July Recap. New Writing “Partner” and Novel Teaser.
Guess what! I have a new writing “partner”!
(Albeit granted . . . he is four weeks old and can't speak a lick of English, but at least he has a great attitude (and I can train anyone with a great attitude.)
As one would suspect, the addition of a newborn can really stir things up quite a bit. Colby—who just tuned a month old—is nestled here beside me as I write this. He’s sitting pretty in his Mamaroo conveniently located in my author shed, swaying back and forth with not a care in the world.
He has been such a blessing to our family—especially to Logan who ADORES him—and one of the many benefits of working from home/being my own boss is I get to soak up every minute of it. But understandably, and certainly as expected, the addition of a second child means I've seen quite a shake-up in my routine. However, no complaints here.
As for writing, I write when I can, and must admit my word count has dropped. I still write every day, but gone are the 1,500-2,000 word sprints because I just can't carve out the blocks of time. The good news though is that I am still making progress on Late Blight in the Ko`olaus, and just broke the 46K word count, so a little over halfway. The draft is coming along nicely, and since I don't have much else to talk about, I'm including the opening scene as a teaser. It's not edited, so please go easy on me lol. I'm running on fumes here.
Logan and Colby
Late Blight in the Ko`olaus: A Novel Teaser
All along the windward side of Oʻahu, stirrings of sunlight illuminated an impenetrable mountain range that disappeared into a lingering cloud cover. Scooting forward in her seat, Lauren glanced through her streaked windshield and admired the awakened forest that clambered up the cliff side, infiltrating its inhospitable, knife-like ridges.
Beyond the break of dawn, the lush backdrop of the Koʻolau mountains took on a vibrant hue spoiled only by a slew of decaying trees that burst through the canopy and speared toward the heavens. Lauren’s sharp, emerald eyes bounced between the road and the hillside, canvassing the treeline from one dead Albizia tree to the next. Their naked branches, long since defoliated and cleaved bare of leaves, offered no protection to their sun-bleached trunks with bark as dry as bones. Lauren closed her eyes and imagined she could make out their unified, harmonic death rattle over the rumble of her Jeep’s knobby tires.
Lauren cursed as she bounced in the seat of her somewhat trusty Wrangler. Glancing in her rearview mirror, she saw past her reflection and squinted at the shaky two-lane road snaking behind her. She registered a new pothole brought to the surface by the latest flash flood and seconds later, it disappeared behind a corner, but not before she committed its location to memory, hoping to avoid a future surprise down the road.
Turning her attention back to the road ahead, she wondered what the dying trees in her peripheral view could teach her. Imported from Indonesia to Hawaiʻi as fodder for roaming cattle, the invasive Albizia trees exhibited mysterious growth rates in their new home, garnering them the title of fastest growing tree in the world. While not a forester, Lauren understood that co-evolved pests native to Indonesia were indispensable in keeping the trees’ growth-rate in check. But in the absence of these pests, the exploding Albizia population became a scourge betrayed by their very root systems that failed to latch deep enough into the volcanic soil to support their own weight. And when they crashed—often under the cover of darkness—their thunderous, boisterous cries echoed through the valley and rumbled through Hale Maluhia.
Lauren creaked to a stop as she approached the finish line and rolled down her window as a moss-covered sally port came into view. With her free hand, she flashed her delaminating employee badge to the security guard before returning it to her purse and trading it for a cup of coffee.
“For me?” Cap asked as he received the drink with both hands. “You know you didn’t have to.”
“You’re right,” Lauren said, tilting her head out of her window. “I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.” She grinned, but stopped short of smiling. “Cap, don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like you could use a nice, long vacation. Is there a reason you’ve been burning the midnight oil?”
“Vacation?” Cap smiled with his eyes and took the world’s smallest sip. “What’s that? And where does one go when home is paradise?” He set the cup down and squinted at his wristwatch. “Trust me, the only place in the world right now I want to be is in my bed, but I can’t just abandon my post if my replacement is running late. I’m not sure what’s gotten into Jeff, but if he doesn’t start taking his job seriously, I’m afraid someone else will.”
“Is it something you need my help with?”
He flashed a beaten smile as another car rolled up behind Lauren’s Wrangler. “No, not yet,” he said. He punched a button that set an old wrought-iron gate into motion. “Let me try talking with him once more, see if I can’t appeal to his senses. He’s got a family to feed.”
“Then maybe he should act like it.” Lauren shifted into gear and passed the gate as she entered the Hawaiʻi State Hospital. She took her time easing over a series of speed bumps, then turned into the asphalt parking lot and backed into her reserved stall. Stepping down onto the side steps of her Jeep, she watched as a late-model Toyota eased into the stall beside her.
From her vantage point, Lauren watched as her secretary collected manilla folders from her passenger seat and took her time getting out.
“Need a hand?” Lauren asked as she jumped down and circled Gail’s car. Before Gail could refuse, Lauren placed her coffee in the crook of her elbow and pulled Gail’s door open for her.
Gail flashed a wrinkled smile and clutched the paperwork to her frail torso. She stepped aside to allow Lauren to close the door behind her, and as the two of them headed for the steps, Lauren insisted on taking a load off Gail’s chest.
Swiping her badge at the entrance, Lauren allowed Gail in first, then followed in stride through a long, tiled corridor that ran parallel to the Step Down Ward. The ward housed several low-security patients in a community program, most of whom lived in anticipation of the day they could reintegrate back into the community. As the two women passed a window recessed into a steel security door, Lauren ducked to avoid her arrival being noticed.
At the end of the corridor, the two women hooked a corner and Lauren questioned the accuracy of her growing silhouette in the bubble mirror behind her. Together they entered a crammed, shared office and Gail took a seat at her desk and began completing the last round of monthly court letters for each patient, a continuation from the work she took home last night. Lauren headed to her desk in the back corner and began digesting a nursing report left for her by the night shift crew.
The report read like Cliff Notes on the previous night’s events. Lauren scanned the body for any potential fires waiting to be put out and held her breath when processing that Dylan’s younger brother was in a car crash in Las Vegas. Fortunately, he was both alive and stable, but knowing Dylan, he could take it either way. Lauren was disheartened to see that Kalani had yet another med refusal and she made a note to address this developing pattern with the treatment team. Several patients returned on time from their field trip to an off-campus AA meeting and those who stayed behind were marked as baseline—always a good sign. Everything else seemed business as usual until she reached the last note.
She rubbed her brow and read Avery’s notes a second time before rising to her feet to make her way to the ward. As she passed Gail’s desk, a lanky Psychiatric Security Attendant knocked on the open door.
“Morning Lauren. Morning Gail.” Sam rubbed his dark, wrinkled hands together and forced a smile. “Before I jet, I wanted to come and see if you reviewed last night’s report?”
Lauren placed her hand on the edge of Gail’s desk and nodded. “I did and was just on my way to check on Avery. Any chance you were around during his outburst?”
“I was in the community room when it happened and the first PSA on scene.” Sam scratched his beard and smiled at Gail, who continued on with her work, undeterred. “I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s so out of character for him.”
Lauren twisted a tuft of her hair between her fingers. “Was Marv in the room when it happened?”
Sam nodded. “In his bunk as usual, but not involved as far as I could tell.”
Lauren smiled and pushed off of the desk. “I’m going to go check on him. I think I have an idea what this is about.”
Sam nodded and stepped back into the corridor. “Do you want me to escort you? In case there’s another outburst.”
“I appreciate that, but it’s okay.”
“You sure? Even though he wasn’t violent last night, he was still destructive and we both know there’s a thin line between the two.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine. He’s lashing out at the process, not a person in particular.”
Sam shrugged. “If you say so.” He waved goodbye to Gail and started down the hall.
Lauren followed at a distance as Sam’s boots clunked across the tile. He punched a code into a keypad, and a brief flash of natural light flooded the corridor as he exited the building. Lauren listened for the door to lock before she made her next move.