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Book Blitz Bloom by Martin Kee

Clan Blitz

Clan
by Realm Lovejoy
Release Date: 11/12/13

Summary from Goodreads:
Clans are Unity.

No variation. No deviation.

On Clades, to be a Clan is to be an exact copy. 
A perfect society cloning themselves to survive, even as the zombielike Frags threaten to overrun them on an unforgiving planet. 

Clan 1672 (privately known as Twain) was never supposed to survive the Incubation Tank. 
But he did. Illegally. 
He is different from the other Clans. 

A secret that could destroy him.

Kirkus Reviews: "In this fast-paced novel, Lovejoy uses economical prose while developing the story’s characters and setting in detail. She also meets the challenge of creating memorable characters in a world of identical people..." (Read more here!)

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About the Author
Realm Lovejoy is a writer and an artist. She was raised in Washington State and the alps of Nagano, Japan. Her father is a Japanese ex-monk and her mother an English teacher from Rhode Island. Her art is influenced by both the East and the West.

Realm aspires to tell stories through her writing and art.
She is agented by Jessica Regel.

Her upcoming YA sci-fi novel is titled CLAN, due 2013.
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By Prescott Lane

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: May 2013

Emory faces life’s challenges at the one place that’s never failed her, the ballet barre.  But even the barre can’t steady her when fate brings her face-to-face with her old college flame, Mason, who’s hoping to return to the NFL after a career-threatening injury.  Before they can surrender to their sexual desires and find salvation in each other’s arms, they need to come to terms with their past.  Mason must confront the demons that have set him on a path of self-destruction, while Emory must decide whether to keep her painful secrets locked away, or expose them and risk losing the love of her life.  But nothing can prepare Mason for what Emory has kept hidden, or the possibility that he himself may be to blame for the very secrets she keeps – and why they continue to haunt her.

EXCERPT

Wesley opened his biscuit with a knife.  “So, little miss, want to fess up to what you were doing yesterday?”

“Well, it depends,” she said.  “Before or after, I threw my half-naked body at Mason?”

Wesley dropped the knife.  “Excuse me?”

Tomás raised his eyebrows, and gave her a smile.  “It was just for a little while,” she said playfully.

“How little?” Wesley munched on his biscuit.

“Not too long.”

“How naked?”

“I told you -- about half.”

“Which half?”

“A little of both.”

“Both breasts?”

“No.  Top and bottom.”

“Is that so?”  Wesley took a sip of his drink, thoughtfully considering what she had said, like he was some kind of philosopher.  “Any action?”

“I tried.”

“How hard?”

“Pretty hard.”

“Was he?”  Wesley grinned at Tomás, and took another bite of his biscuit.

“Shut up,” she said blushing.  “We decided it was best to take things slow.”

“That’s too bad,” Wesley said, and Tomás slapped his arm.  “In all seriousness, I’m happy for you.”

“Me too,” Emory said, rising from the table with her and Tomás’ plates. 

Wesley grabbed her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, “Did you tell him?”  Emory shook her head walking to the sink, and Wesley shot her a disapproving look.  Tomás eyed them both curiously.  “He deserves to know!”

Tomás mouthed to Wesley, “Know what?”  Wesley shook his head that it was none of his business.

“No lectures, Wesley.”  She scrubbed the plates.  “Let me enjoy myself and Mason before I ruin it.” 

“You need to stop running,” Wesley said.

“I’ll stop when you stop.”

Tomás had no idea what they were bickering about, but whatever it was, he knew that was a great response.  Emory wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, then walked towards her bedroom, yelling back to Wesley, “That means go to your sister’s wedding!”

 

About the Author:

Prescott Lane is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College in 1997 with a degree in sociology. She went on to Tulane University to receive her MSW in 1998, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and two children.

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By Agatha Rae

Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy

Date Published: May 23, 2013

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Evelyn Dax is in love with her new boss, Jeff Richards. She does not want to reveal her feelings because of their professional relationship, however when Jeff asks her to accompany him during a business trip, the two begin spend a passionate night together.

Although attracted to Evy, Jeff decides to limit their relationship to business-related issues only, as he is afraid of any commitment.

Soon after coming back to the office in Boston, Richards faces sabotage plot against him triggered by one of the board members of the company he works for and is given a difficult task to deal with.

If he fails, he will lose his job.

Laura Levinson, Evy’s best friend, learns she suffers from breast cancer  and, supported by her loving husband Bruce, she undergoes a traumatic chemotherapy. Weakened and discouraged by the lack of progress, she meets Alyssa , a healer, who helps her recover completely from her illness. Encouraged by Alyssa’s magic, Evelyn decides to seek her help regarding Jeff’s attention and soon the healer’s intervention is visible; Evy spends a passionate night with what appears to be an imagined entity introducing itself as Jeff but, the same time, the real Richards’ feelings towards Evelyn begin to change drastically and the more often the intimate distractions, first pleasant, later on disturbing, happen to Evy, the more Jeff resents her.

 Soon  Bruce  starts  suffering  from  lung  cancer and Evy begins to wonder who Alyssa really is...

Excerpt

Chapter 42

Seven weeks had passed. Evy and Jeff were working very hard on his projects. Evy’s previous authors were given to the less experienced editors and she had edited four new authors for Jeff. She was swamped, but her mind was filled with work which was allowing her to have her thoughts occupied by something other than Laura’s treatment. Jeff was organizing the new academic publishing house, which he called OMNIBUS. All the paper work had already been done, he was waiting for few more confirmations and signatures, but it was only a matter of time before OMNIBUS would start functioning as WORDS’ official branch. He had hired two new editors, was in the middle of renegotiating new contracts with printing houses and was working on an advertising campaign.

Being entirely focused on the company’s issues, neither Jeff nor Evy had the time or will to discuss any non-professional topics. They had been eating lunches together, but during those moments she was mostly telling him about the authors she had been editing, and he was usually updating her on OMNIBUS stuff. They felt they had become a team and they both enjoyed it, but they were entirely focused on work and career. For Jeff it was all about surviving in WORDS, and for Evy it was the pleasant experience of creating something and it felt good that Jeff was consulting most of his decisions with her.

In the meantime Laura had undergone three chemotherapies. She was completely bald and most of the time she felt as if she was having a flu. Substantial problems with regulating her body’s temperature had appeared; she was either too cold or too hot. At night she either put an extra blanket on her quilt, or slept only in her underwear. She had an almost constant runny nose and by this point even her eyelashes had fallen off. Laura wore a wig whenever she was outside and at home she wore handkerchiefs on her head. Bruce kept telling her he didn’t mind her being bald, but Laura felt much more comfortable when she had her head covered. She stopped using perfumes as its scent would make her nauseous and used only cosmetics for babies now.

The smell of fumes drove her insane and she felt like vomiting every time she smelled them, so Laura stopped driving. She was very reluctant into going anywhere by car unless Bruce would promise to turn the A/C off and close all the windows so that no smells from the outside would appear in the car.

Because of her stomach being so touchy, Bruce stopped cooking and was trying to eat out as to not irritate her. The numbness in her fingers would come back from time to time and then she needed his help in doing such basic things as drinking from a mug or a bottle. She felt pretty bad about all this because her sickness did not revolve around her only, but interrupted his life as well; there, however, was nothing else they could do and he never complained.

Evy was now visiting her much less often since she was very busy with Jeff’s projects, although she would always come to Laura whenever she was back from the clinic and they had a regular phone contact. Laura was always waiting for those visits and calls because she was finding everything that was going on at work very curious and all the stories from there were truly entertaining.

Laura felt like a total mess. She underwent tests that showed the treatment hadn’t infected her tumor too much yet. Tessa kept telling her she was at the very beginning of the road to recovery, but Laura was miserable. She felt useless due to her inability to work. She wasn’t even able to work from home yet. She wasn’t able to recognize herself in the mirror and it was becoming unbearable to feel nauseous almost every time she smelled or tasted something. Laura was unable to imagine going through all this for next months and she felt that either something would finally help her really fast, or she would lose her spirit and determination, discouraged by the lack of results and control over her own body.

During one of the stays in the clinic she came across a brochure about natural methods of treatment. She never believed in such things like the healing power of herbs. Of course mint tea could calm a stormy stomach but, let’s not kid ourselves; a brewed combination of different kinds of grass could not cure cancer. She glanced at the leaflet, but never gave it a second thought until her third session at FEMINA. That was the first moment when she felt truly irritated and tired of her condition. Laura took one brochure from the table in the waiting room and when she felt a bit better after the chemo session, she took it out of a drawer near her bed and looked carefully through it.

It was about a woman named Alyssa. She described herself as a fortune-teller, an herbalist, a Shaman and a source of comfort, support and positive energy for everyone who needed it. It sounded tacky and the whole design of the brochure was corny with some ancient Greek symbols, but somehow, Laura was unable to explain it, the content of it felt oddly soothing. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she sighed and shook her head with disbelief. About three months ago, which felt like eternity ago, Laura would never believe that she would take such things seriously, that she would even consider searching for this kind of help. She was about to tear the brochure and throw it into the garbage can when she looked at her IV stand. Was this the way she wanted her life to look like for the next months? And who says she would defeat the cancer anyway? Perhaps that was the scenario of the rest of her life? However long it would be anyway. She was lying weak in bed, feeling pain all over her body, hairless, cold, and scared. Perhaps a month ago she would simply ignore the brochure, but the Laura who was diagnosed and the Laura who was there in the clinic were entirely different people. 

The new Laura decided not to throw away the brochure, but instead, she put it inside her handbag which she kept on a chair next to her bed. Who knows, it might become handy one day. After all, a little bit of hope and herbal tea wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? And besides, this was the only brochure that was distributed in the clinic, maybe it meant the doctors did not see Alyssa’s work as charlatanism, maybe she was indeed helping their patients? Perhaps the hospital approved her work?

One day when Bruce was out, she made herself some chamomile tea, took out Alyssa’s brochure and sat by the computer. She hesitated for a minute and Googled “Alyssa Sadler, Shaman”. She clicked search and, in a blink of an eye, she saw dozens of pages related to Alyssa. The woman seemed quite popular, there were many forums where people posted about her, and there was also her official webpage. First, Laura decided to check the boards, because, obviously, Alyssa’s website wouldn’t say anything negative about her. She was shocked. Everyone praised the woman. It seemed that Alyssa had helped many people. There were patients cured of cancers of all kinds, Parkinson diseases, Alzheimer, Tourette syndrome, cerebral palsy, disabilities, and migraines. There was a user named Oliver_73 who swore that Alyssa’s single touch released him from the horror of headaches which he had been experiencing two—three times a week and which had turned his life into hell. Kinky_Sense_of_Humor was assuring everyone that drinking Alyssa’s teas and her therapy cured him of alcoholism, that he had never drank a single drop of liquor since he met her eight years ago. Among many other people there seemed to have been people of all different ages and problems. One lady claimed she was 76 and she had had an advanced Alzheimer and, again, Alyssa’s touch cured her. Laura looked through about seventeen different websites, read more or less 70 pages of posts overall and was really confused. Of course, one could say placebo, perhaps hypnosis, could help, sure. But so many people? Could it be possible that all of them were lying for some kind of profit just to help Alyssa gain patients? Laura was fighting with her in-born skepticism. She found it extremely hard to believe all those people, but the part of her that desperately wanted her life to be normal again, the part that hated herself whenever she looked into the mirror, that part pushed her to enter Alyssa’s website.

Laura clicked on the link and it was pure magic. The website was glamorous. Emerald background, delicate, chill-out music, it was all soothing and relaxing. The green color brought an immediate association with peace and calm. Alyssa’s picture was nowhere to be found; there was however an ‘about me’ bookmark, which Laura, clicked. The note was very pared-down

.

THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON WHY YOU ARE HERE: YOU ARE SUFFERING AND SEEKING COMFORT. ALLOW ME TO SOOTH YOU; ALLOW ME TO USE MY GIFT, MY POWER, TO HELP YOU. ALLOW ME TO HEAL YOUR SPIRIT, TO BRING PEACE TO YOUR MIND. MY NAME IS ALYSSA, I HAVE THE POWER THAT CAN MAKE ALL YOUR PAIN GO AWAY, THAT CAN HELP YOU MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. OPEN YOUR EYES, MIND AND SOUL AND ALLOW ME TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

It all sounded fabulous, but Laura couldn’t tell if she was convinced or not. It all sounded too good to be true. She had always been a skeptical person, she had never been religious and her illness had not made her change those views. So far at least. Alyssa’s website seemed very tempting, but Laura felt deep down that the sensible part of her soul had not been convinced. She added the website to her favorites and went to the kitchen to prepare herself another portion of tea.

Laura passed a big mirror in the hallway, the one she used to use to see if the shoes fit the dress and the one in front of which Bruce and she had made love many times, turned back and looked at herself carefully. She gently took the scarf off from her head and for the first time faced herself in day light. It was high time to confront the reality. She put the mug on the floor and undressed. She looked really bad; pale, skinny, hairless, with grey shadows around her eyes. No eye brows caused the lack of any facial expressiveness. The lower part of her body, with no pubic hair and such thin legs that the outline of her knees was visible, looked as if it belonged to a little girl rather than a grown-up woman. The upper part, on the other hand, seemed to have belonged to an elderly person with sunken stomach and breasts and colorless skin. She turned around and saw her shoulder blades and spine horrifyingly outlined on her back. Disgusting.  In complete silence, Laura dressed up again, went to the kitchen and put the kettle on. When her tea was ready, she came back to the study, this time avoiding the slightest glance at the mirror, and clicked on Alyssa’s website. She searched for the contact information and found the phone number. Laura took her cell phone and hesitated for a minute. What was she doing? Some months ago she would knock herself on the head at the very thought of seeking supernatural help to solve her problems. Right now she saw nothing crazy about it. After all, it could not get any worse, right?

She dialed the number on the website and a woman answered.

“Good morning, Laura, it’s Alyssa Sadler speaking, how can I help you?”

Laura was totally surprised she actually got through so quickly and, apparently, it was the Alyssa speaking to her, not some assistant, or a secretary. And how, for the love of God, did that woman know who was calling?!

“Um, yes, hello. My name is Laura Levinson, I am calling—”

“You need help, I can tell.”

Laura was totally taken aback.

“Well, yes, I mean I wouldn’t be calling if I didn’t.” She smiled nervously.

“Of course, how can I help you, Laura?”

“I found your brochure at the FEMINA clinic and I’ve looked through your website.”

“I’m glad you’ve reached me.”

“Me, too,” she answered and she meant it. It was very awkward, very surprising; but somehow, she felt that Alyssa was a very good and helpful person. Laura had no idea how she was able to feel it after a few seconds of the telephone conversation, but deep down, something inside her was thrilled that she was talking to Alyssa. Her voice seemed calm and very soothing and all of Laura’s doubts had vanished. She actually felt agog at meeting her.

“I was wondering if perhaps you have a moment to see me and, hopefully, help me.”

“Of course, I have time for everyone who is in trouble.”

When making the appointment, Laura made sure to check Bruce’s schedule to know when he would be away from home. She did not want to tell him about her idea; it still seemed pretty dumb for her. She decided not to let him know about it until she knew whether it helped or not.  Looking at his planner, she realized he had a dentist appointment the following day. It turned out Alyssa was available at the same time and they had arranged a meeting at 4:00 p.m. When Laura hung up, she was beaming. Deep down she knew it was irrational to put her trust into someone who claimed she could heal people’s spirits, but for the first time since the diagnosis, she felt as if life was returning to her veins. She was thrilled.

About the Author: Agatha Rae

My name is Agtha Rae and I would like to introduce you to “Oenone” – my debut novel, released in August 2013, courtesy of Firefly &Wisp publishing house.

Prior to “Oenone” I have published two non-fiction books using my real name, Joanna Boguslawska, I am Polish, I live in the beautiful city of Gdynia: a book for ESL teachers "Teachign English Through Culture, Teaching Culture Through English", a collection of essays analyzng popular culture "Popkultura - pop czy kultura?", as well as many articles in various magazines, both in Polish and English. I am currently a PhD student at the University of Gdansk.

Having great respect to all those authors brave enough to give birth to stories and share them with the world, I have always felt the curiosity about creating a novel , about breathing lives into characters.  “Oenone” was born after about a year and a half of the most pleasurable work I have ever done and creating it, something I have put my whole heart into, has been one of the biggest adventures of my life. I hope a lot of people will share my enthusiasm.

I am very much excited about the opportunity of releasing “Oenone”, I am curious about readers’ opinions, about their interpretations, reactions, remarks and comments and thus I am looking forward to the blog tour and I very much appreciate your help and courtesy. Thank you for allowing my dream come true.

I collect CDs, love the Canadian band The Tea Party, sushi and going to the cinema. Among my favorite books are: Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Big Country", "In a Sunburned Country", "Neither Here Nor There", Tennessee Williams' dramas, (almost) everything by Stephen King, Jack Kerouac's "On The Road", Richard Yates' "Revolutionary Road", Charles Bukowski's "Hollywood", "Pulp" and "Factotum", JD Salinger's "Catcher In The Rye", Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men In A Boat". Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy, Marisa Bowe's "GiG - Americans Talk About Their Jobs", David Foster Wallace - "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men", Philip Roth's "Everyman", "Human Stain", "Dying Animal", Michael Chabon's "Wonder Boys"

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Before They Find Us by Michelle A Hansen :- Cover Reveal

Before They Find Us

By Michelle A.Hansen

Cover Designed by: Cathi Stevenson of Book Cover Express

Book Summary:

I’m going to make you wish you were dead.

Just a text. Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Hales tries not to worry. Probably a wrong number. Not really meant for her, and definitely not related to the crime she witnessed six years ago. Right?

Then two states away, a bomb goes off in her best friend's locker. Soon Ryan is labeled a terrorist and runs to the safest place he knows—Rebecca’s house in small-town Wyoming. It doesn’t take long for the FBI to show up asking questions. Rebecca lies, of course, and says she hasn’t seen him.

Now she's neck-deep in it with him, whatever "it" is. The only way out is to return to Vegas, where Ryan is a wanted man. The city of lies and illusion puts Rebecca’s small-town wits to the test as she struggles to find the person who framed Ryan and why.

Is Rebecca’s text linked to the bombing? And what does it have to do with a six year old murder? Rebecca needs to find out before she loses Ryan—and her own life.

About the Author
I'm a Florida native who currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina with my husband and toy poodle. When I'm not writing, I can be found drinking Earl Grey tea with honey and cream, singing ineptly and butchering the lyrics to my favorite songs, and asking my friends ridiculous, hypothetical scenario-based questions. 

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Perfectly toned YA-Bad Reputation by P.W. Creighton.

To say that a book has personality is a somewhat odd way of drafting a review, but that is
what this book has, and it has it in chunks. It's a youthful personality; full of juvenile delinquency--we can all relate to, and blind young heroism--many of us can only imagine. It's an intriguing personality, a daring one, and in addition it is a personality that possesses a curious mind. Finally, it is a personality that the reader wants to acquaint with, deeply.
P.W.Creighton says in his biography that he has not always been certain of his career destination. All I can say is that anyone who reads this novel will know that the man has definitely found his vocation. I read an enormous number of books, some I like well enough, some I can't even finish, a rare few I adore, and this was one of them. Here the tone is perfectly YA-- from the protagonists angst, captured as he is in his juvenile capacity with all the yearnings of the man he is yet to become, to the frustration at not being able to draw the world in the way he reckons it should be sketched. In a day, life changes dramatically for Logan and his friends in a manner that will have the reader flipping the pages to uncover the mystery that lies at the heart of this wonderfully told tale. I think this author is on his way to the fabled realms of fortune and fame, and with every new work he offers I will be there to buy his books, and thereby, hopefully, contribute something to the journey.

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Cover Reveal Playing Pretend

Playing Pretend

by Juliana Haygert

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Word Count: 65,000

Release date: March 2014

Cover: Berto Designs

Summary from Goodreads:

As the Governor’s daughter, Charlotte McClain is an expert in playing pretend. High society, the men her mother shoves in her direction and a Pre-Law major are all a part of her perfect pretense. But when she pretends to be a nobody during Spring Break, she meets someone who rocks her world.

Mason Rowell knows heartbreak and Spring Break don’t mesh well, so he allows the mysterious Charlotte to seduce him. What should have been a fling, results in something deeper. After Spring Break has long since passed, he moves to Washington to pursue his graduate degree, but what he never expected to find living among the rich and pompous, was the girl who gave him the strength to change and the desire to start anew.

When the guy Charlotte can’t forget goes from a sensual memory to temptation in the flesh, her facade is put to the test. If she surrenders to his charms, she risks ruining her mother’s perfect career and master plan. Playing pretend is what Charlotte does best, but how long can she pretend she doesn't love the man who made her proud of her true self?

**A light, sexy NA Contemporary Romance**

About the Author:

New Adult author and contributor at NA Alley blog.

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

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Fearsome Wolves to Feed your Fantasy. The Tempering by Adrianne James - A Book Review.

I've read a lot of paranormal fiction. This read, however, puts a spin on the werewolf fable that makes it resonate with a sense of reality often absent in similar books. I did not like Mackenzie to begin with, but as the story grew and the character gained depth, I found myself warming to her. Indeed, I began to worry for her and hope for some equatable solution to her horrifying fate. You see, Mackenzie, turns from somewhat badass, but otherwise normal Harvard wannabe into a raving, ravenous beast of the full moon. Her confusion is both confounded and allayed when she meets others of her kind--allayed in that she discovers secrets that assist her understanding. Confounded, in her desperate and uncontrollable attraction to the alpha-male were, Geoff.--Her self-loathing filled personal journey into the heart of the wolf, is both dreadful and vicious, but it is also emotive... we want Mackenzie to win, and that turns this book into something far more than an average page turning thriller. This is a wicked, stealthily hunt of denial--A view of an existence best imagined in a well lit room, an existence to be feared.

Excerpt form Fall Into You by Nora Black:- A Romantic Comedy,

She stretched languidly, the luxury of the new percale linen smooth and warm against her skin. Oh yes! It had definitely been a worthwhile buy even at the ridiculous price she had paid for the stuff. Cami, curled up wrapping herself into the wisps of a dream she could feel, but not quite capture, as it's essence dissipated on the breath of the cool morning air. Reluctantly, she hoisted herself onto an elbow to flick on her iPad for the time.

Lord! 7:43am ...

Realization hit her like a slab of ice. She had forgotten to set the alarm.

How could she have done that? But, there on the screen minutes ticked away, accusingly. Mocking her, her negligence. She felt indignation flush, but it wasn't going to get her where she needed to go in under an hour. Instantly, gripped by the horrifying prospect of lengthy unemployment, she flung back the covers and lurched herself at the bathroom. 

Butterflies in the pit of her stomach churned, leaving no time to let the water heat up, Cami steeled herself against the cold gush from the shower head, but what was a girl to do? She really needed the job and now it looked like she had messed up. She scrubbed extra hard pushing the thought away, perhaps if she let her hair dry naturally and skipped coffee she could make it. The idea flashed through her mind like a light. Ten minutes in the bathroom. Now, that had to be a record! She loved a good soak, but with time marching she knew she had to get a move on. 

Her clothes were still in disarray from her recent move. She had only been in the apartment a week. Sorting out the major hassles like making sure everything had actually arrived from her old place, and getting the furnishings set up had seemed more important than organizing her wardrobe. Now, she was mortified. She felt a sting of self loathing; how could she not have planned a get-the-job outfit. 

What was wrong with her?  

She pulled out a flimsy white button down that looked less casual than the other options in her closet, and delved amongst the hangers for a suitable skirt to match. 

Jeans, sweats, denims. Oh! Those ever so lovely lace trimmed shorts, but nothing, literally nothing suitable to snag a meaningful career. Then, like a beacon, she spotted a wrap around skirt with a somewhat awkward tie thingy at the side that looked almost businesslike. Cami, yanked it out, and gave it the once over before deciding that it would have to do.

She changed faster than Superman, and perched herself in front of her bedroom mirror to fix her face. A scared looking, bare faced blonde stared back at her begging for make-up and warm beverages. 

"Shut up, stupid! You won't be able to afford coffee at this rate, let alone lipstick," she ranted aloud at her reflection.

Satisfied with her self chastisment, Cami skitter through her routine. Base, lipstick on the cheeks, chin, and lips. Eye-liner in the rims, mascara on the lashes. Done!

She took a moment to comb her damp hair over her shoulders. It hung wet and uncomfortable against the thin fabric marking it instantly in dark clingy patches.

Oh well!  Things were a little askew, but at least she was dressed and ready to hit the barrage that was rush hour, and try to get to her interview on time. 

A blast of frigid air hit her as she grappled with her bag, umbrella and door knob in tandem, but she didn't have time to go back for a jacket or jumper to fight the cold.

Gawd! Hope I 'm not too shivery to do a decent impression of a competent legal assistant...

Horror at the thought nearly sent her back in to grab a coat, but the greater terror of being hopelessly late gripped her instead. Sheer fear, as sharp as the slamming of the door of lost opportunity galvanized her headlong into the morning traffic.

Cami had done a few turns around the neighborhood to familiarize herself with the layout of her new home. She knew where the underground's entrance ferried passengers to the trains below. She made a beeline, but she hadn't figured on the density of the pedestrian mass on the sidewalk. It's depth was literally staggering, almost impenetrable, she drew in a chilly gasp then stabbed into the melee with the point of her umbrella. A surprised looking dude with a gray coat flying out behind, stopped up short. She dug straight in not waiting to hear the strength or dirty tones of his rebuke. The crowd pulled her along with such force that she held only limited hope of not being swept clean passed her destination, but then she remembered the effect her umbrella had just had, and prayed it wouldn't let her down when she reached the apron at the head of the railway. It didn't.

Grinning at her ingenuity Cami raced down the stairs barely touching the tapered steel railing. The train sighed its intention to move at its passengers and she watched as they boarded, she spun on an extra dash of speed and managed to clamber on, awkwardly, seconds before the doors purred closed behind her. Relief flooded like the coffee high she had missed, it felt nearly as good. Cami let out her held breath in a whistle provoking a ghost of a smile from the dude ahead of her who looked so good, that if she hadn't been so very distracted, she might have considered him for dessert at the end of any and every future meal.

Clumsily, she collected herself, wishing she could be even a tad more elegant under the steady scrutiny of "MR. OhSoGorgeous". Then, once she had herself together, she headed into the train. 

A slight resistance as she moved caught her, but she didn't consider it obstructing enough to stop for-- until a tug too late, anyway. Cami felt a distinct cool breeze on her legs exactly where her wrap-around should have been covering them.

Dear God! Her skirt was floating behind her firmly locked in the jaws of the train's door.

Cami, screeched, making everything impossibly worse. The hottie, looked like he was about to burst into unassailable laughter. Then, like a knight, he did the single worst thing he could've; he came to her rescue.

Humor rose tangibly like wafting smoke above the crowd, it bubbled and rolled down the length of the car, and with it Cami's color darkened from rose to crimson. "MR. Beautiful", looked confused for a moment then he focused on her skirt, billowing as it was, in the gentle undulation of the train's draft. Somehow she saw the whole thing pan out even before he reached for her wraparound, the air was so heavy with prediction that she felt the entire car pause with anticipation as he fumbled, then gripped her skirt firmly and yanked, hard. Devastated, Cami's watched as he pulled. It gave quite readily, tearing cleanly about halfway from the waistband. If the situation hadn't been so utterly tragic, the expression on the dude's face would have been hysterical. In total abjection, he offered the ripped rag to Cami, as if it might do some good, and that's when the laughter really started. The passengers couldn't seem to help themselves, in some cases they were doubled over as if in pain. The melodious rancor filled the car, end to end.

In defense, Cami did the only thing she could think of. She opened her umbrella. Strategically, it was difficult to decide which angle to protect, but she settled on the front concealing her vulnerability only slightly.

Thank God I wore my knickers.

The ridiculous thought rattled in her brain amid the chaos. Nevertheless, it was sobering. Cami hated the damn things and often dispensed with them. Her mind could not quite fathom the enormity of the embarrassment, had she forgotten. For the beat of a heart it improved the situation, somewhat. Then, to her absolute dread, the guy with the dregs of her skirt, barreled straight into her newly ballooned umbrella. It must have taken him by surprise. Perhaps he hadn't seen her lift it with determined intention. The needle edge, it seemed, struck him at a most uncomfortable spot. His mouth formed a perfect "O" and then he folded, fainting completely away, out cold, flat on the floor. Aghast, Cami simply stood, then she felt tears begin to spill.

Naturally, in response to her tantrum the commuters came to her aide. A sensible woman handed her a knitted coat with enough length to it to save the day. "Mr.Helpful", was prodded into wakefulness. He looked dazed and dreamy, but Cami didn't want to imagine how much he must have hated her at that juncture. All in all, she had to salvage something, she decided to make a run for it and see if she could still make her interview. Buttoning the last button on her borrowed coat, gratefully. Cami turned giving apologies all round. Then, after a fast exchange of telephone numbers, and a promise to return the woman's coat the following day on the same train, Cami alighted at her destination. Relief flooded she had never been so glad to leave a train. Momentarily, she caught a twinge in the pit of her stomach that made her feel awful for leaving her hopeful savior in the hands of the crowd, but she reckoned that he would not want her around at all, and besides the pass angers owed her a favour in payment for how thoroughly entertained they had been.

Chapter Two.