Book ? What book ?

Yes. I am still working on my book. First draft done. First revision in progress. I started it almost one year ago, in early October 2009. I wrote as able. Some weeks I wrote quite a bit. Other weeks not at all. My mistake was writing AFTER I had done other tasks instead of keeping it a priority. No more. My goal is to work on it every day until the first revision is complete. Then the hard work of finding an agent, a publisher, an editor, a fairy godmother will begin. (Probably not in that order) To keep me motivated I am publishing here for the first time a very small excerpt from my novel. Your thoughts, opinions are very welcome. If I am going to send it out to publishers in the near future I better start working on my thick skin now.


Joey Lowry was running around the far side of his house planning to hide from his new friends, when he heard the neighbors baby crying. He looked around and saw Clares' parents in his back yard. They were sitting in lawn chairs , surrounded by the majority of the neighborhood, eating the burgers and potato salad his parents had made for the block party. The baby's cries got louder. Having been at the Sullivans so much lately he felt comfortable going into their home.  As he entered the kitchen Clare's cries escalated. Joey covered his ears but continued walking towards the babies room. He liked little Clare with her pale pink face and her tiny fingers. He especially liked the way she would wrap her fingers around his. It made him feel big and he always wanted to be a big brother. On rare occasions he could make Clare stop crying by making goofy noises and funny faces but most of the time she just cried anyway. He asked his mother for a baby sister like Clare but she said it was too late for that. Joey didn't understand what being late had to do with him getting a baby sister.





He continued to walk down the hall of the modest track home and into Clare's room. She was lying face down in her crib, hands clenched tight., her neck and ears bright red with the effort she was making to lift her head off the mattress. He reached through the wooden crib bars and patted her diapered bottom like he had seen Clare's mother do. The two month old infant continued to scream. He turned around and walked back into the hall, "Mrs Sullivan ! Mrs Sullivan, your baby is crying !" He waited but no one answered so he walked back into Clare's room. He felt so sorry for her. She was so sad and crying so hard. Then Joey had an idea. He could bring the baby to its mother ! He tried to reach over the crib but his arms were too short, so he pulled a chair up close to her . He climbed up on it , reached into the crib and pulled Clare out. He struggled with her weight and almost dropped her. He readjusted her on his shoulder and then carefully climbed off the chair. The baby, frightened with the recent rough movements of the well intentioned five year old, reached a fever pitch with her screams.

He walked out of the room and down the hall with her. When he got into the kitchen he started running. He had to get this baby to its mommy now ! As he came through the kitchen his foot caught on one of the legs of the kitchen table causing him to lose his balance. The kindergartner held tight to Clare trying very hard not to drop her but he was too far off balance, he fell forward with Clare still in his arms. He hit the kitchen floor hard and Clare rolled out of his grasp. Even though he had the wind knocked out of him he tried desperately to reach her, to pull her back to him but she was out of his reach . Clares little body rolled over once completely and then she disappeared, tumbling down the narrow steps leading to the basement. She rolled over and over down the wooden steps, arms and legs flailing, stopping only when her fragile head connected with the ungiving concrete basement floor. Her crying abruptly stopped.