I is for Interacting [with fans]

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited my H is for Hormones post yesterday.

Today, for letter I, I have another deleted scene form All It Takes. This time from chapter two, where Kian runs into a young fan at the park. Enjoy ... 

A thud against the bench brought my attention back to the par, and I saw a young boy running towards the ball he’d just kicked in my direction.

“Sorry,” he said, picking up the ball. His eyes locked onto mine, and recognition passed over his face. “You’re Kian Murphy, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t you a little young to be watching MMA fights?” He only looked about ten.

“That’s what Mum said, but Dad still took me to your last match. You know, the one when you beat David Prince for the championship? It was epic. When I grow up, I wanna be just like you.”

Plenty of people told me I was good. That I deserved to be champion. This was the first person to ever say they wanted to be like me. It was Browne who got all the attention from fans. Trying to think what he’d do in a situation like this, I remembered the time we’d ran into some fans on a night out. Rather than being pissed off they’d interrupted us, he’d happily posed for pictures and signed things for them.

“Hey kid, do you want me to sign something for you? And does your mum or dad have their mobile with them? Maybe we could take a picture together.”

“Dad’s pushing my little sister on the swings. I’ll get him.”

The boy rushed off with the ball tucked under one arm, as I tried to think what I could sign for him. I didn’t have anything on me, but was sure they’d be some promotional pictures back at the gym.

As I waited for the boy and his family to return, I sent a text to Davi, letting him know what was going on, and not to start laying into me when I came back.

I slipped my phone in my pocket, as the boy came running up to me, his father trailing behind carrying a little girl in his arms.

“I didn’t believe Jack when he told me,” the dad said when he reached us.

I laughed. “Yeah, I bet. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m Joel, you’ve already met Jack, and this little lady is Abigail.”

 “Jack mentioned you and him are fans.”

“Yeah, we were there for your match against Prince. Congratulations, man.”

“Thanks. So do you wanna head over to the gym? I can sign some stuff for you and you can get some pictures.”

Jack started dancing around his dad’s legs. “Can we Dad? Can we?”
“Are you sure it’s not an imposition?” Joel asked.

“Not at all.” I gave him a genuine smile.

This was the first young fan I’d interacted with. Now and again, I got a guy in a pub wanting to buy me a drink, but I’d never experienced anything like this. Suddenly, I was taken back to my own childhood, when Dad has taken me to his gym.

Thanks for reading. If you're interested in reading All It Takes, it can be found at claredugmore.com 

And for anyone interested in an A-Z Challenge based on the literary world, with writing, marketing and publishing tips etc. head on over to Curiosity Quills Press. Today I'm blogging about writing in first person!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for J is for Josh Browne. 

Until next time,

G is for Grandparents

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited my F is for Fuck Up post on yesterday!

Today, for letter G, I have Megan and Kian's parents' reactions to the news they're going to become grandparents. Enjoy ... 

Megan

“Okay, the thing I'm about to say, well, it's kind of a big deal, so I don't want you freaking out or anything, all right? Just let me tell you, and then take a few days to digest the news.”
Mum and Dad nodded mutely, utterly bewildered at what was going on.
I let out a long breath and the sentence tumbled from my mouth all at once. “I'm-pregnant-and-I'm-keeping-the-baby.”
Dad's eyes grew as wide as saucers, then he gave a deep sigh.
“You're pregnant?” Mum said.
“Yeah, I saw my doctor today, and he confirmed it. I'm about eight weeks along.”
“And what about the father? Who is he? Because I didn't even know you were dating anyone,” Dad said.
“That's because I'm not. I met him when I was out with Stacey one night. He offered me a ride home, and well, you know ...”
“Oh, Meg, what were you thinking? Didn't it cross your mind that you could end up with a STD?”
I looked to the floor, the disappointment in Mum’s voice making it impossible for me to keep eye contact with either of them.
“I'm not stupid, but everyone makes mistakes. I admit what I did that night was stupid, but I'm dealing with the consequence now, aren't I?”
“You're dealing with the consequence by having a child out of wedlock and forgoing the career you've worked so hard for? You know, there are other options.”
“Elizabeth! Our daughter is not getting rid of or giving up our first grandchild for adoption,” Dad said, sitting bolt upright in his recliner and slamming his fist down on the end table. His reaction was a shock. I thought he was going to agree with Mum. 

Kian

“And, well, now she's pregnant, and the baby’s mine.”
As the words came out, Marie actually jumped off the couch and began laughing. Mum clutched her heart, and Dad looked like he was about to pass out.
“I want to be a part of the baby's life. I've said I'm going to stand by her and support her through the pregnancy as much as possible.”
 “Well, it's great you're taking responsibility for your actions, bro. But didn't you think before you slept with her? I mean, you could have caught all sorts of diseases or anything.” Marie was two years younger than me, and has always been the responsible one. She’d worked hard at school, got a good job and never caused our parents any problems.
“You can save the lecture, sis, Davi already gave me a good talking to when I told him.”
“And so he should, your sister is right.” Mum was quick to defend Marie. 
Like always. When we were kids, Mum always took Marie’s side over mine. I clenched my teeth and counted to five. “I haven't come here for abuse. I've come here to tell you I'm going to be a father, and ask for some advice on how to deal with it.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see Marie smirking, but I tried my best to ignore her and focused on my parents.
Dad shook his head, and heaved out a great sigh. “I’m not going to pretend I’m not disappointed, Kian. I thought all this getting into trouble nonsense was over with. But maybe you should start at the beginning. How long have you been dating this Megan girl?” 
“Actually, we never really dated. It was just a one night thing. I didn't think I'd ever hear from her again.” I sunk onto the sofa, avoiding eye contact with any of them.
“Jesus Christ, Kian, could you be any more of a prick? Women aren't toys for you to pick up and throw away as you please,” Marie said, not disguising the venom in her voice.
“Now, Marie, that's quite enough. You know better than to use language like that in my house, and please don't berate your brother.” Mum bit back with equal ferocity. “Perhaps it's best if you go and make us all some coffee?”
“Fine.” Marie huffed, flounced out of the room and stalked down the hallway to the kitchen.
“This wasn’t how I expected to find out about my first grandchild, but I’m glad you’re trying to do the right thing, and supporting this girl through the pregnancy. Do you really think moving in with a woman you hardly know is the best idea?” Mum said.
I was about to say I didn’t intend to move in with Megan, when I thought better of it, and looked to Dad for some support.
“Sheila, I don't think Kian should even be considering having anything to do with the baby, let alone moving in with the mother.”

Thanks for reading. If you're interested in reading All It Takes, it can be found at claredugmore.com 

And for anyone interested in an A-Z Challenge based on the literary world, with writing, marketing and publishing tips etc. head on over to Curiosity Quills Press. Today author Sharon Bayliss is writing about authors writing characters of a different gender from their own!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for H is for Hormones. 

Until next time,

F is for Fuck Up

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited my E is for Europe post on yesterday!

Today, for letter F, I have excerpt from chapter four of All It Takes, where Kian contemplates his parents' reaction to the news he's going to be a father. Enjoy ... 

As I drove back I kept thinking what I was going to tell my parents later. I knew how they'd react to the news I'd gotten some girl pregnant and she was keeping the baby.

Dad would shake his head, sigh, and then comment that it was another 'Kian fuck-up', just like the times I'd failed a drugs test, been fined for trashing a hotel room, and broken my collarbone by crashing a motorbike I'd rented. Mum would probably get all teary-eyed and then start planning mine and Megan's wedding – regardless of the fact weren’t even together.

I hoped they'd give me their support eventually. For once I was trying to be an adult about a situation I'd gotten myself into, and take responsibility for my actions. It wasn't every day I owned up to my mistakes, and I just prayed they'd take that into account.

Admitting my mistakes and taking responsibility for my actions seemed like a running theme recently…

Thanks for reading. If you're interested in reading All It Takes, it can be found at claredugmore.com 

And for anyone interested in an A-Z Challenge based on the literary world, with writing, marketing and publishing tips etc. head on over to Curiosity Quills Press. Today author and acquisitions editor Vicki Keire is writing about her five favourite fictional role models!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for G is for Grandparents. 

Until next time,

D is for Davi Silva

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited my C is for Change post yesterday! Hope you've enjoyed the first week of the challenge. 

Today, for letter D, I have a character profile for one of the secondary characters in All It Takes, Davi Silva ... 

 Davi Silva (45) is the owner of Silva's gym, where Kian trains. He's a former boxer, turned gym owner, who trains the MMA fighters in the area. 

He's also Kian's closest friend and confidante, and one of the few people who treats Kian fairly; he doesn't put up with his bullshit, but at the same time doesn't always expect the worst from him, either. He lets Kian get away with some of his more roguish behavior, but that just means that when Davi is being serious about something, Kian will listen. 

Davi is twice married, his second wife is Emilia is the love of his life. Although he and Emilia have no children together, Davi has two daughters from his first marriage: Catarina (18) and Bianca (16). He's a family man, and Emilia and his girls are his world. 

Thanks for reading. If you're interested in reading All It Takes, it can be found at claredugmore.com 

And for anyone interested in an A-Z Challenge based on the literary world, with writing, marketing and publishing tips etc. head on over to Curiosity Quills Press. Today author and acquisitions editor Vicki Keire is writing about Death and how NOT to kill off fictional characters. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter, and I'll see y'all on Monday for the letter E! 

Until next time,

C is for Change

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited my B is for Bill Bagley post yesterday! Hope you're all still enjoying the little glimpses into my novel.

Today, for letter C, I have an excerpt that I originally cut from chapter one. Though I like what I wrote, Hubby (who edits for me) felt it was best cut, so the chapter ends with Megan's realization she's pregnant.

So, here's Megan's initial thoughts on the life-changing news ...

I stared down at the result in my shaking hands, hardly believing it was true. It wasn't possible. 

Something like this simply couldn't happen to me. There was no way the result could be positive – for starters I hadn't been in a serious relationship for over a year.

Then I remembered that night with Kian. I hadn’t even thought about protection, let alone mentioned it. How could I have been so stupid?

My whole future was planned out ahead of me – graduate uni, travel, get a job, buy my own place, find a nice guy, get married, settle down, have kids – children weren’t on my agenda for at least another ten years!

I flung back the toilet seat and puked my breakfast into the bowl.

This changed everything.

Thanks for reading. If you want to read the whole of chapter one, it can be found here.

And if you're interested, I'm blogging for Curiosity Quills Press today, for the A-Z Challenge, with what the literary world means to me.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for D. Until next time!

B is for Bill Bagley

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and visited by A is for All It Takes: Chapter Six post yesterday! Glad you liked the quote, and find out a little about my novel.

Today, for letter B, I have an excerpt from chapter two, where main character, MMA fighter Kian Murphy meets a new fighter, Bill Bagley.

**WARNING: This post contains NSFW language.**

Enjoy ....

The new guy was Bill Bagley, former Middleweight Champion of a promotion up in Manchester who’d moved to the Midlands, because we were the best and he knew it. His first fight was in a month, and Silva wanted to whip him into shape for the main event. I hated the prick. 

“Yeah, Bagley needs to work on his ground game.” 

I gave Silva a look, but he was having none of it, and I knew I had to suck it up. Well, I wasn’t gonna make it easy on the guy. Baptism by fire was more my style. 

Stepping into the ring, I slipped in my mouth guard and focused. 

For a bigger guy Bagley was surprisingly quick on his feet. I was quicker, mind. Within a few minutes, I’d taken him down. With my legs wrapped around his to limit his movability, I synched in a loose kimura. 

“Bagley, if this was a real fight, Murphy would have you tapping by now. You’ve got to work out his weakness, and exploit it.” 

Hearing the challenge in Silva’s words, I tightened my grip. This guy was going to learn the hard way. 

Bagley struggled beneath me, but instead of focusing on the hold, the earlier conversation with Megan replayed in my mind. 

“I'm-pregnant-and-it's-your-baby.” 

All I could think about were those life-changing words, and my grip slackened. Bagley rolled over me, causing the hold to lose its pressure, clambered to his feet, and then came at me with a volley of ferocious punches. 

“Submissions specialist my arse, ya pussy.” 

Without thinking, I sprang to my feet, and lunged at him blindly. 

“The fuck did you say?” I said, pinning him against the turnbuckle with my arm to his throat. 

Bagley batted my arm away and pushed me back. “You heard me, pussy.” 

Before I knew what was happening, my fist went flying into his nose, spraying his face with blood. He fell to the ground, letting out an anger-fuelled roar. 

With one hand on his nose, and the other on the ground steadying himself, I slid under him and wrapped my legs around his mid-section again. I grabbed his arm and synched in another kimura, this time not releasing it until I heard the bone snap. 

 “Who’s the pussy now, eh bitch?” 

A pair of arms grabbed me from behind, and dragged me from Bagley as the first-aiders rushed over. In a haze, I was pulled away and shoved into a room.

For those interested, the full chapter can be found here. Please check back tomorrow for C is for Change, and don't forget Curiosity Quills Press is doing the A-Z Challenge too over on their blog!

Until next time,

2015 A-Z Challenge Theme Reveal

I’ve missed doing the A-Z Challenge. I really enjoyed the years I took part, and along with NaNoNoWriMo, it’s one of my favourite things about the writing community.

I thought this year’s challenge would be the perfect opportunity to give a little insight/ backstory for my contemporary-romance web serial All It Takes, which is currently being published online and is on chapter five.

For those who haven’t read the serial yet, it’s the perfect stepping stone, and for those who are regular readers, hopefully the A-Z Challenge will provide a little more information on Megan, Kian and their situation!

Posts will be anything from snippets and teasers, to excerpts, to character interviews, to flash-fiction pieces set, etc. in the story universe.

A-Z Schedule:

Week One: 
April 01, Wednesday – A is for All It Takes – Chapter Six
April 02, Thursday – B is for Bill Bagley
April 03, Friday – C is for Change
April 04, Saturday – D is for Davi Silva

Week Two: 
April 05, Sunday – BREAK 
April 06, Monday – E is for Europe
April 07, Tuesday – F is for Fuck Up
April 08, Wednesday – G is for Grandparents
April 09, Thursday – H is for Hormones
April 10, Friday – I is for Interacting [with fans]
April 11, Saturday – J is for Josh Browne

Week Three: 
April 12, Sunday - BREAK 
April 13, Monday – K is for Kian Murphy
April 14, Tuesday – L is for Lights, Camera, Action!
April 15, Wednesday – M is for Megan Green/ Chapter Seven
April 16, Thursday – N is for Nursery
April 17, Friday – O is for O’Neil’s
April 18, Saturday – P is for Passion

Week Four: 
April 19, Sunday – BREAK 
April 20, Monday – Q is for Questions
April 21, Tuesday - Letter R is for Ruby
April 22, Wednesday – S is for Stacey Sullivan
April 23, Thursday – T is for Teasers
April 24, Friday – U is for ultra sound scan
April 25, Saturday – V is for violence

Week Five: 
April 26, Sunday - BREAK
April 27, Monday – W is for What’s to Come
April 28, Tuesday - X is for X-Ray
April 29, Wednesday – Y is for Yelling
April 30, Thursday – Z is for TBD

And for those who’re interested, here is the synopsis for All It Takes:

All It Takes is one night to change the rest of their lives.

Graduating Uni, travelling Europe and buying her own place – these are on Megan Green’s to-do list. At just twenty-two, becoming a mother isn’t.

Fast cars, expensive clothes and bedding a different women every night – this is how Kian Murphy spends his time when not in the MMA ring. Pre-natal scans and birthing classes are not on his agenda.

After a chance meeting and passionate encounter, Megan finds herself pregnant with Kian’s child. But with a womanizing reputation, and a temper that often leads him into trouble, Kian is hardly boyfriend material, let alone father material.

Now Megan and Kian must work out if they have All It Takes to turn their one-night-stand into a relationship that will connect them for a life-time.

All It Takes is a dual-POV new-adult, serialized contemporary-romance about responsibility, love and discovering who you are in life. New chapter every other Wednesday, at claredugmore.com!­