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Ninth Chapter: Meet The Parents

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Posted on April, 23, 2012

A valet driver opened the door to Noah’s Ferrari convertible as it pulled up in front of Capriccio restaurant in downtown Providence. Inside the elegant Italian restaurant, the ambiance was warm and charming, with a cobblestoned floor, columns with decorative moldings, and tables glowing under candlelight. The pianist at the baby grand was playing The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra as Noah, holding a small gift bag, walked over to the alcove where Scott, Sharon, Miriam, and Jerry were sitting.

“Happy birthday, Mom,” Noah said, kissing his mother’s cheek.

“Come here for a second,” she said, motioning for him to duck down.

Noah grimaced, lowering his head as Miriam proceeded to lick her hand and pat his hair down. As a tuxedoed waiter approached, Noah pulled away and sat down at the empty seat beside his brother. As the waiter made his way around the table with a bottle of Dom Pérignon, he poured Champagne into everyone’s glasses.

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Posted by  |  April 23, 2012 | Categories: Chapters | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eighth Chapter: Total Surrender

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Posted on April 23, 2012

Noah’s hair was riffled by the wind as he tacked his sixty-foot sailboat, her boom swinging across mid-ship as her sails filled with air. Majestic orange and red cliffs reflecting the setting sun welcomed her as she entered the mouth of Narragansett Bay into Newport Harbor. Gliding through the glistening water, seagulls squawked as they flew across her bow. The name on her transom read Freedom; Jamestown, RI.

As she lay on the teak bow, Robin looked back at Noah and smiled as they sailed by the abandoned lighthouse on the small private island, her red hair trailing in the breeze. Noah took a deep breath of the fresh air surrounding Freedom and smiled with contentment. He was living in the moment.

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Posted by  |  April 23, 2012 | Categories: Chapters | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UPDATE: eBook File Received

Posted on April 19, 2012

I received the electronic version of Sand Dollar today from my formatter, and I uploaded it to my eBook distributor, Bookbaby.

I’m just waiting for them to approve and distribute it to online retailers.

Posted by  |  April 19, 2012 | Categories: Updates | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I Received The Proof

Posted on April 18, 2012

I received the first paperback book of Sand Dollar in the mail today from the printer/distributor for me to proofread.

I’m hoping to push the “Publish” button in a few days.

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Posted by  |  April 18, 2012 | Categories: Updates | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Seventh Chapter: Great Expectations

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Posted on April 14, 2012

With a fresh coat of polish, Noah’s immaculate 1966 Ferrari pulled into Hartman Enterprises behind a beat-up, blue Mustang convertible, also a 1966 model. Noah followed the Mustang to the back corner of the lot and parked next to it. The driver, wearing a navy maintenance uniform, got out of the car and opened the trunk.

“Hey, Mike, I didn’t know you drove a classic,” Noah said, shutting his door.

“Hey, Noah,” the man replied, closing his trunk and putting a tool belt around his waist. “Yeah, that’s because I almost never drive it. I only take it out a couple times a year, just to air it out.”

“Sweet ride,” Noah said, peeking inside the Mustang. “I like the Pony seats.”

“The chassis is kind of beat up — not refurbished like yours.”

“What are you talking about? She’s a beaut,” Noah exclaimed, walking around the car, checking it out. “Besides, I don’t look at the outside so much as I do the inside. That’s where the real beauty is,” he said, stopping at the front of the car. “Do you mind?” he said, pointing at the hood.

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Posted by  |  April 14, 2012 | Categories: Chapters | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sixth Chapter: Butterflies

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Posted on April 13, 2012

With a Kmart shopping bag in each of her hands, a woman wearing a black leather coat and gray wool hat crossed the busy Weybosset Street intersection in downtown Providence. The sign on top of the concrete building she entered read Emergency Family Services of Rhode Island. Standing behind the front desk wearing a white uniform and talking on the phone, Robin smiled at her and motioned with her hand to wait just one second. A young woman with greasy blonde hair and a torn coat waited anxiously beside the desk. Her two young children stared with blank faces at the TV across the lobby. The four-year-old, a cute little girl with curly, brown hair, spotted a penny on the floor, and without calling attention to it, she picked it up, examined it, and placed it in a large glass collection box containing only a handful of spare change.

“So you don’t have any beds open either, huh?” Robin said disappointedly into the phone. “Well, call me as soon as one opens up, okay? We’re filled to capacity over here too, and I’m running out of options for these people. Okay, thanks, Cheryl. Bye,” she said, hanging up with a frustrated sigh.

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Posted by  |  April 13, 2012 | Categories: Chapters | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UPDATE: Sand Dollar Formatting is Done

Posted on April 12, 2012

I received the PDF files back from the formatter last night — yay! — and immediately uploaded them to the printer/distributor, Lightning Source.

The files are for the finished paperback version of Sand Dollar. In about a week, the printer will mail me a finished copy of the book for my review. If everything looks good, all I’ll have to do is hit the “Publish” button, and the paperback version of Sand Dollar will get published.

This is very exciting! 🙂

Posted by  |  April 12, 2012 | Categories: Updates | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chapter Illustration

Posted on April 7, 2012

 

The cute illustration

that bookmarks each chapter

was drawn by a local artist

named Ainsley Bonham.

Great job, Ainsley!

Click on image for a larger view

Posted by  |  April 7, 2012 | Categories: Book Design | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Fifth Chapter: Life At First Sight

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Posted on April 5, 2012

While Y-M-C-A by The Village People was playing at the main dance floor inside the Mardi Gras complex in Cranston, people were lined up outside, waiting to pile into the club. Noah and Scott were handed bottles of Heineken by the pretty, young ponytailed bartender as they stood watching the DJ spin records inside the mirrored booth. Scott resembled his brother, only with glasses, a slightly receding hairline, and an extra fifteen pounds from all the years of his wife’s good home cooking. Scott looked tailored, lawyer-like as a matter of fact, with a navy pinstriped suit, white shirt with gold cufflinks, and blue tie. Noah, on the other hand, was dressed more casually, wearing a blue sport shirt and tan pants.

“Thanks for coming,” Noah said as they stepped away from the bar. “The last time I came to a place like this, it didn’t go so well. At least this time I have good moral support and a shoulder to cry on,” he said, laughing.

“Anything to help, Little Brother, but I can’t stay too long, or I’ll turn into a pumpkin. I promised Sharon I’d be back by midnight. I figure if she can have Girls’ Night Out once a week, I can have Brothers’ Night Out once in a blue moon, right?”

“Sounds good to me,” Noah agreed, clanking his Heineken to his brother’s.

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Posted by  |  April 5, 2012 | Categories: Chapters | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cover Design

Posted on March 31, 2012

Sand Dollar’s cover was designed by Daniel Middleton from Scribe Freelance.

He did a great job with the fonts, colors, and overall design. I was very pleased with his formatting of the interior too, turning asterisks into little sand dollars!

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Posted by  |  March 31, 2012 | Categories: Book Design | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment