Pieces of Me

During the time I was re-writing Madalynne & Parker, I began work on a new novel titled 'Pieces of Me'. I had read this book by a YA adult author by the name of Cheryl Klam called The Pretty One. 

Here is the description of Amazon if you want to check it out for yourself:
All Megan Fletcher had wanted was to be like her sister Lucy: a beautiful, thin girl whom everyone at the Chesapeake School for Performing Arts worshipped and adored. While Lucy was a star actress with lots of fans, Megan had always been hiding behind the set designs that she and her best friend Simon had created, hoping that no one would notice her. And then one day, life as Megan knew it had changed forever. Megan was in an accident that disfigured her face and plastic surgeons had to
restructure it very carefully. Only no one would have thought that when the bandages came off, Megan would be even more beautiful than Lucy . . .

It's really unfortunate it only has eight reviews on Amazon, because I adored it. The writing was easy to follow and I became invested with the characters and plot. It was one of the first books in a long time, I thought about when I wasn't reading it and spent all my time apart from it wanting to be back together, reading it again. I had to know what happened to Megan. I think it's because I could relate to Megan, being a bigger girl all of my life. 

All the novels I have ever written have always had stunning protagonists, I would write descriptions of these girls based off of what I wished I looked like. Understanding that people can fall in love with anyone no matter their shape or size was really what I liked about the underlying tones...but in The Pretty One, that's not necessarily what happens. They all fall over her after she has constructive surgery and is suddenly "beautiful" and not ordinary any longer.

The really cool thing about 'Pieces of Me' is I have incorporated my real life lyrics into each chapter of the novel. And it flows amazingly well. Each novel I write has instances of my life or what I wish my life was like. Hence, the lyrics and band in the novel. 

I have written over 16,000 words so far, but still have at least 24,000 to go. I had stopped writing 'Pieces of Me' abruptly when I had my dream that spawned my 'Reality Squared' idea.  Last night however I revisited POM and found that it really had promise and made me excited for the time I will be able to spend finishing it.

Check out the cool new prologue I wrote for it:

Prologue

Ordinarily, she would be far from my radar…but there was something behind those enchanting brown eyes that drew me in, kept me coming back for more. I felt her sadness, her sorrow, her pain. All I wanted to do with every inch of my being was make her feel wanted, loved. But something was holding me back, pinning me in place, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to confront that truth just yet. I cared far too much about my peers’ opinions to risk it all blindly. But Peyton was all I had been fantasizing about since we crossed paths, my yearning for her almost too much to bare; I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand to be apart.

It is written in the POV of the character she will end up with. But that will not be revealed until the end of the novel itself. The rest of the novel is completely in Peyton's POV. 

Check out one more excerpt:

                We were seated on the couch in his hotel, close enough to touch, but far enough away to be appropriate in any situation. I was wiping away tears in the corner of my eyes from laughing so hard at something Colton had said, when he changed everything. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” He asked out of nowhere, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

                I was suddenly aware I was shaking, uncontrollably. It was an uncomfortable sight, so I got up suddenly and retreated to an adjacent wall, which I leaned upon. I couldn’t even look at him. No one had ever called me beautiful other than my parents; it had to be too good to be true. He obviously felt the awkward tension and didn’t waste any time addressing it. “Hey, are you okay?” He asked, as he rose and started slowly coming towards me.

                My heart was beating faster and harder with each step he took forward. I couldn’t remember how to breathe. I was pretty sure I was going to faint, but was surprised to see I was still alert when he finally made his way to me. “Hey,” He touched my cheek softly, “What’s wrong?”

                I couldn’t look him in the eyes with such an embarrassing confession, so I did my best to look away. “No one has told me that before.”

                “What? That you’re beautiful?” And suddenly something seemed to click for him. I saw pain in his eyes, the realization finally making its appearance. “You are beautiful Peyton,” He looked down into my eyes for a long time, willing me to believe him, willing me to see what he saw.

                I was still shaking, butterflies attacking my insides, and still having trouble breathing, when Colton gently caressed my cheek with his hand. I knew, this was the moment I had been waiting all my life for; my first kiss. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips against mine. Volts of electricity were shooting through my entire body, out through my fingertips, my toes, even my nose. With each brush of our lips, the magic increased. It began with slow, delicate kisses, and then before I knew it, they were hard, passionate kisses. Colton pressed me up against the wall, continuing to kiss me, but I felt his hands grace my hips and stomach. He was pulling me into his kisses, he was leaving me breathless. Before I knew it, he had my arms pinned against the wall over my head, and he was exploring my body with his mouth, my lips, my cheek, my neck, my ear, I could hardly bare it. I was fully aware I was moaning, but I didn’t care, this felt good.