A-Z Zaftig

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

Z

Zaftig

Zaftig:
1. (of a woman) having a pleasantly plump figure.
2. full bodied; well-proportioned

I'm kind of stretching the definition here.  Zaftig implies full bodied but Tough Girl takes that a little further.  Since Reggie is more or less starving, she sees being heavy as a blessing.  She becomes fascinated with her six-hundred pound neighbor even going so far as to break in to take a peak at her naked.  The rolls of fat she sees are not grotesque, they excite her.  She'd pay anything to be as big as Mrs. Ruiz, to eat as well and as often.  She scorns her own skinny body.

This is not a body image problem.  Reggie is not judging on the basis of beauty alone.  She wants to eat.  She is as much obsessed with survival as she is with her neighbor.  To Reggie, being as thin as she is is grotesque. 

And that is my A - Z challenge. 

A-Z Youth

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

Y

YOUTH

Tough Girl is an adult novel written about an eleven year old girl. I find that age fascinating.  Middle school is one of those magical and tragic times where your body rebels, your moods swing, and you become apathetic.  In short, you're a lumpy mixture of child and adult.  You're navigating new responsibilities and starting to be faced with very adult problems.  And no one's aging at the same rate.  You may be flat chested while your best friend is curvy.  You may have sprouted a full beard while your best friend doesn't even have peach fuzz yet.  It's weird and complicated and extremely frustrating, or at least it was for me.

In trying to write about a young protagonist, I think it's important to remember how adult you felt at that age.  I never thought as myself as a little kid during those days and neither did my friends.  Our romantic relationships were real to us even if they were short lived and not very physical.  Every problem was completely immediate.  It was still easy to get lost in imagination and play but reality was becoming ever more fascinating. 

Because it's not a YA novel and because most adults prefer to read about adults, I'm not sure how large an audience Tough Girl will have.  I was cautioned against writing the book for that very reason.  But I have always wanted to write this story and to me, that's the best reason you can ever write anything. 

A-Z Xenophobia

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

X

 XENOPHOBIA

Reggie's fantasy universe has humans as the least liked, least respected species.  They've almost been annihilated several times in the history of the universe but they always bounce back.  Alien life forms joke that it's because "humans breed like cockroaches."  The humans are segregated from aliens.  They're allowed to interact but are forced to live in ghettos, cannot hold office, and most live well below the poverty line.

This is Xenophobia seen from a different perspective.  Humans are the ones being discriminated against.  No, Reggie didn't go as far as to make us pets, but I'd be surprised if she hadn't invented a world or two where that was true.

ALSO - I have lost my Blog List temporarily.  Trying to fix it desperately and add all the blogs I follow.  UGH.  Difficult.

A-Z Water

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

W

WATER

Water is featured in numerous ways in Tough Girl.  First, it's a drink.  I hope that doesn't shock anyone.  Reggie drinks warm water to fool her stomach into thinking it's full.  It's a weapon - water balloons.  It's used to clean Reggie after she's sprayed with bug spray.  Most importantly, it's the birthplace (figuratively) of the Octhmuslans. 

Life sprang from water but it's a dangerous place to be.  My father looks at water as death.  He will not go out in boats unless he knows he'll still be able to see land.  To him, you go out too far and it's certain death.  Most cultures see water as a life force.  I like the give and take of it, the way it can stand for multiple things.  To me, as a child that watched Jaws at way too young an age, I find bodies of water fascinating.    

A-Z Violence

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

V

Violence

I find violence reprehensible.  I want to make that perfectly clear.  However, I write about violence pretty frequently.  Why?  Mostly because I often write about the things that scare me.  It's my attempt to understand the world around me and the world I see is often big and frightening.

I didn't grow up in a bad neighborhood.  It was just your average suburb.  Dale City, my home town, is the setting of Tough Girl and I lived in The Apartments briefly when I was in fifth grade.  Even in our normal suburb, there was a fair amount of daily violence.  I remember there was a day in high school when seven fights broke out.  I personally knew someone who was beaten, tied down, and set on fire.  Actually, I know several people who were set on fire.  In southern Virginia, I lived across the street from a man that routinely abused his kids.  In Missouri, I lived in the apartment below another child abuser.   Violence was all around me, not on a daily basis but it was definitely more frequent than I desired.

Reggie's world is not extremely violent.  She is not routinely beaten nor does she witness anyone that is routinely beaten.  But her world, much like mine, is no stranger to fist fights and the occasional murder.  The nightly news makes sure we are all well aware of outbursts of rage and anger.  Violence bleeds over into her fantasy life as well and it plays a key role in her understanding of the world.

A-Z Uzi

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

U

UZI

Admittedly, Uzi is a minor character but he plays a major role in one of my favorite scenes - a bank robbery thwarted by Tough Girl.  The scene is described in yesterday's post.  Uzi is the calm, level headed leader of the bank robbers.  His job should have been easy, but he never anticipated TG.

Below is a very brief excerpt from the novel.  I don't want to print the whole scene, but I will share just this one little bit:

A gun fired.  The counter beside her burst in to splinters sending shrapnel into a nearby teller.  The shooter stood at the counter at the far end of the bank.  TG shot at him and hit his pelvic bone.  A scream rose out of the pig mask.  She shot again but there were no bullets left.
 
“Shit.”
 
She dropped to the ground and grabbed the closest thing to her, another customer’s briefcase.
 
“What the hell is going on?” Uzi asked.  He had a manager clutched by the collar of his shirt.  Three of his men were either bleeding or unconscious and the other two were taking aim at someone on the ground.  He turned to the manager, “Is this one of your security guards?”
 
TG stood and flung the case at Uzi.  She missed and hit the manager squarely in the jaw.  He fell to the ground, his hands clutching his cheek, blood pouring from his mouth.
 
“Sorry,” she screamed as she ran.

A-Z Tough Girl

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

T

TOUGH GIRL

"It's not a name.  It's a warning."

These words are spoken by Ruiz.  Tough Girl was raised on Planet Girth and trained by her crime boss father to be a street-smart killer.  She left home at fifteen and joined the Intergalactic Army.  After her father was brutally murdered, TG returned home to take care of her family and found herself indebted to the head crime lord of Planet Girth, Ruiz. 

She is now on her most dangerous mission - to move the Bublaran off world and back to its home planet.  TG, convinced her boss is going mad but unable to escape his grip, is sure she will be killed by Octhmuslans.  Worse than that, she knows Reggie is in terrible danger, but is unable to save her.

Below is a short excerpt from the novel.  Tough Girl has just disrupted a bank robbery while running an errand for Ruiz.  She was in disguise and has gone to pre-planned location to change clothes:

TG left behind her soiled high heels and brief case.  She jogged barefoot the two blocks to the McDonald’s, police car sirens blaring in the distance.  She ran into the bathroom.  A woman dressed in a McDonald’s uniform was there, a trash bag in her hand.
 
“You look like shit,” the woman said.
 
“You too.”
 
The woman locked the door and opened the trash bag.  She removed jeans, a T-shirt, and a leather jacket from the bag.  TG stripped quickly.  She tossed the shredded pantyhose and the rest of the get-up onto the floor. 
 
“Something happen at the bank?” the woman asked.
 
“I hit a snag.”
 
“I thought you were supposed to be some sort of bad-ass.”
 
TG turned her full attention to the woman before her.  This was one of Ruiz’s wannabes, a young thug hoping to rise through the ranks.  TG took her gun from the trash bag and stuffed it into a secure pocket inside of her jacket.  Then she grabbed the woman by the throat and squeezed. 
 
The woman grabbed at TG’s hands with her own. 
 
“Ruiz sent me because I’m the best.  If he sent you, you would be stuck there right now in a hostage situation or you’d be dead.  Those would be your only two options because you’re young and you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.  Know how I know that?” TG squeezed the woman’s throat just a little bit harder.
 
The woman kicked out at TG but her legs weren’t powerful enough to be effective.  Her oxygen was slowly dwindling away.  She managed to make a sound that TG took for the word “how”.
 
“Because you didn’t know to just stand there and be silent.  You didn’t know enough about me to know if I had a temper or not, but still you spoke.”  TG leaned in close to the woman, close enough to smell burgers fresh on her breath.  “And you were stupid enough to think you could get away with insulting me.”  TG squeezed a bit harder then let go. 
 
The woman fell to the ground unconscious.  TG had choked enough people to know that the woman wasn’t dead, well, she was reasonably sure.

A-Z Mrs. Stegner

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

S

MRS. STEGNER

She's the one teacher Reggie feels like she might be able to talk to about her life.  Mrs. Stegner teaches history and is Reggie's first period teacher.  She's quick and funny but a bit aloof.  She comes close to asking directly if Reggie is okay, but stays just far enough away to allow Reggie to lie comfortably.  As things grow harder, it is Mrs. Stegner that Reggie may turn to for help.

Below is an excerpt from the novel.  This is a very brief conversation Reggie overhears when we first meet Mrs. Stegner.


Mrs. Stegner was arguing with a student when Reggie got to class.  “I don’t care how much you wanted to do your homework last night, the fact that you didn’t do it is what matters.”
 
“But it wasn’t my fault,” the boy said.  “My dad made me watch movies last night.”
 
“All night?”
 
“It was a trilogy.  What was I supposed to do?”
 
“Your homework.”
 
“But there were three of them!”
 
Mrs. Stegner gave an exasperated sigh.  “We’ll discuss this after class.”

A-Z Reggie

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

R

REGGIE

Reggie is not like most eleven year old girls.  Her free time is spent reading science fiction, scavenging for food, and taking care of her mentally unstable mother.  There's a violent streak in her neighborhood and she's well aware of how quick things can get out of hand.

Reggie leads a double life.  Most of the time, she's a sixth grader hell bent on living under the radar.   Whenever possible, she's the master of a dream world rich in chaos, violence, and rewards.  In real life, she is struggling with bullies, blossoming into womanhood, falling in love and finding enough food to eat to stay alive.  In her dream world, she is working to maintain control.

Below is an excerpt from the novel.  This is one of my favorite scenes.  Reggie is listening to her new neighbors talk.  Mona has just started moving around the apartment, a sign she is getting better.

Her neighbors’ conversation was drowned out by the harsh static of the radio as Mona pushed it to the maximum volume.
 
“Mona, no!”  Reggie ran over and turned the radio down.  Mona’s eyes were bright and alert now.  
“We’ll get in trouble if you turn it up too loud.”
 
Mona scooted back into the couch, her knees tucked to her throat, arms anchored around her shins.  
Reggie sat beside her but far enough away to show she had no intention of touching Mona.  “We need groceries.”  She was ready with a speech about how long it had been since Mona had left the couch and how she’d have to report to the school that she wasn’t eating at home if Mona didn’t buy them groceries.  She decided to skip the speech when Mona buried her face in her knees.  She was coming back slowly but pushing her now was not a good idea. 
 
“Come on, better go out for a while,” TG said. 
 
“Yeah.  Guess you’re right.”
 
They ended up behind the McDonald’s.  Reggie had kicked around the neighborhood, coasting from the library to the dollar movie theater and back again until the sun went down.  Now, she was knee deep in the McDonald’s dumpster searching for half eaten burgers. 
 
“You’ve changed the story.”
 
Reggie tore open another bag, refusing to look up at TG.  “I know.  I wanted a change.”
 
“I liked the Intergallactic Army.  I liked the war.”
 
“You’ll go back.”
 
“I don’t like my new role.”
 
“You think I like mine?” she said through a mouthful of cold french fries. 

A-Z Queue

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

Q

QUEUE

A queue is "a file or line, especially of people waiting their turn."

The reason I chose this as my "Q" word is because "waiting" is in the background of my story.  One thing I have not touched on during these posts is that Reggie's mother disappears a few chapters into the novel.  She leaves a note and ten dollars.  Reggie is alone and scared and without the one constant in her life, her unstable mother.  Therefor, she is waiting.  She is waiting for her mother to return.  She is waiting for Jacob to hurt her.  She is waiting to grow up so she can run away and join the army and always have food to eat.  Whether she knows it or not, she is waiting to be noticed and to be taken care of.

As a student, I read "Waiting for Godot" several times and I've always been struck by how funny and miserable waiting can be.  Shall we hang ourselves out of boredom or laugh and ridicule our way through the day?  If you've read "Waiting for Godot" you know I'm not merely being cynical.  If you haven't read this play, please do.  It's a difficult treat.  I think waiting is a theme I'll approach again and again in my work partially because this play had such an impact on me at such a young age.  It's definitely a large part of Tough Girl.

A-Z Planet Girth

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

P

PLANET GIRTH

This is the home world of Tough Girl.  Its three land masses are close together and the entire world is ruled by one government and one criminal underworld.  Humans are far from the dominant species - they are seen as pests that "breed like roaches" and are forced to live in ghettos.  Tough Girl and her family ran one particular ghetto until her father was executed.

Like most worlds in the known universe, Planet Girth is controlled by Octhmuslans, though they rarely slither a tentacle on the planet.  Planet Girth is not exceptional.  It is small and mostly poor, but it has one thing the rest of the universe does not: a life breeding Bublaran.

How is everyone doing with the A-Z so far?

A-Z Octhmuslan

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

 O

OCTHMUSLAN

This species evolved from octopuses and now rule the known universe.  They are clever and cruel and extremely interested in obtaining the Bublaran.  One Octhmuslan in particular is out to destroy Ruiz and Tough Girl.  Even worse, the Octhmuslan that is plaguing Reggie's dream world won't stay put.  Reality is being invaded by this pervasive species. 

Why an evolved octopus?  Octopuses are very smart and the way they move on land, as can be seen in the videos below, is creepy.  I first saw one crawl in a tank on the glass a few months ago and I've been in love ever since.

Below are some videos.  Watch these and tell me Octopuses aren't beautiful and creepy.

A-Z Nemesis

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

N

NEMESIS

Reggie has no shortage of troubles.  Her dreamworld is being taken over by a species evolved from Octopuses.  She's plagued in real life by a sadistic stalker.   But, just for fun, she's also bullied by a girl that wants to beat her up to become more popular.  This girl is Tara The Boulder.

The Boulder got her nickname by being larger than most middle schoolers.   She wears extra large sweatshirts no matter the weather to hide her large frame.  She is just as unpopular as Reggie but hopes to gain new friends by beating up the much smaller girl.  Her obsession with Reggie bashing will lead to her downfall.

Just a Quick Hello

Hey guys!  Just wanted to do a non A-Z post!

Writing is going well, Chapter 5 of the third draft is nearly done!  The draft is going SO MUCH better than the previous draft.  If all goes well, expect Tough Girl out by fall!

The last short story, "Victory Rule" for the latest collection is going better as well.  Expect that out by mid-summer!

I have been trying hard to read new blogs and reconnect with blogs I've followed for a while.  I kind of lost touch when I went back to work.  Who knew working, writing, and life had such a hard time gelling?

One last thing, I just read a groovy piece of microfiction and wanted to share it.  It's from a blog I found through the A-Z challenge called The Growing Writer.  I won't give it away, but if you've read my stuff you'll know why I liked it:

Melanie and the Mistake

A-Z Mr. and Mrs. Ruiz

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

 M

MR. AND MRS. RUIZ

These are Reggie's new neighbors and they turn her life upside down.  Mrs. Ruiz is six hundred pounds and bed bound.  Mr. Ruiz spends most of his days preparing for the upcoming pageant and his evenings doting on his wife.  They hope she can gain another twenty pounds or so in time for the beauty contest.  Reggie is immediately intrigued by the couple and spies on them whenever she can.  She'd love to be as heavy as Mrs. Ruiz and even breaks into their apartment to watch her sleep.  But she fears the day they leave The Apartments - unless she can convince them to take her with them.

Below is an excerpt from the novel.  This is the first meeting of Reggie and Mr. and Mrs. Ruiz.  They are just moving in and Mrs. Ruiz is being carried up the stairs:

After he climbed a few steps, she saw that the man held the front end of a stretcher.  His steps were matched in rhythm with the mover at the other end.  The second mover grunted with every step.  Droplets of sweat dripped from his face and landed with tiny splashes on the stairs below.  His agony was completely lost to Reggie because she could not take her eyes off the six hundred pound woman that lay on the stretcher.  The woman, for her part, seemed barely aware of the effort exerted on her behalf.  She reclined like Cleopatra, a make shift chair back allowing her head and torso a bit of elevation.  A blue sheet was cinched up around her and rolled and gathered to make it look like a dress.  The sheet stopped just above her bosom leaving her arms free to hold it firmly in place.  Reggie was mesmerized by her arms, each one was as big as Reggie’s waist.  They jiggled with each step like half filled water balloons.   Her hair was a gorgeous mane that fell over her shoulders and kept falling until it hit the canopy.  Its glossy sheen sparkled in the daylight. 
 
The woman saw Reggie.  She dropped her look of immense concentration and offered a smile.  Her large brown eyes glowed and Reggie felt instantly warm inside.  She smiled back at the woman and waved until the caravan was out of sight half way up the next flight of stairs.  They were followed by two more movers, these in blue jumpsuits, each carrying more groceries.  Reggie rubbed her tummy absentmindedly as she watched them climb the stairs.  Behind them was a caramel colored man in a white suit.  His movements were elegant and precise, each step ascended with caution.  His white fedora hid most of his salt and pepper hair just as his sunglasses and mustache hid most of face.  A white trench coat hung from his shoulders leaving his arms free to carry an aluminum briefcase.  The case had a silver placard on the front that was etched with one work, “RUIZ”.  He stopped in front of Reggie for a moment to sniff the air.  His face scrunched up as the sour odor hit him.  He glanced at Reggie and shook his head before following the caravan upstairs.
 
A silky voice whispered from behind one of the many peepholes on the floor, “Colombian.  You know the type.”  The voice could have been any of her neighbors.  They rarely opened their doors when spying and when they did, it was usually only a crack that offered a slim glance down the hall.  

A-Z Leon

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

L

LEON

Reggie does not have many friends.  In fact, Leon may be the only one and he's a bit of a liability.  Leon is quiet and nerdy but he is fiercely protective of Reggie and given to bouts of violence.  Reggie always feels like she's walking on egg shells around Leon.  She's never comfortable in his presence, but also feels like she couldn't do without him.

Below is an excerpt from the novel.  This is where we first meet Leon, just after Reggie has been soaked with water balloons - the balloons only hit her on the back of her pants.

She sloshed her way to school, a few kids laughing at her.  “Did you piss your pants?” she heard someone call from one of the groups gathered on the school lawn.  The question was followed by a chorus of “ewwws” and laughter.
 
She thought about looking around to see who everyone was talking about, a trick that had served her well in the past, but as wet pants were not common and clearly she wore the only pair, this tactic was not going to work.  She kept her face blank, her chin up, as she walked into the school.  She pretended not to hear their calls of “Piss Pants” as she passed.  She thought to herself, “I can’t piss out of my ass.”
 
Leon was waiting for her at the door.  His small head and giant backpack made him look like a turtle.  He was short for a sixth grader and skinnier than Reggie, which was saying something.  His hair was blondish beige and his skin was the color of very light coffee.  Black framed glasses slightly magnified his blue eyes making them the biggest feature on his face.  “I believe you’re dripping,” Leon said as Reggie approached.
 
“I know that, Leon,” she said walking into the school. 
 
He scuttled after her, heaving his backpack along.  “Was it raining?”
 
“No.  It wasn’t raining.”
 
“How did you get wet only on the backside?”
 
“I’m very talented.”
 
“You should dry off.”
 
“Thanks, Leon.”
 
He nodded and peeled off heading for the cafeteria. 

A-Z Klecks

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

K

KLECKS

The Klecks are a warrior race hired by many in the universe for battle and intimidation.  Tough Girl has her fair share of run ins with the Klecks, thank to the Octhmuslans.  She is kidnapped and tortured at the hands of the Klecks whose punches are so powerful, they only hit her on the arms for fear of killing her otherwise.

Below is an excerpt from the novel.  This is Tough Girl's first run in with the Klecks:

TG wasn’t afraid of dying, but she was afraid of being maimed.  As she hung upside down by her feet, her head some three feet from the ground, she began to worry that she might not come out of this unscathed.
 
“Don’t be frightened,” a scratchy voice said.  She didn’t see the owner, he was buried in the darkness.  “Wait until you see what we have in store, and then be frightened.”
 
TG let out a loud sigh.  She knew working for Ruiz would be difficult and dangerous and while she hadn’t had many options at the time, she liked to think that she would have chosen to work for him regardless.  What she hadn’t made peace with was that when she got into scraps with Ruiz’s enemies, they talked too much.  

“I’ll try to contain my horror,” TG said, swinging slightly at the end of her rope.
 
The scratchy voice laughed, but there was nothing mirthful behind it.  “Tell us about Chihihaga,” it said.
 
“He’s very tall,” TG answered.  “And I think he was in to humans.”
 
“Was?”
 
“Is.  Was.  Would be.”
 
“Refresh her memory.”  

Two goons stepped out of the shadows.  Klecks.  It’s always fucking Klecks, TG thought to herself.  That wasn’t quite fair, the Klecks as a whole were easy to get along with.  They were infamous for their parties.  It was said that you could only attend one Kleck party in your life.  Since they lasted up to a year and involved some of the strongest refreshments in the universe, it was best not to tempt fate by attending two.  The Klecks' strong physique and attention to detail mixed with their belief that the universe repeated itself and all actions were fated, made them particularly good at torture.
 
TG tried not to scream as the Klecks reminded her of her position.  They took it easy on her, just using their fists.  Her body was quickly sore, but she knew she was lucky so far.

A-Z Jacob

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

J

JACOB

What story about middle school would be complete without a school bully?  Enter Jacob: a tall, good looking boy with a mean streak and a killer smile.  Reggie thinks of him as being two people, "Nice Jacob" and "This Jacob".  Nice Jacob is charming and is easily liked by students and teachers alike.  This Jacob is the second side of the same boy, one who relishes the discomfort of others.  Not everyone gets to meet This Jacob, and those that do, don't like it.

Jacob first appears on the scene along with DeShawn in the water balloon incident.  They, along with a friend, douse Reggie soaking her just before the start of a school day.  Jacob goes on to mock Reggie and tell other students she pissed her pants.  Things grow more serious when Jacob notices the attraction growing between her and DeShawn.  What could be seen as school boy pranks quickly turns into malevolent, lurid advances.  Reggie's life just got a little more difficult.

The following is an excerpt from the novel.  This is one encounter between Jacob and Reggie:

The world became a quick blur followed by a loud metallic crunch.  It took her a second to realize that the sound was her body slamming against the locker bay.  She shook her head and the world came back into focus just in time to see This Jacob coming at her.  He grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.
 
“Saw you walking with DeShawn this morning.  Didn’t know you were that kind of girl.”
 
“Get away from me.”  She pushed him hard in the chest but he barely moved.
 
“All DeShawn’s girls end up passed around.  I already called dibs on you.”  He leaned in, eyes wide, lips parted.  “I can’t wait,” he whispered in her ear.  He let go of her and she watched as his face morphed into Nice Jacob.  “Better go.  Don’t want to be late for class,” he said.  

A-Z Invisibility Cap

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

I

INVISIBILITY CAP

Life can be difficult for an absent minded dreamer.  That's why you should never leave home without your Invisibility Cap.  Simply put it on your head and no one can see you, unless they look directly at you that is.

Reggie keeps hers with her at all times either in her back pocket or stuffed inside her book bag.  It's helped her out of a few scrapes and gotten her into a few others.  Even though it's not effective 100% of the time, it's still damn handy.

A-Z Haven

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

H  

HAVEN

Reggie's entire dream world is her safe haven.  In it, she escapes the hunger and dreariness that comprises her daily life.  Her fantasy life has mostly revolved around the Intergalactic Army and her favorite soldier-hero Tough Girl.  Now, with the arrival of new neighbors that lend themselves to rumors about the Colombian mob, her dream world turns to gangsters and gun fights.  Most of the stories that appear in Tough Girl take place on fictitious Planet Girth where the humans are the unwanted minority.

After years of reading science fiction and armed with plenty of real world knowledge of danger, Reggie creates a world of espionage, intrigue and crime.  The only problem is, the dreams start having a life of their own.

A-Z Guardians

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

G

GUARDIANS

Parents play a big role in Tough Girl.  Mona, Reggie's mom, is first seen nearly catatonic on the couch.  When she does begin to move around, it is abundantly clear that she is not a stable person.  Reggie has mostly raised herself and now is more of a parent to Mona than a child.

DeShawn's mother also plays a prominent if brief role.  Whereas Mona may not realize what is going on around her, DeShawn's mother is all too aware of the world that surrounds her and her son.  She will probably come off harsh to most readers, but DeShawn's mother is a woman trying to watch out for her son in a difficult situation.  She has already raised several children including one or two that were not her own.  She works to support herself and her son and has no interest in seeing him make any mistakes.

Below is an excerpt from the novel.  This is the first time Reggie meets DeShawn's mother.  DeShawn and Reggie have just been caught kissing in the living room.  DeShawn's mother has just returned from work.   She sent DeShawn out to get the rest of the groceries as Reggie cleans up spilled popcorn.

She heard the rustling of the grocery bags as DeShawn’s mother placed them on the kitchen counter.  Reggie picked up the last few kernels and put them in the bowl.  She placed the bowl in the kitchen sink, and turned to escape.

“You need to throw out the popcorn first,” his mother said.
 
“Sorry.”  She picked the bowl back up and poured the contents into the trashcan.  She could feel the woman’s eyes on her back.  She turned quickly when she heard a strange sound.  DeShawn’s mother stood there, a cigarette wedged firmly between her lips.  She waved a match in the air, a small trail of smoke followed it.
 
“Let me ask you a question,” DeShawn’s mother started.

Reggie stared at her, the bowl clutched in her arms.  “Okay.”
 
“You a virgin?” she asked.
 
Reggie gripped the bowl harder.
 
“Yes.”
 
“Good.  You plan to stay that way with my son?”
 
“Yes.” 
 
His mother took a drag from the cigarette, held it for a moment in her lungs as she ran her eyes up and down Reggie.  She opened her mouth and released the smoke in one ill-smelling cloud.  “Good.  Don’t need no new babies in this family.  I raised plenty already.  You decide to change your mind, you two better be safe.  You understand me?”
 
Reggie nodded. 
 
“Good.  Now put that bowl in the sink and get your little ass home.  DeShawn’s got chores to do.”

A-Z Food

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

F

Food.  Yep.  It's actually a post about food.  Food more or less appears in every novel, so why make a big deal out of it being in Tough Girl?  Because food is exactly what our main character, Reggie, lacks.  The novel begins when Reggie is down to half a loaf of bread and a jar of mustard.  Her mother is near catatonic on the couch and Reggie has no access to money to buy groceries.  She's surviving on free lunch at school and mustard sandwiches.

In the first chapter, a six-hundred pound woman and her devoted husband move into Reggie's building.  Reggie can't help but compare her own skinny frame to that of her robust neighbor.  She finds herself jealous and enamored with the woman.  Food, always a precious commodity, is now all important to Reggie.

Below is an excerpt from the novel.  This scene takes place just after Mona (barely) comes out of her catatonic state.  Reggie leaves the apartment in hopes that Mona will make a better recovery alone:

They ended up behind the McDonald’s.  Reggie spent the afternoon kicking around the neighborhood, coasting from the library to the dollar movie theatre and back again until the sun went down.  Now, she was knee deep in the McDonald’s dumpster searching for half eaten burgers. 

“You’ve changed the story.”

Reggie tore open another bag, refusing to look up at TG.  “I know.  I wanted a change.”

“I liked the Intergallactic Army.  I liked the war.”

“You’ll go back.”

“I don’t like my new role.”

“You think I like mine?” she said through a mouthful of cold french fries.

A-Z Edgar

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

E

Edgar is Tough Girl's little brother.  He is quick tempered and loves to  fight.  He'll take on grown men even though he is not much more than a boy.  Edgar appears only briefly in the novel but his role is important.  He is the catalyst for Tough Girl joining Ruiz's crime syndicate.  


Below is a brief excerpt from the novel.   Edgar is the middle of a pick-up game of street baseball.  His father was recently murdered by thugs and Edgar is a bit edgy.


Edgar was pitching.  He had a shitty arm but could easily beat up any of the other players so they were happy to let him have his way.  He had just beamed his second batter when the black car crept around the corner.  Custom was to move the bases and clear the road for a car, but Edgar was not in favor of the custom.  When the catcher tried to pick up home plate, Edgar yelled at him to put it down.  

The car honked, but Edgar made no notice.
 
“Next batter,” he called.

From here, things get violent.

A-Z DeShawn

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

D

DeShawn is an eighth grader that goes to school with Reggie and lives in the same apartment complex as her.  The two meet when DeShawn and a few buddies throw water balloons at Reggie.  Instead of running away, Reggie dares them to fight.  Pretty soon, DeShawn can't keep his eyes off his feisty classmate.  Slowly but surely, he breaks down her defenses and the two date (as much as kids in middle school date).

Below is an excerpt of DeShawn and Reggie at the beginning of their courtship.  DeShawn has just apologized to Reggie and offered her a sandwich his mom left for him as an after school snack.  They are at DeShawn's apartment but Reggie refuses to go in.

“Why won’t you come in?”
“Rape.”
“You think I’ll rape you?”
“No.”
“Then why won’t you come in?”
“I’m not sure what rape is but I’ve been told this is how to avoid it.”

A-Z - Chihihaga

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

C

CHIHIHAGA

Lucian Chihihaga is the mayor of Planet Girth, and a Pestarian: a green insect like being that is impossibly skinny, stands on two legs, and has one giant eyeball on each side of its long face.  The mayor has an appetite for young female humans, and it's not known to the public if that appetite is for sex or for food.  Chihihaga is easily led away from a party by a young woman in a tight dress, and that will cause his downfall.

Below, is a brief excerpt from the book.  This portion happens directly after Chihihaga is kidnapped:

TG poured Chihihaga a glass of scotch.  When his hands shook too much to hold it steady, she held it for him and poured sips into his mouth.

“Am I going to be killed?” he asked. 
 
“I don’t know.”
 
“Will it hurt, do you think?  Whatever they’re going to do to me?”
 
“I don’t know,” TG answered.  She raised the glass to his lips and poured a bit more into his mouth.  “My job was to deliver you.  Once you’re there, I have no idea what you can expect.”
 
“I see.  Well.  I supposed another glass is in order then.” 

A-Z - The Bublaran

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving for scraps of food and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

B

THE BUBLARAN

In her dream world, Reggie has invented an alien race that can create life.  Bublarans are giant orbs that glow.  They are filled with a swirling liquid that mesmerizes all who see it.  Given just few years,  a bublaran can make a barren world teem with life.

The Bublarans were overused.  This gentle race cannot run and cannot fight.  They were taken off their home world in droves to help colonize the universe.  Everyone thought they were extinct except Ruiz, the crime boss of Planet Girth.  He has found the last existing Bublaran and he as sworn to protect it, damn the cost.

But the ruling species of the universe have heard about Ruiz's Bulbaran.  The Octhmuslans want the giant orb and are more than willing to kill to get it.

A-Z The Apartments

For the A-Z Challenge, I'll be posting about my debut novel, Tough Girl.  A very brief synopsis:
Daily life is pretty dreary for eleven year old Reggie.  She's already mastered the art of dumpster diving and being her own parent.  Her mother, dangerously close to a full break with sanity, is of little help.  Reggie has invented a dream world where she and her best friend, Tough Girl, battle aliens for glory.  Life is manageable until new neighbors move in and Reggie's dream world begins to unravel.

A

THE APARTMENTS

The Apartments are the only home Reggie has ever known.  They are old, spread out and full of shadows and secrets.  Her neighbors are her friends, enemies, and spies.  Danger lurks around every corner; her own building is guarded by stray cats fiercely dedicated to protecting their turf.

The Apartments spring to life on the weekends.  Parties can quickly turn into boozy brawls.  Most people can't sense it, but Reggie feels the Apartments emitting a tension that drives its tenants towards violence.   

All the buildings share one playground.  The equipment is beat up and busted and the pavement is cracked but the kids don't care.  This is their area.  This is where they settle beefs and forge friendships.  It's also the place Reggie most abhors.