Excerpt
As he drove up and pulled into his spot he noticed Nene getting out of her car with two arms full of groceries. Doug parked his car, and quickly got out to help.
“Hey Nene, do you need some help?”
“Heeyyy Doug, of course I could use a hand,” she replied as he grabbed a bag that was slipping out her hand. “Thanks so much! These groceries are a mess, but I gotta feed these kids. And while I’m here gettin’ these groceries, the kids ain’t never around to help!” As she chuckled, Doug nodded. He’d passed Nene a few days back and met her briefly, but this was their first real interaction.
“Yeah, that’s the thing about kids, I get that. But you gotta be glad you had ‘em right?”
“Well I guess Doug, I have second thoughts from time to time,” she said as she laughed again.
“Hey Doug, I noticed you working on that house next door, and was wondering are you fixing it up, or are you moving in?” They both gathered their grip on their respective groceries and paused. Doug shifted around a bit.
“Uh...well, you know Nene, since you like asked and all, I’m pretty much doing both. I bought the property, and it needed a bit of work so I’m working on it too.”
“Ohhh, ok, ok Dougie, I see you, I see you. Well since I got this moment with you, if you don’t mind me askin’ and all,” she started while looking up at him, “what you going to do with all that space? I’ve been here seven years, and all these houses are the same. They’re all three bedrooms. And from what I’ve noticed, it don’t seem like you have any family. Am I correct in that?” She motioned her torso in a shy but sultry fashion. Doug felt slightly warm; the sun was out, but that was not the origin of his temperature rise. He looked her up and down faintly, and noticed her nicely painted toes poking out from her sandals, her shape, void of hips, but trim waistline, her full bosom, and long pink nails contrasting her beautiful dark skin. Doug glanced deeply at her face, and focused on her provocative brown eyes.
“Well Nene,” he stuttered, “since you asked, I’m sing–...I mean I have two girls. And yeah, I’m single, I mean I’m a single dad,” he replied, mopping his answer up at the end.
“OK!” she exclaimed, making space and walking toward the door. “I wasn’t trying to get all in your business, but we’re neighbors you know. So I just wanted to let you know, if you ever needed a cup of sugar or some flour or something like that, I’m here. Right next door, I’m your neighbor.” Doug helped her to the door, and handed her the load of groceries he held.
“I got you Nene, I got you. But let me ask you something?” She nodded in acceptance to his question. “How do you know I can cook?” She smiled and gazed at him.
“Well, any man who is single, appears to be responsible, is a homeowner, and has a smile like yours…I’m just betting you can. Sooo, if you need a little sugar to make something sweet, I’m the neighbor lady you should call on. I’m only a few feet away.”
“Ok,” Doug replied, smiling at her, “If I’m ever in need of some sugar, you’ll be the first neighbor I’ll call.” Doug backed off her doorstep and started to walk away. He looked back to see Nene gripping her finger in her mouth eyeing him. She quickly waved, and Doug waved back, smiling.
Single dad…single, I’m single, thought Doug as he walked the pathway to his house. I’m single, I don’t need permission to talk to my neighbors. I’m single. No one will say anything about how you handle your life; you don’t have a woman right now. You’re single. Be ok with that.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . J.M. Scarlet . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
I would describe my writing style as a provocative fusion of urban fiction and erotica, characterized by a raw authenticity that explores the intricacies of human relationships and desires. Through vivid and evocative prose, I immerse readers in a world of passion, longing, and self-discovery. My aim is to challenge conventional boundaries and provoke thought, while captivating readers with compelling characters and steamy encounters. Whether I'm exploring themes of love, loss, or redemption, my writing is unapologetically bold and honest, offering readers a glimpse into the raw intensity of the human experience.
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page?
Absolutely I take my characters prep to heart! How couldn’t I? I really toiled over how they would respond to situations. I wrote several different versions of the way they responded to circumstances. In the end, I think they took their own shape, and in many ways spoke to me and told me what was authentic to them. I think growth for a character is really like a dance. Sometimes it is two steps forward, other times, it’s two steps back. Like a parent you can nurture all the growth in a child, but that child sometimes takes a while to really grow. That’s why I really enjoyed writing this novella because these characters are not done growing.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
I am toying around with an idea for a sequel to this book. Because this book focuses on the main character Doug, I was happy with his story. However the other two characters, Nene and PJ are so central, I want to explore them as well. I believe there is a community of people and stories in this novella I’ve created. As this is my first time writing I wanted to get this done. You can’t have a sequel if you never finish the first one right? In saying that I know these other characters have stories in them; more than being a mom, or an artist, these characters are people, I want to dive into them, and uncover their story.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so, which one(s)?
I think I really bonded with the main character, Doug. This was because Doug was a bit of a compilation character. He’s a bit of my co-worker, who’s a single dad, and he’s a bit of what little I know about my real father. Also he’s a big chunk of my imagination. Like I said, I’ve never written anything, and I never knew my father, so I bonded a lot with Doug. He was hard to create, and he’s got his flaws, but I think that’s what drew me to him. He’s not perfect, but he’s doing his best, and sometimes that is just not enough for people–unfortunately.
What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
Well this year has already been a whirlwind! I think once May 1st comes around and my book is actually available on Amazon, one of my big goals will be completed. I want to enjoy whatever success or non-success this book has! But for the remainder of the year, I really want to see if anything creatively comes from either Nene or PJ. Those are my girls, and I do want to take care of them, but I have to figure out if they’re bold enough for the spotlight!
Have you ever felt that there was something inside of you that you couldn’t control? If so, what? If not, what spurs you to reach for the inexperienced?
The thing I can’t control is my urge to take on a challenge. If you want to see me do some silly or stupid things, challenge me. There has yet to be a challenge I’ve said no to. In highschool my gym teacher challenged me to go out for volleyball, make the team, and complete the season. By the end of the season I was one of the best players, and the teacher had to take the whole team out for pizza! I don’t mind losing, I don’t mind failing at something, but not taking that chance is something I can NOT do! It’s like writing this book, I had a friend challenge me to write and publish a book. It was a challenge, of course I had to step up and step out!
Presented by
Thank you for the interview and book tour!
ReplyDelete