What happens when you’re blindsided by betrayal and happy hour is no longer an option?
Elle Nixon seems to have the perfect life. As a music PR maven and party girl on the L.A. social scene, she attends the hottest parties and has a roster of artists that reads like the who’s who of Billboard magazine. Her upwardly mobile bound
boyfriend lavishes her with plenty of gifts and attention until he disappears…during the middle of a high-profile fraud investigation into his investment firm by the FBI. Add an unplanned pregnancy to the mix and suddenly, it’s not so fun anymore to walk a mile in her Louboutins.
Will Elle’s search for answers help or destroy her as she confronts the past and tries to reinvent her future?
Excerpt:
AFTER A FULL DAY of sightseeing in Paris with eight writers and then a sound check at the
famed Olympia, I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and sleep. Long and hard. I unlocked
my hotel room, took two steps in and flung myself face down on the bed, landing on top of the
scratchy, green bedspread with my high heels and short trench coat still on. My room was the length
of my arm span, which was fine on a day like today. Tiny, dark, enclosed spaces couldn’t make me
feel any worse.
I buried my face in the pillow and tried to stave off the nausea. It felt like the beginning of the
flu and it had followed me from Los Angeles to Paris, and had dug its heels in at the hotel along the
Champs Elysees. It didn’t help that Paris hadn’t gotten the memo that it was spring, or maybe I
didn’t read the memo that said to pack layers of clothes. Either way, it was damp and chilly outside.
It was hard to look chic in goose bumps, no matter how cute my shoes were, and my Louboutins
were hot; save for the beating they were taking from all the cobblestone walkways.
I checked the time on my cell phone. I had less than two hours before I had to wrangle
everyone back on the bus for the main purpose of the trip, watching one of the biggest hip hop
artists in the world, Cameron perform at the Olympia, one of the oldest concert halls in Paris. He
was signed to Savage Rhythms, the record label that employed me as a publicist and subsidized my
stiletto habit.
My phone chimed and a text message from my friend Justine came through. Growing up, we
used to live four doors down from one another in New Jersey and had been as inseparable as cake
and ice cream at a birthday party. Now, living on opposite coasts, we were like caviar and a bottle of
hundred-year-old scotch, only on special occasions.
Happy B-day Ellie! Hope ur enjoying ur trip in city of love! :> :>)
She included her usual assortment of happy faces and other crazy icons that always made me
wonder if she dictated her text messages to her 12-year-old.
Bleh! Another birthday. I grabbed a pillow and put it over my face. Born four years apart, my
sister Evie and I shared the same birthday. I’d much rather pretend the day didn’t exist. I moved the
pillow and rolled over on my stomach to send Justine a quick message.
35. Yaay. I’m working & how much fun can it really b w/my man on another continent?
Before she could reply, my phone rang.
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!” Diego Rivera’s baritone sang in my ear with
only the slightest of interference from across the Atlantic. I smiled, happy to avert a trip down
memory lane. Even after two and a half years of dating, the sound of his voice still made my
stomach tingle with erratic butterflies…or it could have been the escargot from the other night. Two
words. Never. Again.
Sibylla Nash is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and author. She has written about a variety of topics that have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. She is also the author of several books including DreamCity, Baby Modeling & Beyond: From the Stroller to the Red Carpet and her newest novel, Bumped. She holds a degree from the University of Southern California in print journalism and is the extremely proud mom of a young actress. You can find her on the web at sibyllanash.com, divaluscious.com, starbabyla.com, bumpedthenovel.com on Facebook and tweets @starbabyla.
Get to Know the Author:
1.) How did you begin my journey as an author?
I started off as a freelance writer but as an avid reader, novels were always in my future. This is my fifth book – all independently released - and it’s been a long work-in-progress! When I released my first novel
2.) What compelled or inspired you to write this book?
Who hasn’t had that one relationship where you’re scratching your head after the fact asking yourself, how could I not see this? I wanted to explore betrayal in such way that seemed more organic. You really go through stages of grief after being betrayed and I wanted to show a character dealing with the ultimate betrayal, which is not necessarily the physical, cheating act. I wanted to take this character from point A of thinking everything’s great to point B where she’s like oh my gosh, who is this person? I can rattle off a list of women in that past few years that have been through a very public and humiliating scandal like Sandra Bullock, Maria Shriver, Elin Woods, etc where they’re with someone who totally turns out to be so different with the emotional and physical cheating. For the public, that’s the big story but for them, life goes on and they have to pick up the pieces.
3.) How do you develop the plot?
I use index cards, and I like to break the story up into three parts, which is from Syd Fields screenwriting technique. I plot it out and usually deviate from many of my plot points, but I always have an idea of where I’m going and I definitely know where I want to end up.
4.) How long did it take to write Bumped?
Bumped has been a labor of love for quite a few years. I always thought my second novel after DreamCity would be a sequel but the characters in Bumped demanded to be written. DreamCity was written before I became a mom and Bumped was written late at night, in between auditions for my daughter and play dates. It has taken quite a few years and revisions and was finally birthed in August 2011.
5.) What types of books do you like to read?
I have a very eclectic taste and will read everything from horror, mystery, thriller, self-help, history and anything else that catches my eye. I’ll read it on the Kindle or in printed form, whichever I can get my hands on first. I’m not a die-hard purist and love the opportunities that e-books offer.
6.) How do you feel about selling digital books vs. selling in a brick and mortar store?
I love it! That coupled with social media allows me to find and connect with a wider audience that was harder to reach with my previous books. It certainly levels the playing field and allows new voices to be heard without having to fight through the gatekeepers of the old guard.
7.) What’s next?
I’m updating my guide, Baby Modeling & Beyond. So much has changed since I wrote it six years ago and there seems to be an even bigger market of moms who are curious about getting their kids started in the business. I’m also re-releasing my first novel DreamCity at the end of the year. There’s a fun sequel to that which will be out next year. I’m staying pretty busy. I have so many stories in my head bouncing around that are demanding to get out and strut their stuff on the page or screen.
Find Sibylla Nash at:
sibyllanash.com, bumpedthenovel.com, facebook.com/bumpedbysibyllanash, Twitter @starbabyla
Email address: sibylla22@gmail.com
Buy Book at: http://www.amazon.com/Bumped-Sibylla-Nash/dp/0970170637/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318560856&sr=8-1
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