Books

103,000 Words and Counting …Teasers

by Amanda Bedgood

The story of publishing my story

[Editor's note: Krista Richmond is the online engagement manager for United Way of Acadiana and the author of the recently published novel Spotlight. Join us each Monday for a glimpse at her journey from the first draft to the bookshelf and read the story behind the story.]

Since we've talked so much about Spotlight, I thought I'd give you a bit of a teaser! Take a look:

Bulbs started flashing. The buzz in the room tripled in volume. And Lily's heart hammered away in her chest as all the attention in the room focused on one person.

His slightly uneven walk contrasted with the graceful way he folded his lanky frame into a chair placed at the middle of the table on the platform stage. He looked tired as he reached for one of the cups of coffee provided for him, but happy to be there. Lily could tell that he was nervous about facing a room full of reporters by the swift move of his long fingers over the stubble covering his chin. She had no way of knowing if the other journalists in the room had picked up on this habit.

With a soft smile and quiet "hello" to the crowd, things got started. Lily tried to pay attention to the questions that were being asked and the responses to them, but found herself drawn to watching Daniel. The way he handled the onslaught of questions was rather fascinating. It was clear that he took each one seriously. He held eye contact with whoever posed the question and answered them directly. He took a moment to form his answer, wanting to be as honest as possible. And those answers turned out to be thoughtful and, quite frequently, clever.

The press conference moved at a brisk pace. The reporters all wanted the opportunity to ask Daniel at least one thing since he was the big draw for this movie. Lily patiently waited her turn. Her hand went up, and she caught the eye of the person holding the audience's microphone. He gave her a slight nod, indicating that she'd be next. While she waited, she locked eyes with a man to the right of the stage who seemed startlingly familiar. She held his gaze for a beat, trying to place him, but couldn't before it was her turn.

Lily took the microphone when it was passed to her, gripping it so hard that her knuckles turned white. She bit down on her bottom lip and took a deep breath in through her nose as Daniel finished answering the previous question.

Lily had no idea what had been asked.

After a beat of silence, the organizer pointed to her. "Right up front, Daniel."

Here goes nothing.

If you haven't picked up your copy, here's where you can buy it. And if you have thank you so much! I hope you'll leave a review