My Secret Is Out. I’m Not Half As Good as My Mom Was.
My first taste of Romance was my mother’s Romance book collection. She had five boxes (the kind that held 30 dozen eggs each) filled with books, all Romance, most by Barbara Cartland.
When I was 11 year’s old, my girlfriend’s Girl Scout troop held a yard sale. I’d decided the perfect items for me to contribute were the boxes of books in the spare room that no one ever read. And of course, why would I ask if it was okay for me to take them? Remember, no one read them anyway.
So with my friend and her mom’s help, I’d dragged them to the bank parking lot where the sale was held and proceeded to sell each book for $.05. Needless to say, the books were the quickest selling items that day. And when my mother showed up a few hours later, everyone excitedly shared with her the news of how well her books had sold.
Now a little backstory…my mom was AWESOME—the type of woman who would go with the flow. She just wanted to make those around her happy, even if it sacrificed some of her own happiness. One example was when the four kids (my sister, two brothers, and me) all went to our in-law’s for Thanksgiving (or pretty much any holiday) instead of staying home with her. Instead of guilting us into coming to her, or making us feel bad we didn’t, she would make a Thanksgiving feast a week earlier so we could all celebrate together.
Flashback to the sale…it wasn’t what she’d said or even that she’d done anything when she heard her books were gone. It had been more of just an eye twitch. But I’d known immediately something was very wrong. There was an electricity in the air. Like the coming of a Tornado. But being the person she was, she hadn’t created a scene or gotten angry and walked away. Instead, she said she was glad she was able to help contribute something that brought the much-needed money to the troop. Then even on the way home, instead of yelling or threatening to take something of mine that I loved, she asked why I had taken the books. I explained that I just wanted to bring something to the sale. When I’d finished, she’d calmly told me to make sure that if I wanted to take something next time to please be sure to ask first.
It was about twenty years after that I’d realized my mother should have been nominated for sainthood. It’d taken me that long to truly understand what I’d done. I had taken my mom’s ability of a break from taking care of the kids and my dad. I had taken her chance to see faraway lands without leaving the house. I had taken her way of getting a little happily ever after, whenever she’d felt she’d needed it. And all I can say now is I wish I could be even half as good of a mother as she was, because I know in no uncertain terms, if my kids ever touched even one of my books, there would be yelling, punishment, and possibly even some bloodshed.
If my mom were still alive today, I’d say, “Mom, I love you, and I’m genuinely sorry.”
Length: 91,000 words
Blurb
For a man on the run, is finding love a good enough reason to stay? And for a man who doesn’t want to leave, is a secret enough reason to walk away?
Even though a bad situation brings Tyler and Jarod together, they quickly find the good in their relationship. But when Tyler falls in love and finds the feelings returned, he’s forced to question if his and Jarod’s relationship is worth risking his freedom, his life, and their hearts.
Jarod knows Tyler is hiding something, but his fear of scaring Tyler away has him accepting Tyler’s silence. But instead of keeping Tyler close, Jarod’s avoidance ultimately leads to Tyler being taken away, leaving Jarod clueless and unable to help the man he loves.
Love, Trust, and Secrets is a story whose main focus is the love between two men and all the trial and tribulations that come with that love.
About The Author
I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember; my parents tell me it’s been going on even further back than that and not always at the appropriate times. Now I choose to use my gift for good.
I enjoy meeting new people, even if they’re only in my head.
I believe love comes in all different packages and each should be wrapped in a ribbon and cherished.
I’m currently working on a contemporary romance with a splash of suspense. I get a thrill coming up with unexpected and usually dangerous situations for my characters to be in and then thinking of extraordinary ways for them to escape with outcomes that deviate from the expected.
I live with my family in the Northeast where we enjoy white winters, balmy summers, a spring flurried with fragrant flowers, and a fall filled with piles of leaves to dive in to. Our small town offers the old world charm of knowing your neighbor and its location enables us to take off for dinner in a city known for its beautiful skyline or to an afternoon playing in the sand of some of the best beaches found in the United States.
For me, writing is relaxation for the soul and reading is its nourishment.
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 