Presenting:
*** SPECIAL FEATURE - October'12 ***
"Dancing Naked in Dixie is a must for modern fiction collections." - The Midwest Book Review
Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.
With a stern warning, and unemployment looming, she's offered one last chance to rescue her career. Julia embarks on an unlikely journey to the ‘Heart of Dixie’—Eufaula, Alabama—home to magnificent mansions, sweet tea, and the annual Pilgrimage.
Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia's story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage?
An Excerpt
Chapter
5
“Are you always in such a hurry?” Shug asks, his voice slow
and steady compared to my frantic pace. My usual velocity is hyper-drive. Get
there as fast as I can, I don’t care if I break my neck, or the speed limit.
“Oh,
sorry,” I slow my brisk stride into a leisurely walk, “hazard of living in the
City. Everyone’s in a rush, twenty-four seven. Always someplace to go,
somewhere to be. When I was younger, I used to wish I didn’t have to go to
sleep—you know, so I didn’t miss anything.”
Shug gives
me a strange, amused look. If he thinks I’m crazy, at least he is polite enough
not to say so.
“Where are
we going anyway?” A towering statue of a Civil War soldier stares off into the
distance as we cross the intersection.
“Honeysuckle
Diner,” Shug answers, “just down the street a piece.”
A piece. How cute.
Shug
describes the thick French toast and warm, buttery cane syrup. Fluffy eggs.
Sausage and grits. Suddenly, I’m famished. Seconds later, we arrive at the
door.
“Yoo-hoo,”
a simpering voice calls out from across the street. A car door slams.
No. We can’t stop. The smell of fresh-baked biscuits makes
me weak. I try to tell Shug telepathically that I’ll die if we don’t go inside
now. I look longingly at the Honeysuckle Diner. Shug is completely distracted.
And then I
see why.
Thigh-high
boots on a pair of long legs, a short red skirt over tights, and a sequin-trimmed
sweater. Topped off by a thick, shiny mane of white-blonde hair and a mega-watt
smile.
The girl
blows a kiss and waves, as if we might somehow miss her or the white Mercedes
convertible she just poured herself out of. Gosh, people are friendly down
here. And gorgeous.
I glance
down at my standard New York garb—black head to toe. What else did I pack? Oh,
right. Almost everything I own, down to my panties, is black.
So what? I argue with myself.
Why compare myself to a random girl on the street? Someone I’ll never see again.
“Um, that’s
my girlfriend,” Shug leans closer to explain. “Mary Katherine.” He gestures for
her to come across the street.
Of course. So, she’s not a
random girl. Lovely. I’ll bet we’ll
be seeing her every day.
But Mary Katherine shakes her head coyly, points a finger to
her cell phone, and steps onto the opposite sidewalk. By the time I decide to
wave back, she disappears around the corner.
Shug doesn’t seem bothered in the least. He holds open the
door to the diner.
Sweet salvation.
My knees
weaken at the sight of steaming breakfast plates on every table. Raucous
laughter, animated conversation, and the clang of pots and pans from the
kitchen make it almost impossible to hear. Shug motions for me to follow him,
but stops every few feet. He shakes hands, exchanges back slaps, and chuckles
as we move through the crowd.
Curious
stares follow us. Polite, inquisitive looks. A wrinkled forehead, pursed lips,
a raised eyebrow. If I make eye contact, which
I’m trying not to do, the person smiles brightly and chirps a greeting.
Great. I
can imagine what they are dreaming up. Star magazine-type
rumors, followed by a heinous paparazzi photo. I see it all too clearly. The
headline will read: Who’s that girl? Is Shug Jordan cheating on Mary-what’s her name?
Oh well.
There’s always food. At least I’ll die embarrassed and happy.
I center my attention on the tiny empty table in the back
corner. Mentally, I push Shug toward it. When I start walking, I almost kick
him in the ankle. Closer, closer, there you go. A few more feet.
Without
warning, another roadblock appears: A
short, round, heavily made-up woman stops Shug to hug him and kiss the air next
to his cheek. And then someone, who must be her daughter, goes and does the
same thing. No one’s in a hurry. Except me.
Five long minutes and three stops later, we make it to the
table and sit down. I pick up the narrow menu, hold it in front of my face, and
scan the list. Grits, biscuits, red-eye gravy—
“It must be
overwhelming,” I hear Shug say.
I edge the
menu to one side and peek out. He gives me one of those open and honest looks,
with piercing eyes. Like an actor on daytime television about to reveal who
killed so-and-so’s sister’s cousin’s mother.
“What must
be?” I tilt my head in his direction, thinking Shug must mean the menu. It
certainly wasn’t what I’d call gourmet, but even ostrich eggs and endive
smeared with peanut butter would do at the moment. Can’t he tell I’m about to
gnaw apart the table?
“All of
this.” Shug makes a sweeping gesture at the rest of the room. “I’m used to it.
I was just thinking, to an outsider, well …” Shug
seems to lose his train of thought. He glances down at his own menu,
suddenly self-conscious.
Very observant. Pasting on a big
smile, I grasp for a witty and off-hand remark, which comes out a jumbled mess.
“Oh, no, not at all. It’s different from New York, but I’m not uncomfortable.
Quite the contrary. I feel right at home.”
Shug gives
me a thoughtful nod and picks up his menu.
It’s not
the truth. Me being right at home in small-town Alabama is the equivalent of
Kim Kardashian never shopping again.
In New
York, it’s all about anonymity. No one cares who you are, unless your last name
is Trump. No one says hello or waves, unless it’s to grab a taxi.
A waitress
hovers nearby. I hurry to take a look at the menu, and then realize she’s not
just wiping down the table next to us. She’s staring. Shug hasn’t even noticed.
Another
server appears, and two hands plop down glasses of light brown liquid. “Good
morning, y’all! Cute hair, sweetie,” the girl, who appears to be all of
nineteen, is calling me sweetie. She inspects my roots and chews on the eraser
of her pencil.
“Did I hear
you say New York?” Her voice raises several octaves. “I’ve always wanted to
visit New York. Rocker-feller Center at Christmas time. The big tree. All of
the lights.”
I try not
to visibly wince at the mispronunciation, but keep my lips buttoned. The minute
I correct someone, I’m certain to butcher some Southern phrase in front of a
dozen people.
Shug speaks
up. “Julia’s here to do a preview on the Pilgrimage for Getaways Magazine.”
The girl’s
eyes widen like I’m a movie star. Her voice rises a few octaves. “A real
magazine reporter?” Several heads swivel near our table. “Can you interview me?
Can I be in the article?”
I attempt a
serious look at Shug, who stifles a laugh, entertained by the entire situation.
“Um, I’ll
do my best to include everyone.”
That seems
to placate her. The waitress prattles on, waving her notepad. “If you feature
the Honeysuckle Inn with a picture,” she taps her lip, “Brad Pitt could see it
and come in here. People from London, and Europe. Zillionaires.” She
practically jumps up and down.
I shrink
down in my seat and reach for the closest glass. Suddenly parched, I take an
enormous swallow.
YUCK! It’s so syrupy-sweet I
gag. My eyes water. The liquid swills around in my mouth and I long to spit it
on the ground. Don’t think about it, I instruct myself. Just do it. I force the
tea down my throat in one big gulp.
And start
to choke. Then cough. I can’t stop.
“Bless your
heart!” The girl drops her notepad and starts pounding my back so hard I’m
certain my ribs will crack any second. “She’s choking. Oh, my Lord! Someone
help her!”
Chatting with Lauren Clark about 'Dancing Naked in Dixie'
1) Who was your
favorite character to write in this novel?
I really loved Julia, but I have to say that Roger was a
close second. At the beginning of the story, Julia is at a crossroads in her
life—a place where the decisions she makes are really important. She really
comes into her own, takes responsibility, and becomes an adult during the
story. Julia finally realizes that there are consequences to her mistakes and
that she is the only person who can change the way her life is headed. It was
so fulfilling to watch her grow as the novel progressed.
Roger was such fun because he is Julia’s complete
opposite—always perfect and put-together, always ready to say the right thing,
do the right thing. He’s a great host and loves coming to the rescue for Julia.
And although he appears to be happy, he really has a deep, secret longing to
travel to New York, but hasn’t had the confidence to make the trip. Julia’s
visit changes that for Roger.
2) How is this novel different
from the competition?
There are many novels about a character excited about moving
to a big city or traveling to Paris or London, but Dixie follows a big city girl who visits a very small town. At the
outset, she doesn’t want to go—in fact, she throws a hissy fit about it! She’s
really a fish out of water—the accents, the food, the mannerisms are all
foreign to her.
I think we’re all somewhat guilty of having preconceived
notions or ideas about people and places we haven’t visited. The fun of this
storyline involves Julia discovering how wrong she was about the Deep South.
It’s a life-changing experience for her. It’s my hope that readers feel that Dixie honors and celebrates cultural
differences.
3) Share a secret (or
two) about this book in its development.
I really panicked about the title. I was unsure that readers
would like it and didn’t want anyone to think it was erotica. The members of a
book club I visited changed my mind—I was there talking about my first novel, Stay Tuned, and everyone asked about my
next book. When I shared the title, everyone exclaimed and got really excited,
so I knew then that I had to keep the “Naked” in Dixie.
Also, I began with the idea that PD’s pastry creation was
going to be the “something special” that made people want to ‘Dance Naked,’ but
the story was really Julia’s.
After thinking about it, I added the “I’d rather dance
naked” comment to her new boss—underscoring how upset she was about being sent
to Eufaula. It also provided some nice romantic tension at the end between
Julia and Shug!
4) Share one secret
about yourself.
I am such a girly-girl. I love the color pink. My phone
cover is pink. I have a pink purse. I have a pink coffee mug. I am drawn to
books with pink covers. The cover for my Kindle is pink. I even like pink
food—raspberries and strawberries! And yes, I like pink clothes.
Knowing that I have to draw the line somewhere, I do not
drive a pink car, have a pink laptop, or have a pink house. My husband and two
boys would never forgive me!!
5) Who is your
inspiration?
My inspiration as an author is Sophie Kinsella. I love the
way she tells a story—and I appreciate that her characters aren’t perfect. I
adore that her writing makes me laugh out loud!
I’m also inspired by people who overcome life’s
almost-insurmountable obstacles. I love everyday heroes. I’m inspired by
bravery and courage—the firefighters in 9/11, our country’s soldiers, the men
and women who make incredible sacrifices to save lives and protect our freedom.
Giveaway
Now for the most amazing news! The Giveaway! Ms.Lauren Clark is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card. Yeah I know its amazing & I wish I could enter it myself. The number of books I could get for it!
So,what are you waiting for??? Go Enter NOW!!
Rules:
1. There's only two compulsory entry to qualify for this Giveaway.
2. Please provide proper info & links in the Rafflecopter. I will be checking the entries - so no cheating please.
3. The Giveaway is open Internationally.
4. I will select the winner through Random.org on 31st October and will send an e-mail. They have to reply with their mailing address/e-mail id within 48 hours, or I will select another winner.
5. Please do not leave your e-mail id in the comment section.
Thank you Debdatta for featuring Dixie!!!!! Can't wait to find out who wins the Gift Card!
ReplyDeletexx, Lauren