Now, if you’ve read any of my novels or excerpts, you know I don’t do happy-go-lucky beginnings; and as in any fairytale, a little rain must fall, or in the case of my stories, I prefer a monsoon.
This week’s excerpt:
But
alas, as in any good fairytale, everything good and wonderful must come to an
end.
After
the tragic accident that snatched her mother away from Alexandra, her father
moved them away from the beaches of Destin to another beach in Florida. Cocoa
Beach.
Cocoa
Beach was loud, the water murky, and there were no weekend adventures as there
had been in Destin.
Her
father married her evil stepmother, Lilith, who Alexandra was certain was a
witch with her long, black as midnight hair and pale-white skin as if she’d
never seen sunlight. Her father had admitted he wasn’t in love with Cruella, as
she had come to think of the witchy woman, but that he’d wanted Alexandra to
have a mother and siblings.
Well,
she definitely got that.
The king
started staying out later and later at night, and the princess had to do
excessive amounts of chores around her new castle. Her stepmother treated her
like a pariah; certainly, she’d rather have the dogs at their dinner table. Her
stepsisters were ugly inside and out and were forever jealous of Alexandra and
her golden-blonde tresses. Anything nice Alexandra ever received mysteriously
disappeared.
Alexandra
knew something was wrong with her father, but she was too young to understand.
Her father, forever the happy-go-lucky guy, had turned to drinking to drown his
troubles.
It
sounds like your typical fairytale, but it isn’t. There are no furry creatures
to help the princess prepare a gown for the prom, no fairy godmother to waive
her magic wand and produce glass slippers. In fact, at age sixteen Alexandra
found herself living on her own with no family contact and no prospects of a
healthy, normal life.
Alexandra
had only one advantage, if you could call it that. Alexandra was beautiful. But
so far, her beauty had not opened any doors; actually, it had only caused her
misery.
The only
people who welcomed Alexandra were the outcasts. The parents of other losers in
school fortunately didn’t care who slept over and what they did when they stayed
the night. So, Alexandra Nicole, now deciding to go by Nicky, as she was no
longer a princess, found herself wandering from house to house throughout her
remaining high school years.
And then
she met him…
Download my new release, Entangled
Dreams, from your favorite retailer...
Until next time, happy
reading!
Carmen DeSousa
I like the slight snark in the narrators voice. Great six!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alix. I struggled with the prologue sounding as though it were narrated, but since she's just a child, I figured I didn't have a choice, so I decided to be a little snarky and hopefully give it that fairytale opening. I'm glad you noticed.
DeletePoor baby! I guess after all that 'sunshine' in her live, a dark-headed step mom who her father doesn't love would seem like a witch. Great Six! Can't wait to find out what happened to the mom....I fear the crystal clear waters were a factor...
ReplyDeleteSo funny, MJ...that would be too easy to blame innocent blue water. And I can't, as the water comes into play later in life. Everything; every single thing means something in my novels.
DeleteGreat six. Loved your descriptions.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Heather!
DeleteA Cinderella story! Excellent! I love your descriptions, the contrast between her thoughts on the two women, and the emotion you've incorporated. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lorraine. And just so I don't lead readers in the wrong direction; even though I do have a fairytale beginning, this is definitely not a Cinderella story. Though, it was always one of my favorites growing up. ;)
DeleteNice way to set up the story...Cinderella on the beach! Can't wait to read more...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann.
DeleteAlways love your descriptions, enjoyed the building story, great six once again!
ReplyDeleteOh no, the poor girl! My heart went out to her in this excerpt...
ReplyDeleteCarmen I loved your six...very insightful, sad and heart breaking! Great start :) Can't wait to see what's next.
ReplyDelete