Earlier this year I was presented with the opportunity to be a contributing author in EyeCU Reading and Chatting’s first anthology. I was a little nervous at first since it was my first time working with other authors. However, Kaylynn Hunt, better known as the Freestyle Queen, welcomed me with open arms and made the experience as smooth as possible. Throughout the process, we formed a sisterhood that will continue to strengthen as we navigate through the world of indie publishing.
Now onto the good stuff.
The Freestyle Cypher, a collection of tales about love, deception, and murder, was penned by 9 different authors (check out the author spotlights in my previous blog posts to learn more about them). Each one of us were tasked with creating a short story from one of the previous freestyles we had written on #FreestyleFriday, which is a weekly challenge created by Ebony Evans.
Having participated in the challenge about 5 or 6 times, I had to read back through my stories and pick out the one I wanted to expand. After much deliberation, I chose the story titled Who Is She to You? Originally the story ended after the main character, Brooklyn, found out some devastating news about her boyfriend/manager. But during the drafting phase, it blossomed into so much more.
I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but I will say fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the ride. Here’s an excerpt from my story just to get you started:
After the host introduced me, all I could think about was the crowd chanting my name. I walked out onto the stage and forgot all about the panic attack I almost had backstage.
Singing like my life depended on it, I imagined Steve in the middle of the crowd smiling at me. I lost myself in the performance and time drifted by. Before I knew it, I was reciting the words to the final number.
“Thank you guys, so much. I can’t explain how much it means to me that you took the time out of your day to spend it with me. I appreciate each and every one of you.”
I walked off the stage with a natural high. The chant of five thousand fans lingered backstage and it warmed my heart. Although my face was drenched in sweat, I felt cool as a fan. I grabbed a towel to dry off and headed straight to my dressing room, with my security guard, Harrison following close behind.
I couldn’t wait to hug Steve and get the evening started. The plan was to spend a night on the town and celebrate the end of the tour before going to the Bahamas for two weeks.
When Harrison opened the door, to my surprise Steve was nowhere in sight. It was out of the ordinary for him. Usually, he would post up with a bouquet of colorful flowers and wait for me with open arms. It’s been our ritual for the past three years.
Harrison closed the door behind me, and I headed straight for my cell phone. When I unlocked the phone, there was a text message from Steve.
Steve: Family emergency. Had to go, but I’ll make it up to you. Promise.
Instead of texting back, I called his phone.
No answer.
I called three more times, and it went straight to voicemail. I started to get worried.
After pacing around the dressing room for several minutes, I scooped up my stuff and left the venue through the back door.
If you want to finish reading it and check out the other 8 amazing stories, click the link to purchase a copy.