Friday, December 20, 2013

Revisions on Cassie

Hey, all! I ran into a dilemma while formatting my ebook, Cassie, for Amazon and other places. It made me have to add in sentences and scenes that were not previously in the original book for the fourth chapter at all. I am, for this reason, going to include the revised chapter of Cassie for your reading pleasure.

Chapter IV


When Cassie and George finally arrived, almost a whole hour or two had passed. Both parties were starving, their bellies rumbling and groaning like there was no tomorrow. George had the hardest time of the two, since he was the person who Cassie had decided to place in the care of the pizza box while she was driving the car. George was, after all, a man. And a hungry one at that. It took all he had not to reach into that pizza box for those agonizing two hours that they spent in heavy New York traffic and eat a piece of his pizza. However, he knew that Cassie would be upset that she couldn’t do the same, so he decided not to do it. If Cassie would have been okay with him eating the piece of pizza, that would have been another story. But judging by the way that Cassie was so eager to fight the heavy traffic while she was driving, she was just as starving as he was. George didn’t blame her for that. Sure enough, when Cassie and George got inside her apartment, Cassie took a loud deep breath of what sounded like relief.  “Oh my gosh, I’m soooo glad that were back,” she exhaled with her eyes wide and both eyebrows lifted. “This pizza is going to taste delicious! It’s about time that we got to eat lunch, isn’t it?” George nodded in reply. Cassie went to one of her oak drawers on the wall of her tiny kitchen and opened  one of them up. Inside the oak drawer was a bunch of plastic plates and cups for drinking in.  She had four cups and four plates, George observed. She must not have very many visitors.  Cassie handed one of the plates and cups to George. “Here you go,” she said as she did so. “What kind of drink do you want?”
“What kinds of drinks do you have?” replied George.
“Well,” Cassie responded instantly, “we have water, and we also have some milk and some Coca Cola ©. That’s it, though, I’m afraid. Any of those okay with you?” George nodded.
“More than okay with me,” he said, smiling at her. “I think I’ll just have some water.” Cassie showed him to her ice and water machine that was built into her refrigerator. He proceeded to use it, then placed one slice of his pizza onto the plate that Cassie had handed him. “Where do I sit?” he asked.
“One second,” Cassie answered, “I’m gonna get my plate and drink all set up. I’ll show you after that.” Just as soon as she had told him that, she was heading towards a small wooden table in her nearby tiny living room that she always used for eating at. She motioned for George to come closer and to join her. He did so gladly, or at least he appeared to be glad to come closer to Cassie. The funny thing was, George was more than extra happy to be able to sit down closer. He was glad that Cassie felt comfortable. He wouldn’t blame her for not being comfortable. Many women that he had known had been hurt by other men and had a huge mistrust in them. This, he could admit to himself, was not something that he liked, but it happened. He was, of course, highly aware. He himself would never stoop to treat women that low. He wished that guys didn’t have such a bad reputation. The thing was, those men got so many more women. They didn’t even have to even try, it seemed, either…they just got them like it was a natural thing. It disgusted George to no end. He wasn’t exactly bad-looking, per se, but there were definitely better-looking men than him who were out there. They attempted abominable acts towards other women all of the time and some even got away from the consequences of their actions. Unfairness was what it was, pure and simple, in George’s mind. He couldn’t comprehend why these men would risk being caught and apprehended. Numerous times he had wondered whether or not a portion of these men were strung out on narcotics. It was entirely possible in George’s mind.  Once he was seated, and both he and Cassie had begun eating their pizzas, he spoke up.
“So, you said you live here alone?” he questioned her. It was an honest question, but it was also a question to just make conversation between them. George never had been one for small talk, but he knew that when meeting someone else for the first time, you had to let that go a little. After all, neither of you knew anything about the other person.
“Yeah, I do,” replied Cassie. “I don’t have any roomies or anything. I’m kind of glad about that. I used to share the rent and apartment with one of my friends, but that turned out badly.”
“What happened, if I may ask?”
“Oh, nothing big. We just didn’t live well together. She had such totally different living habits than I had. I still care about her, and she’s still my friend—I just know that I personally couldn’t stand to actually live in the same building. At first, I thought I could. It turns out though that she was so messy that living with it was a nightmare.” George chuckled at her reply. “What?” Cassie said, smiling.
“Nothing,” George replied. “Sounds like a problem for the both of you.” Cassie snorted a laugh.
“A huge problem,” she corrected him, still laughing. “But at least helped her find someone who she was able to live with; one who was just as messy as she was.”
“Was she that messy?”
“I’m afraid she was,” replied Cassie. “But it doesn’t matter.” She flashed a whole smile at George over the table, which George returned.
“That’s good.”
“Mhmm. What about you? Do you live by yourself? I thought you said you did, but I can’t remember. I know you have an apartment.” George nodded.
“Yep, I sure do,” he said. “I have a roommate, though.”
“Oh? Mind if I ask who it is?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I like my roommate a lot. His name’s Ben. We’ve been friends ever since high school.”
“Wow, impressive.”
“Yeah, we’ve been friends forever it seems like. Ben is a really loyal guy.” George smiled. “Always helps me out when I need it.” George had finished up that single slice of his pizza after he said this. He noticed that Cassie had too. “Want me to get you another piece of your pizza?” he offered with a smile on his face. “I’m gonna go get another piece of my pizza.” Cassie nodded yes.
“Sure,” she said. “I won’t want any more than two for right now, though.” George nodded at this.
“Okay.” He replied. He took both his plate and hers and put another slice of both of their pizzas onto them. “It’s a big pizza,” he said.  Cassie giggled. God, that’s not even funny, Cassie, shut up! Her brain said.
“Yeah, it is.” she said, giving George a smile. Uggh, I sound like a complete dumbass who doesn’t eat at all, Cassie lamented. This is not going the way that I was hoping it would go. Ah well, I can only move on from here and try not to embarrass myself even more than I already have. George came back to the wooden table and set the plate of food down beside her.
“Here ya go,” he said as he did. Cassie smiled a thanks, then verbalized it to him. Then she started to talk again.
“What do you want to do after we eat? Or do you need to get back home?” she asked him. George considered the question with what appeared to be deep thought.
“I dunno,” he replied. “What about you?”
“I have only work,” Cassie admitted. “I don’t have a time limit that you are able to stay here or anything.”
“Okay, then,” replied George. “My schedule is extremely flexible as well, except for work. Would it be okay if I….um….took you to…an…um…movie….tonighh..tt??”he started to blush again. As he was asking this, he was rubbing both of his shoes on the floor. He wasn’t even looking at Cassie. Dang it, I sounded so stupid! Oh well, hopefully she doesn’t think so. I got everything out in the open. He looked up to see what sort of reaction to what he had said, if any, he was going to receive from Cassie. Words failed Cassie at the moment. She was flabbergasted. Did he just ask me out on a date? she thought in alarm. Wow!
“Um…I guess so, sure,” came out of her mouth. “I don’t see why not.” That answer appeared to completely make George’s day.
“Great!” he said. “I hoped so. What sort of movies do you like to watch?” Cassie considered the question for a second, then opened her mouth to answer.
“I like most any movies except for westerns,” she said. “For some reason, they’ve just never appealed to me.” George nodded to show he was listening. 
“Yeah, I’m not one that enjoys western movies either,” he admitted. “Never knew why myself.” He smiled at Cassie after he said this. Cassie smiled back.
“Well, do you know what’s on in theaters?” Cassie inquired after a few minutes of silence in the apartment had passed.
“No, but we can find out.”
“Sounds good to me. You’re thinking about looking on the internet for the shows that are on and the times, right?”
“You got it.” George smiled. Cassie nodded.
“I’ll go over and look after I’m done eating. How is that?”
 “Sounds good to me.”
“Cool.”  The two ate their pizza slices and drank up their drinks in no time at all. Cassie found a really good monster movie that was showing in theaters called The Curse. Even the title sounded spooky, at least to Cassie. George wasn’t as impressed, however. He grumbled that it sounded amateur. Cassie endeavored to change his opinion, despite heavy opposition. Nothing worked. Oh well, at least I think it’s going to be a good scary movie, she thought. What’s more, she had persuaded him to choose that particular movie for their first date. No harm, no foul. The only thing that worried Cassie was that George was going to possibly laugh at inappropriate moments during the movie. After sharing this concern with him, Cassie was relieved of it.
“I promise I won’t,” he had told her with a heavy sigh. “But it’s all for you.” This put Cassie’s mind to rest.
~
Both parties didn’t know what to expect from the movie, so when the movie turned out fantastic, it was a welcome surprise. The one who was the most surprised was George, however. He claimed that all horror movies were produced amateurly. Being an actor himself didn’t help his biased opinion of these flicks. Cassie learned that George had acted in various roles in horror movies in the past. She herself never had been inclined to audition for any horror films. That immunity must come from auditioning and being in horror film roles, Cassie figured. It would make perfect sense. Cassie proposed to George that they both hang out sometime later, since it was beginning to turn into nighttime all around them. Truthfully, she wanted George to stay for the night at her apartment. Thing was, Cassie had other plans tomorrow that she had not disclosed to George. The reason was a good one as far as she was concerned, too. George needn’t know about all of her private affairs instantly, after all. Besides, Cassie had a hunch that George knew that she was doing something else. He seemed to be smart enough, that was for sure. Popularity just seemed to drip from his pores. What if he has some sort of sexual disease? she had worried, even before she had taken him into her apartment. I don’t want that. The thought crossed Cassie’s mind yet again and made her decide firmly to wait and get to know the guy better than she did. She was in no race to date or to have another man in her life. Men had constantly let her down, and she felt in her bones that this man would only prove untrue as well. He’ll just take what he wants from me and then leave me with nothing, she thought bitterly. I HAVE to remember that about men. Luckily, George wasn’t aware of anything that was currently going on in Cassie’s head, or that anything at all was amiss. He agreed to make plans with her later on when it was not nighttime again.  They exchanged cell phone numbers. George insisted upon strolling the streets of New York by himself in order to get back to where his car was parked for work while Cassie went ahead and drove back home to her own apartment. At first, Cassie fought this, but eventually, she relented. George was a man, and when men made their mind up, they never relented. The argument could have lasted all day. She was just as stubborn as the next man, and she knew it. So she hopped into her small red car and got into it, and turned the engine on again. She peered out of one of her car’s windows and spotted George. She waved goodbye to him with a smile on her face, and proceeded to back her car out of the movie theater and into the heavy New York traffic. It never ceased to annoy her, how congested it was. She sighed and mentally prepared herself for the long drive home.
~
Early the next morning, Cassie was woken by the ring of the telephone. “Ugggh,” she moaned. Turning over on her backside, she slowly extended her left arm to the left side of her bed, where a small dresser made of oak was placed. It had a white solar powered alarm clock on top of it that Cassie used often. There was also a red, old fashioned land line telephone on it that she was currently picking up. “Hello?” she moaned into the telephone. Cassie was barely awake. “Hello,” replied a voice on the other end of the telephone line. “Are you up yet?“Now I am. Who is this and what do you want?” “You don’t remember me? Wyatt? You said you’d be over at 10 today to do some business with me? I wanted to check and make sure that you were still up for it.” Cassie wracked her brain for a second, then she recognized who was calling her and for what purpose. It was Wyatt, a guy who she had recently met who told her that he could help her out in some way with her little brother. Her little brother, David, had been out in the streets for quite some time. Cassie had never known her brother too well, since most of his days were spent away from the family farm and with his other friends when Cassie was growing up. She knew her sister better than she did him. Neither Cassie or her sister back then had a vehicle or a license to drive it, so they were stuck assisting their parents with the farm. David apparently had done his share of assisting their parents in handling the farm when he was younger. He had grown older, though, and was able to go and do different things that required a vehicle. Obviously, with the countryside not being the closest place to a town or another city, this was a big thing. It gave David a whole lot of freedom. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t as responsible for the farming chores as he had once been. This seemed to suit David fine, and he never complained about it. No one really expected him to, though. The downside to all this (and there was a huge downside) was that David began to hang out with people who were from the nearby city. Naturally, this helped him to form habits not previously present. Boredom and idleness, Cassie’s mom had always said, always did terrible things to the mind. David was living proof of that. She and her sister had watched on helplessly as David got away with coming home drunk and stoned at night. David already smoked before he got his license, so it was easy for him to hide all the drugs he was starting to take at first glance. However, knowing better than their parents how the drugs smelled (their parents had never been anything but smokers and drinkers), they were forced by David not to squeal. “They can’t know about it,” he had insisted to them in a voice that clearly implied panic. “I’ll get my driver’s license taken away from me, and that’ll be the end of that! No, I’m fine. I swear, if either of you two say anything at all to them, you’re dead meat.” Being as young as they were, both Cassie and her sister had been intensely intimidated by this statement from their brother. David was ten times stronger than they were. Neither stood a chance. Both of them knew that. Later on, David moved into his own place before either of his parents could find out what he was doing. He wanted to go to college, he told them, and he was going to pay his own way through. Since Cassie’s family didn’t have a lot of money, and certainly not nearly enough to be able to help David with his college expenses, they were more than fine with this. After all, it wasn’t their money that they were going to be spending. Besides, David was hardly ever home anyways. They wouldn’t miss him much if he was gone all of the time. So he moved to a small apartment as well, one that was worse than the one that Cassie currently occupied. Unfortunately, David lost the apartment because he wasn’t able to pay the bills that were required in order to stay there. People on drugs had an extremely difficult time getting a job, and David was no exception to the rule. Things went downhill quickly for him without the care of his parents. However, David was much too proud to take his parent’s help. This was a big mistake. David was living in government housing because of it. Carrie had tried a few times to get David to go back and live with his parents, but it didn’t work out. David’s mind was already made up when she decided to ask him. She couldn’t understand it. Why would he want to live that way when he could simply go home and have a better living situation altogether?
Then it had hit her. David didn’t want them getting on him for taking drugs. She had to admit, David loved his drugs. He had been a user for many years now. Of course, there were people who made a decision to stop using drugs, smoking, or drinking and were able to do it. Then again, those people had to be serious about it. Want it for themselves. Nobody else could do it for them. This man on the phone, Wyatt, was someone who had approached Cassie recently and told her that he was in charge of the jail. David was currently in jail. Amazingly, neither of Cassie’s parents knew this. Well, this was only the case because her brother had just gotten into jail under the charge of possession of narcotics and physically assaulting an officer. David resisted the police officer’s efforts to handcuff him and take him to jail. Not surprisingly, the cops had won that battle. They usually did. Police officers were especially trained for those types of situations for safety precautions in New York. The reason that Cassie knew this was because her cousin Randall was a police officer himself, and had told her. She had been extremely close to her cousin Randall, and still was. That would never change, as far as Cassie was concerned. Randall had always been at their home when she was younger. “Oh yeah,” Cassie replied. “Yes, we’re still on, sir.”
“Great,” the husky low voice said. “I’ll see you then. Sorry about waking you up.”
“It’s alright, I can go back to sleep,” lied Cassie, trying not to make a big deal out of the situation. She really had trouble getting back to sleep once she was woken up, but what could she do? She was already awake. Nothing could change that now. She might as well make the best of it. At least she wasn’t going to be late like she was yesterday for her job. Granted, she had her alarm clock all ready for when she actually needed to wake up.
“Alright, I won’t trouble you anymore. See you later.” The phone went dead, and Cassie hung it up on it’s hook. I probably should get ready, thought Cassie to herself, as she stretched out her arms. What time is it anyway? She glanced at her white alarm clock. It told her that it was exactly 7:15 a.m. Cassie groaned out loud. That’s too early, she thought. I don’t normally get up this early on a Saturday. Saturdays, as far as Cassie was concerned, were for sleeping in until noon if at all possible. Of course, there were times when she was not able to do that, but she was that wasn’t the norm. As far as Cassie was concerned, that wasn’t a bad thing in the least. Usually, time was on her side in that respect. The same could not be said about today. It was upsetting, but there was nothing that Cassie could really do about it. She had to get help for her brother today. David needed someone to help bail him out of jail. None of his other “friends” had the money or the means to be able to get him released, but Cassie tried to remain optimistic about the situation. Perhaps things would work out for David. She had vocalized her worries about it to a friend that just happened to be training to be a full-fledged police officer. Cassie could have asked Randall, but he was family. Their parents would have more of a chance of hearing about what had happened to David, which was not what Cassie wanted at all. She wished that she had another choice, but at the moment the choices were slim. Cassie got up out of her small bed and walked over slowly towards the kitchen. She had an old, black, and slightly beat-up looking red coffeepot she used often in the mornings when she woke up. Cassie loved having her coffee in the morning. It woke her up—made her more alert. Without coffee, Cassie didn’t know what she would do. The hot sticky liquid was a savior to all mankind as far as she was concerned. Always had been, always would be.
Coffee was expensive, though. That was a fact that couldn’t be denied. No matter how badly the temptation was to ignore that fact, nothing changed. Ignoring the fact put people in debt. Debt was never a good thing. It created stress. Cassie was not a stranger to the stress that debt could cause to a person. It depleted health and well-being in general if a person allowed it to. Starbucks had therefore never been her prime place to get coffee.
She turned on the coffeepot. Soon, it was filled with coffee. Cassie got one of her mugs and filled the inside up completely. She reached into the far right small wooden cabinet that was on top of the kitchen walls, and retrieved a couple of packets of Splenda®. Splenda® made her coffee much sweeter, and Cassie had never really enjoyed drinking coffee that tasted bitter. Of course, coffee by nature was a drink that tasted bitter, so sugar became her best friend when it came to drinking it. After using the packets of sugar, she turned around to throw the packet remains into a trashcan located right beside her in a small wooden drawer close to the floor. It was a small place where she kept all of the daily trash from the kitchen. Since Cassie lived by herself, it didn’t take a huge amount of trash space up. She shuffled slowly to her small wooden table and chairs in her apartment in order to set down her now full mug of coffee on a safe surface that she could relax on. Cassie suddenly noticed that her cell phone had been left on the table. What is that doing there? she wondered to herself. I can’t remember putting that on the table….hmm, oh right! I put it on the table before I went to go to bed last night. I took the cell phone out of my pocket for a while after I saw George and watched television for a bit. Remembering this made Cassie feel a lot calmer than she had been feeling before. The cell phone was a small, jet black flip phone. She had no other phone at her apartment. Paying the phone bill for her flip phone each month was difficult enough. The expense would be uncalled for. Cassie hardly used the phone to talk. She had unlimited texting, and some minutes on her phone to spare just in case, but that was all she really needed. Apparently, Mark had decided to get in touch with her by text again on her cell. I miss you…please come back. I know I hurt you, but please give me a second chance. Cassie texted back, Please stop texting me, okay? I am not happy at all with you. I don’t want to give you another chance to hurt me again. Sry. How sad it was that he was crawling back to her after what he had done. It made her upset, but also sent a tidal wave of fury into her heart. Pride was damaged, and could never be repaired that Mark had taken away from her. Cassie pursed her lips in anger and disgust. She almost threw the phone across the room, but she decided at the last moment to not do that. Money was the hugest reason. There was none of it to spare if the phone actually broke on impact. It wasn’t worth all of the trouble. Finding a new phone that had all of the same features and did all of the same things for the cheapest price was too difficult.
Cassie rolled her eyes. Hurt her? He had scarred her for the rest of her existence, as far as she was concerned! The whole relationship had been toxic. They always ended up fighting with each other and someone got hurt. Naturally, that person was usually Cassie. After Mark had injured her so many times, she got to the point where she couldn’t take the relationship abuse any more. Sure, Cassie loved Mark. But there were just some things that she wasn’t going to put up with when it came to her relationship with her significant other. Abuse was one of them. Too many times, Mark had said that he was sorry. Cassie had always come back and gave him another chance. She knew that she had to start being strong, or she was just going to keep getting beaten up by Mark. That wasn’t something Cassie wanted at all. What she wanted was a man who appreciated her for who she really was. Men who attempted to lay a hand on her did not make her feel good. Period. “I don’t believe you,” Cassie said aloud to no one, proceeding to type the message out to Mark on her phone. Her face was livid with anger.
Why did he text me anyways? Cassie fumed inside her head. I said I didn’t want to talk to him again. She decided to add that to the text, and to just ignore any of the rest of the texts or calls from her phone that she may receive from Mark in the future. He doesn’t deserve an explanation.                                          
~
“Oh, my gosh,” groaned George, with a huge bag of groceries cradled in his hands, “I’m finally home..”  The bag was dropped onto the white kitchen counter with a careless plop! Luckily, there were not any items that were delicate in the huge bag of groceries. The bag proudly proclaimed in huge red letters, “Grocery Mart.” The big red letters were placed inside a red circle. Grocery Mart was one of the cheapest grocery stores available in New York City. A lot of people used the grocery to shop for food items and meals. The prices were so cheap, and the food wasn’t that bad. All in all, a great find. Despite being a such great find, Grocery Mart remained a grocery store that no one but locals really knew anything about. A gem, if you will. Other grocery stores in New York were crazily high priced, and the quality of the food was questionable at best. That’s why 99% of New York locals ended up shopping at Grocery Mart for their groceries.
It turns out that Cassie was not the only person who was having problems with his love life. Of course, Cassie wouldn’t have known all this. There was no way. Pacing around the room, David was mumbling incoherently to himself in frustration. Luckily, there was nobody else at the apartment that could have heard him. That would have been embarrassing. David didn’t really feel like having to explain what he was doing to anyone at the moment either. The floor shook with each step, not that it made a difference. No one came up and said anything. Yes, he was in the clear. No one was going to try to interrogate. This put a smile on David’s face just thinking about it. Then anger seeped in. Why was it that apartments had to be made so badly? You could hear everything through the walls that were installed! It was annoying, to say the least. Many sleepless nights had occurred because those walls were so paper thin, and would probably occur again. Not that this was something that anyone in the apartment wanted to happen. The landlord had been asked to fix the problem if at all possible, but, true to the status quo, the greedy landlord had never even looked into it or thought about it for even a moment.
David was sitting all alone in his own apartment at the moment. I really liked Cassie, he thought to himself. I hope she liked me as much as I liked her. Any guy who got Cassie would be an incredibly lucky dude, as far as I have seen. He sighed to himself. He really wanted to go and see her. Perhaps I could go over to where she lives and..no. That’d just be creepy. I don’t want to be creepy. I’ll just practice these lines for the movie by myself. I’ll concentrate better that way anyways. He picked up the play and started to read through his lines and memorize his better. Unfortunately, David could not, try as he might, concentrate well enough to really memorize his lines. It made him quite frustrated. All of his thoughts seemed to drift right back to Cassie and the night before that they had shared. David could not ever remember a girl having this huge of an effect on him emotionally before. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Should he be upset? Questioning himself got him into an even bigger state of confusion. Ultimately, this caused David to become more and more on edge than he already had been before. He wondered if he should just give up. The task before him seemed to be one of impossibility.
Get yourself together, man! David scolded himself. It’s just a girl. Does Cassie really have that much power over you already?? Stop being so pathetic! He sighed and shifted all of his focus again onto memorizing the lines that he needed to know for the upcoming movie. David ended up, upon his own decision, to start drawing. Drawing always seemed to be the activity that would relax him, no matter what was going on in his daily existence. David’s expectations turned out to be futile, however. On the pad of paper in his hand, David had managed somehow to draw a picture of Cassie. A groan echoed through the halls of the apartment. It’s not like I could do anything about seeing Cassie again anyways, he complained inwardly to himself. I don’t even have her cell phone number yet. I forgot to ask.

Mumbling to himself in annoyance, David picked up the control for his gaming console while plopping down onto an old brown coach that was in the middle of the tiny living room that he shared. Turning the television on, David went into another world yet again, one much less frustrating than the current one he found himself in at the moment. 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Preview of Chapter 4 of Cassie!!

Chapter IV


When Cassie and George finally arrived, almost a whole hour or two had passed. Both parties were starving, their bellies rumbling and groaning like there was no tomorrow. George had the hardest time of the two, since he was the person who Cassie had decided to place in the care of the pizza box while she was driving the car. George was, after all, a man. And a hungry one at that. It took all he had not to reach into that pizza box for those agonizing two hours that they spent in heavy New York traffic and eat a piece of his pizza. However, he knew that Cassie would be upset that she couldn’t do the same, so he decided not to do it. If Cassie would have been okay with him eating the piece of pizza, that would have been another story. But judging by the way that Cassie was so eager to fight the heavy traffic while she was driving, she was just as starving as he was. George didn’t blame her for that. Sure enough, when Cassie and George got inside her apartment, Cassie took a loud deep breath of what sounded like relief.  “Oh my gosh, I’m soooo glad that were back,” she exhaled with her eyes wide and both eyebrows lifted. “This pizza is going to taste delicious! It’s about time that we got to eat lunch, isn’t it?” George nodded in reply. Cassie went to one of her oak drawers on the wall of her tiny kitchen and opened  one of them up. Inside the oak drawer was a bunch of plastic plates and cups for drinking in.  She had four cups and four plates, George observed. She must not have very many visitors.  Cassie handed one of the plates and cups to George. “Here you go,” she said as she did so. “What kind of drink do you want?”
“What kinds of drinks do you have?” replied George.
“Well,” Cassie responded instantly, “we have water, and we also have some milk and some Coca Cola ©. That’s it, though, I’m afraid. Any of those okay with you?” George nodded.
“More than okay with me,” he said, smiling at her. “I think I’ll just have some water.” Cassie showed him to her ice and water machine that was built into her refrigerator. He proceeded to use it, then placed one slice of his pizza onto the plate that Cassie had handed him. “Where do I sit?” he asked.
“One second,” Cassie answered, “I’m gonna get my plate and drink all set up. I’ll show you after that.” Just as soon as she had told him that, she was heading towards a small wooden table in her nearby tiny living room that she always used for eating at. She motioned for George to come closer and to join her. He did so gladly, or at least he appeared to be glad to come closer to Cassie. The funny thing was, George was more than extra happy to be able to sit down closer. He was glad that Cassie felt comfortable. He wouldn’t blame her for not being comfortable. Many women that he had known had been hurt by other men and had a huge mistrust in them. This, he could admit to himself, was not something that he liked, but it happened. He was, of course, highly aware. He himself would never stoop to treat women that low. He wished that guys didn’t have such a bad reputation. The thing was, those men got so many more women. They didn’t even have to even try, it seemed, either…they just got them like it was a natural thing. It disgusted George to no end. He wasn’t exactly bad-looking, per se, but there were definitely better-looking men than him who were out there. They attempted abominable acts towards other women all of the time and some even got away from the consequences of their actions. Unfairness was what it was, pure and simple, in George’s mind. He couldn’t comprehend why these men would risk being caught and apprehended. Numerous times he had wondered whether or not a portion of these men were strung out on narcotics. It was entirely possible in George’s mind.  Once he was seated, and both he and Cassie had begun eating their pizzas, he spoke up.
“So, you said you live here alone?” he questioned her. It was an honest question, but it was also a question to just make conversation between them. George never had been one for small talk, but he knew that when meeting someone else for the first time, you had to let that go a little. After all, neither of you knew anything about the other person.
“Yeah, I do,” replied Cassie. “I don’t have any roomies or anything. I’m kind of glad about that. I used to share the rent and apartment with one of my friends, but that turned out badly.”
“What happened, if I may ask?”
“Oh, nothing big. We just didn’t live well together. She had such totally different living habits than I had. I still care about her, and she’s still my friend—I just know that I personally couldn’t stand to actually live in the same building. At first, I thought I could. It turns out though that she was so messy that living with it was a nightmare.” George chuckled at her reply. “What?” Cassie said, smiling.
“Nothing,” George replied. “Sounds like a problem for the both of you.” Cassie snorted a laugh.
“A huge problem,” she corrected him, still laughing. “But at least helped her find someone who she was able to live with; one who was just as messy as she was.”
“Was she that messy?”
“I’m afraid she was,” replied Cassie. “But it doesn’t matter.” She flashed a whole smile at George over the table, which George returned.
“That’s good.”
“Mhmm. What about you? Do you live by yourself? I thought you said you did, but I can’t remember. I know you have an apartment.” George nodded.
“Yep, I sure do,” he said. “I have a roommate, though.”
“Oh? Mind if I ask who it is?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I like my roommate a lot. His name’s Ben. We’ve been friends ever since high school.”
“Wow, impressive.”
“Yeah, we’ve been friends forever it seems like. Ben is a really loyal guy.” George smiled. “Always helps me out when I need it.” George had finished up that single slice of his pizza after he said this. He noticed that Cassie had too. “Want me to get you another piece of your pizza?” he offered with a smile on his face. “I’m gonna go get another piece of my pizza.” Cassie nodded yes.
“Sure,” she said. “I won’t want any more than two for right now, though.” George nodded at this.
“Okay.” He replied. He took both his plate and hers and put another slice of both of their pizzas onto them. “It’s a big pizza,” he said.  Cassie giggled. God, that’s not even funny, Cassie, shut up! Her brain said.
“Yeah, it is.” she said, giving George a smile. Uggh, I sound like a complete dumbass who doesn’t eat at all, Cassie lamented. This is not going the way that I was hoping it would go. Ah well, I can only move on from here and try not to embarrass myself even more than I already have. George came back to the wooden table and set the plate of food down beside her.
“Here ya go,” he said as he did. Cassie smiled a thanks, then verbalized it to him. Then she started to talk again.
“What do you want to do after we eat? Or do you need to get back home?” she asked him. George considered the question with what appeared to be deep thought.
“I dunno,” he replied. “What about you?”
“I have only work,” Cassie admitted. “I don’t have a time limit that you are able to stay here or anything.”
“Okay, then,” replied George. “My schedule is extremely flexible as well, except for work. Would it be okay if I….um….took you to…an…um…movie….tonighh..tt??”he started to blush again. As he was asking this, he was rubbing both of his shoes on the floor. He wasn’t even looking at Cassie. Dang it, I sounded so stupid! Oh well, hopefully she doesn’t think so. I got everything out in the open. He looked up to see what sort of reaction to what he had said, if any, he was going to receive from Cassie. Words failed Cassie at the moment. She was flabbergasted. Did he just ask me out on a date? she thought in alarm. Wow!
“Um…I guess so, sure,” came out of her mouth. “I don’t see why not.” That answer appeared to completely make George’s day.
“Great!” he said. “I hoped so. What sort of movies do you like to watch?” Cassie considered the question for a second, then opened her mouth to answer.
“I like most any movies except for westerns,” she said. “For some reason, they’ve just never appealed to me.” George nodded to show he was listening. 
“Yeah, I’m not one that enjoys western movies either,” he admitted. “Never knew why myself.” He smiled at Cassie after he said this. Cassie smiled back.
“Well, do you know what’s on in theaters?” Cassie inquired after a few minutes of silence in the apartment had passed.
“No, but we can find out.”
“Sounds good to me. You’re thinking about looking on the internet for the shows that are on and the times, right?”
“You got it.” George smiled.  Cassie nodded.
“I’ll go over and look after I’m done eating. How is that?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Cool.”  The two ate their pizza slices and drank up their drinks in no time at all. Cassie found a really good monster movie that was showing in theaters called The Curse. Even the title sounded spooky, at least to Cassie. George wasn’t as impressed, however. He grumbled that it sounded amateur. Cassie endeavored to change his opinion, despite heavy opposition. Nothing worked. Oh well, at least I think it’s going to be a good scary movie, she thought. What’s more, she had persuaded him to choose that particular movie for their first date. No harm, no foul. The only thing that worried Cassie was that George was going to possibly laugh at inappropriate moments during the movie. After sharing this concern with him, Cassie was relieved of it.
“I promise I won’t,” he had told her with a heavy sigh. “But it’s all for you.” This put Cassie’s mind to rest.
~
Both parties didn’t know what to expect from the movie, so when the movie turned out fantastic, it was a welcome surprise. The one who was the most surprised was George, however. He claimed that all horror movies were produced amateurly. Being an actor himself didn’t help his biased opinion of these flicks. Cassie learned that George had acted in various roles in horror movies in the past. She herself never had been inclined to audition for any horror films. That immunity must come from auditioning and being in horror film roles, Cassie figured. It would make perfect sense. Cassie proposed to George that they both hang out sometime later, since it was beginning to turn into nighttime all around them. Truthfully, she wanted George to stay for the night at her apartment. Thing was, Cassie had other plans tomorrow that she had not disclosed to George. The reason was a good one as far as she was concerned, too. George needn’t know about all of her private affairs instantly, after all. Besides, Cassie had a hunch that George knew that she was doing something else. He seemed to be smart enough, that was for sure. Popularity just seemed to drip from his pores. What if he has some sort of sexual disease? she had worried, even before she had taken him into her apartment. I don’t want that. The thought crossed Cassie’s mind yet again and made her decide firmly to wait and get to know the guy better than she did. She was in no race to date or to have another man in her life. Men had constantly let her down, and she felt in her bones that this man would only prove untrue as well. He’ll just take what he wants from me and then leave me with nothing, she thought bitterly. I HAVE to remember that about men. Luckily, George wasn’t aware of anything that was currently going on in Cassie’s head, or that anything at all was amiss. He agreed to make plans with her later on when it was not nighttime again.  They exchanged cell phone numbers. George insisted upon strolling the streets of New York by himself in order to get back to where his car was parked for work while Cassie went ahead and drove back home to her own apartment. At first, Cassie fought this, but eventually, she relented. George was a man, and when men made their mind up, they never relented. The argument could have lasted all day. She was just as stubborn as the next man, and she knew it. So she hopped into her small red car and got into it, and turned the engine on again. She peered out of one of her car’s windows and spotted George. She waved goodbye to him with a smile on her face, and proceeded to back her car out of the movie theater and into the heavy New York traffic. It never ceased to annoy her, how congested it was. She sighed and mentally prepared herself for the long drive home.
~
Early the next morning, Cassie was woken by the ring of the telephone. “Ugggh,” she moaned. Turning over on her backside, she slowly extended her left arm to the left side of her bed, where a small dresser made of oak was placed. It had a white solar powered alarm clock on top of it that Cassie used often. There was also a red, old fashioned land line telephone on it that she was currently picking up. “Hello?” she moaned into the telephone. Cassie was barely awake.
“Hello,” replied a voice on the other end of the telephone line. “Are you up yet?”
“Now I am. Who is this and what do you want?”
“You don’t remember me? Wyatt? You said you’d be over at 10 today to do some business with me? I wanted to check and make sure that you were still up for it.” Cassie wracked her brain for a second, then she recognized who was calling her and for what purpose. It was Wyatt, a guy who she had recently met who told her that he could help her out in some way with her little brother. Her little brother, David, had been out in the streets for quite some time. Cassie had never known her brother too well, since most of his days were spent away from the family farm and with his other friends when Cassie was growing up. She knew her sister better than she did him. Neither Cassie or her sister back then had a vehicle or a license to drive it, so they were stuck assisting their parents with the farm. David apparently had done his share of assisting their parents in handling the farm when he was younger. He had grown older, though, and was able to go and do different things that required a vehicle. Obviously, with the countryside not being the closest place to a town or another city, this was a big thing. It gave David a whole lot of freedom. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t as responsible for the farming chores as he had once been. This seemed to suit David fine, and he never complained about it. No one really expected him to, though. The downside to all this (and there was a huge downside) was that David began to hang out with people who were from the nearby city. Naturally, this helped him to form habits not previously present. Boredom and idleness, Cassie’s mom had always said, always did terrible things to the mind. David was living proof of that. She and her sister had watched on helplessly as David got away with coming home drunk and stoned at night. David already smoked before he got his license, so it was easy for him to hide all the drugs he was starting to take at first glance. However, knowing better than their parents how the drugs smelled (their parents had never been anything but smokers and drinkers), they were forced by David not to squeal. “They can’t know about it,” he had insisted to them in a voice that clearly implied panic. “I’ll get my driver’s license taken away from me, and that’ll be the end of that! No, I’m fine. I swear, if either of you two say anything at all to them, you’re dead meat.” Being as young as they were, both Cassie and her sister had been intensely intimidated by this statement from their brother. David was ten times stronger than they were. Neither stood a chance. Both of them knew that. Later on, David moved into his own place before either of his parents could find out what he was doing. He wanted to go to college, he told them, and he was going to pay his own way through. Since Cassie’s family didn’t have a lot of money, and certainly not nearly enough to be able to help David with his college expenses, they were more than fine with this. After all, it wasn’t their money that they were going to be spending. Besides, David was hardly ever home anyways. They wouldn’t miss him much if he was gone all of the time. So he moved to a small apartment as well, one that was worse than the one that Cassie currently occupied. Unfortunately, David lost the apartment because he wasn’t able to pay the bills that were required in order to stay there. People on drugs had an extremely difficult time getting a job, and David was no exception to the rule. Things went downhill quickly for him without the care of his parents. However, David was much too proud to take his parent’s help. This was a big mistake. David was living in government housing because of it. Carrie had tried a few times to get David to go back and live with his parents, but it didn’t work out. David’s mind was already made up when she decided to ask him. She couldn’t understand it. Why would he want to live that way when he could simply go home and have a better living situation altogether?
Then it had hit her. David didn’t want them getting on him for taking drugs. She had to admit, David loved his drugs. He had been a user for many years now. Of course, there were people who made a decision to stop using drugs, smoking, or drinking and were able to do it. Then again, those people had to be serious about it. Want it for themselves. Nobody else could do it for them. This man on the phone, Wyatt, was someone who had approached Cassie recently and told her that he was in charge of the jail. David was currently in jail. Amazingly, neither of Cassie’s parents knew this. Well, this was only the case because her brother had just gotten into jail under the charge of possession of narcotics and physically assaulting an officer. David resisted the police officer’s efforts to handcuff him and take him to jail. Not surprisingly, the cops had won that battle. They usually did. Police officers were especially trained for those types of situations for safety precautions in New York. The reason that Cassie knew this was because her cousin Randall was a police officer himself, and had told her. She had been extremely close to her cousin Randall, and still was. That would never change, as far as Cassie was concerned. Randall had always been at their home when she was younger. “Oh yeah,” Cassie replied. “Yes, we’re still on, sir.”
“Great,” the husky low voice said. “I’ll see you then. Sorry about waking you up.”
“It’s alright, I can go back to sleep,” lied Cassie, trying not to make a big deal out of the situation. She really had trouble getting back to sleep once she was woken up, but what could she do? She was already awake. Nothing could change that now. She might as well make the best of it. At least she wasn’t going to be late like she was yesterday for her job. Granted, she had her alarm clock all ready for when she actually needed to wake up.
“Alright, I won’t trouble you anymore. See you later.” The phone went dead, and Cassie hung it up on it’s hook. I probably should get ready, thought Cassie to herself, as she stretched out her arms. What time is it anyway? She glanced at her white alarm clock. It told her that it was exactly 7:15 a.m. Cassie groaned out loud. That’s too early, she thought. I don’t normally get up this early on a Saturday. Saturdays, as far as Cassie was concerned, were for sleeping in until noon if at all possible. Of course, there were times when she was not able to do that, but she was that wasn’t the norm. As far as Cassie was concerned, that wasn’t a bad thing in the least. Usually, time was on her side in that respect. The same could not be said about today. It was upsetting, but there was nothing that Cassie could really do about it. She had to get help for her brother today. David needed someone to help bail him out of jail. None of his other “friends” had the money or the means to be able to get him released, but Cassie tried to remain optimistic about the situation. Perhaps things would work out for David. She had vocalized her worries about it to a friend that just happened to be training to be a full-fledged police officer. Cassie could have asked Randall, but he was family. Their parents would have more of a chance of hearing about what had happened to David, which was not what Cassie wanted at all. She wished that she had another choice, but at the moment the choices were slim. Cassie got up out of her small bed and walked over slowly towards the kitchen. She had an old, black, and slightly beat-up looking red coffeepot she used often in the mornings when she woke up. Cassie loved having her coffee in the morning. It woke her up—made her more alert. Without coffee, Cassie didn’t know what she would do.
She turned on the coffeepot. Soon, it was filled with coffee. Cassie got one of her mugs and filled the inside up completely. She reached into the far right small wooden cabinet that was on top of the kitchen walls, and retrieved a couple of packets of Splenda®. Splenda® made her coffee much sweeter, and Cassie had never really enjoyed drinking coffee that tasted bitter. Of course, coffee by nature was a drink that tasted bitter, so sugar became her best friend when it came to drinking it. After using the packets of sugar, she turned around to throw the packet remains into a trashcan located right beside her in a small wooden drawer close to the floor. It was a small place where she kept all of the daily trash from the kitchen. Since Cassie lived by herself, it didn’t take a huge amount of trash space up. She shuffled slowly to her small wooden table and chairs in her apartment in order to set down her now full mug of coffee on a safe surface that she could relax on. Cassie suddenly noticed that her cell phone had been left on the table. What is that doing there? she wondered to herself. I can’t remember putting that on the table….hmm, oh right! I put it on the table before I went to go to bed last night. I took the cell phone out of my pocket for a while after I saw George and watched television for a bit. Remembering this made Cassie feel a lot calmer than she had been feeling before. The cell phone was a small, jet black flip phone. She had no other phone at her apartment. Paying the phone bill for her flip phone each month was difficult enough. The expense would be uncalled for. Cassie hardly used the phone to talk. She had unlimited texting, and some minutes on her phone to spare just in case, but that was all she really needed. Apparently, Mark had decided to get in touch with her by text again on her cell. I miss you…please come back. I know I hurt you, but please give me a second chance.
            Cassie rolled her eyes. Hurt her? He had scarred her for the rest of her existence, as far as she was concerned! The whole relationship had been toxic. They always ended up fighting with each other and someone got hurt. Naturally, that person was usually Cassie. After Mark had injured her so many times, she got to the point where she couldn’t take the relationship abuse any more. Sure, Cassie loved Mark. But there were just some things that she wasn’t going to put up with when it came to her relationship with her significant other. Abuse was one of them. Too many times, Mark had said that he was sorry. Cassie had always come back and gave him another chance. She knew that she had to start being strong, or she was just going to keep getting beaten up by Mark. That wasn’t something Cassie wanted at all. What she wanted was a man who appreciated her for who she really was. Men who attempted to lay a hand on her did not make her feel good. Period. “I don’t believe you,” Cassie said aloud to no one, proceeding to type the message out to Mark on her phone. Her face was livid with anger.
            Why did he text me anyways? Cassie fumed inside her head. I said I didn’t want to talk to him again. She decided to add that to the text, and to just ignore any of the rest of the texts or calls from her phone that she may receive from Mark in the future. He doesn’t deserve an explanation.
~
            David was sitting all alone in his own apartment at the moment. I really liked Cassie, he thought to himself. I hope she liked me as much as I liked her. Any guy who got Cassie would be an incredibly lucky dude, as far as I have seen. He sighed to himself. He really wanted to go and see her. Perhaps I could go over to where she lives and..no. That’d just be creepy. I don’t want to be creepy. I’ll just practice these lines for the movie by myself. I’ll concentrate better that way anyways. He picked up the play and started to read through his lines and memorize his better. Unfortunately, David could not, try as he might, concentrate well enough to really memorize his lines. It made him quite frustrated. All of his thoughts seemed to drift right back to Cassie and the night before that they had shared. David could not ever remember a girl having this huge of an effect on him emotionally before. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Should he be upset? Questioning himself got him into an even bigger state of confusion. Ultimately, this caused David to become more and more on edge than he already had been before. He wondered if he should just give up. The task before him seemed to be one of impossibility.
            Get yourself together, man! David scolded himself. It’s just a girl. Does Cassie really have that much power over you already?? Stop being so pathetic! He sighed and shifted all of his focus again onto memorizing the lines that he needed to know for the upcoming movie. David ended up, upon his own decision, to start drawing. Drawing always seemed to be the activity that would relax him, no matter what was going on in his daily existence. David’s expectations turned out to be futile, however. On the pad of paper in his hand, David had managed somehow to draw a picture of Cassie. A groan echoed through the halls of the apartment. It’s not like I could do anything about seeing Cassie again anyways, he complained inwardly to himself. I don’t even have her cell phone number yet. I forgot to ask.

            Mumbling to himself in annoyance, David picked up the control for his gaming console while plopping down onto an old brown coach that was in the middle of the tiny living room that he shared. Turning the television on, David went into another world yet again, one much less frustrating than the current one he found himself in at the moment. 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Review of Chills: A Short Story Collection by Sahar Sabati and my new poetry book, Mind, Media, and Other Things

So, I got a lot to talk about. I have gotten a new poetry book out that I am extremely proud of called "Mind Media and Other Things". Parental guidance is advised for this poetry  book, but it does open up a lot of taboo subjects and gets a conversation going about them. This is what my ultimate goal is. Check it out!
http://www.amazon.com/Media-Other-Things-Kelsey-Harris-ebook/dakp/B00GRDALAI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1384977602&sr=8-5&keywords=kelsey+harris.

As of late, I have also reviewed the book "Chills: A Short Story Collection", by: Sahar Sabati. The short stories were well-written and sent the chills that I expected right down my spine. I didn't know if the stories were going to really scare me at first, but as I read more, I realized that they were certainly going to. It takes talent to write a good short story that is really scary, but Sahar Sabati accomplished just that. Props to her! :)

I will have new chapters of Cassie on here really soon, so hang tight. Don't be afraid to subscribe either! :)

Write on!!
Kelsey

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Hey!

Alright, so I know I have not blogged as much as I could have right after  Halloween. Totally my bad, guys--I had a lot going on. I still will, what with it being the holidays and all. I'm not complaining, though--I love the holiday season. It's hectic, but I love it. Especially since I was born December 21st....which is close to Christmas. Some people, I know, have birthdays on or close to Christmas and don't enjoy the holiday season. I was one of the lucky kids that this never happened to. My parents could have just put all of my birthday and Christmas gifts together, but that never ended up happening. That did make my holidays a lot better, and that is still the case. I have my parents to thank for that! But I digress.

Lately I have been having trouble with my Kindle, and that has affected my writing research a lot. I have not actually sat down to write more of Carrie for awhile. I am going to do so today though and do some marketing work for my other books. I almost have another poetry book for you all to enjoy as well, but I am not sure on what the title should be, or the cover either. The order that I want the poems in is another thing as well. I am working on them, though. I'll be putting up some more preview chapters for you to enjoy from my novel as I write it too, so hang tight! I hope you all had a great Halloween, and things are not too hectic during this holiday season for you!

Write on!

Kelsey Harris 


Thursday, October 31, 2013

A Review of the Book "Story Tellers: In Pursuit of Happiness" by: Thomas Jerome Baker

I just finished reading another short book that kept me on the edge of my seat called "Story Tellers: In Pursuit of Happiness." by: Thomas Jerome Baker. This book was extremely good! I felt like I was really in the story myself. The idea of having Elydian be the kingdom of heaven was an interesting yet good one, as well as the head Storyteller's real name be Solomon. I won't ruin the story--you'll have to read the book for yourself--but suffice it to say that it is a book well worth reading!
I have been doing a lot of reviews for other authors lately, but I am still writing for both Textbroker and in my "spare time." Yeah, I have none. lol. Part of being an author meant that I would be constantly writing something somewhere. Not that it matters to me...I enjoy reading and writing. I consider it my luck that I am able to share my stories and poems to others throughout the world. It's getting easier and easier to do too. The world of publishing and books is becoming so different from what it used to be. I have a great idea of how much has changed since I have been published in an anthology before. I had to work with another company or third party in order to get my work published and printed. Many authors pay for their work to be published, and that is a common huge mistake that is made. Any publishing company that asks you to pay for the right to print your work is scamming you. They receive more money off of it than normal from this. It isn't right, but it happens. Enter how hard it is to get published. I had to win my way to publication, f course, by applying to be in the contest in the first place. I had to make sure that I had the document a specific way and everything. I was excited that my poem was one of the many poems chosen to be put into the anthology!
I must admit, however, that I thought being published would mean a lot more in the big scheme of things than it does in actuality. It makes sense though. Well, I am going to get some more reviews done for people and then write some more before I go to see a friend in Evansville. I also have to make some press kits for my books. I haven't done that yet, and I need to. I'm going to stay over there for 4 days, so I won't probably be able to blog or anything for awhile. I am going to get more of my research done for my books. I love my readers, and I am trying to get the stories as accurate and precise as I can! Until then, I hope that you have a great Halloween! Stay safe and dry, as where I am, it is pouring down rain and I don't think the rain is going to stop for quite awhile. Hopefully it will stop soon, but who knows? So do make sure to stay warm and cozy!

Write on!

Kelsey Harris

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Serving Time by: Nadine Ducca and Margo Collins Waking Up Dead

I really enjoyed this book...it was one of the most interesting and entertaining reads that I have had the pleasure of enjoying in my whole lifetime. Highly imaginative, and incredibly descriptive. I recommend this book to older people, and to teens with discretion. I was glad to have been able to read and review it, and suggest it to other lovers of science fiction stories.

I also read a book by Margo Collins these past few weeks called "Waking Up Dead." This story was still a good one, but the format was a little distracting to me. I felt that the beginning could have been a lot more exciting and gripping, but the storyline was a cute one for sure. This girl has to deal with being a ghost, that's all I'm going to say! ;) I enjoyed it as well--perfect books to read for the Halloween season! What books have you all been reading that you would recommend? Just let me know in the comments below! Have a great Halloween, and

Write on!

Kelsey Harris

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Pssst...Chapter 1 Preview of "Cassie"!

Chapter I

Some things are not easy to forget. I know that extremely well. Sure, you can forgive someone else for what they have done to you, and how they have treated you in the past, but there still is the pain that lingers long after you attempt to bring closure. Cassie had a feeling she would never be able to truly forget what her friend and lover, Mark Cohan, had done to hurt her. She was so glad that she never got married to the dude, the more that she thought about it. Mark Cohan was a prominent pimp, and he was known for being the guy to go to on
the tough streets of New York City.  Of course, there were other rough men and guys out in the streets of New York City, but Mark was the one that everyone looked up to. Mark made them like him just by the way that he presented himself. There were millions of girls who would’ve killed for the chance to be with Mark—literally. Not that it mattered a lot to Cassie. Cassie was a simple girl, born and raised in New York City. She had never really been one of the roughest girls or most prominent girls of the street, but she had secrets and an attraction that all of her down that simply could not be denied by anyone. All the people who were around Cassie agreed on this point.
Sometimes, Cassie wished for a lower status in the streets of New York City. For many years, Cassie had kept away from men for that very reason—they demanded so much of her that it made her crazy, and seldom was it worth it in her eyes to be with someone who just made her status bigger. There had been a time in Cassie’s life when giving some of her power up to a guy, which she had done with Mark. As long as it was her choice, she did not mind at all. She felt misunderstood by many of the guys. Cassie had accepted that she was going to be watched after she chose not to be a snob like some of the people around her were, but now that everyone was growing up, people were continually coming back and seeing her real worth. That made her laugh, as she had acquired some great people around her that loved her for who she was, and that truly cared, compared to the friendships that they had made for themselves most likely. Mark had been one of those friends to her, but he had also betrayed her. By lying, Mark had gotten her to have sex with him, and Cassie was understandably furious about it. Why not just tell the truth?? Was she not worth that much?? Cassie snorted in derision. Perhaps not. After all, she was merely a girl, a simple object to many men and boys that could easily be manipulated. She had thought that he was different, that he would never lie to her. She put him on a pedestal that he never deserved to be on in the very first place.  Now she could hit herself. How could she have been so stupid? She was clearly another option, just for when he got bored. She was pushed and pulled in every direction, wanting so badly to be able to forgive and forget, but alas she could not.
The circumstances would truly never allow for it. Otherwise, she would be a total fool. And Carrie was anything but a fool. She wasn’t about to let others make a fool of her either. She was a strong, independent woman who had the Irish spirit of the O’Connor’s in her. She took a lot of pride in that, and of how far her family had come.
Cassie sat on a brown sofa by a window inside her apartment, where she was living by herself at the moment. The walls around her were plain, a basic white color painted on them. Cassie had a sofa by her small bedroom, and had a small kitchen for cooking. The place was not much, but it was something, and she was proud of every last thing that she had because she worked for all that she had, including all of the cooking utensils, pots, and pans that were needed in the kitchen. Cassie sighed aloud, and stared out of the window, watching cars go by her small apartment complex in the city. She did not have a lot of time to waste before she had to get to her movie shoot. Cassie had recently acquired a job playing the role of Titania in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The Warner Brothers © were attempting to use this classic play in order to get their big comeback. The Warner Brothers © had not had very many successful movies out lately, and they were hoping that doing a modern version of the Shakespearean play would help them to make more money making their movies. Roger Collins, the director, was one of Cassie O’Connor’s friends from way back. As way back, actually, as high school. Inheriting The Warner Brothers Studio ©, Roger Collins had taken it upon himself to create movies for the studio for as cheap as possible.
Of course, that meant that Roger had to do the directing for the studio’s movies. He seemed comfortable doing this, and had done this for as long as he had full control of the studio, up to the present day. The studio was doing well under Roger, but had lately put out a movie, Kissed In Seattle, that had not done as well as had been hoped. Cassie had been a shoe-in for the leading part, as she was experienced in acting in Shakespearean plays. It also did not hurt a bit that she was small and petite, with pretty blue eyes. For all it was worth, Cassie could have been a fairy and not realized the fact. Cassie had a lot of competition during the tryouts, however, each person also appearing to be appropriate and good for the role of Titania, but luckily, since Roger knew her personally, he had been inclined to pick her for the part. As a struggling actress, Cassie was glad that she had this aspect to her advantage. It was sorely needed. The bills for her house needed to be paid soon, and Cassie had been out of work for a while. She had taken up odd jobs just to make sure that she could make ends meet. Not that this was desired, but it had to be done. You would not hear any complaints about it. However, it did depress Cassie that she had to work so very hard and for so very little pay while looking for another acting gig. Jobs were almost impossible to come by in the economy anyways.
Cassie had always dreamed of being on the stage and performing for other people, but she also found her dream one among thousands and even millions of other people who had the same dream that she did. This gave her a lot of competition, sometimes exceptionally fierce. Getting any advantage on the rest of the competition was not an easy thing to do, but it was what kept careers from failing or succeeding. Cassie took a look at the old wooden clock that was up on one of the walls of the apartment’s house and her eyes widened quickly as she realized that she would be late for work if she did not get in her car and head to work soon. The car that she had currently was an ancient, ruby red color. It functioned, but only to the point where it got her to one point to another. Right now, that was enough. Money was tight, to the point where purchasing a grander, better functioning car would be phenomenally expensive. Cassie snapped quickly to attention, and walked outside to her parked car. She got inside and put her keys into the ignition and started to drive.  The weather was great outside, not too hot and not too cold-one of those rare and precious days that did not come around all of the time. The clouds were not gray or stormy looking at all. Unfortunately, the oncoming traffic was a different story. New York City traffic was always a hubbub. However, the amount of traffic that was currently on the road was massive. Too massive, truly, for Cassie’s actual predilection. At this rate, she lamented to herself, I will be too late for my job! Cassie had only so many days off and days that she could be delayed or else she risked losing it. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to calm herself down a little. Fortunately, Cassie was able to. It would have been a bad situation otherwise, as time was ticking by at a lightening pace. Oh well, Cassie thought candidly to herself, I’ll have to use one of my sick days or one of my days that I can be late…
            The thought repulsed Cassie to no small degree, but as she sat through the next grueling hours of waiting for all of the other cars to get to where they also wanted to go, it became a firm reality that she had no other choice but to accept. Without her encouragement, the situation would have to simply be embraced. It was happening, whether or not she cared for the situation to be occurring momentarily. Cassie felt queasy to her stomach. She was not sure that she would be able to accept peacefully in her subconscious that she was going to be tardy for work. She wished with all of her might internally that she could, but it just was not going to happen. Simple as that. The inner strength that Cassie had was just not strong enough for it. Call it a bad habit, but there were definite reasons for her train of logic. Even if, as she admitted to herself, the logic itself was cooky.
(c) Kelsey Harris

Saturday, October 12, 2013

NEW POETRY BOOK!

Hey, guys, I just put in Amazon another poetry book. Okay, I know what you all are thinking...who needs another poetry book anyways? And I have to say, I love writing poetry, but there are some poets who use too many big words. It gets distracting, and I can't enjoy the poems that they write a bit. I don't know about you, but that is how poetry is for me. It is a gift to find a good poems, much less well written poems that are not too big worded and that express emotions well. I think my poems do just that. I have been writing poetry ever since high school, so I have personal experience in writing them. I knew you all are waiting on the release of the ebook Cassie. I decided to give you all a treat while you are waiting for the next ebook to come out! And if you have not yet checked out my ebooks, why not do it now? Both of my poetry books are specifically written for people who don't like poetry. Anyone will find a poem that they enjoy! 
The new ebook is called Of Branches and Trees: A Poetry Book for People Who Don't Like Poetry. 
Check it out! And don't forget to add me and follow me...comments and questions are always welcomed! I will be reviewing some new upcoming authors' books as well that they were kind enough to give me advanced readers copies of. 
All that is coming up later. Until then, write on! 

Kelsey Harris 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Review For "Breaking Free: From Pain Pill & Opiate Addiction" by: Amanda Jenkins

I just finished yesterday Amanda Jenkins' "Breaking Free: From Pain Pill and Opiate Addiction". The story of her life is inspiring, and will be so to many others in my opinion. I have never personally had any trouble in abusing pills or opiates, but I am a proud supporter of TWLOHA-To Write Love on Her Arms. To Write Love on Her Arms is a depression, addiction, and self-cutting support group that grew out of one person's need for the help. The story, although short, is well written, and many good tips for people trying to get off pain pills and/or opiates. 

If you would like me to do a review on a book, please let me know. I am more than happy to swap books for reviews. Have a great day! 

Write On! 

Kelsey Harris 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

An Unexpected DeveIopment (well, sort of..)

Hey readers, this was unexpected, but I just recently published an ebook called 5 Poems on Amazon yesterday. Although the poems are pricey, they are of  high quality, I can assure you. I have been a published poet ever since I was in high school in my hometown. Very much worth getting! I almost have the new story teaser ready to put up on here for you, but not right at the moment. I'm continuing to get lots of love from people who have read my published works, and my sincere thanks goes out to them. If you want to swap books and need a review for yours, I would be more than happy to hear from you. I am in the process of reviewing a couple ebooks myself at the current moment. Subscribe to me or leave a comment, it's nice always enjoyable to hear from people! Here is the link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Poems-ebook/dp/B00FJPG9WO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1380641508&sr=8-8&keywords=kelsey+Harris

Write On!

Kelsey Harris

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Starting on Another Book

It makes me very excited to announce that I have the first chapter of one of my new books done. If you enjoy New York and the night life, this book is going to appeal to you easily. The novel in question will be for adults and mature young adults. The book is going quite smoothly, which is really nice. I may put up a preview of my book on here so that you will be able to see what I am writing! :) I can't tell you a lot right now, but I shall keep you updated as I go. I'm not sure what my title is going to be, but I do have a general idea of how the book is going to go and what it is about. Any suggestions?
On another note, I was pleasantly surprised at the ratings of my reviews for my short stories. I got five stars for both of them...which made me very excited!
Well, I'm gonna sign off here...hope you are all having a wonderful day! Write on! 

Kelsey Harris 

Monday, September 23, 2013

NEW KINDLE EBOOKS ON AMAZON!

I have gotten another short story onto Amazon for 99 cents that you won't want to miss! It's called Impact, and is about a lady who goes to extremes. At the risk of ruining the ending, I won't tell you any more. It's a great short story, though! Here's a picture of the cover:
This book has a twist to it that you aren't expecting..you can find the book by going to http://www.amazon.com/Impact-ebook/dp/B00FDI9VJA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1379945054&sr=8-5&keywords=kelsey+harris

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Hey there

I have gotten one of my short stories, Magical Happenings, just published with Amazon. It should be out for distribution globally and locally in the next 24 hours! Don't miss the short story, and let me know what you think! I am going to put another short story on the market as well. Don't miss them...they are cheap, and I would love to get some reviews for my books, and have you guys tell me what you think about them. I'm always glad to hear from my readers. :)  I will be keeping you, as I mentioned before, updated on by books on here, and please don't hesitate to follow my blog!
This is the cover of my new book, it's great for all ages! Check it out on Amazon....<http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Happenings-ebook/dp/B00FCCBZC8/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1379945054&sr=8-12&keywords=kelsey+harris>

Thursday, September 19, 2013

On My New Ebook

Okay, there has been deaths in the family lately, so things have not gone as planned as far as blogging regularly goes. Please note that I am going to have to put the schedule for releasing my new ebook for a later date. Sorry for my readers..I just can't get it out as fast as I would like because of this. I'm sorry for the delay, I truly am, and will have my ebook on Amazon or another selling site by the end of next week. Promise! I've been doing some research on where to sell my books too lately and fixing it up. I didn't foresee anything that has happened. Bear with me. I use writing as a creative outlet, so the potential for new stories, books, and poems will be fast in coming. I have enough to where I can slow down after saving up money from my other job on Textbroker a little. If you need web articles or the like written, I also do those, just so you know. I'm a freelance writer. Thanks so much and let me know what you would like me to write about. I would certainly appreciate any comments, like I have been saying. :)  Have a great day!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Indie Author News: THE OTHER 4 TIPS FOR AUTHORS: Tips many may practi...

Indie Author News: THE OTHER 4 TIPS FOR AUTHORS: Tips many may practi...: By Jeanine Henning The internet is overflowing with marketing and sales tips for independent authors. Some of it is daunting when you r...

I recommend that any author read this article...it is so true..working at a desk all day makes a huge difference...and that isn't a good thing, just staying on it all day...you have to have some other plans sometimes...:) I would know, I am a ghostwriter and have a published poem. My friend Lola Cepp is currently working on a novel that is about Ireland..it is a thriller and a romance story...more details later on that, but suffice it to say that I have experienced these things before.

Copyright 2013 Kelsey Harris

Saturday, July 20, 2013

People...And My Public Persona

So..this is my first post on this blog. I am going to attempt the feat of trying to explain the way that I view people and the world in general in this post. Of course, this is not going to be a particular topic that will interest all of my readers. I know that. You may well be thinking, "No one gives a crap." But, with all due respect, my retort to you is that not everyone knows who you are right away, and I feel that this post will be a good general introduction for my blog. So, with that said, I would like to give some basic information about myself and introduce myself. My name is Kelsey, and I live in Indiana. I have all my life. I have been to every type of school, from public to private, and have been to homeschool. All of these school settings were different, and had their positive and negative sides, just as you would expect. It's hard to explain since the experience of every single person in each setting will vary based on personality and experience, but I know for me what the good and bad parts about each were. Make no mistake about that. Although school is basically all over for me, unless I decide to go back and save up and go again, really, it was my first experiences with other people besides the members of my family, and that is something that is applicable.  When my parents were not working, they took good care of me. I remember working on the Sesame Street magazine for kid's subscriptions that my mother would buy in order to help teach me.
 I was an only child, and the firstborn for three years.  Even as a preschooler, I was more of a kid who liked to keep to herself, not preferring to be constantly with others. I am still this way to this very day. I would be lying if I told you that my parents and my family, with my two younger adopted siblings, and my little sister, did not influence me or the way that I see things. The fact of the matter is, they do. My immediate family has influenced me the most, but other members of my family have also influenced the way that I look at the world and think about things in general, including people and my relationships. I see relationships as a two-way street--if one person is going to make all the effort, then the relationship is not one that is working out at all. Communication is key.  Doesn't have to be explained long and drawn out, but you should at least try to clarify needed miscommunications as needed.   My family has been there for me through thick and thin, and that has made all the difference, although they may not agree with me all the time or I with them on certain topics. My life has taught me this very easily...and there are some people who will just not ever have that skill. It drives me up the wall, since these people should know better.I don't expect anyone to be perfect. I do expect the person to give someone a chance. I try not to judge others sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hard. I end up failing like everyone else does sometimes, but when I do, I admit my mistake and move on. I try to learn from what happened and make my future experiences more positive ones with others. I am not one to step on anyone's toes. If I do hurt someone, it is always by accident. 
People are so uptight it's crazy, I never want to become as uptight as some  of the people that I have met in seen in my lifetime. And I'm only 22, but I know that for a fact. And they call me crazy...............
Well, I think I have to go now. I shall update this blog even more on a regular basis. My blog will be about random things and topics...so enjoy...everyone shall find something that they are interested in discussed on my blog on here.  

Peace out!

Kelsey

Copyright 2013 Kelsey Harris