New Project

Well, never let it be said that Rae gives up without a fight. Since Bold Strokes does want to see more of my work (and they were actually very encouraging in their letter to me, which was personalized and not just a form letter), I am starting a new project. I'm not sure what title I will give it, but here's the gist and an excerpt.

Plot: Tess Daubney, the daughter of a prominent senator, is running on the Republican ticket in her first national election for one of Ohio's Congressional seats (2nd district). However, she has to make a choice when she gets entangled with Robin, the niece of her campaign manager. It's kind of ironic that, in this story, the Republican is the good guy and the Democrat is a total sleezebag. I usually vote Democrat (although I greatly admire Olympia Snowe), but I tend to judge individual politicians based on their moral fiber and their experience rather than their party.

Her legs still shaking, weak from what they had just done, Tess bent down to pick up Robin’s discarded clothes. Her jeans and underwear were slumped in a pile against one wall, and her shirt was on the other side of the room. The sleeve of her brown leather jacket peeked out from beneath the desk, but Tess was too distracted to notice it.

“Don’t do that yet,” Robin murmured, getting up from the chair and wandering over to wrap the smaller woman in her arms. She looked confused and a little hurt when Tess flinched, jerking out of the embrace. Looking uncomfortable, the blonde adjusted her skirt and began rebuttoning her blouse. She would have to find her bra and stockings later. They had to be somewhere underneath the furniture. “Tess, what ar-”

Tess shook her head, taking another step back to put more distance between them. She shoved the clothes into Robin’s outstretched arms, trying not to watch as the naked woman began to dress herself. “Love is for story books, Robin, not real people. I have a chance to do something great here, something bigger than just me or you... I – I can’t throw that away.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Robin’s wounded expression urged Tess to take back what she had said, to change her mind. It took every ounce of strength that the blonde possessed to turn her chair around and face the wall. She couldn’t do this if she had to look at Robin’s haunted brown eyes.

“I think you should leave,” she said. Her voice wavered, cracking slightly, but Robin was too angry to notice.

“I guess now that you got what you wanted, you’re done with me,” Robin said, the disgust in her voice piercing the blonde’s heart.

All of the color drained from Tess’s face. “You have to understand, my job–”

“Oh, I understand perfectly. You’re throwing away something wonderful, something I’ve never felt before, without even giving it a chance... just because you’re a coward.” Not caring about the messy state of her hair, she finished pulling her shirt over her head and reached under the desk for her jacket, almost forgetting to button and zip her jeans. They felt stiff and uncomfortable against her legs. She should have been holding Tess right now, savoring her warm skin, soaking in the afterglow... not running off into the night like a high school kid sneaking through their girlfriend’s bedroom window. Obviously, what they had done meant nothing to her. She rubbed at stinging eyes with the back of her hand, glad that she and Tess had their backs to each other so that the other woman couldn’t see her fighting back tears.

“Robin...”

For a moment, both women forgot to breathe.

“I’m sorry things aren’t... different.”

She expected another argument, shouting, curses, something – but Robin did not try and convince her to turn her chair back around. She did not speak at all. She simply stood in silence, numbing herself against the sting of Tess’s rejection.

Staring at the drawn window shades because she could not bear to watch Robin leave, she listened to the quiet click of the door and the melancholy sound of retreating footsteps. Words rose in her throat, words calling the younger woman back, but she clenched her teeth and swallowed them back down. Hadn’t Robin already taken enough of her soul?

When she was sure that she was alone again, Tess finally let her defenses fall, collapsing onto the desk and burying her face in her arms, crying into the sleeves of her crookedly buttoned blouse.

Anyway, I'm still going to try to get TSS published. It's a damn good novel, and I'll find a way to get it out there somehow. I'm not sure what route I will take yet, but there are other publishing companies out there. However, I'd still like to publish something with Bold Strokes someday. They're a great publishing house, and I'm not at all offended by their rejection. From the tone of the letter, I gather that they just don't have room for fantasy right now in their next set of releases. If you've got ideas, tell me what you think!