Tag: Dream Vacation

Sneak Peek – “Dream Vacation”

Sneak Peek – “Dream Vacation”

I’m participating in Sneak Peek Sunday – a whole bunch of great authors post a short preview from their latest work.  you can go HERE to see all the other great books.  And you can just keep on reading for mine!

That would be DREAM VACATION, the eighth book of the Dream Series.  This is a lighter moment, not quite midway through the book…

We all take our places, and my parents serve dinner to everyone in turn – it’s Dad’s famous lasagna.  This is our last dinner all together for a couple of weeks, after all.  Somewhat to my surprise – and Chrissy’s disappointment – nothing is spilled on the floor.  And my mother-in-law even restrains herself from any criticism of the way I keep my house.

Verbally, anyway.  She does glare very pointedly a couple of times at the twins, who are sitting on the floor rather than in chairs.  I think it’s safe to assume that nobody ever ate while sitting on the floor at her house.  But – maybe this is bad parenting, but I have to pick my battles – it’s easier to let them sit on the floor for the occasional meal than to have a major fight about it.  I can live with Helen’s judgment – if that’s the only thing she can find fault with, I’m doing pretty well.

But that’s wishful thinking, of course.  After dinner, Helen hands out two envelopes: one to Brian, and one to Grace.  They both very carefully open them up, and inside are – I don’t understand – credit cards?

“There’s no better city on Earth for shopping than Paris,” Helen says, probably the hundredth time I’ve heard her say it.  “It’s a gift.  Five hundred dollars for each of you.”

That’s – wow.  That’s totally extravagant.  I count – Brian has four cards, and Grace has five in her hand.  That’s $4,500 – I don’t even know what to say.  Except – I do have a question, but Grace asks it first.

“Thank you, Grandma,” Grace says.  “But why’d you give the cards to me?”

She’s beaming as she answers, all kindness and benevolence.  “Well, they’re prepaid credit cards, five hundred dollars each, one for each of you. Like I said.  Brian has the cards for himself, Ben, Matty, and for you, Howard,” she says, smiling indulgently at my father.  “He’ll know what to buy.  And, Grace, you have the cards for yourself and Lizzie and Steffy, and your mother and Betty.”  What?  Why – never mind.  I already know the answer.  “I’d give them to your mother, but I know she doesn’t have the time to keep up with the latest fashions.  I think you’ll do a wonderful job picking out clothes for your sisters and your mother and Betty.”

Well, if that doesn’t win the all-time prize for sticking the knife in with a smile, I don’t know what does.  “Thank you, Helen,” I say, forcing a smile myself.  What else can I do?  Especially because – if I’m really honest with myself – she’s probably right.

 

You can find all the Dream Series books on Amazon – just click here!

 

 

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Chapter One…

Chapter One…

Or, even better, how about ALL the chapters of the next Dream Series book?  Or, at least, the chapter titles.  I’ve got them figured out for the whole book.  As usual with these books, I’m using movie and TV titles for the chapter titles.  In some cases, the plot of the movie or show actually matches what’s going on in the chapter.  Sometimes it’s just the title of the movie, even though the actual plot couldn’t be farther from what’s going on in the book.  I’ll leave it to you to imagine which is which…

Prologue: Halloween

Chapter 1: A Very Long Engagement

Chapter 2: Flying Blind

Chapter 3: Sunday in New York

Chapter 4: Ellen

Chapter 5: The Ring

Chapter 6: Will and Grace

Chapter 7: Boeing Boeing

Chapter 8: Confessions of a Shopaholic

Chapter 9: Mona Lisa Smile

Chapter 10: Midnight in Paris

Chapter 11: Missing

Chapter 12: Houseboat

Chapter 13: Grace Under Fire

Chapter 14: The Talk

Chapter 15: The Last Time I Saw Paris

Chapter 16: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Epilogue: Executive Suite

 

And there you go!

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Dream Vacation update

Dream Vacation update

Just checking in…

The new book is at a little over 33,000 words, with 6 chapters and change written.  So 10 chapters and 40-50,000 words to go.  This might end up being the shortest book of the series (unless something changes as I’m writing, which is always possible!).  The book after that, “Shattered Dream,” will probably end up being longer (and a heck of a lot darker, too).

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Progress Update

Progress Update

I’ve got about 26,000 words written on book 8, “Dream Vacation” and I think I’ve got the whole thing pretty much mapped out.  Hopefully I can pick up the pace and get things moving a little faster.

I’ve also got 17,000 words written for book 9, “Shattered Dream” (3-4 chapters near the end of the book, actually).  And that book has its villain, who is pretty much “ripped from the headlines” (well, the headlines of 2007-8, which is when the book is set).

Work should begin any day now on the audiobook recording of “Waking Dream” and “Dream Reunion”, and, also, “Dream Student” is being translated into FOUR different foreign languages (Spanish, Italian, German and Portugese).  So there’s a lot going on!

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