Anita Birt's Note Book

Here is how my book, "MARRYING THE BOSS"  starts. Copy right Anita Birt, 2013

Chapter One:

"Of course, you will accept."

Alex Rutherford's proposal shocked Suzanne into numbed silence. Did he really expect her to jump at the chance to marry him and receive generous compensation for the months spent as his wife?

Months doing what?

Where? In his bed?

Not this side of heaven.

His offer had come out of the blue. No warm-up. No hint he had plans for her future after the marriage. Or his. Nothing.

He smiled, tipped back in chair and clasped his hands behind his head as confident as a prince expecting a favorable reply fro a lowly employee.

Had he been working too hard after taking over as CEO? Stressed out? Cracking up? It happens. His bizarre proposal alarmed her. When she refused his offer he might become very angry

Flight or Fight?

Fight with her boss? Verbal or hand-to-hand combat. Too risky without a black belt in Judo or karate which she didn't have

Get out now while he smiled benignly. A wolfish benign smile.

She gripped the padded arms of her chair chair, pressed her sandaled feet on the carpet and pushed away from his desk. She'd escape to the outer office. The staff would protect her.

Legs shaking, her mouth dry, she stood, calmed her fears and retreated. Not too fast. Not too slow. Don't alarm him.

She reached the door. "Thank you for considering me for the position but I must decline." She seized the door knob.

"Please stop." No longer smiling he remained coolly impassive behind his desk.

Suzanne faced him bravely and instantly lowered her gaze. Eye contact might anger him. A mountain guide had warned her about animals, especially grizzly bears. Meet one on a trail, do two things. Avoid eye contact. Act submissive. And hope to God the bear would get the message.

Why was she thinking wild animals? Her deluded boss wasn't an angry bear but the same rules applied.

She hunched her shoulders, slumped slightly, a timid humble employee retreating gracefully. "Please excuse me." She risked a quick glance at there employer. "Mr. Rutherford, I must return to my office. I'm expecting an important call from New York."

"I'm surprised you have made such a hasty decision without thinking through the advantages I've presented."

THAT'S THE FIRST PAGE.
What do you think? Would you read on? Comments please.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Anita Birt's Note Book

Southern Vancouver Island has been hit with a low pressure area surging in from the west bringing with it 80 klm winds and rain. I did not try to go outside fearing the worst. A tumble. Blown into the raging sea. Bloody awful weather. But there are daffodils blooming alongside the bushes across the way. A sign of spring?

I have over 17,000 words in the first draft of my book. A third of the way for a decent sized mystery. I still don't know who the bad guys are yet. They will reveal themselves soon . Did I tell you I can't plot. Doesn't work for me as it does for most writers. Also I work without music playing in the back ground. Music distracts me. I have to listen to it and my writing brain shuts down. It takes all kinds.

I've heard about a new E-publisher in the States, www.entangledpublishing.com I think that's the correct name. I have several romance novels never sent out and may send them to this new e-pub. It'd be worth a try.

I mus return to The Stardust Revolution. It's beautifully written by Jacob Berkowitz and has intense reporting of the men and women studying the stars. It boggles my mind to know that I am made of elements created in the stars. Stardust sounds good to me. Imagine spending your working life eyes on the heavens. I feel privileged to read about them.

So much for stardust. Back to writing or thinking or taking a break and reading. Does anyone out there write?  Does someone out there write fiction? Poetry. Short stories. Mystery. Romance.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Anita Birt's Note Book

My web browser crashed two days ago. I called in a technician who could not fix the problem on site so away went my computer for 24 hours. Everything I have written from day one is on my computer so it was kind of terrifying to see it leave my home.

I didn't know what to do with myself without my trusty computer. I am writing an interesting mystery and was itching to get back to it. It's late afternoon now so I shall return to my story after dinner.


As I mentioned in a previous post I wrote a children's story, The Misadventure of Tilly, a Swan and am going to continue Tilly's adventures possibly between chapters of my mystery. It's not a series but Tilly would be a series, that's where I am at to-day planning ahead and looking forward to writing and writing.

It's like an addiction! Good for my soul and not for my body. It needs exercise. We are having the most awful gale force winds hammering the island, sometimes with rain to beat against my window. Not walking weather, for sure.

Anit
www.anitabirt.com

Anita Birt's Note Boook

I sometimes think there's a gremlin living with me when something odd happens. I have a messy desk beside my computer. I pile papers and stuff there  intending to sort it out, but the day never seems to come. Two days ago a picture of me printed off my computer turned up. Not a present day photo, a picture of me when I was eight years old. I am dressed in my fairy costume. All white frilly dress with a hat to match. I am holding up my wand and, I am sure I was reciting.

Even at eight I was a bit of a ham. I have mostly grown out of it. This what I loved to recite.

 "There are fairies at the bottom of our garden. The are not so very,very far away. You pass the garden shed and go on straight ahead ...The next lines escape me. Perhaps I missed a word or two. I remember reciting it a church functions, i.e. Thanksgiving suppers and the like.

The gremlin slid my picture from under the mess on my desk. Cute, I thought, and keep it right where I can see it. On each of my wrists I can see the silver bracelets my mother brought for me when we visited St. Vincent, in the Caribbean when I was six.

I still have the bracelets and wear them on my right wrist. A reminder of a long ago time when the world was a lot safer than it is now and my life was good.

Anita
www.anmitabirt.com

Anita Birt's Note Book

I slung my binoculars over my shoulder when I want out for my walk by the sea yesterday. The tide was way out and a long flat rock was visible, something rather larger than gulls or ducks was on the rock.  An eagle was sitting there! Not doing anything. Not fishing that I could see.

I walked on, as I returned the eagle was still there. Suddenly it flew. Seeing an eagle on the wing is to see magnificence in action. We have eagles nesting not too far away but I rarely see them that close. I was thrilled. I also saw a tiny hummer perched on the twig where I often see it. Anna's hummers winter here - don't ask! If I could fly I'd head south. They nest and raise their young here and take off in April/May and go south following the flowers blooming along the way.

One huge eagle. One tiny hummer. Made my day.

My book is coming along. I haven't a clue where it's going. A mystery is developing. No murders or nasty stuff like that, a gentle kind of story with a few not so nice characters to spice it up.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com