I’ve found a waist is a terrible thing to mind. Having spent the majority of my adulthood after childbirth battling the bulge, like most of my fluffy friends, I invested waaaay too much time and money looking for that quick, easy way back into lower digit clothing . . . and all I ended up with were closets filled with enough sizes to stock a teen-through-plus-size store. So, when looking for plotlines after I was contracted back in the 90’s for a quartet of contemporary romances, for one of them, I stuck with what I knew . . . that struggle for unrealistic perfection through “guaranteed” programs, something that’s built my fictional self-help guru, Harlan Jameson’s reputation and changed newly picked spokesmodel, Lisa Reynolds’ life. Selling the dream is one thing . . . but learning to live it are all-together different, because beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder.
When a popular self-improvement program gives Lisa Reynolds a smoking hot body, she wins an unexpected prize: a Caribbean cruise as the club's corporate spokesmodel. Lisa, a hardworking insurance sales rep who prides herself on her brains, hesitantly accepts the siren call of being admired for her figure, too.
But suddenly this new glamour girl faces magnetic CEO Harlan Jameson, whose interest in her matches her attraction to him, except . . . the "real" Lisa isn't this workout babe he created. And old self-doubts about being loved for herself resurface.
Harlan's not what she thinks. A self-made success, lonely, and isolated by a busy schedule . . . he's drawn to Lisa's honesty and warmth. When he understands her fears, he sets out to prove there's only one thing he wants her to change for him: her last name.
Gorgeous.Lisa Reynolds was gorgeous.It wasn’t something Harlan didn’t already know, but studying the contact sheets of the morning’s shoot brought it home like a hammering punch to the solar plexus. Teddy had developed the pages of tiny photos so his employer could pick the ones he wanted blown up in the makeshift darkroom he and Moe had assembled. All of the pictures looked good. It wasn’t just because Teddy was an excellent photographer. It was Lisa.Harlan tried to maintain a cool objectivity as he went from shot to shot but it escaped him. He found himself admiring the sleek curve of Lisa’s throat in one, the mystery of her smile in another, the powerhouse sexuality in yet another; the Marilyn Monroe pose that in his own words, knocked his socks off. Everything he wanted was there, the fresh quality, the heart-yanking vulnerability, the spirit, and poise. Everything he wanted . . . and it made him irritable as all get out.(…and a bit more…)He was being stupid. He knew it. He was a powerful man, a wealthy man. He could control all those around him, but he could not control the direction Lisa’s heart chose to take. She had no way of knowing that he’d gone half-crazy over her before they’d even met. She wasn’t responsible for the fact that he had chosen her as the woman to fill the gap in his life. And he would be totally, certifiably crazy if he decided to pursue her now that he knew her affections lay elsewhere. He wasn’t used to having a rival. In business, where he was always in complete command, he competed only with himself. An outside challenge unsettled him and chafed against his confidence. He didn’t like feeling vulnerable. He didn’t like the idea that he might lose.
I’ve enjoyed going on two Caribbean cruises; touring the islands, crisping the skin, but most of all waking early up to watch the sunrise from our stateroom balcony while working under deadline as roommates were still sleeping. The sound and scent of the water . . . ahhhhhh! Now that’s how to set a creative mood!!
Escape with TOTALLY YOURS from Sept.1 to Sept. 15 to get your feet wet and your face warm for only $0.99!
Hope your WIPs are “cruising” along as we move into Fall, my favorite season.
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their #8sunday posts.
Harlan may not like losing, but he won't give up on something (someone) he really wants, right? Great snippet!
ReplyDeleteNever!
DeleteI love that he's at war with himself on this, but I love even more that it's really Lisa's true self that is pulling him toward her. We all want someone to love the real us beyond the packaging. Go for it, Harlan! Great snippet. :)
ReplyDeleteHe relates to the real her instead of what he's helped her become.
DeleteEnjoyed the snippet! I liked his self analysis...
ReplyDeleteThat's what he does for a living . . . and now he's got to start believing it, himself!
DeleteOh, I love this tempting tease of a snippet.
ReplyDeleteAnd the waist--the struggle is real for sure. lol
A daily, weekly, monthly, yearly struggle to be sure!
DeleteNot the least bit jealous you were writing while on 2 Caribbean crusies. I think Harlan has his work cut out. Tweeted.
ReplyDeleteOh, those fabulous trips were decades ago - one right after I got out of college and the other when I'd gotten a hefty book contract!
DeleteYou sold me! I went to buy the book and discovered I already have it. Now I need to read it!
ReplyDeleteDon't blame me if it makes you want to book a cruise!!
DeleteThis sounds exactly like me--after 2 children my waist ballooned. Still dealing with it and with a sedantary job like writing, well, not the easiest fix. I like that Harlan is drawn to Lisa not only for her looks but for her inner qualities. If only there were more men like that out there. Great snippet! Tweeted.
ReplyDeleteThere are some - somewhere probably happily married to a woman who appreciates what she has!!
DeleteImma jump on my soapbox because I see altogether too many people with a WAIT problem. What do I mean by a WAIT problem? I mean people WAITING to live their life until they achieve some arbitrarily low weight spurred on by the horrific idea that only thin people should be allowed to enjoy life.
ReplyDeleteI had a serious WAIT problem for most of my life. I was chronically on one diet or another. I became bulimic at 12 years old and have struggled with my abusive life partner ED (stands for Eating Disorder) ever since. For three decades, I tried to hate myself thin.
Guess what, still fat. But I refuse to buy into the sick messages promoted by the multi-billion dollar diet industry any longer.
I love books where the protagonists are the kinds of people who would be interesting to do paintings of. Not all model-perfect young, skinny people. People of all ages, sizes and shapes. That's my kind of story!
Totally agree . . . and so do my characters by the end of the book.
DeletePoor guy, LOL She's throwing him for a loop, and I don't know if he knows quite how to handle it yet. Elaine Cantrell.
ReplyDeleteIt's always difficult for the one in charge to feel out of control! And more fun!
Delete