Then (and this is the exciting part) I'm going to share a snippet from the SEQUEL, a short story that'll be coming out in the next week or so called The Ring Toss. So see, I've got Something Old and Something New, which is terrifically appropriate, because the name of the new anthology is Something Borrowed, Something Blue.

Clever, huh?

 

So here's the first Lucky 7 snippet, from The Santa Drag. Mack's an unemployed 30-something actress in Seattle who takes a gig playing Santa in the mall because it's the only thing she can find that'll pay the rent. Things are okay until the day HE walks in, Joe McBride, the only guy she ever really loved. He moved to LA and now he's semi-famous with a regular role on that TV show that shouldn't have been cancelled and a speaking part in Scream - 2. Mack's in trouble now...

 

“Ho-ho-ho,” I said, suddenly much louder than before.

After that, time separated itself into layers. The bottom layer rolled past like lava, slow and thick, while the top layer slid by with irregular spurts of speed. The line-up of kids waiting to see Santa didn’t seem to be moving, and then Joe and his kids would be eight or ten feet closer to the gate that separated the Christmas Village from the rest of the mall. I tried not to look at him, because I didn’t want him to think I was some kind of Creepy-Kringle. As time went on, I realized he wasn’t really seeing me at all. He was occupied keeping his kids entertained, and I was just some old dude in a costume.

 

The Santa Drag 

 This shopping mall Santa has secrets only her true love can reveal.

 

And now for the sneak peek at The Ring Toss. Fast forward three years and Mack's in LA, living with Joe and doing the struggling actress thing. She still has commitment issues which get brought front and center when a last-minute switch has her playing The Bride on stage. Can she get over her own fears in time to be a hit?

(Did I mention that the maid-of-honor in this production is played by Joe's ex-fiance? Awkward. This snippet happens as Mack & Geneva get ready to rehearse...)

 

“And he’s forty.”

“She’ll have her SAG card in about another minute. It’s kind of surprising he didn’t give her the part.”

Geneva sighed. Getting older in this town sucked. “Okay, what scene do you want to run?”

We smiled at each other without any particular warmth. Truce declared. In all honesty, I knew most of the lines in the play just from having heard them so often. There was only one scene where she and I were the only characters onstage. If things were going to get weird, it would likely happen then.

  

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Available SOON!

I guess I'm also supposed to tag 7 other bloggers, but a couple weeks ago I tagged just about everyone I knew in the Be Inspired post, and don't want to make a pest of myself. So if you want, consider yourself tagged, grab the Lucky 7 icon and go for it. Just let me know when your post is up so I can come by and say 'hi'. Have a great weekend!

Peace,

Liv