Mimi Bishop found the man of
her dreams when she met Vance Ashcroft in a chance encounter. During their
whirlwind courtship, they learn they share a sparkling and dynamic chemistry,
filled with humor, happiness and steamy sensuality. Their relationship is effortless
and blossoms into a passionate love. Soon Mimi is living her happily ever after
with Vance as his wife until his behavior mysteriously begins to change. Vance
grows cold, then hostile, finally becoming violent one fateful night. Her
perfect life and heart shattered, Mimi attempts to move on to a life without
Vance. Powerful memories of their love haunt her, making it almost impossible
to heal and become whole again. Just when Mimi thinks she can finally put the
past behind her, she learns a devastating secret about Vance that threatens to
shatter her forever. **This book contains graphic material not intended for
readers under 18 years of age.**
A tingling sensation began
at the back of my neck and moved to encompass my entire scalp, culminating in a
ringing in my ears as I turned to see a very tall, very handsome man, about
thirty years old, standing over me, smiling. He had a dark mop of
hair, somewhere between dark brown and black (I wasn't sure which, but would
have been thrilled to get up close and personal, running my fingers through it
to make a well-informed determination). He had thickly lashed blue
eyes, the kind that seem to glow when the light hit them just right, just as
they were doing at that moment. He also had those high cheekbones
that all demi-gods have, and full sensuous lips I imagined would have been at
home on just about any inch of my skin, surrounded by just the right amount of
scruff. He also had what my mom would have called a Pepsodent smile,
probably the product of years of orthodontic work (which, somewhere in the back
of my mind, I felt was reassuring; perhaps he wasn't actually born completely
perfect).
All that was missing from the picture was a halo, a sunbeam and a pair of white wings. Perhaps also a bare, oiled chest and a white drapey covering over his hips, but who was I to be so choosy when I already had this Adonis speaking to me. Being the extremely cool and confident young woman I was, I'm sure I gave him a slightly deranged looking smile in response.
“Uhhh.... leaving home, actually. Short trip to New York. Going to visit an old childhood friend,” I said with all the wit and brilliance of a canned ham. Undaunted by my own awkwardness I blundered forward. “How about you? Leaving L.A. after working on your tan?” I said with what I hoped was a saucy wink, but probably looked more like a nervous tic.
He laughed outright (to my great relief) and shook his head. “Nope. I’m leaving home just like you. I'm also headed to New York.” The line inched ahead again, and we moved forward with it.
“Wow, that's a coincidence,” I said. “Business or pleasure?” That sounded like a fairly normal question a fairly normal person would ask, I told myself. I cleared my throat and stood a little straighter, hoping it wasn't too late to salvage my image.
“It’s a business trip, but I’ll be there a couple of weeks so I’m hoping to fit in some fun while I’m there.” His eyes lit up a little. “I love the city, you know? If it were all work... well that would just suck. I want to do it all, take in the sights, see the shows, eat the food, and watch the people...” He looked at me sheepishly. “I suppose that's expecting a little too much for a work trip though. They're paying me to actually get a job done.”
“They must be some crazy bastards to bring you to a place like that then expecting you to work around the clock for two weeks straight, resisting the temptations of New York. What nerve.” I said, shaking my head in mock disgust.
“It could be worse, I guess. They could be sending me somewhere in Kansas.”
“Ah, but then you could visit the world's biggest ball of twine.” I offered earnestly.
He looked at me skeptically. “I'm think I'm afraid to ask how you know that.”
“Sadly, I'm filled with a million useless facts. The good news is I'm a great partner for Trivial Pursuit.”
“I didn't know that game was played with a partner,” he said.
“Err...well that's usually the only way anyone will play with me,” I said looking at my feet.
He laughed silently for a moment, one hand pressed against his mid-section, which appeared to be extremely taut beneath his tight black t-shirt. Although it was probably a very bad idea, given my already embarrassingly strong physical attraction to the man, I took a moment to look over his lean physique. His shoulders were broad and muscular and his pectorals were clearly defined beneath the cotton clinging to his form. His chest tapered to a trim waist, and his faded denim jeans were slung low on his hips. A pair of scuffed black boots completed his look. I wondered what he really did for a living, because all he needed was a leather jacket, and I could easily imagine him on a motorcycle riding from town to town doing odd jobs for pocket money.
All that was missing from the picture was a halo, a sunbeam and a pair of white wings. Perhaps also a bare, oiled chest and a white drapey covering over his hips, but who was I to be so choosy when I already had this Adonis speaking to me. Being the extremely cool and confident young woman I was, I'm sure I gave him a slightly deranged looking smile in response.
“Uhhh.... leaving home, actually. Short trip to New York. Going to visit an old childhood friend,” I said with all the wit and brilliance of a canned ham. Undaunted by my own awkwardness I blundered forward. “How about you? Leaving L.A. after working on your tan?” I said with what I hoped was a saucy wink, but probably looked more like a nervous tic.
He laughed outright (to my great relief) and shook his head. “Nope. I’m leaving home just like you. I'm also headed to New York.” The line inched ahead again, and we moved forward with it.
“Wow, that's a coincidence,” I said. “Business or pleasure?” That sounded like a fairly normal question a fairly normal person would ask, I told myself. I cleared my throat and stood a little straighter, hoping it wasn't too late to salvage my image.
“It’s a business trip, but I’ll be there a couple of weeks so I’m hoping to fit in some fun while I’m there.” His eyes lit up a little. “I love the city, you know? If it were all work... well that would just suck. I want to do it all, take in the sights, see the shows, eat the food, and watch the people...” He looked at me sheepishly. “I suppose that's expecting a little too much for a work trip though. They're paying me to actually get a job done.”
“They must be some crazy bastards to bring you to a place like that then expecting you to work around the clock for two weeks straight, resisting the temptations of New York. What nerve.” I said, shaking my head in mock disgust.
“It could be worse, I guess. They could be sending me somewhere in Kansas.”
“Ah, but then you could visit the world's biggest ball of twine.” I offered earnestly.
He looked at me skeptically. “I'm think I'm afraid to ask how you know that.”
“Sadly, I'm filled with a million useless facts. The good news is I'm a great partner for Trivial Pursuit.”
“I didn't know that game was played with a partner,” he said.
“Err...well that's usually the only way anyone will play with me,” I said looking at my feet.
He laughed silently for a moment, one hand pressed against his mid-section, which appeared to be extremely taut beneath his tight black t-shirt. Although it was probably a very bad idea, given my already embarrassingly strong physical attraction to the man, I took a moment to look over his lean physique. His shoulders were broad and muscular and his pectorals were clearly defined beneath the cotton clinging to his form. His chest tapered to a trim waist, and his faded denim jeans were slung low on his hips. A pair of scuffed black boots completed his look. I wondered what he really did for a living, because all he needed was a leather jacket, and I could easily imagine him on a motorcycle riding from town to town doing odd jobs for pocket money.
I am a native Angeleno,
specifically an original valley girl. (Cue Frank Zappa music). I am
a self-professed bibliophile, with a Kindle library larger than Imelda Marcos'
closet. I have also been writing since I was old enough to form letters
when someone shoved a crayon into my tiny little fist as a toddler. Those
letters eventually became sentences, and those sentences eventually turned into
stories. It took a long time before I was able to turn those stories into
something I felt was worthy of sharing with the world, but finally here we
are. I hope that you agree.
As for the rest of me, I'm a 40-something (no, I'm not going to tell you how many somethings follow the 40) mother of three who has been married to my husband for 14 years. We live in a small enclave just north of Los Angeles with my aunt, Nickii Fowler, who is also an author. (Check out her work! https://nickiifowler.weebly.com).
Shattered Perfection is my debut novel. The original draft was written over a three week period in October/November 2014. It "marinated" on my hard drive until February 2015, when a good friend and fellow author, Nick Marsh, begged to read it. I was completely against the idea, but being the persuasive and amazingly handsome fellow he is, he was impossible to resist. (He paid me to say that last part).
After far less rewriting and editing than I imagined would be necessary, I am now able to share with you a story that I hope will make you laugh, cry and ultimately feel as though you have loved right along with Mimi and Vance.
As for the rest of me, I'm a 40-something (no, I'm not going to tell you how many somethings follow the 40) mother of three who has been married to my husband for 14 years. We live in a small enclave just north of Los Angeles with my aunt, Nickii Fowler, who is also an author. (Check out her work! https://nickiifowler.weebly.com).
Shattered Perfection is my debut novel. The original draft was written over a three week period in October/November 2014. It "marinated" on my hard drive until February 2015, when a good friend and fellow author, Nick Marsh, begged to read it. I was completely against the idea, but being the persuasive and amazingly handsome fellow he is, he was impossible to resist. (He paid me to say that last part).
After far less rewriting and editing than I imagined would be necessary, I am now able to share with you a story that I hope will make you laugh, cry and ultimately feel as though you have loved right along with Mimi and Vance.
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