A Teaser from UNTOUCHED

Tina fluttered her eyelashes at me and tried not to stare at my bald head. “So. How are you, Halley? Does you head still hurt?” Her voice dripped with sweetness, as if she cared about my well-being.

I shrugged. Actually at that minute my head was killing me but I didn’t want to give her the thrill of knowing.

“Kennedy told us you actually died.” Her eyes widened. She slashed her finger in a straight line across her throat and stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth. “As in totally dead.”

I stared back, knowing exactly who ‘us’ was. The Clique. I forced my lips into a half smile. “Yeah. I guess.” Brilliant the way I summed up my life altering experience with such clarity.

“Cool.” Tina stared at me for a moment, as if looking for answers. “Did you know, like see anything? Like lights or something?”

I shook my head and dropped my eyes to my feet. My clunky black shoes looked dirty and masculine besides her dainty sandals. Pink, with rhinestones. Her toenails painted to match.

I didn’t remember much about the accident or the first days at the hospital. Understandable since I was in a coma. I didn’t go to the light or chat with dead relatives or anything but when I came out of the coma, I freaked the hell out of everyone.

Someone wants to interview J.E.

Even though my book isn't coming out until Spring 09, I'm doing my first radio interview this Friday. Yowsa!! The woman is interviewing me over the phone. Weirdness.It's a local radio station doing an eight week series on local writers. Hee. Is it wrong that I am very excited? A writer. I'm being interviewed as a writer. Most of the time I feel like I'm pretending and this is all a funny joke. I excel at insecurity. I hide it well to the real world, but writer insecurity.... I have plenty and if anyone wants any, I even have extra.

Since my book isn't out yet, we're going to talk about writing and publishing. I've never been interviewed before so I'm already nervous in my belly. Well. When I was in college we did practice interviews and recorded them but that was about....almost (GASP) 18 years ago. Okay. Now I feel old. But interviewed for a radio series kind of old. And that's kind of cool.

Words On RadioThursdays 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.on CJSR Radio FM 88.5

La La La....long weekend.

The sun is shining. It's a miracle. Okay. Not a miracle. But a really nice change.

I am soon off to buy me some steel toed boots. You know I'm going to rock those boots. And the blue coveralls. And the hard hat. Is it wrong that I'm strangely excited about my kind of blue collarish job where I don't have to pretend to be nice to people to try to make them buy things from me? Did you know they make steel toed runners, and fashionable boots for ladies?

I am a writing machine these days as I work on my new novel called UNTOUCHED, which is kind of inspired by Alias, my once favourite show of all time. Inspired is the key word. It's different. With a few similarities. Doesn't it sound good? Ha ha ha.

I miss Sidney. She was an ass kicker. But sweet. How many people can kick serious ass and be sweet at the same time? Name two. In ten seconds. Did you win?

I feel like I am on holidays now in the count down to starting my job. That's why my writing is flowing so well I think. I hope to keep up a pace of writing even when I start. Plus running. Hee. We'll see how it all goes.

So now it is the long weekend.

I must go to the Y for some exercise and then go buy some work clothes and then go pick up Superson from school. We are probably going to go play at the Lake. Because it is hot. Yay for hot. Except at night when it's hard to sleep because we have no air conditioning.

CHIP TIME vs GUN SHOT TIME

Ha. I KNEW it. I totally knew that I sprinted.

Turns out I'm kind of a dick head and that the posted time in the Herald was the shot gun time, which doesn't take account what time you actually cross the start line and start running.

So my official time for the 5km run was 32 minutes and 40 seconds. I'm all over that time as my personal best. Yes, I did get passed by many runners who were actually doing the 10km run. Yes there were small children who finished before I did.

But YAY! I was under 35 minutes and I feel good about that!

THE CALGARY HERALD LIES

GAH!! Mother's Day 5km Run- 2008.

I sort of timed myself and I pegged myself at between 32 and a half to 34 minutes TOPS! The Calgary Herald published my finish time at 35:30. Yet as I sprinted, yes you read that right, sprinted up to the finish line the clock was at 35:02. Take into account the beeper doesn't go off until you cross the start line and it should have been about 33 minutes.

So why the time of 35:30.? Why oh why are they lying to me??

There is no way I can believe this. I ran hard the last km. I was faster than usual up to that time. There. Proof you can't believe everything you read.

I know I was better than 35:30. I just do.