If you've read the first book, you know it's about a localized version of The Bachelor TV show. One man chooses from a pool of women. And plenty goes wrong. In the second book, Dandelions on the Road, the tables turn and a woman does the choosing. The woman in charge is someone who came close to getting the guy in the first book, but lost out in the end. The third book will be a wedding. That's all I'll say. :)
I'm happy to announce that the second book in the dandelion series is completed. I have been going back through and editing it and I will continue to do so. It's in a "needs to sit" stage right now before I go back through again. In hopes that I see things I didn't before. I am eyeing an early winter release date, but we'll see on that as well.
In order to bring you into my process and give you a sneak peak at my current work in progress, here's part of the first chapter of "Dandelions on the Road." Please let me know what you think!
CHAPTER ONE
“Daisies are my favorite flower.” Eva Merida smiled into the bright light of the camera.
An exasperated sigh sounded from the other side of the darkness. “The show is about dandelions. You’ll be handing out weeds not flowers.”
Eva shifted in the chair. The producer wasn’t a patient man, but he needed to ask better questions if he wanted her to give certain answers. He asked about flower preference and she told him the truth.
“Okay,” Mike the producer spoke again, this time from the side of the camera where she could see half of his outline. “Tell us what you like about dandelions.”
“Dandelions.” Eva pasted a smile onto her face. Her cheeks hurt. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into when she agreed to be the Bachelorette on the local show Accept this Dandelion. Granted, she appeared on the first season of the show, but she was one of many girls then. This time, she was alone and there was a lot more pressure. And the men hadn’t even been chosen yet. “I like the idea behind dandelions. Technically, they’re weeds. But the grow fast and spread furiously and no matter how hard you try, there’s no stopping them. It’s what I want from love.”
Mike scoffed. “That’ll work.”
As his shoes squeaked against the studio floor, Eva watched his outline fade into the dark background before she stood. He must be done with her. What a rude man. She didn’t remember him being that abrupt when she taped Accept this Dandelion before. Of course, her judgment was more than a bit clouded by Ben McConnell, the bachelor the show revolved around. Eva really believed he could make her happy. But she came in third on the show. And in a way, she was glad. Ben ended up with Renee and they were a match made in heaven. Eva and Renee became close on the show and had stayed in contact ever since. Renee was a good friend and she deserved the happiness she found with Ben.
Eva hoped she could find the same kind of love on the show. The odds were good. She’d have twelve potential suitors. Surely one of them would be “the one.”
She approached the nearby camera operator. “Need anything else?”
The man stuffed the remainder of a Pop Tart into his mouth and brushed the crumbs from his fingers. “Don’t think so.” Eva winced as Pop Tart crumbs flew from his lips. She smiled and turned on her heel, removing the battery pack from the back of her skirt and unthreading the microphone from her shirt.
Microphones were a pain, but she was used to messing with them. One of the blessings that came from being on Accept this Dandelion, the local version of The Bachelor, was the new job she got because of her appearance on the show. Eva had worked for Furry Friends Rescue League for years. But once her employer saw her on television, she knew Eva was a good fit for the new spokesperson position they were creating.
Eva loved her job. She got to travel the city on a weekly basis, carting along one furry animal or another. She would show them off on TV news shows, radio programs, and to local papers. There were a lot of other elements involved with her position, but spending time with the animals and helping them find good homes was her favorite part. The animals she took on the air right there at KETO always got placed into a home the same day.
Eva enjoyed her life. She had the job of her dreams, good friends, and a solid family. She was only missing one thing. Someone to share it with. She hoped and prayed that she would find that person on the other side of a dandelion.