Seven Sentences

I owe an apology to my friend Darlene Foster. A couple of weeks ago, she tagged me for the Lucky 7 Meme. Then, with the twin punctuation posts followed by my absenteeism, that fact slipped into the often murky swamp I call my memory. So … I’m sorry, Darlene, and thank you for choosing me.

The rules of this fun meme require that you turn to page 77 of your work in progress. I have two WIPs, one I’m not leaking a word of in public yet, and the other is a collection of short stories. Those stories are in no particular order at the moment, so I don’t know which page will end up in 77^th spot. Instead, I’ve chosen my 7 sentences from page 7 of one of those stories.

In this scene from “Better Left Alone”, a middle-aged and newly divorced woman, is on her way to have lunch with a man she hasn’t seen since high school.

Teresa left home early. Two blocks from the restaurant, she pulled over to check her hair and makeup one last time and to slow her breathing. What impression would she make if she arrived disheveled and hyperventilating? She restarted the car, but then sat for a moment wondering at her sudden insecurity. Yes, as a giggly girl, she’d had a crush on Mark, but life had tempered her in the years since high school. She’d raised three children, ran a small business, and—yes, she had—managed to keep a marriage solid for most of twenty-seven years. She was Woman, and could roar with the best of them.

Now then, the rules of the meme say I have to pass it on to 7 other writers, so here’s my list:

1. Alannah Murphy
2. Jennifer Neri
3. Laura Best
4. Kat Magendie
5. Christa Polkinhorn
6. Dana Mason
7. K.S. Bowers

If these fabulous women choose to accept this meme, they must:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next 7 sentences and post them as written.
4. Tag 7 authors.
5. Let them know.

If anyone else wants to play along, grab the logo and rules and post your excerpt. And don’t forget to let me know, so I can drop by to read your 7 sentences.