Wednesday, March 20, 2013

MYSTERY LURKS IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED PLACES ...

Finally the sun ... I've waited all winter for this. Spring Break in Florida no less. After traveling two days in mostly low temps the warmth of the sun defrosts my aching bones. As you all know, I have been in revisions for months but now it's time for a new adventure, and sunny Florida is just the place.

I spend my first day driving through the northern part of the state and come across this tucked away college town. The university, set behind two towering Coconut Palms, was barely visible through the oversized swaying palm fronds and the forget-me-not blue sky featuring an occasional cottony cloud drifting lazily on its own.

A clock chimes twelve times just as I close the car door. How fun would it be to chat with some the students and get their point of view of campus life? The things we must do to keep our blogs interesting. Right? So I approach this small group of students sitting in the shade on the front lawn.

Within a few minutes, I am surprised how open and cooperative these kids are to an dude of my age. They held nothing back and mention a situation brewing at the college that really peaks my interest.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice this striking girl sitting alone. She seems different from the others. Her quiet reserve intrigues me. I ask one of the girls if they know who she is.

"Oh, her. Yes, that's Rena. She's in one of my classes."

"Do you think she may have anything more to add?

"Not really sure. But you could ask her."

"Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate your telling about this.

I watch Rena for moment. Her ebony hair falls forward, completely shadowing her face as she studies the text book sitting on her lap.

I step closer to her and about a foot away, I clear my throat. She looks up; hazel eyes with a glint of gold narrowed. I introduce myself and ask if she'd like to be interviewed.


She rocks back and forth, strumming her fingers on her lap. "Sooo... a feature on college students. That's exciting. Is it a slow news day or something?" 

I laugh at her sarcastic wit. "Tell me, Rena, how would you describe the student life at Wilcox College?"

"Student life? Hah. How about nonexistent? Unless you're into the sorority scene or doing intramurals, this place can be pretty boring." 

I gag inside. "Boring? Not from what I've heard..."

"What did you hear?"

Taking a deep breath, I reprocess the others' information. "I interviewed a few other students earlier, and they mentioned something about a madman living on campus—in your residence hall, to be exact. Know anything about that?"

"People love to gossip around here." Her expression hardens. "Small campus, small town—things tend to get exaggerated."

 "Really? Then, how would you explain the noises these kids hear every night? Growls, screams, banging against the dorm walls..."

"Misunderstandings."

"Misunderstandings of what?" I drop down next to her on the grass. "What's the real story here?"

"I..." She turns away. "I don't know."

Looking quizzically at her, I say, "You don't know?"

"I met him a few days ago, okay? I met... Wallace." 

Now we're getting somewhere. "Wallace being the madman?"

Rena grits her teeth. "Yes."

"And he didn't seem crazy, as accused?"

"No, he seemed..." she trails off, lowering her voice, "interesting."

Now I'm really intrigued ... aren't you? "In what way? Can you be a bit more specific? I'd really like to know." I flash one of my signature "model type" smiles.

"I-I should go." She stands in a swift movement and grabs her bag. The book drops out of her hand. "I have a class soon. Now, actually. I'm, uh... probably late. Good luck with your blog post!" She snatched up the book and bolted.

"Damn. I pushed too much," I mutter. Now what's my next move? I've got to find out more about this guy ... 

I pull myself off the ground and head back to my car. An idea comes to me and I need to get on line. One person will have the answer. Carrie.









Links:
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If you are as intrigued as I am, Please visit Carrie's blog for the rest of the tour and giveaways! Its worth the trip....

Have a wonderful day everyone!

35 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

had me going there for a moment! Another awesome entry. Congratulations, Carrie!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations wonderful post.

Yvonne.

S.P. Bowers said...

Man, I want you to reveal my book when I get one published.

Congrats Carrie!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Very intriguing. So, what happens next????

Melissa said...

Great post! Love it!!! :D

Unknown said...

Ahh...Wallace. I had the honor of being one of Carrie's CP's and I still can't get that Wallace guy out of my head. I think he has taken up permanent residence, which is totally fine by me :)

Oh and have I said how much I loved this book. It was my first introduction to NA before NA was a "thing". Carrie is one crazy talented author!

Summer Ross said...

Congratulations Carrie-

Michael, your intro's get me every time. Great job!

mshatch said...

Yup, you had me, too. I think you're getting a little too good at this...

Julie Flanders said...

Oh my gosh, I honestly thought this was a real story and I was getting more and more wrapped up in it as I read along. LOL, you totally got me. I had already planned to read Carrie's book but now I know I have to!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

You have to be the sweetest hoster!!! What care and imagination you put into these posts. Cyber hugs Michael!

Nancy Thompson said...

I love this type of "interview"! Well done, Michael! But, um, Rena, you colored your hair & moved to Florida?

Johanna Garth said...

Michael, you always put such a fresh spin on these interviews and make them so much fun to read.

~Sia McKye~ said...

You do this well Michael. I enjoyed it!

I still hate you for being able to be in all that sunshine. We have some today, but it's far from balmy and we get snow tonight. *spit, spit, spit. This is southern Missouri for cripe's sake, not the great white north. sigh...enjoy yourself!

Unknown said...

Congrats to Carrie!! Another wonderful intro my dear. You have such a talent for creating the right atmosphere. I was thinking this was a you relating something that actually happened.

mooderino said...

You have a real talent for promoting books. Nice job.

mood

Carrie Butler said...

Oh my goodness, Michael! This is too fun. I love it. <3 Thank you for offering your take on Rena and her situation!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Man, it's so kewl when someone takes an old idea and tweets just enough to blow me away. Very kewl! Loved the interview!

Anonymous said...

What a fun post!!!

Unknown said...

Fantastic! Truly one of the best character interviews I've read. :)

Unknown said...

We never know what to expect from you, Michael!
What fun!
Best wishes,
Anna

Carrie Butler said...

@Alex - He's good at this, isn't he? :) Thanks, Alex!

@Yvonne - Thank you!

@S.P. - Isn't he marvelous? :) Thank you!

@SA - Amazon lets you preview the first five chapters... :)

@Melissa - Thank you for stopping by! :D

@Trisha - Emphasis on the "crazy" part, right? ;) Kidding, kidding. Thank you so much for the kind words!

@Summer - Thank you! :)

@mshatch - Michael can be pretty sneaky... *grins*

@Julie - I wish I could hire him to introduce all of my books! LOL Thank you!

@Elizabeth - Isn't he? :)

@Nancy - Haha! Yeah, he hasn't read the book yet. He had to work with his brilliant imagination on this one. :)

@Johanna - Doesn't he? I love his posts!

Carrie Butler said...

@Melissa - Thank you! :)

@Joylene - It blew me away, too! :D

@Jamie - Wasn't it? I loved this stop!

@E.J. - The man has a gift. :)

Michael Di Gesu said...

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate all your kind words and sweet comments. They mean so much to me. Lately these seem to be the ONLY writing I have been able to do. Plus I wish only the BEST for all of you and I want your works to SHINE. So, if I can help that happen, I will do whatever it takes! You ALL mean so much to me....

And, Carrie,

It was SO my pleasure! I would LOVE to do all your intros...

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That was a really clever intro.

Stina said...

OMG! I totally fell for it!!! Now I want to know more about Wallace. :D

Brinda said...

Well, I'm intrigued. I'm so crazy that I skimmed or skipped the beginning while reading this on my iPhone. I thought this was actually Michael's story of something he did and I was mesmerized. I wanted to know more about this girl and the madman story. Then I realized that this is Carrie's excerpt.

So, you can see how you drew me in quickly. :) Great job, Carrie.

Mark Means said...

Michael, that was a great intro..you really drew me in!

Best of luck to Carrie! :)

J.L. Campbell said...

Definitely an interesting excerpt! Makes me want to find our more about not only Rina, but Wallace, as well.

Susan Oloier said...

I was totally hooked, Michael. I fell for it, too. And you added the model-type smile :-) Love it!

DEZMOND said...

me is not entirely sure if that cover gives me or takes away my strength in knees..... :)

David P. King said...

Totally awesome! I wasn't sure where this was headed at first, but what a cool surprise. When I saw "Wallace" I was all, yep, this is based on Carrie's book. :)

Ella said...

Bravo Michael!
This was a most excellent post ;D
Cheers for Carrie-it sounds amazing!

Charmaine Clancy said...

What a great way to introduce a book! Wallace has me intrigued, what girl doesn't crave a homicidal maniac from time to time?

Misha Gerrick said...

Oh yeah... you definitely have me intrigued. :-D

Chancelet said...

Very interesting and real account. And yes, I thought this was a factual entry! Makes you almost beg for more.