Sweet Tea
by Wendy Lynn Decker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Coming of Age/Christian
fiction
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BLURB:
The
fourth anniversary of Olivia’s daddy and John Lennon’s death is approaching.
Like the shot heard ’round the world, TV and radio stations keep the frenzy
alive and recognize Lennon’s life, while Olivia’s mama remembers Daddy’s death.
Instead of healing, Mama’s strange behavior keeps getting worse.
After viewing an
afternoon talk show, Olivia discovers her mother might have more than a case of
eccentricity – she may be mentally ill. When those fears are confirmed, Olivia
is faced with more decisions than any sixteen-year-old should have to make.
With no adult family members to turn to, she is forced to trust the only people
who’ve offered help: one strange man and a friend her mother makes at the
mental institution.
Facing the
intricacies of her mother’s illness one minute and the decision to have sex
with her new boyfriend the next, Olivia finds that through faith and
determination, she can conquer it all in this poignant story of love,
intuition, compassion, and hope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Pg. 12
“Well look at you, Miss Trailer Queen, all wrapped up in a
fur coat. Did your little brother catch it live and skin it for you, too?” Luke
had gone from a baseball-playing typical young boy to a backwoods hick since
we’d moved to the trailer park, but insulting him like she did made my chest
tight and my face burn.
At first, I felt a spike of anger, ready to thrust from my
fist into Monica’s button nose. Instead, I fluttered my lashes and held my head
high. “No, Monica. Only your daddy would accomplish such a task by hand. I got
this as a gift.”
Monica’s face reddened. I could almost see smoke whistling
from her ears as her mind spun fast, trying to outwit me. Regardless of her
standing as Landon’s golden girl, my wit sparked of amber and sapphire. Monica’s
smoldered like a windblown matchstick. I shared a subtle grin of satisfaction
on my way out the door to the hallway.
Had my daddy lived he would have spoiled me the same as
Monica’s daddy, probably even more. I missed our old house. I missed the hidden
corners and secret places I’d disappear to when I yearned for privacy. I missed
the peach tree that sprawled across our front lawn. It stood so tall that in
full summer, I could reach outside my bedroom window and grab a peach right
from the branch.
After Mama ran out of Daddy’s insurance money, we had no
choice but to leave our beautiful home and move to Woodlane Trailer Park on the
other side of Landon. It was painful for everyone. Becoming the only male in
the house and changing schools hurt Luke even more. Luke wanted to leave
school, but I saw school as an escape. I was lucky to remain in the same high
school. Even though Monica graced the hallways of Landon High, I refused to let
her ruin my only happiness. School helped me in many ways. Not only because I
loved to learn, but because of Mattéo Santoro.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Bio and Links:
Wendy Lynn
Decker has lived in thirteen different towns in the state of New Jersey. Now,
she lives a bike ride away from the ocean and her favorite restaurant. She is
the author of the middle-grade chapter book, THE BEDAZZLING BOWL, which is the
first book intended for a series.
Find her
here:
WendyDecker19
- http://www.twitter.com/wendydecker19
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wendy will be
awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the
tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you
comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, and choosing that particular excerpt.
ReplyDeleteAlways happy to help out an author!
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