Blue Lines Blog – Love At First Sight – Blue Lines Chapter 12: Chance – Excerpt

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Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Chapter 12: Chance, Bridgeport, Buckhead, Bulls, California, Chance, Chapter 12, Chapter 12: Chance, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Christmas, Connecticut, excerpt, fiction, Gerald, Holiday, Kenneth A Suffern Jr, Kenneth Suffern Jr, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Lenox Mall, Love, Main Street, Michael Jordan, Mitch Richmond, MW, N.B.A., National Basketball Association, NBA, North Carolina, Photography, Prose, Romance, Sacramento, Sacramento Kings, Scottie Pippen, Tar Heels, Trumbull Mall, UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, University Of Bridgeport, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Westfield Trumbull

This Blue Lines excerpt is from Chapter 12: Chance. The scene takes place as our protagonist Key Yemaya Walker happens upon the antagonist Blue Hurt while he writes on a bus headed to the local mall. Though Blue Lines takes place in Chapel Hill at the University of North Carolina, the real life imagery starts with her chance meeting him on the bus, which was the public transit I and friends would take from the University of Bridgeport at the Main Street stop by our dorm Bodine Hall, to Trumbull Mall, now Westfield Trumbull. The mall used in the writing process was a amalgam of Trumbull Mall in Connecticut, and Lenox Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, or Buckhead rather.
As I always state, Blue Lines, is a piece of fiction that evolved from real events, places, and people, therefore elements of this selection, as well as the entire work contain real experiences, and events of the time period in which my manuscript takes place. I’ll be honest, looking over this selection, I may not leave it up, though the work is copywritten. Please enjoy, this early Christmas present.
Blue Lines Chapter 12: Chance

We got together, like, the first week of school and through this I have actually become accustomed to being alone. If he’s not at practice, he’s with his boys and the few times I see him, it’s always conversation about basketball or trying to get ass.”

“And the lack thereof doesn’t do anything for you two.”

“No,” she pursed her lips realizing that she had answered his latent question, “plus all the rumors,” she continued. “I confronted him and I know that he’s lying to me but I don’t care.”

“It seems like you keep mentioning that he isn’t around. Do you think that it would have been different if he was there and spent more time with you?”

Blue Lines Blog – Fiction – Another Rainy Day (And Night)

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Another Rainy Day, Atlanta, Blue Lines, college, Corinne Bailey Rae, fiction, Frappuccino, Friends, Headache, Kahlua, Key Yemaya Walker, Love, sex, Starbucks

Inspired by this Atlanta rain.

Waking up, his headache had subsided. The rain still rapped violently against his bedroom windows, as he awoke in the dimly lit apartment bedroom. He briefly glanced at the glowing clock that read 6:45pm, and wondered where the time had gone. He glanced at her, sleeping, through cloudy contacts lenses. She, in sleep had moved to the other pillow, eyes shut, head nestled with her arms folded under. He stared at her bare shoulders, and with his one unobstructed eye, watched her breathe, with thoughts of how buttercream soft, her supple flesh was in his grasp. He smiled as he wanted to touch her again.

He could hear the music still playing outside in the den, unsure of the song, but lay prone, not fully awake to go tend to it. Lifting his head, he noticed their still unfinished bottle of Starbucks Frappuccino, thinking they were drinking, earlier they had poured some of his father’s Kahlua into the bottle.

She stirred briefly, and turned to face him in her sleep. Her bright round face, framed by her dark hair, falling over her cheek, shined in the dim evening. He smiled at the sight of her furrowed nose, the structure of her angelic face, her full lips, he still tasted, and the thoughts of her sounds, her kiss, her moans. Satisfied, at least for now, he thought. But, looking at her sleep, he wanted more. He had tasted her, they released their angst together, and found something they had been looking for, if just for this moment.

Blue Lines Blog: Fiction – Blue Lines excerpt from Twenty-Six: Clearing for Revelations

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Blue Lines, Blue Lines Twenty-Six: Clearing for Revelations, California, Clearing for Revelations, fiction, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Sacramento, UNC Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

 

My mind has been so scattered lately, and though I have “inspiration,” and a muse fueling my thoughts, I’d rather escape from that right now, because lack of sleep and repetition can easily lead down a path of saying something I should not currently.  This excerpt is from Blue Lines: Chapter 24: Clearing For Revelations (pp262- 264).

The following is an amended version of one of my favorite scenes in Blue Lines, and part of the sample that I extracted the one time that I shopped the unprepared manuscript through a friend.  It follows a major arc from the previous chapter, however my aim for this scene was to show my female protagonist in an form of beauty that was not a normal description with her trying to prepare herself as such.  It takes place in the late morning while she sits outside her dorm.

 

Keypsiia huddled on the cement stairwell and her mind became lost in the icy shower.  She stared at the puddle as the raindrops augmented its area on the red brick walkway.  Her distorted reflection made her heart giggle.  Peaceful moments as such were what she longed for.  Her release was found alone in the splendor of nature.  Her lips grew into a wide grin as she mindlessly became consumed by the weather.  The wind whipped loose strands of her hair that were finding freedom from her Scünci, but she was unconcerned.  She pulled the oversized jacket closer to her body and her mind drifted as she continued to watch as the puffs of her warm breath escaped into the cool air of the wintry day.

“Hi Keypsiia, how have you been,” a familiar, but timid voice broke her solace.

Blue Lines Blog – V-Day Fiction (part 2)

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Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Brooklyn, fiction, Key Yemaya Walker, Little Dragon, New York, Quotes, Starbucks, Twice, Valentine's Day

“…you ruined me, I don’t want to settle for anything else…”

Continuation of a V-Day Fiction Part 1 from 2/14/11.

I’m personally not that pleased with what the outcome was, but hey here we go.

“Cause I went looking for a trace of something that you left,” where the words that played over the speakers in the coffee shop, and my mind wandered. “Too much now,” was all my mind could muster…too much now. Tonya smiled as if I needed the silent acknowledgement. A soft breeze swept through, wafting her hair a bit as she made silly faces to interrupt my mood. I glanced at a woman older than myself who walked around the outside of the cafe and her eyes briefly caught mine. “Do we know each other,” I thought silently as I watched her enter and watched her dart around the tables and couches as if looking for someone she didn’t quite know.
“Blind date,” Tonya smiled as she observed me. A man that seemed to match the woman’s confusion entered the seating area and their eyes seemed to connect their confusion in concert.
“Yeah,” I broke a slight smirk, as we watched their awkward dance as they tried to find the right seat, bumbling to find the right words and sit in the right position.
“How was your weekend,” the woman uttered with a nervous toothy smile albeit Wednesday.
“Why is it,” I began while looking up from my computer, “that I can speak so freely with you. About anything, but when to people are starting to talk to each other, they can’t find the words to speak to each other?”
“I don’t know, maybe that means we’re supposed to be together,” she smiled and laughed as finished. “I don’t know, maybe as adults we’re still as uneasy and uncomfortable as we were as children.”
“Can it be that we’re trying to be everything in one moment that we end up being nothing in that moment?”
“I guess…and I used to notice that you tried to be everything yourself. You got better as you guys continued on, but in the beginning…hmm…”
I tugged at my striped grey, black, and blue adidas sweater and tried to take in the words. If I had been too much, what were we? I briefly pictured that face, and I lowered my head as my recently favorite barista came around and she asked whether we wanted a free refill.

What I Learned Sundays – 2/13/11

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Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, California, Discovery Park, fiction, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Moscone Center, Prologue, reviews, Sacramento, San Francisco, Starbucks, UNC Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, What I Learned, writing

What I learned Sundays.

 

Rest is cool, but I don’t get any.

I really do love writing, and im inspired by something again.

I was asked a question that honestly took my by surprise…I still have no answer for the question.

I like to be there when I’m needed.

When things seem bad, sometimes they are not.

 

I had a conversation with a friend, well this is just one of many conversations that I had with several friends last week.  My Blue Lines Blogs have touched upon my protagonist Keypsiia Walker’s character development, first directing new readers to some of my earlier posts when I began my blog, but also touching upon some revelations I made while reading a piece of fiction now.  It allowed me to be confident in writing my female my character, however it brought to light that I have not really allowed the future readers insight into how she looks.

Blue Lines Blog – Rainy Day inspired Blue Lines Excerpt

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Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, bubble jacket, excerpt, fiction, Key Yemaya Walker, Rain, UNC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

As I walked back from lunch today, and the rain grew in ferocity, I remembered the events and scene that helped me craft the following scene in this excerpt. After minimal deliberation, I decided to share this with you on this rainy day.

Key… there is something that I really need to tell you,” he asserted stealthily as he put his arm around her shoulder and leaned in to her ear.
She took a deep breath as she prepared for him to declare his love for her. She was resolved in making a jump into a new relationship although her current one remained unresolved. Blue would manumit her from the bondage of her boyfriend, she smiled.
“See that is what people are not supposed to do,” he laughed as he turned her face to look at the dress of a female student who walked by.
Key… smirked idly in displeasure. She laughed, but was disappointed that he would utter something as trivial as that when she was, silently, anticipating something different. She continued toward the door after he released her from his grasp, his scent still fresh in her mind. She wanted to stay in his arms, closer than she had been in the past. She looked at Blue.
“I’m not going to class today,” she confessed.
“What,” he asked approaching her.

Blue Lines Blog – Some Fiction

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Blue Lines, Dorm, fiction, her, him, Maria, University, writing

Way too many thoughts get stuck in my head, but when I try to write lately, the entire picture of the thought has not translated to paper. Here is something new-ish…to you.

His nose and sinuses were numb. She had told him she was driving back last night, and would not be in town. He was fine with that because he would just spend the night with his friend from college, Joseph, for the night…and what happened would happened, he laughed thinking back.
“I’ll just come by in the morning,” he remembered telling her prior to leaving. Landing in L.A. was a world wind ride through jetlag, drinking, reconnecting and wondering where the night went. All these thoughts ran through his crowded head as he was dropped off by Joseph on the University’s campus draped by the trees providing a beautiful shade that he so needed.
After meeting with the program advisor, he made his way to her dorm building. After a few raps on the door she opened it. Maria, appeared in the portal wearing a shear heathered navy women’s T with no bra since she knew he was her only visitor, and grey sweat pants. Darkness draped her body, as all window shades were drawn. It was clear to see that sleep was her goal.

Blue Lines Blog #24 – Fiction “Unfinished”

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Blue Foundation, Blue Lines, Bobby Womack, Cloud Of Unknowing, fiction, Gorillaz, I'm Here Now, Sia, Watch You Sleeping

Blue Lines Blog #23 using an amended excerpt of Blue Lines to clear my thoughts

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Atlanta, Atlanta Dream, Blue Lines, California, fiction, Kenneth A Suffern Jr, manuscript, North Carolina, Sacramento, UNC, UNC Chapel Hill

Well…I’m trying to focus on writing what I need to tomorrow, but hopefully this exercise will allow me to focus my thoughts in the right direction. I used an amended selection from Blue Lines to try to get this point across.

Edited and adjusted Excerpt:

Circa 1998:

Blue Lines Blog – Issue #17 Practice Fiction

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blog, Blue Lines, California, fiction, Kenneth A Suffern Jr, manuscript, Miscone Center, Mission, North Carolina, San Francisco, Starbucks, UNC Chapel Hill

     How did I come to this week’s blog? Well I caught up on some television watching and came across a quote to open a writing project…practice. Then I watched a movie, and scrapped the firs blog, to write a new more personal blog…as I began to write it, I remembered giving elements of that story in prior blogs, bits and pieces, but elements of the same story just the same. Therefore, I went back to my first idea, and that is still in the works, therefore I grabbed a practice piece about bystanders or witnesses to a scene in Blue Lines.Reader be warned, there is some strong language and content.

      Jason rubbed his head and pulled his coat collar to his neck.
       “Damn I didn’t know it got this cold in San Fran,” he whispered as he darted across Howard to get to Starbucks. He looked out to see if his co-worker Will was waiting for him at the coffee shop. After Jason was positioned under the awning he shook off and wiped the water from his sunglasses and face and frowned. The sky was an electric blue and rain fell ferociously.