Babe in the Woods
by Jude Hopkins
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GENRE: Women's Fiction
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BLURB:
It’s September 1995, the first year of the
rest of Hadley Todd's life. After living in Los Angeles, Hadley returns to her
hometown in rural New York to write and be near her father. In addition to
looking after him and teaching high school malcontents, Hadley hopes to channel
her recent L.A. heartbreak into a play about the last moment of a woman’s
innocence. But she seeks inspiration.
Enter Trey Harding, a young, handsome reporter
who covers sports at the high school. Trey reminds Hadley of her L.A. ex and is
the perfect spark to fire up her imagination. The fact that Trey is an aspiring
rock star and she has L.A. record biz connections makes the alliance perfect.
She dangles promises of music biz glory while watching his moves. But the
surprising twist that transpires when the two of them go to Hollywood is not
something Hadley prepared for.
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Excerpt One:
“Have you ever fallen in love?”
He winked at her. “All the time.”
She’d have the last word, something she realized was
important to her. “I think it’s wrong, all these women you lead on. Don’t you?
I mean, they may get attached, fall for you. But you seem to use them, to see
what you can get out of them for your own purposes. I think that’s wrong,
They’re human beings, after all. With feelings.”
He turned around, his eyes drained of any light. “They use
me, too. It’s not like they’re not getting anything out of it.”
“What am I getting out of this?” she asked him, if not
rhetorically.
He stood on one hip, a move that made him appear more rakish
than usual. “I really don’t know, Miss Todd. I wondered that myself. I thought
perhaps you were bored or intrigued. Or maybe you’re a control freak.” He took
a step toward her so he was within half an inch of her face. “Or maybe you’re
just like the rest and can’t resist me.”
Hadley stood her ground. “How do you know when it’s over?
The moment when love, or lust, turns into something else. Something not as
passionate?”
“I don’t think about it,” he said, returning her gaze. “It’s
something that happens. Maybe it’s not one moment. It just is.”
He turned around and walked out of the room.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jude
Hopkins has published essays in The Los Angeles Times, Medium, the
belladonna—and poetry in various journals including Gyroscope Review,
Timber Creek Review and California Quarterly.
It
has always been her desire to write. She was featured in Dickinson College’s
literary magazine when she was an undergraduate. One poem in particular, “Mixed
Metaphors,” contrasted two viewpoints in a lakeside scene: one of a
romantic young woman who thought the wind was blowing through her hair like an
Aeolian harp; the other, that of her suitor who believed the water looked as
cold as hell. Ah, love’s different sensibilities! What she lost in that
relationship, she gained from her sojourn at Dickinson, earning her Phi Beta
Kappa key while there, as well as a desire to continue her education.
Then
it was on to graduate school at Arizona State University where studying for her
master’s degree in English and grading essays as a teaching assistant took most
of her time (and partying — it was ASU, for Pete’s sake). However, she did have
a germ of an idea for a self-help book that she began outlining, fueled by many
a Thermos bottle of Dunkin’ coffee.
It
wasn’t until she moved to L.A. that she thought about writing a proposal for
that self-help book. She got some bites from agents. Top agents. But working
three jobs took precedence. (One of those jobs was at a Hollywood record
company where she met a Beatle, among other artists.)
When
she finally moved back to Pennsylvania, she began seriously writing again,
squeezing in time to pen some poems between endless essay grading at one of the
University of Pittsburgh’s branch campuses. As an adjunct English instructor,
Jude was uncompromising on what she expected from her students, knowing they
were capable of achieving great things when challenged, but she tried to balance
the hard work with humor. Nevertheless, she knew that discipline and knowledge
could turn even the most reluctant student into a pretty good writer. To
achieve that end, the cellphones had to be put away, and attention had to be
paid. The result? Some model research papers and essays from memorable students
(she taught English in Pennsylvania, New York state, California and Arizona).
The
need to write something besides comments on student essays gnawed at her. One
day, she took out her old self-help book manuscript from a cobwebby drawer and
began the process of turning it into a novel. That novel became “Babe in the
Woods” and will be traditionally published by Wild Rose Press sometime in 2023.
She blogs about that novel, so, readers, please follow her blogs as she updates
everyone on the book's progress. Please also check out her essays and poems,
also featured herein.
Website: https://www.judehopkinswriting.net/
https://www.twitter.com/HeyJudeNotJudy
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1509248439/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/babe-in-the-woods-jude-hopkins/1143104918
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Jude Hopkins will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC, to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeletelove the cover sounds so good !!
ReplyDeleteCute cover. The excerpt sounds good.
ReplyDelete