Author Guest Blog by Forbes Amone
A lot of people ask me where I find inspiration. My true
belief is fiction contains a fair amount of truth. In my books, the stories are
always based around a real life experience of mine. I like to take on complete
memory and work it into my stories then add in a few other elements. In, In My
Mother’s Footsteps, like Anela, I lived in Sausalito, California for a short
time and traveled to Oahu, Hawaii. The sightseeing Anela did resulted from some
of my family’s favorite places to visit. I like to put just a little bit of
myself into every story. Just like in
this scene, Anela and her love interest, Christian, went to our favorite shrimp
truck in the North Shore.
We drove in comfortable silence until we arrived
at Giovanni's Shrimp truck.
Parked in the middle of what looked like the front
yard of somebody’s home and surrounded by several plumeria trees, sat the food
truck. The shock of it being an actual automobile and the instantaneous doubt
of the quality of food they served diminished at the number of people waiting
in line. The ones that weren't in line were signing their names all over the
truck.
How exciting!
What surprised me even more was that the crowds
gathered there to eat weren’t just tourists, there were tons of locals.
“Have you eaten here before?” I asked as we walked
toward the truck.
“All the time. It's delicious, but I must warn you,
it's not conducive for kissing.” Christian laughed and gestured toward the
picnic tables. It was a good look on him. “Go find us a seat and I'll get the
food.”
I found one of the only empty tables under the
shade of a beautiful plumeria tree and watched as Christian made his way
through the line to order our food. Stuffing our soda cans into the front pockets
of his shorts, he carried our plates of food over to the table. The scent of
garlic wafted through the air when he placed everything on the table. It
smelled so good.
“Thank you,” I said with a big smile.
“You're welcome.”
My plate was filled with a mound of rice, covered
in shrimp, and all of it smothered in a garlic sauce. Christian brought a few
extra paper plates to house the shrimp shells as we removed them. It was a
messy affair, but one that proved to be worth it. The food was delicious. I
moaned in delight as the buttery garlic touched my tongue and licked my fingers
without shame.
“Oh my god, this is so good!” I exclaimed, humming
in delight.
Christian shook his head with a slight chuckle,
but seemed to enjoy it just as much as me.
“We
are going to stink after this,” I snickered with a finger in my mouth.
Blurb
Anela
Alborn’s life is a lie. After growing up without the love of a father, her
mother reveals his identity. Tragedy strikes and she sets off on an adventure
that leads to more than she could ever imagine. Bumping into Christian Sivers
distracts her from the real man of her dreams, her father. Will he live up to
her dreams? And does she follow in her mother’s footsteps?Excerpt
My brown,
wooden, antiquated cottage sat on top of a hill in Sausalito. The shingles were
bleached out from exposure to the sun’s rays. A beautiful, naturally-worn deck
wound around the small chalet and gave me one of the best views in town. The
bold, red peaks of the Golden Gate Bridge were visible through the light haze
of fog over the ocean. With the hot sun working overtime to clear the sky, the
fog always seemed to linger around the tops of the bridge. To my left, I could
look down and see the rocky shore that the tourists often frequented. The slick
brown and black seals liked to sunbathe on the boulders at the water’s edge.
People would gather to take pictures or have lunch in one of the quaint
restaurants that overlooked the choppy, aqua-blue ocean.
I had grown up
in Sausalito my entire life. With the exception of when I went to Berkley, I
hadn’t adventured into the city much. Sometimes, I'd take the ferry to Angel
Island with my mountain bike and take leisurely rides or run the hills. I
hadn't done that since I ran out of my mother's house, either.
Now that I had
packed up all of her belongings — with the exception a few things I wanted to
keep — I was exhausted. As I sat on the deck of my small cottage and stared out
into the vast ocean, I felt anxious about the file that sat on my lap. Lennie
had given it to me at his office three days before and I had yet to open it.
The fear at what I'd find seeped in and turned my stomach.
Focusing my
attention, I looked down at the folder and decided the time had come to face
whatever was inside. My hands trembled as I lifted the two metal prongs and
opened the flap. I tipped the folder upside down to empty the contents, finding
the usual white sheets of paper that were full of legal jargon. How I wished I
didn't know what they meant. Sifting through it all, I found a copy of the deed
to the house, which stated that it had been transferred to my name. Also, there
was the pink slip to my mother's car to be filled out and mailed to the
Department of Motor Vehicles, and a small envelope with my mother's messy,
artsy script on the front. One word had been written on it: Anela.
Author Bio--
Jennifer
Garcia’s (aka Forbes Arnone) love of travel began when she traveled to the West
Coast to visit her father at the age of three. Her home until she was sixteen
was a small coastal town near Boston. She currently resides in Los Angeles with
her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Her
lifelong love for reading and writing was put aside for many years while she
made her way in the world and nurtured her young family. Even though she is
older, and life never seems to settle, she’s finding her way while attending
college full-time in pursuit of a B.A. in English Literature. She also runs a
business, and is still caring for her family. Believing she can do it all, with
the help of her family, she worked on her first novel during the late hours of
the night while balancing the rest of her life during the day. Her hard work
paid off, as her first novel, My Mr. Manny, will be published August 2013.
Find
Jennifer on:
Buy Link
Thank you so much for hosting me. :)
ReplyDeletelooks like such an interesting book. Can't wait to add it to my to read list. I love that you leave a part of yourself with your books.
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