Second Excerpt.

New writers often ask "where do I begin" when they want to write their first novel. The stock answer is normally "decide what the story is about." I disagree, the first step is to decide "who the story is about."

The first book Chasing the Wrong Dream was about Bobby and Jilissa, their quest to form a band and eventually starting a family. No spoilers per say, I'm going to talk about background and development of two of my readers favorite characters. Hannah and Jennifer.

Fruit of the Toxic Tree was about the  children of Bobby and Jilissa. The youngest Daughter Hannah in particular. Hannah had achieved the dream that eluded her parents. Hannah is a diva, celebrity and money have spoiled her. Jennifer is a folksy mountain girl from Georgia. Throughout the series Hannah has the most growth as a character, from diva to matriarch. Jennifer, pushes herself beyond her capacity and her mental health suffers for it. This unfolds through several books, notably books 6 and 7.

This is a pivotal scene for both characters, while this was book 2, it set up the entire plot of 6.

Jennifer was destitute when she met Hannah a struggling artist attending a charity auction. Hannah got into a bidding war over Jennifer's painting causing demand for Jenifer's work. Jennifer, mentally defeated was star struck and wormed her way into Hannah's life. This excerpt is a dynamic shift in their relationship even if it would take several books for everything to unfold.

I feel obliged to say this book is not a romance. This is a light hearted scene from a book that gets dark at times. It's a thriller with a few plot twists along the way.

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They pulled into town late. Hannah went straight to the hotel. It wasn’t the five-star hotels she was used to, but it was the only one that would allow Mouser and had an available suite.

They pulled up and got a luggage trolley as Jennifer called it. They had two small suitcases Mouser his food and liter and water fountain. His mournful meows let everyone know he was not happy. Hannah checked in while Jennifer stood by her side waiting ready to drive her trolley to the elevator. 

“Room 407, go around the corner to the elevator, fourth floor and it will be on the right, and do you need two keys?” The clerk asked

“Yeah probably," Hannah said nonchalantly 

“Just one room?” Jennifer asked her demeanor changing slightly as she inched closer to Hannah.

“Yeah, I think its all the three of need huh Mouser?” As if he understood and was answering Mouser meowed his approval.

Hannah grabbed the luggage cart and Jennifer walked next to her, at such a close distance Hannah was getting concerned maybe she had a travel phobia.

Jennifer took the lead, opened the door, and stepped aside letting Hannah roll the cart in first. Jennifer looked flabbergasted. 

“This isn’t a room, it’s an apartment," she said in amazement

“Which bedroom do you want?” Hannah asked 

Jennifer looked confused, possibly disappointed Hannah thought

“There’s more than one bed? When you said only one room I thought… well never mind, I had no idea hotels had rooms this nice or this big. I never left home before wow, so… yeah," she giggled,

“Of course, I wouldn’t torture you with my snoring," Hannah said half-jokingly

“Oh I snore awful too, Bo used to make me sleep in the living room," Jennifer said. 

“Bo your husband? That’s terrible," he said feeling bad for her friend.

“It wasn’t too bad at first, but once the couch wore out, we didn’t have money for a new one, my back would get so bad, I had to sleep on the concrete floor,” Jennifer elaborated 

“Concrete floor?” She was puzzled.

“It had carpet once, but Bo said right before we got married he had to rip it out because it stunk to bad to bring his new sixteen-year-old wife home to," she explained.

“Wait what the fuck?” Hannah was sure she heard wrong “How old were you? And him for that matter?” She asked.

“I was sixteen, he was twenty-seven, daddy set it up because we didn’t have much money for food, and he told me Bo could at least feed me," she explained.

Hannah’s heart went out to her friend, she’s been a victim her entire young life it seemed and she was still so sweet.

“Well there’s no room service here, we have to go out for food like commoners, but we are close enough to walk, would you care to go for a walk with me?” She asked in a phony British accent 

“I would adore a stroll with you," Jennifer said adopting a similar accent as best she could around her mountain accent

  They settled Mouser in with food, water, a liter box, and his bed, he ate quickly and promptly fell asleep on the couch instead of his bed.

They found a seafood restaurant that smelled good, then a tattoo shop. Hannah had heard about one of the artists was supposed to be one of the best in the South, admittedly she heard it only from Kendall but still.

“Want to go in? I always wanted a tattoo, but back home only the local whores had tattoos or guys that came back from the military. Do you want a tattoo?” Jennifer asked hoping the answer was yes

“Yeah, no, maybe… I don’t know.," she was on the fence she had a bass cleft on her left wrist and a treble cleft on her right and that was it, sometimes she wanted more, other times, not so much.

  “We can go in and look, if you want one get one don’t worry about me," Hannah didn’t want to stop her if she wanted one.

  The woman behind the counter with her rainbowcolored hair, septum and labret piercing as well as intricate Celtic knot work tattoos recognized Hannah straight away. 

“Oh my god you’re you, I mean you’re her, shit I sound like a babbling idiot you’re Hannah Monroe, well duh you know that already, I should shut up,' she said turning shades of red.

Hannah stuck her hand out and the woman squealed as she shook it.

“I’m Roxy. Wow, Why are you in this shit hole town?” The woman asked “I mean how can we help you today or will you marry me? Or I need to shut up.” Roxy said excitedly 

Hannah laughed

“I have family here, was walking by thought I’d step inside," Hannah said 

She saw Keith the guy she was told about cleaning his workstation. 

“Is Keith busy tonight?” Hannah asked

“He was talking about it being too slow he was going to leave, you want him to ink you?” Without waiting for an answer she turned to yell at him he was lost in the music coming from speakers near him

“Yo Stank Head, you want some celebrity skin to draw on?” She asked, 

Only half hearing he turned around and the woman pointed at Hannah, but he did not know who she was  He walked up to the counter. He shook Hannah’s hand. 

“How can I help you miss?” He said.

“Seriously Keith?” The receptionist asked

“Help me out Roxy I don’t know all the beautiful women in this town, well not yet anyway," he joked

“Fuck me dead Keith its Hannah Monroe, she sings that piano song you put on repeat for three days in a row," she chastised him.

“Oh, shit, so yeah I loved that song, what brings you by?” He asked embarrassed now.

“I don’t want pre-drawn off the rack whatever you call it, I want a phoenix and don’t hate me for this but like a tramp stamp,” She laughed, “So its big enough you can tell what it is, my body leaves little options for that," she joked.

Jennifer was looking at the flash debating between a unicorn and a dragon on her thigh. Hannah saw her looking and said. 

“Pick whatever I got it hon," she called out.

“Not this time Hannah I told you I sold paintings right? And all the things you bought me when I was broke I owe you, so… yeah," she went back to looking.

“You want original work I gotcha, yeah, I kind of get what your saying, you are a tiny thing aren’t you? Have a seat I’ll draw it up and see how you like it,” Hannah sat down Roxy came to sit next to her. She was asking Hannah simple questions and squealing every time they were answered. Naturally there were selfies taken. Hannah did as she had at Best Buy and took one of her own and posted it herself. Roxy was on cloud nine.

Jennifer had decided on a sword with a curvy blade and a heart set in the hilt, it had a spider web type of back drop that could wrap mostly around her leg. She was back in another artist’s area he was shaving her and preparing to put the flash on her leg, 

Keith showed her the drawing, it was an outline, he explained what he thought would look good, the colors lighter at the top fading to crimson, some white ink shading in the claws and beak. Then he paused cocked his head as if he remembered a long lost secret.

“I just got some UV ink, what if I went around the black outline with it so under a black light the bird itself glowed in the dark?” He said excitedly.

 Hannah tilted her head a bit trying not to show how excited she was, but her smile said it all. Yes a fucking glow in the dark phoenix, that’s perfect. I just want it high enough on my back.” She turned reaching around trying to point. “So in a low back dress its head is showing," she said liking the idea more and more.

They got the tattoos; Keith couldn’t resist when he took photos for his portfolio getting a selfie. Hannah then turned and lifted the back of her shirt, straining her neck around to have her face in that selfie as well. Jennifer paid for both and bought a couple small tubs of a product called ink fix to spread on them three times a day. 

“You might need some help reaching that,"  Roxy said raising an eyebrow as if she were offering her services with that.

“Oh I think I can manage for her,” Jennifer said a twinge of jealousy in her voice. Hannah chalked it up to a long day and ignored it.

  They walked back to the hotel, again Jennifer was sticking very close to her side. It had been a long day and after the drive and dinner and tattoos being arrested seemed like it happened a week ago not this morning. “How long are we staying in town for?” Jennifer asked.

Embarrassed for not talking the plans over with her before dragging her across state lines Hannah said

“A week if that’s okay. We can leave earlier if you need to get back to your painting," she said

“No a week is good, I get a whole week of you, your friends and family, sounds awesome. I’m in no rush, so…yeah," she said as she strode lock step with Hannah

They went back to the room. Hannah showered while Jennifer flipped channels on the television. She came out wearing nothing but the hotel robe and sat drying her hair with a towel. Jennifer showered s well and returned in a matching robe.

“These robes are so soft," she cooed.

“Yeah, I know, that’s why I paid for them, they are ours now,” Hannah said loving the way everything was so new to Jennifer.

They rubbed the ink fix on each other and Hannah said her good nights. Jennifer stood up and hugged her. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way I only ask because my courtship was Bo coming over to our house for dinner and afterwards my daddy made me model my bathing

suit for Bo, but tonight was fun, is that kind of like what a date is supposed to be like?” She asked.

"You have never been on a date? Oh Jennifer, dates are even better than this. If we can't find a guy to take you on a date, I'll do it myself," Hannah said jokingly.