7.22.2011

Something that has to be said

There are book snobs amongst us. There are. You might be one of them. Go ahead, admit it. Snobs are welcome here. We love you guys, too. If there weren't a varied reader, there weren't be genres at all.

But once in awhile, even book snobs like to read something that might not be considered "literary" - I'm sure of it. Yesterday, Christy told you guys about the love interest in my YA romance, Lincoln, and how he had a super-secret surgery that made him a bit better than the boy/girlfriends you might have had in high school.

Does that make me a bad writer? Not worthy of your reading? I hope not, but we all get to judge what we like when we like it. Just try not to compare vampires to wizards - they both have their place in books and with readers! 

Here it is - (roughly) page 193 of A New Day - I hope you enjoy it! (set-up: the main characters and love interests are Kenz and Lincoln - Lincoln's mom just gave a speech about nanotechnology, how it helped Lincoln after a battle with illness several years ago, and why her studies have been called unethical. Kenz starts the conversation here):

"What do you think she meant about some people accusing her of making people immortal superheroes?"



We walked several steps before he answered.


"People are afraid of what they don't understand. Like, even though they're afraid of cancer, some people are more afraid of new ways to get rid of it. They'd rather sit through the same awful chemotherapy their friend had than have an injection of something they've never heard of. I've heard my mom say that humans are strange, predictable creatures. I'm almost positive she's right."


"But immortality? It seems like a big leap from curing cancer to finding the fountain of youth. Although people would pay a ton for it."


"No doubt, but think about it this way. If there's no cancer, no diabetes, better treatments for what you do get. . .is there any way to kill us?"


It was my turn to go quiet, walking along, glancing at his face every few steps. It felt so amazingly perfect to be there with him. To have people see us and know we were together. To hold hands and walk and feel pretty.


Strange thoughts floated around in my head, though no matter how much I tried to block them out. He was the only one I could talk to about them. Or, maybe, the one I shouldn't talk about them with.


"What about super-beings? Can doctors use your mom's research to make people better than they were before?"


"I don't know. It seems like it, though." He stopped for a moment, looked at me under the street light, and continued in the direction we came from. "People have had plastic surgery for years, trying to be beautiful forever. I saw a lot of that in California. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. But surgery that can make you better, stronger, younger? I've never asked my mom straight out, but I think it's probable."


"Do you think it's happened already?" I asked, eyes fixed on my fancy golden shoes.


"I think that's possible, too," he admitted. His face looked worried as I glanced up. Puckered or something. "Let's drop it for now, okay? We had a good night and I told my dad we'd beat them home. Ready?"


I wasn't, but I nodded anyway and we went back to the car. We talked casually on our way home. Discussed work and our plans for the week. I was careful not to bring up any crazy ideas, for his sake as well as mine. I had a hard enough time accepting that Lincoln loved me. I didn't need to start thinking he had been turned into some sort of immortal super-human.

Hope you liked it! Sometimes, it's more fun to read page 193 than the first page for the millionth time. Comment with the favorite part of your ms!!

10 comments:

  1. And that's okay if some people are literary "snobs" b/c there are plenty of readers that aren't! :)

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  2. Definitely, Laura! I think I've been thinking about it more because with my Kindle, I don't have to worry about anyone seeing the cover and thinking "I can't believe she's reading that" - and then I wondered why I ever cared in the first place?
    erica

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  3. This sounds like a great story! I loved how he effected her and her reactions to him. That pulled me right into their characters and made them sympathetic. This one is going to be good, I can already tell!

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  4. It IS a good one! I could never be a snob. I'm too open-minded. I love this aspect of sci fi/speculative fiction in your novel! christy

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  5. Love it!! That's some good writing! I love the premise - very fresh and new.

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  6. Hi, Erica,

    So nice to see some of your work. I enjoyed the dialogue. It was believable and focused on a very pertinent topic. Do we want to live forever?

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  7. I love the premise! And great dialogue! When and where do we get to see more?

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  8. Man, I have never been this engaged in a middle of the book page. Most of the time I have no idea where things are coming from, but I was right there with you in this. Nicely done.

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  9. This is great dialogue and I like how he answers her questions for awhile and then he is ready to change the subject. That make me want to know more.

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  10. I love this excerpt! It's awesome. And the dialogue was very authentic and engaging. So he's immortal... when you said "special surgery," I was all, whaa~ great work! :D <3

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