Month: June 2016

Carlos:
“I’d have to say cars. I can fix almost anything wrong with them.
I’ve been hanging around my Uncle Jose’s garage since I was a
teenager, and I’ve worked for him full time for over ten years.
He’s the best mechanic there is, and he’s taught me everything he
knows. So if it’s broke, I can figure out how to fix it.”

I
currently reside in a rural area of the mid-west. After living in
various parts of the U.S. and traveling abroad, I recently moved into
the very same home where I grew up. I enjoy country living: ours is a
small community, and everyone knows everybody. The culture of the
city also draws me: the shopping, dining, and the opera and ballet. 

The Art of Getting Away is part of the Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea collection, currently available at the links below:

Carlos: “I’d have to say cars. I can fix almost anything wrong with them. I’ve been hanging around my Uncle Jose’s garage since I was a teenager, and I’ve worked for him full time for over ten years. He’s the best mechanic there is, and he’s taught me everything he knows. So if it’s broke, I can figure out how to fix it.”

I currently reside in a rural area of the mid-west. After living in various parts of the U.S. and traveling abroad, I recently moved into the very same home where I grew up. I enjoy country living: ours is a small community, and everyone knows everybody. The culture of the city also draws me: the shopping, dining, and the opera and ballet. 

The Art of Getting Away is part of the Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea collection, currently available at the links below:

Today I’m welcoming PJ Fiala to my blog. She’s going to interview Dot McKenzie-Lapahie, a wolf shifter, from my Free Wolves series. Dot is currently the CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, and mate to Gavin Fairwood of the Fairwood pack. So glad you could drop by, Patti, and glad to see you again, Dot. Now on to the interview.

1. Where were you when you heard about 911 and how has it changed you?


    I was waitressing at a little diner off the interstate in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. What passed for breakfast rush was over, but we still had some truckers getting their morning caffeine fix. One of the truckers got a call from his manager to warn about the possibility of delays along his route and that was the first we heard about it. Hank, the boss, kept a small TV in his office and we all huddled around it to watch the news. I cried, I admit it. Up until that point, I’d never paid much attention to politics because I was too busy trying to stay ahead of whoever was chasing me, but that event changed everything. Now I understand how what goes on in the world around us impacts all of us for good or bad.

 2. How do you approach tough decisions?

   I’ve had to act on impulse too many times in my life, so I rely on instinct, Now that I’m running a business, I’m slowly learning to take the advice of people who have more expertise than I do in their specialties, but when it comes down to the final decision, I still rely on my gut.

3. Are you organized? If so, what do you do to keep yourself organized?

    It’s not hard to stay organized when you own next to nothing. Now that I’m running a company, it’s a lot different. Thank heavens I have an excellent assistant who keeps me in line. Still, all those lessons I learned from living minimally come in handy to help me stay organized even though I have more things to keep track off.

4.When was the last time you saw your family?

  It depends on your definition of family. My mother and stepfather are dead, and it’s been six months since I’ve seen my aunt, but the Fairwood pack is my family now, as well as the kids at the school and the staff at the business. I’m with the pack almost every day and at the school at least once a week and it’s an amazing how much support I get from everyone involved.

5. How do you spend your time in the summer months?

  Same way I spend the winter months. Working But at least in the summer I get to ride my motorcycle more often and that really helps me relieve stress.

6. What’s your favorite vacation spot and why?


   I haven’t had a real vacation in forever. Even when I was working in Florida, i rarely took time off to explore the state. Don’t tell Gavin because he’d want to drop everything and take me somewhere immediately, and I can’t leave right now.  But when I was a kid, my mother and stepfather took me to some caverns in the Smoky Mountains and they were really cool. I’d like to go back some day.

7. What’s your favorite drink and why?

    A glass of ice cold water. Nothing beats water fresh out of mountain stream during spring, when the snow is melting.

 8. If you could pick one person from history to share a meal with, who would it be and why?


      Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokees. She was an inspiration to her tribe as well as women everywhere. I’d love to talk to her and pick her brain for ways I expand the school and help even more shifters find a place in the modern world. Maybe she could help me figure out how meld the competing sides of my background—Native American, wolf shifter and a little bit of Irish heritage.


9. When you need a creative fix, what do you do?


   I’m not what you would call creative in an artsy kind of way. I never advanced much beyond the  gluing macaroni on paper stage. One of these days I’d like to learn how to crochet. It seems like such a relaxing activity and heaven knows, I’ve had more stress in my life than I like to think about.


10. Do you like to cook and if so, what’s your favorite dish? Care to share the recipe?

Despite all the time I spent working in diners, I’m not much of a cook. The places I worked didn’t serve haute cuisine. But I don’t have to be because Gavin is a meat eater and he cooks the perfect steak. I do make a mean tossed salad, but he only eats enough of his to make me happy.

But one of the favorite things I remember my mother making was chicken and dumplings. It was a pretty simple recipe. Cut up and wash a whole chicken and put it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover it, and bring it to a boil. Lower the temperature of the burner to keep in cooking but not boiling. Cook for a couple of hours, then remove the chicken and set aside. Add two cans of cream of chicken soup to the pot and continue cooking the mixture.

While that’s happening, cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Now make dumplings dough according to your favorite recipe or from biscuit mix. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil, and add wide egg noodles. The more you add the thicker the end product will be. Next drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough on top and finish according to the dumpling directions. (It will probably be about twenty minutes for the dumplings to cook.) It’s as easy as that!

To find out what other characters reveal about themselves, follow the links below.

And don’t forget, tomorrow Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea goes live! Get your copy now!

June 27 Interview a character. Imagine you could step into the world of your novel and interview the characters like they were real people. What would you ask them? What would they say? (Alternative – if your novel were made into a movie, what famous actors would you have play the main roles?)
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Today I’m welcoming PJ Fiala to my blog. She’s going to interview Dot McKenzie-Lapahie, a wolf shifter, from my Free Wolves series. Dot is currently the CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, and mate to Gavin Fairwood of the Fairwood pack. So glad you could drop by, Patti, and glad to see you again, Dot. Now on to the interview.

1. Where were you when you heard about 911 and how has it changed you?

    I was waitressing at a little diner off the interstate in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. What passed for breakfast rush was over, but we still had some truckers getting their morning caffeine fix. One of the truckers got a call from his manager to warn about the possibility of delays along his route and that was the first we heard about it. Hank, the boss, kept a small TV in his office and we all huddled around it to watch the news. I cried, I admit it. Up until that point, I’d never paid much attention to politics because I was too busy trying to stay ahead of whoever was chasing me, but that event changed everything. Now I understand how what goes on in the world around us impacts all of us for good or bad.

 2. How do you approach tough decisions?

   I’ve had to act on impulse too many times in my life, so I rely on instinct, Now that I’m running a business, I’m slowly learning to take the advice of people who have more expertise than I do in their specialties, but when it comes down to the final decision, I still rely on my gut.

3. Are you organized? If so, what do you do to keep yourself organized?

    It’s not hard to stay organized when you own next to nothing. Now that I’m running a company, it’s a lot different. Thank heavens I have an excellent assistant who keeps me in line. Still, all those lessons I learned from living minimally come in handy to help me stay organized even though I have more things to keep track off.

4.When was the last time you saw your family?

  It depends on your definition of family. My mother and stepfather are dead, and it’s been six months since I’ve seen my aunt, but the Fairwood pack is my family now, as well as the kids at the school and the staff at the business. I’m with the pack almost every day and at the school at least once a week and it’s an amazing how much support I get from everyone involved.

5. How do you spend your time in the summer months?

  Same way I spend the winter months. Working But at least in the summer I get to ride my motorcycle more often and that really helps me relieve stress.

6. What’s your favorite vacation spot and why?

   I haven’t had a real vacation in forever. Even when I was working in Florida, i rarely took time off to explore the state. Don’t tell Gavin because he’d want to drop everything and take me somewhere immediately, and I can’t leave right now.  But when I was a kid, my mother and stepfather took me to some caverns in the Smoky Mountains and they were really cool. I’d like to go back some day.

7. What’s your favorite drink and why?

    A glass of ice cold water. Nothing beats water fresh out of mountain stream during spring, when the snow is melting.

 8. If you could pick one person from history to share a meal with, who would it be and why?

      Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokees. She was an inspiration to her tribe as well as women everywhere. I’d love to talk to her and pick her brain for ways I expand the school and help even more shifters find a place in the modern world. Maybe she could help me figure out how meld the competing sides of my background—Native American, wolf shifter and a little bit of Irish heritage.

9. When you need a creative fix, what do you do?

   I’m not what you would call creative in an artsy kind of way. I never advanced much beyond the  gluing macaroni on paper stage. One of these days I’d like to learn how to crochet. It seems like such a relaxing activity and heaven knows, I’ve had more stress in my life than I like to think about.

10. Do you like to cook and if so, what’s your favorite dish? Care to share the recipe?

Despite all the time I spent working in diners, I’m not much of a cook. The places I worked didn’t serve haute cuisine. But I don’t have to be because Gavin is a meat eater and he cooks the perfect steak. I do make a mean tossed salad, but he only eats enough of his to make me happy.

But one of the favorite things I remember my mother making was chicken and dumplings. It was a pretty simple recipe. Cut up and wash a whole chicken and put it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover it, and bring it to a boil. Lower the temperature of the burner to keep in cooking but not boiling. Cook for a couple of hours, then remove the chicken and set aside. Add two cans of cream of chicken soup to the pot and continue cooking the mixture.

While that’s happening, cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Now make dumplings dough according to your favorite recipe or from biscuit mix. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil, and add wide egg noodles. The more you add the thicker the end product will be. Next drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough on top and finish according to the dumpling directions. (It will probably be about twenty minutes for the dumplings to cook.) It’s as easy as that!

To find out what other characters reveal about themselves, follow the links below.

And don’t forget, tomorrow Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea goes live! Get your copy now!

June 27 Interview a character. Imagine you could step into the world of your novel and interview the characters like they were real people. What would you ask them? What would they say? (Alternative – if your novel were made into a movie, what famous actors would you have play the main roles?)
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

This week I’ve got an interview with Fawke DeSantos from the story Dead End Beach. It’s one of the 11 stories in the collection Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea. I’ve got more information about our pre-order giveaway at the end of the post.

Now, here’s Cherime MacFarlane and her interview with Fawke.

Fawke:
I get a huge belly laugh from the man and his dark eyes sparkle.
“Riding is an interesting concept. A person can ride a lot of
things; just saying. After all, isn’t life the wildest ride of all?
As to my staying in Homer, the end of the season party on the beach
may be when I get my answer. I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you
going to be there?”

This week I’ve got an interview with Fawke DeSantos from the story Dead End Beach. It’s one of the 11 stories in the collection Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea. I’ve got more information about our pre-order giveaway at the end of the post.

Now, here’s Cherime MacFarlane and her interview with Fawke.

Fawke: I get a huge belly laugh from the man and his dark eyes sparkle. “Riding is an interesting concept. A person can ride a lot of things; just saying. After all, isn’t life the wildest ride of all? As to my staying in Homer, the end of the season party on the beach may be when I get my answer. I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you going to be there?”

Just FYI—I may go deep into the rabbit hole for this one.

When I was eight or nine, the neighbor, who worked for the county, did some road work near the edge of my parent’s property. During the work, a large rock was deposited along the side of the road, and was turned into a playground by my siblings and me. Somewhere, there used to be a picture of three of us sitting on the rock having a picnic.

So what does this have to do with anything, you ask. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to it later.

Current US politics offers many choices of what is true or not. I’m not going down that path today, but consider the many possibilities. Each side believes so strongly in the truth of their claims that they aren’t willing to consider an opposing viewpoint even when given facts that indicate otherwise. Those who are willing to consider both sides of the political argument are, to some extent, scorned.

And how do we know if what we see on TV or on the internet is true? Photoshopping is everywhere and it’s easy for even am amateur  to “fix” photos and videos. It’s become a game to find the worst possible examples of bad jobs. We can spot the ones that aren’t done well, but how can we trust anything that we see on line?

So maybe we can only trust what we see with our own eyes. We all know that the sky is blue and grass is green, right? Except there is new theory floating around that our ancestors couldn’t see blue. Homer, in the Odyssey, never described anything as “blue.” If you do an search on the internet, you’ll find many interesting articles on this topic. Here’s one, Business Insider I consider it flawed, but it’s an interesting place to start. The claim is if a culture doesn’t have a word for a color, then the people of that culture can’t “see” that color. They did an interesting experiment with the green squares below, and came to the conclusion that some cultures can distinguish between different colors of green better than we in the US can because they have more words to describe green, It’s a fascinating read, even if you don’t accept the premise.

So now the sky isn’t blue (maybe) and the grass isn’t green. So what else do we know to be true?

Even our memories of an event can be wrong. Law enforcement knows all too well that eyewitness accounts can’t always be trusted. Scientific American. Here’s a quote that best sums up the article. “On the contrary, psychologists have found that memories are reconstructed rather than played back each time we recall them. The act of remembering, says eminent memory researcher and psychologist Elizabeth F. Loftus of the University of California, Irvine, is “more akin to putting puzzle pieces together than retrieving a video recording.” Even questioning by a lawyer can alter the witness’s testimony because fragments of the memory may unknowingly be combined with information provided by the questioner, leading to inaccurate recall.”

Have you ever seen the video that tests your powers of observation? I admit that I counted wrong the first time.

So what do I know to be true? Remember that large rock I talked about at the beginning? The one that we used as a picnic table as well as a rock climbing wall? I revisited that rock as an adult, and at first I thought that part of it had been broken off and hauled away. It was so small! Maybe two of my siblings could fit on it now, but there wasn’t any room for a picnic. Of course the rock hadn’t gotten smaller, I’d just gotten bigger.

So what do I know to be true? I know that I’ve experienced both love and hate. That I’ve felt joy and pain—sometimes at the same time. That I’m only one person, but if I can help one other person, I’ve made the world a better place. And I know that I wish more people felt the same way.

June 20 Prompt – “What I know to be true”. No rules here, just run with it. If you’re deeply honest and open, the beauty of what you write may surprise you.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Just FYI—I may go deep into the rabbit hole for this one.

When I was eight or nine, the neighbor, who worked for the county, did some road work near the edge of my parent’s property. During the work, a large rock was deposited along the side of the road, and was turned into a playground by my siblings and me. Somewhere, there used to be a picture of three of us sitting on the rock having a picnic.

So what does this have to do with anything, you ask. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to it later.

Current US politics offers many choices of what is true or not. I’m not going down that path today, but consider the many possibilities. Each side believes so strongly in the truth of their claims that they aren’t willing to consider an opposing viewpoint even when given facts that indicate otherwise. Those who are willing to consider both sides of the political argument are, to some extent, scorned.

And how do we know if what we see on TV or on the internet is true? Photoshopping is everywhere and it’s easy for even am amateur  to “fix” photos and videos. It’s become a game to find the worst possible examples of bad jobs. We can spot the ones that aren’t done well, but how can we trust anything that we see on line?

So maybe we can only trust what we see with our own eyes. We all know that the sky is blue and grass is green, right? Except there is new theory floating around that our ancestors couldn’t see blue. Homer, in the Odyssey, never described anything as “blue.” If you do an search on the internet, you’ll find many interesting articles on this topic. Here’s one, Business Insider I consider it flawed, but it’s an interesting place to start. The claim is if a culture doesn’t have a word for a color, then the people of that culture can’t “see” that color. They did an interesting experiment with the green squares below, and came to the conclusion that some cultures can distinguish between different colors of green better than we in the US can because they have more words to describe green, It’s a fascinating read, even if you don’t accept the premise.

So now the sky isn’t blue (maybe) and the grass isn’t green. So what else do we know to be true?

Even our memories of an event can be wrong. Law enforcement knows all too well that eyewitness accounts can’t always be trusted. Scientific American. Here’s a quote that best sums up the article. “On the contrary, psychologists have found that memories are reconstructed rather than played back each time we recall them. The act of remembering, says eminent memory researcher and psychologist Elizabeth F. Loftus of the University of California, Irvine, is “more akin to putting puzzle pieces together than retrieving a video recording.” Even questioning by a lawyer can alter the witness’s testimony because fragments of the memory may unknowingly be combined with information provided by the questioner, leading to inaccurate recall.”

Have you ever seen the video that tests your powers of observation? I admit that I counted wrong the first time.

So what do I know to be true? Remember that large rock I talked about at the beginning? The one that we used as a picnic table as well as a rock climbing wall? I revisited that rock as an adult, and at first I thought that part of it had been broken off and hauled away. It was so small! Maybe two of my siblings could fit on it now, but there wasn’t any room for a picnic. Of course the rock hadn’t gotten smaller, I’d just gotten bigger.

So what do I know to be true? I know that I’ve experienced both love and hate. That I’ve felt joy and pain—sometimes at the same time. That I’m only one person, but if I can help one other person, I’ve made the world a better place. And I know that I wish more people felt the same way.

June 20 Prompt – “What I know to be true”. No rules here, just run with it. If you’re deeply honest and open, the beauty of what you write may surprise you.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

In this week’s character interview, we meet Kat Benson from Beach Blanket Murders: The Ocean Can be Deadly

As I looked at the pretty young dark-headed young woman sitting across from me I noticed she’d checked her watch twice since she’d come into the room for her interview. As Associate Dean for the Graduate School at UNC, Chapel Hill, I planned to interview her for several reasons and wondered if she was in a great hurry.

“Good morning Kat. I’m Dr. Judith Lucci. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for the University newspaper. As you know, we’re doing student interviews as part of resume building so that when you get your graduate degree next semester, you’ll already have experience with interview techniques. Does that sound okay to you?”

“Yes, yes, that sounds great I’m excited about the interview.” Her voice was young, her eye eager and I had her total attention.

“Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, where did you go to undergraduate and a little bit about your family. I watched as Kat formulated her response. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She was so pretty, tiny and petite, with her emerald green eyes and her perfect smile. Truly a lovely girl.

Kat took a breath and began. “Well, I’m sorta from everywhere. My dad is retired military, Navy actually, so I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve got two older brothers. It’s been a great experience for me to have been so many places, all over the world, at such a young age. My dad retired my high school senior year, and we moved to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. I went to undergraduate school at the University of New Orleans and became intrigued with the art, history and culture of the Big Easy so deciding to get a graduate degree in art history was a no-brainer.”

I nodded. “What made you pick the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for graduate school? Of course, were delighted to have you,” I added.

“Oh, it was definitely the reputation of the school and my brother went here and loved it.” She hesitated a minute and added, “I wanted to put a little distance between my boyfriend and I just so I could figure out whether it was a serious relationship, you know, the real deal,” she added with a serious smile.

I grinned at Kat and said “That’s the first time I’ve heard that response but I appreciate your honesty.”
Kat blushed a little bit and said, “I guess that wasn’t the best answer.”

“I think it was a very honest answer and its fine. I’ve noticed you’ve checked your watch three times in the last 10 minutes. Are you in a hurry?

Kat blushed even more, the red flush spreading from her neck to her face. “Yes, I sort of. I’m going to meet my old college friends from the University of New Orleans and my boyfriend, Liam… who lives in New York… for a long weekend at the beach. I’m so excited and I’ve been waiting for this for what seems like forever. Please forgive me if I’m acting rude.”

I really liked this girl. “No problem, I just hope your weekend is everything you’ve been looking forward to.”

“Oh, I’m positive it will be. Nothing could possibly go wrong. All my best friends are coming and who knows, if I get my wish, maybe I’ll get a marriage proposal!”

I smiled again at the eager young woman and hope everything went according to her plan. “Kat, I want everything you want. Now tell me, what are you planning to do with your graduate degree? Where are you planning to work?”

Kat’s smile was direct. “Well, I’m a little on the obsessive-compulsive side so I started researching where I might want to work last year.”
I smiled at her. She was so young and eager. I remembered when I been young and idealistic. Anyone would be lucky to get her. “And, what’s the verdict? What’s your ideal job?”

“Well,” she said with a huge, warm smile. “I want to work at the Smithsonian…I want to live in DeeCee…”

I smiled at her in return. “DeeCee, huh. Lots of opportunity and lots of traffic! Talk to me next spring. I’ve great contacts there who would love to have you,” I said as I stood and offered her my hand. “Have a wonderful time on the Outer Banks. I hope it all goes well with your boyfriend,” I added as I smiled into her happy face.

“Oh, it will,” she assured me. “Nothing could go wrong. We’re perfect for each other. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Please do,” I said as she stood to leave. “Keep in touch with me during the next semester. I want to help you reach your dream of living and working in Washington.”

“Promise,” she said as she clasped my hand. She was gone in a flash leaving a scent of violets, a wave of energy and an exceptional impression.”

That young woman is going to go places, I thought as I returned to my computer. Little did I know what the next few days had in store for her.

Alex Destephano Novels
Medical Thrillers that Chill the Heart

Michaela McPherson Mystery
Tough, Gritty Crime Thrillers

JudithLucciwrites@gmail.com
www.JudithLucci.com
https://www.facebook.com/judith.lucci
https://www.facebook.com/judith.lucci

And don’t forget our preorder giveaway! Details HERE

In this week’s character interview, we meet Kat Benson from Beach Blanket Murders: The Ocean Can be Deadly

As I looked at the pretty young dark-headed young woman sitting across from me I noticed she’d checked her watch twice since she’d come into the room for her interview. As Associate Dean for the Graduate School at UNC, Chapel Hill, I planned to interview her for several reasons and wondered if she was in a great hurry.

“Good morning Kat. I’m Dr. Judith Lucci. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for the University newspaper. As you know, we’re doing student interviews as part of resume building so that when you get your graduate degree next semester, you’ll already have experience with interview techniques. Does that sound okay to you?”

“Yes, yes, that sounds great I’m excited about the interview.” Her voice was young, her eye eager and I had her total attention.

“Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, where did you go to undergraduate and a little bit about your family. I watched as Kat formulated her response. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She was so pretty, tiny and petite, with her emerald green eyes and her perfect smile. Truly a lovely girl.

Kat took a breath and began. “Well, I’m sorta from everywhere. My dad is retired military, Navy actually, so I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve got two older brothers. It’s been a great experience for me to have been so many places, all over the world, at such a young age. My dad retired my high school senior year, and we moved to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. I went to undergraduate school at the University of New Orleans and became intrigued with the art, history and culture of the Big Easy so deciding to get a graduate degree in art history was a no-brainer.”

I nodded. “What made you pick the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for graduate school? Of course, were delighted to have you,” I added.

“Oh, it was definitely the reputation of the school and my brother went here and loved it.” She hesitated a minute and added, “I wanted to put a little distance between my boyfriend and I just so I could figure out whether it was a serious relationship, you know, the real deal,” she added with a serious smile.

I grinned at Kat and said “That’s the first time I’ve heard that response but I appreciate your honesty.”
Kat blushed a little bit and said, “I guess that wasn’t the best answer.”

“I think it was a very honest answer and its fine. I’ve noticed you’ve checked your watch three times in the last 10 minutes. Are you in a hurry?

Kat blushed even more, the red flush spreading from her neck to her face. “Yes, I sort of. I’m going to meet my old college friends from the University of New Orleans and my boyfriend, Liam… who lives in New York… for a long weekend at the beach. I’m so excited and I’ve been waiting for this for what seems like forever. Please forgive me if I’m acting rude.”

I really liked this girl. “No problem, I just hope your weekend is everything you’ve been looking forward to.”

“Oh, I’m positive it will be. Nothing could possibly go wrong. All my best friends are coming and who knows, if I get my wish, maybe I’ll get a marriage proposal!”

I smiled again at the eager young woman and hope everything went according to her plan. “Kat, I want everything you want. Now tell me, what are you planning to do with your graduate degree? Where are you planning to work?”

Kat’s smile was direct. “Well, I’m a little on the obsessive-compulsive side so I started researching where I might want to work last year.”
I smiled at her. She was so young and eager. I remembered when I been young and idealistic. Anyone would be lucky to get her. “And, what’s the verdict? What’s your ideal job?”

“Well,” she said with a huge, warm smile. “I want to work at the Smithsonian…I want to live in DeeCee…”

I smiled at her in return. “DeeCee, huh. Lots of opportunity and lots of traffic! Talk to me next spring. I’ve great contacts there who would love to have you,” I said as I stood and offered her my hand. “Have a wonderful time on the Outer Banks. I hope it all goes well with your boyfriend,” I added as I smiled into her happy face.

“Oh, it will,” she assured me. “Nothing could go wrong. We’re perfect for each other. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Please do,” I said as she stood to leave. “Keep in touch with me during the next semester. I want to help you reach your dream of living and working in Washington.”

“Promise,” she said as she clasped my hand. She was gone in a flash leaving a scent of violets, a wave of energy and an exceptional impression.”

That young woman is going to go places, I thought as I returned to my computer. Little did I know what the next few days had in store for her.

Alex Destephano Novels
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Michaela McPherson Mystery
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