Wine, Roses and Excerpts

By J.J. DiBenedetto | February 6, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

I’m participating in a great event on Facebook – Roses & Wine – a celebration of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, and also of several fantastic authors who’ve got audiobooks to share with readers/listeners. Including me, naturally!

If you’ve just come from the event on Facebook to learn a little bit more about DREAM SEQUENCE, please read on! DREAM SEQUENCE is a collection of the first three books in my Dream Series. The whole series follows Sara, a young woman who discovers that she can step into other people’s dreams.

The first book introduces us to Sara as a college student who’s just trying to get through her final exams and apply to medical school, when the dream start. Book two joins Sara in her first month of medical school – and her first few weeks of life as a newlywed. And book three follows Sara into residency, and parenthood, when she learns that her four-year-old daughter has inherited her talent for dreaming.

Here’s an excerpt – in keeping with the romantic theme of Valentine’s Day – from book one of the collection (DREAM STUDENT):

And now it’s Saturday night. Mom took me out to get my hair done and for a manicure. I feel a little ridiculous being fussed over all day, but I have to admit that the end result is worth it. At six-thirty I’m finally dressed and all made up. Obviously I’m wearing the emerald necklace; I haven’t taken it off except in the shower since Brian gave it to me. I’ve put on the diamond earrings that Mom forced me to borrow from her, there’s nothing else left to do.

I take one final look in the mirror. I don’t recognize the person looking back at me. “Who are you?” I ask her, but she doesn’t answer. She looks like the older, prettier, more sophisticated sister that I don’t have. I turn my back on her and go downstairs. I wonder if I’ll see her again.

Mom and Dad are waiting for me, and they’re both speechless. Mom looks like she’s about to cry. I see that they’ve got the camera out; I should have expected that. Bob comes down the stairs, and he looks at me. He seems confused. “Who’s she?” he asks Mom and Dad. Then he looks back at me again, really stares. “Holy crap.”

“Thank you, Bob,” I answer. I take it as a compliment, even if it really wasn’t. After that, nobody says anything for a couple of minutes, until the sound of a car rumbling up the driveway breaks the silence. Headlights shine in the window. Then the car goes quiet and the lights go out, and a moment later the doorbell rings. Dad opens the door, and Brian’s there, flowers in hand.

Roses, of course. Red, of course.

He sets eyes on me and his jaw drops. He keeps opening his mouth to try and say something, but nothing comes out. It’s all I can do to keep from running over to him. This moment is what I’ve been thinking about all week long.

I’m not sure how long we all stand there with nobody speaking or moving. Finally, Mom breaks the spell. “Brian, come over here, I want to get a picture of you two looking so nice.”

Brian comes over to me, and I put my arm around him as Mom fiddles with the camera. I realize this is the first time I’ve seen him properly dressed up. He’s very handsome in his dark blue suit and his yellow tie. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the only tie he owns.

Mom ends up taking what seems like a whole roll of pictures before Dad mercifully steps in front of the camera. “Betty, they probably want to go already.”

I hug Dad, kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. For everything.”

Brian shakes Dad’s hand. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Barnes. Sara told me…”

Dad scoffs. “It’s our pleasure. “You just go out and have a wonderful time tonight,” he says.

“We will, Dad,” I assure him. “And don’t worry, I’ll be home by one at the latest.” That isn’t my choice; Brian has to be home by one-thirty. If it was up to me–well, I don’t know when or even if we’d get back tonight.

“We probably won’t be,” Mom says with a laugh. “Not if tonight is anything like Juliet McGuire’s parties usually are.” I wonder if Mom would be telling me that if I hadn’t told her that Brian absolutely had to be home by one-thirty? On second thought, I’m not sure I want to know!