WIP Excerpt - SOPHIE & CARTER Sequel

Every once in a while, I post an excerpt from my current Work In Progress--just to give you guys a little insight into my upcoming projects. This week's excerpt is from the sequel to Sophie & Carter.

***

“Why doesn’t Carter sleep by you?”

I open my eyes to find Chloe staring at me.

“What?” I blink.

“Why does Carter sleep on the couch every night and you sleep in here with me?”

I can’t exactly explain to a six year-old how Carter and I haven’t had sex—but we want to—but we can’t because there are five people living in this two-bedroom apartment made of paper walls which make sleeping arrangements less than ideal, so instead I smile.

“Because I like sleeping with you.” I kiss her nose.

“But isn’t Carter lonely by himself?”

Probably. I uprooted him from his whole life and now he’s working his butt off and trying to keep my spirits up as we try to run this broken home. And he’s out there sleeping on the uncomfortable couch. My heart drops.

“Don't worry about Carter. He’s a big, tough guy,” I say.

“Big people don’t get lonely?” Her little eyebrow quirks.

“Yes, baby. Everyone gets lonely sometimes. But Carter doesn’t want you to get lonely—so he sleeps out there so I can snuggle beside you.” I wiggle closer to her and poke my nose into her cheek a few times until she giggles.

“You’re silly.” She pushes my nose pack with a smile.

“I know. Now go to bed.” I kiss her forehead and close my eyes, but there’s no way I can sleep now because I’m thinking about Carter in the cold living room all by himself. I wait until Chloe’s breathing becomes even before sneaking out of bed and padding my way down the hall.

The boys’ bedroom door is open and Michael is passed out on his sheets, looking too old and big to be the little Michael I knew yesterday. Abram is asleep with his mouth hanging open. He looks older too.

Do I look older? 

I frown. Eighteen probably looks like forty on me.

I silently close their door and move through the house. Carter is on the couch, asleep with his shoes still on as the TV murmurs in the corner. I turn off the TV and pull his shoes off before unfolding the blanket at the foot of the couch and setting it over him.

His hair’s a mess but his face is peaceful and my heart clenches as I stare at my best friend. I quietly pull back the blanket and climb onto the couch with him, wanting to feel him. Wanting to remind him that he’s not alone.

I lay my body beside his, trying not to crowd him too much. I just need to be here for two minutes. Two minutes, then I’ll go back to bed with Chloe.

“Soph?” his sleepy voice cracks. Streetlights outside the window cast an orange glow on his furrowed brow and groggy eyes.

“Sorry,” I whisper. “I wasn’t trying to wake you. I just wanted to be by you.”

He pulls me against his chest, wraps me under the blanket with him, and kisses my head. “I like you by me," he whispers back.

I’m not leaving in two minutes. I might never leave at all.

Because here in Carter's arms I feel like the safest thing in the world. 

***


Thanks for reading, guys. :)  Have a great week!

DELETED SCENES from Sophie & Carter

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These deleted scenes are from the night of Sophie & Carter's high school graduation.

SOPHIE

It’s Friday afternoon and the Littles’ school carnival starts soon.  I’m officially done with high school, which puts me in a good mood.  Carter Jax loves me, which puts me in a great mood.

 

Chloe and Abram thump down the stairs dressed and excited for the carnival.  Michael trails behind them with his earphones in.  He’s not thrilled about the carnival, but he’ll go anyway.  I’m grateful for this because it makes us feel like a family.

I file everyone out the front door and lock it behind us.  We make our way over to Carter’s house and I let myself in.

Carter’s dressed and moving around quietly.  His mom must be asleep.  Carter doesn’t like to leave his mom at nighttime for more than an hour or two, so her sleeping buys him a little time.

He looks at me and smiles. “Ready?”  His smile is deep and genuine, as if there’s no painful past or crazy mom.

“Yep.”  I smile back with the same sincerity, pretending my painful past and crazy mom don‘t exist either.  We’re good for each other, me and Carter. 

Video Blog: Anew, Sophie & Carter, and More!

Who, me?

You can't see me right now, but I'm smiling so big my face hurts. Why the super-sized grin, you ask? Two reasons:

1) Vampire Diaries returns for a third season in two weeks. This is cause for celebration and completely blog-worthy. In fact, I might just do a video blog in honor of the season premiere. That's how excited I am. Does this make me obsessive? Absolutely.

Okay, reason number two....

2) Sophie & Carter has spent the last few days at the top of Amazon bestseller charts! #2 in Social Issues and #5 in Teen Love & Romance! SAY, WHAT???

My First Video Blog!

Will there be a sequel for Sophie & Carter?

Wait, does that mean strangers are reading my book?

I'm having a good day.  Partly because I spent the morning cuddled up with my babies on the couch (*love* my children).

But also because Sophie & Carter is doing much much better than I ever anticipated.

When Sophie & Carter was first published four weeks ago, I thought approximately five people would buy it (and all five people would, of course, be friends of mine) and then it would disappear into the oblivion of Amazon books.

But that hasn't happened...yet.  :)

My sales rank with Amazon started out at #60,302 out of 750,000 Kindle books.

Not bad.  :)  I was feeling victorious because my book---written by ME, a newbie author---was in the top 100,000 ebooks.  Awesome!

But this morning I checked my sales rank again and...     drum roll please.... 

Holy Tuna!

Sophie & Carter is now available on Kindle!

Click Here To Order!

I can't explain how surreal this is for me.  I've spent the last several years living in front of my Kindle, night after night, downloading new works of fiction for my brain to get lost in before I fall asleep.  I never imagined my own book would someday be in the Kindle store.

So, I feel triumphant in this.  Even if no one reads my Kindle book, I still feel triumphant. Because it's there, sitting on Amazon's electronic shelf, like it's worth reading.  And I've never been so proud.  Or terrified.

Proud, because I did something I didn't think I could do.

And terrified, because the only thought that keeps running through my head is, "Holy mackerel!  What did I just do?  I am a lunatic.  What if everyone hates it?  What if I suck?  I probably suck.  I probably suck and should never, ever try and write again.  And also, I really need to put away the pile of laundry that's been sitting on my couch for two days."

Okay, that last part, about the laundry, has nothing to do with Sophie & Carter-- but it still plagues my thoughts!  (By the way, the saying "holy mackerel" is weird, don't you think?  I might as well say, "Holy Catfish!" or "Holy Tuna!"...right?")

That's it.  It's official.  From now on I will be saying, "Holy Tuna!" at every possible opportunity.

So, anyway...here's to my book being on Kindle...

...And to laundry that folds itself.
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Wait, is that not a real thing?  Holy Tuna!

Ogres, People of Walmart, and my book trailer.

What an exciting last few months! 

I've been reading and re-reading and writing and re-writing Sophie & Carter endlessly, in the hopes that I just might be able to publish something that at least one person out there (who is not my mother or any other obligated relative--yes, relatives, you are obligated to like my writing) will enjoy.  Maybe not even enjoy...maybe just relate to...or understand...or maybe just not hate with a feverish passion.  

Really, I believe, that is my biggest goal:  NOT to evoke a mass uproar of readers who hate my story and are, therefore, picketing outside my house with cardboard signs and torches and ogres (because whenever I envision a picketing crowd, there's always an ogre in the background looming over the enraged townsfolk and drooling) while chanting a catchy mantra of dislike...and all because they didn't like my book and think I should stick to things I do better--like lying on the couch and watching reruns of Gossip Girl.  I'm very good at that.  In fact, I might just ditch this blog post right now and conjure up a dusty DVR recording of Gossip Girl Season 2.  Who's with me?

Anyway...these last few months have been crazy.  Crazy wonderful.  Crazy weird.  Crazy I'm-so-nervous-and-excited-I-can't-eat-or-sleep-so-instead-I-spend-an-unhealthy-amount-of-time-on-www.peopleofwalmart.com-because-it-makes-me-laugh-out-loud-at-3am-and-vow-never-to-wear-neon-mesh-in-public.  Yes, these months have been just plain crazy! :)  

But it has honestly been the best kind of crazy I've ever experienced.  And I hope (so so SO bad) that I continue to have the craziness of writing and re-writing and editing and publishing saturate my otherwise sleep-and-food-filled life for many years to come!

Now, onto the reason I'm posting (because I certainly had no intention of going off on a tangent about ogres or confessing my short stint as a peopleofwalmart voyer when I sat down today). 

I am proud to announce that Sophie & Carter is now officially available for pre-order on Amazon.com!  

The title will be released by July 1, 2011 and should be ready for purchase at www.barnesandnoble.com and www.ebooks.com within the next few weeks/months. 

Click here to pre-order today!

Also, I had the pleasure of working with a very talented videographer to produce the official book trailer for Sophie & Carter.  Check it out and let me know what you think. :)

by Anderson HD Photography

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello everyone and thank you for checking out my blog. :)

A short time ago I was going about my merry little life painting murals and trying to avoid housework at all costs ...when BAM! I suddenly found myself right smack dab in the middle of the exciting and nerve-racking chaos of publishing a book! And, honestly, I was kinda freaked out. :)  But now that I've had time to let it all sink in...I am totally thrilled!

My first book, Sophie & Carter, will be out this summer and I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it! I am so excited for the opportunity to share my stories with others. :)  I will be coming out with my next book (unrelated to Sophie & Carter) in early 2012.

I hope those of you who get a chance to read Sophie & Carter enjoy it. In the meantime, you can swing by my website www.chelseafinebooks.com or check me out on Twitter.

Much love to you all!

~Chelsea~