Teasing is what Tuesdays do best

Wow... this summer is killing my blogging, isn't it? (Don't answer that. It's rhetorical.)

Well, at least I'm making it here for a Tuesday Teaser I guess. I had a monster of a migraine yesterday and we were busy with friends and family most of last week, so I wasn't even on Twitter that much. It's been a slow week.

I'm still waiting to hear back on submissions. It's surprising it's taking this long--as it seems from Query Tracker's records that most of these agents get back much sooner typically. Still, it's summer and I've heard New York shuts down in August. I've got nine subs out right now. (four are fulls, five partials) A few of the agents would have me in a heartbeat, but I'm a little more conservative on the others because I don't know as much about them. I'm still working on the "que sera sera" method of dealing with the stress. Getting published traditionally is a long shot with the odds. If it doesn't happen--after all I've done--I'm good. My family and happiness are a lot higher priorities. When you believe in the guiding hand of a higher power, it's hard to keep slamming your head against what seems to be a brick wall. Maybe it's not this way with others, but I start wondering if it just wasn't meant to be. I don't know. After the kids start school, I might reevaluate.

Anyway... here is my Tuesday Teaser from a short story called "Hot Ride" about a girl who slips into a hired car and tries to convince the driver that she's the person who hired him to drive her. He thinks she's crazy.

Here it is:

“Which brings me back to… what can I call you?” He could tell she was hoping he’d forgotten his original question.

“Ummm….”

“I know you’re not Franklin Benedict. He’s in his seventies and has gout,” Denny said helpfully.

She frowned. “Well, why are you driving me around then?”

“Because you looked pathetic and I’m a soft sell for pathetic.”

He pulled over to the side of the road.

“Do you want me to get out?” she asked, looking around.

Turning in his seat, he said, “No, you still look pathetic and that’s currency with me. Just tell me your name and where you want to go.”

“I can pay you,” she said. “That’s not why I hid in your car. Whatever your normal price is, I can pay it.”

“Your name, sweetheart,” he said firmly.

“Uhh… Jane,” she tried.

He raised his eyebrows. “Your real first name or I will drop you off here.”

She groaned and said, “Sabrina, but I can explain.”

Sabrina? “Not Sabrina MacNeal?” he asked.

She winced.

Oh hell no. He should drop her off here. How had he not recognized her?

“This had better be some explanation,” Denny stated.

“Okay, it is but, first of all, I didn’t do it,” she said.