Soon comes the frenzy of shopping with people forgetting the meaning of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas. Let’s not forget the spirit of these treasured holidays, my friends.
Welcome to our special Sunday where everyone is welcome to read and give constructive critique.
Today, I continue with The Catch where we get to know a bit more about Joanne, the heroine in the story. A young woman with a jaded past she can’t get over, Tom comes to her apartment, worried that she hadn’t been around and a nor’easter is in progress. She doesn’t want his help and sends him away. She’s taken and passed the Bar exam and is about to start a new job with a prestigious law firm.
excerpt in eight:
At her door, Joanne found a bouquet of red roses complete with baby’s breath and fern in a glass vase, the little white card read: Here’s to the power back on with a day as bright as you are from Tom Donnelly.
Damn the tears and damn him for provoking this reaction, she thought; I have no room for anyone in my life. Now she’d have to call and thank him and blah, blah, blah, the way real people do and then a friendship begins and NO she did not want a friend.
“Hey Tom, the roses are,” choked up she almost cried and stopped to clear her throat, “the roses are uh, special so thanks and goodbye because I’m starting a new job with a law firm and I have to get to bed early.”
“Do you want to have a real dinner out with me to celebrate?”
“Thanks but no and thanks again for the flowers, they smell, uh, hey what’s a good word for the scent of fresh roses?”
He laughed and said, “Divine?”
“Divine, yes, in my whole life, I never used such a word,” and as Joanne McKenna Friedman inhaled the flowers again she knew the fragrance was divine and Tom Donnelly was a man to stay far away from no matter how many flowers he sent.
For more snippets by talented writers
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/295820
http://www.amazon.com/The-Catch-ebook/dp/B00BUGFI2I
http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=1573951
Video
Author Charmaine Gordon 
Charmaine, this is wonderful! You perfectly capture Joanne’s unique personality, and Tom comes across as adorable 🙂 I happy-laughed out loud at this one!
Thanks so much, Marcia. I left out a lot -including forgetting to sign up- but you got it.
She sure fought with herself over dashing Tom Donnelly! Good book, Charmaine! 🙂
Hubby and I went into town last night for groceries and saw a couple of Christmas trees in windows decorated. And a couple of houses had their outside decorations up and lit. Made me wonder is people are just stressed, struggling, tired of everything going on that’;s negative, so they cling to the thing that brings them joy–even by flashy and tangible means? I dunno. My grand helped me decorate some shrubs the last Friday she was here. WE get excited–we have a big gingerbread house party the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so we have to start early to make sure it all gets done. This year, we’re going for the gingerbread house look on the front porch. Just the entrance, lol. If it works, I’ll post pics. Wow, listen to me babble on! Have a great day, Charmaine 🙂
You found me again, my friend. Thanks for your analysis of the complex Joanne.
And a special thanks for sharing decorations and thoughts plus fun with your grand. Gingerbread front. Love it. I go for a simple wreath out front and a tree inside. Daughter has a display of wondrous sentiment behind stored decorations she and grandest will display in December.
Definitley I’ll watch for your pics.
Charmaine, every week you startle me with how beautiful your writing is. Well don. This is so lovely and so telling about her personality.
Oh my. What a marvelous comment. Your words bring music to my ears. Thank you, A.S.
Like her nervous babble of run-on sentences. I tend to gush when I get nervous, too. And the whole time, I’m thinking ‘stop talking!’ o.o
We all do that. Thanks for pointing out a normal reaction.
I like the way her barriers go up when she begins to feel.
Perfect way to express the complicated Joanne. Thanks, Sueann.
Joanne’s fear of allowing someone into her life, perhaps to know a bit more about her, is palpable – and that worry can definitely be felt in your words. Great 8.
Thanks, Chelle. It’s always a challenge to allow emotions of your fictional characters to come alive for the reader.
Hi Charmaine; This is a great story and you have a way of making us care about the characters. Love your writing! 🙂
Christmas seems to be starting earlier than usual this year. I was rather disgusted to see the stores starting with their decorating way before Halloween. They used to wait until November! Yesterday was the Santa Claus parade here and even that is earlier than usual. Not ready for Christmas yet! Have a good week.
Hi Debbie. Miss your eight this week. You put all your energy into the gratitude post. Dynamic just like you! Thanks for the love.
Re: decorations and stuff. Ignore it and get through the frenzy. Remember the beauty of these holidays and enjoy each day.
Wonderful dialogue, Charmaine. I love how her nervousness comes through so well, and his sense of humor. I like him. As always, great snippet! 🙂
I appreciate your fine comment, Anne. Are we having fun or what?
It seems she is fighting her feelings a lot, I wonder how long it’s going to last this way.
Not too long. Tune in next week, Linda. I signed up this a.m. to be sure I’m on the list.
I love how you keep challenging yourself to do this writing push. You go, girlfriend!
You’ve captured Joanne’s complicated feelings so nicely with just a few well written phrases. Good job, Charmaine. 🙂
Life’s a challenge. If you don’t rise up to meet it, what happens? Nothing. Thanks for your lovely comment, Elizabeth.