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julieandthephantomsblogduh · 4 years

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Bright - Episode Two, Part One

DISCLAIMER - I only own Lia. Don’t steal it ain’t right. Love y’all and peace out, be safe

The Molina Household - the morning before school

Julie and Lia sit together on the piano bench as tears fall between the two of them. They had both lost so much and sometimes words couldn’t express that. Music had been a way for both of them to release their pain and knowing that Julie finally got her voice back brought a tear to both of their eyes. All of a sudden, Flynn runs into the studio crying too.

“Oh sweetie not you too,” Malia says, standing up to hug Flynn, “What’s wrong?”

“We need to talk…”

“Are you okay?” Julie asks, putting the sheet music back onto the piano.

“No I am not okay, you just got kicked out of music! I’ve been up all night thinking of what to say. I might’ve drank seven sodas but I need to get this out.” Flynn starts.

“Wait I have something to tell you…” Julie tries to interrupt her but to no avail.

“No it’s my turn to talk,” Flynn continues as Julie and Lia share a smirk knowing that Flynn’s gonna rant about this now, “You can’t give up music. Your music is like a gift so that would be a tragedy. So you’re basically, like cancelling Christmas, and I love Christmas!”

“Flynn…” Malia tries to talk but she just puts her hand over her mouth.

“Uh huh. When we were six we all promised to be in a band together. Triple Threat?”

“I never agreed to that name,” Julie smiles.

Flynn lets out a sigh, “That’s not the point. Jules, if you leave the music program forever we’ll be apart forever. That’s just what happens. Sure we’ll see each other in the hall sometime but… Malia would be my only friend and…”

“Hey!”

“That’s not true Flynn,” Julie says.

“The only time we’ll ever contact each other would be through instagram likes. Every Time I’ll be hitting that little heart, my heart would break a little bit and when my heart breaks… I’ll turn my sadness onto Malia and you don’t want Malia to deal with a sad Flynn right?”

“Okay first of all,” Lia starts, “I’m starting to feel very concerned about our friendship…” Flynn slaps Malia’s shoulder playfully at that, “also if the seven soda’s hadn’t hit you, you would know that…”

“That I just played the piano and sang again.”

“WHAT! Why didn’t you just say so? Malia I expected a phone call.”

“Hey, I just got here, don't come at me.”

“I was trying,” Julie says, “And then your seven sodas kicked in…”

“Ohh I’m so happy for you. And me!”

“And me?” Malia asks.

“Of course you too,” Flynn says pulling Lia under her arm, “Look at you Julie, looking all… I don’t know, alive again?

“I know right it’s as if I drank seven sodas!”

“What made you play again Jules?”

“I found this song my mum wrote me,” Flynn picks up the manuscript while Malia looks at it over her shoulder, smiling gently. “Woah”

“I know. I was so afraid to play it. Anything involving music reminds me of her. Then I woke up this morning and realised that’s why I should keep on playing. To keep her memory alive.”

“Aww c’mon guys,” Lia starts pulling Julie off the bench, “Group hug”

“Yay.”

“Wait!...” Flynn yells pushing us apart, “We need to tell Mrs. Harrison you can play so you can stay in the program and we can continue to be besties and I won’t have to deal with Lia alone.”

“Hey!”

“C’mon guys, Julie’s back and Triple Threat lives on.”

“You guy’s go ahead,” Lia says, “I need to use the washroom. I’ll catch up with you guys in school.”

Lia heads towards the bathroom - Lia’s perspective

I hear the shed door shut as I get to my business. As I flush the toilet and head to start washing my hands, I hear the boys talk.

“I wonder why Julie didn’t tell us she could shred on the piano?”

“And sing that girl can sing”

“It probably has something to do with her mum. You know? Must have been hard.” I think Alex says. “Anyway, I really feel for her.”

I dry my hands quickly and I reach for the door when I hear Luke start talking, “Yeah but… now she’s got music back in her life. Just like us.”

“”Yeah, I’m not sure you can call what we have a life.”

I hold back a snort. It felt kinda weird listening in to their conversation but like it’s not as if I did it on purpose right? Anyway, I leave the washroom before anything gets too personal.

“Hey boys…”

They all turn to face me as Luke moves closer, “Hey Lia right?”

Oh my, my big brother just acknowledged me and he has no idea.

“Yeah umm… so how is it? Being ghosts”

I can see Alex raise his eyebrows from his loft.

“Look I can poof!” Reggie says moving from the door, towards me and then poofing back to the door.

“Cool… umm I’m gonna go leave now… um bye?” I kinda awkwardly say as I make eye contact with Luke. I quickly walk out and close the door. As I walk away I can hear the boys talk.

“That was weird”

“Yeah…”

I just shake my head and let the confusion take over my thoughts as I make my way towards school.

At School - In the music room with Ms. Harrison

“Believe me Julie. I think it’s wonderful that you sang again. I prayed for this moment for almost a year. But it’s too late,” Ms Harrison says.

“But what if you just hear her play?” Flynn tries, “You know she’s amazing.”

“Yeah this is like turning down Beyonce!” Lia tries causing Julie to slap her shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“I wouldn’t matter. A new student starts tomorrow,” Ms Harrison says taking a breath, “There’s only…”

“So may spots, and if I don’t participate I’m out. I know,” Julie finishes.

“I did everything I could to keep you hear this year. But Principle Lessa was very clear. Yesterday was your last chance. You’ll have to reapply next semester.”

The bell rings

Kids start filling out the room as Lia puts her arms around Julie’s and Flynn’s in hopes of comforting them.

“I’m truly sorry,” Ms. Harrison says walking away.

The three girls hug each others shoulders as they walk out.

Start of Lunch - Lia’s perspective

“Hey guys, I’ll catch up with you later? I have something to do first.” I say to Julie and Flynn, before walking back towards the music classroom. This is going to crush my soul and Flynn and Julie will be mad but I have to do this and Mum might actually be happy.

“Hey Ms. Harrison, do you mind if we talk for a second?”

Ms. Harrison turns around from her putting away her manuscript. She steps off the conductors pedestal and takes a seat in one of the many chairs and I sit down next to her. I used to come in here all the time after school and while Ms. Harrison would clean up or work, I’ll just play my guitar or sit at the piano writing some music.

“Hey Ms. Harrison?” I asked, as a nervous freshman, “Would it be okay if I stick around after school sometimes and just practice here? My parents aren’t too fond at the idea of me practicing at home.”

Ms. Harrison looks at me for a second. I was playing with the string on my hoodie biting my lip. We had just had our first class today and being a freshmen, I didn’t really have any friends other than Julie, Carrie and Flynn. Honestly though - they were all I needed. They had been there for me when my life was crashing and I promised to do the same for them no matter what.

“Why don’t we take a seat and talk for a second?” She had asked.

That day I told her everything - from my brother's death to how my parents despised the idea of me pursuing music. Ms. Harrison had promised me that I would always be welcomed to come in early or to stay a bit after school to practice or write music. For that I will forever be thankful.

“What’s going on Malia? Is everything alright at home?”

“Yeah it’s just…” I sigh, before taking a deep breath, “Would it be possible to drop out of the music program?”

“Malia… I don’t know what to say,” She looks at me confused, “I thought your parents were okay with everything now? Is there something going on? Is this about Julie?”

“It’s kind of complicated but I think… my mum isn’t too happy about my choices and with college applications and graduation coming in a couple years… I think they’d rather me go to Harvard than Juillard. I know Julie has a shot at going big but I know I’ll never try so… why shouldn’t the spot go to someone who actually deserves it?”

“Malia, you are talented and a wonderful person. You have a great voice and the music you write means so much and it’s great. I can’t stop you from dropping out but make sure you’re dropping out for you - not your mum, not your dad, not for anyone but yourself.”

“I love music Ms. Harrison, but I love my family more than anything. I can’t hurt them - they’ve already been through so much. Julie has been through so much. Me dropping out could make so many people happy. I need to do this, just promise you won’t tell Flynn or Julie why i’m dropping out?”

“Okay. Just remember that no matter what happens, you’re always welcomed here and you can always play whatever you want in here.”

“Thanks Ms. Harrison. I guess I’ll stop by the office and make it official. I’m sure mum won’t protest too much.”

I slowly turn to walk out the door, I pause for a second, “Thanks for letting me be who I truly am in here. You will never understand what you did for me when you let me stay here and do what I always wanted to do.”

“Malia, just remember that your music shows who you are - and you are a very talented woman.”

I look towards the ground as tears threaten to fall from my eyes. A sad smile forms on my lips as all the memories I’ve made in here come to an end. I clench my eyes shut and open them up. I give Ms. Harrison one last smile as I quickly walk out, heading towards the principal's office.

Back at the Molina household after school has ended

“So what’s the plan now that…” Lia starts as Julie opens the door to her room.

They walk in and the boys are all hanging out. Julie looked at the boys with a certain twinge. Reggie was laying on Julie’s bed while Alex was looking at her dresser and Luke was looking through her stuff.

“What are you guys doing in my room?”

The guys reply to her with a chorus of high pitched uhhs and umms. Lia just laughs as she drops her bag beside the door. She was going to be staying overnight.

“We were looking for the kitchen?” Luke tries.

“This… this can’t happen. It’s creepy. Get off my bed please.”

Reggie jumps off the bed as Lia laughs and takes his spot, laying down and hugging a pillow.

“Hey Julie,” Luke raises his hand, “What’s in the box?” He asks, pointing towards Julie’s dream box.

“That’s off limits.”

“Oh…” he chuckles, “Okay. Girl stuff.”

“Ohh… like butterflies and glitter?” Reggie asks, as Lia throws a pillow at him that ends up going right through him.

“Oh come on,” Alex says looking embarrassed for his friends, “I’m sorry about them.”

“It’s none of your business. And yes there might be some glitter,” Julie says while Reggie smirks only for another pillow to be thrown through him by Lia, “And Lia stop throwing pillows at them. Try a rock.”

“Hey!” Alex exclaims, picking up a picture of Julie and her mum and walking towards the bed, “I actually picked something up!”

He then proceeds to drop it on top of Lia.

“Ouch!”

“I dropped it,” Lia throws a pillow through him too.

“Uh is that you mum?” Luke asks.

“Yes and it’s my favourite picture of us. So if you break it,” she says picking up the picture and giving them the death stare, causing Lia to snort at their facial reactions, “I’ll break you.”

Julie puts the frame on her bedside as Alex says, “Ok well sorry but we’re kind of unbreakable at this point.”

Lia and Julie both throw him a WTF look.

“I don’t get it, “Julie starts, “You guys can mess up my bed, pick up your instruments but you can’t pick up other stuff?”

“I know right? It’s hard,” Luke says shrugging, “But for some reason, our instruments, easy.”

“Yeah like super easy,” Reggie adds from the edge of the bed, “Oh and check out what I learned today.”

He stands up and holds his hands out “Ah” Suddenly his guitar is across his chest and he falls backwards.

“SICK,” Lia says sitting up in bed. Luke smiles down at her as Julie says, “Yeah that looked super easy.”

Reggie continues groaning as Luke starts talking again, “It’s like I always thought, our instruments are attached to our souls.”

Julie looks towards Lia. All of a sudden Julie’s dad walks in says “Hey,” startling the boys causing Reggie to do a backflip and Luke and Alex to hold hands. Lia smirks at them before giving her attention to Mr. Molina.

“Everything ok?” He asks.

“Yeah… I’m fine.” Julie says, looking towards Lia before looking back at her dad. Luke and Alex look down to their hands, back at each other before dropping their hands. Lia watches the interaction and laughs before putting her hand in front of her mouth. Reggie smirks while Mr. Molina gives her a concerned look.

“I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

“Yeah me!” Lia says from the bed.

“Someone other than Lia”

“Must have been my laptop… that I just closed.”

“Ok… if you need anything,” he gestures towards the doors making a closing motion, “Yeah okay.”

He closes the doors. Julie turns to look towards the boys.

“Your dad looks like the kind of guy who likes to barbecue. I bet he has a great ribs recipe,” Reggie says.

“Oh my he does!” Lia laughs.

“Look I don't know but if you guys want to talk to me you have to do it in the studio. He’s worried about me enough as it is.”

“He seems chill. You should just tell him about us,” Luke says, smiling as if he just solved all the issues, as the boys agree with him.

Lia and Julie share a do they not have brains which they don’t but still look.

“Umm what?” “You’re kidding right?”

Luke’s smile falls and he ends up looking like a sad golden retriever.

“This past year, everyone’s been watching over me, being super nice as if they’re waiting for me to snap. If I tell my dad I met a ghost band. I’ll be back to talking to Dr. Turner 3 times a week.”

“Yeah… Turner is not fun,” Lia says falling backwards on Julie’s bed and staring at the ceiling.

Luke looks towards Julie, “You probably shouldn’t tell him…” he walks back towards the box, “Julie”

Lia lets out a small laugh “I thought I told you to leave that alone!”

“I know. You should have just said nothing because now I can’t stop thinking about it. Soo… What’s in the box Julie?”

Julie looks back to Lia, rolling her eyes at annoyance towards Luke, “It’s just my dream box okay!”

Luke slowly looks towards Julie as Lia’s phone buzzes. She pulls it out of her back pocket and opens it up.

“Whenever I get a thought, I write it down and get it out of my mind.”

“Like lyrics?”

“They would be if I still wrote music like I used to with my mom. Now it’s just full of stuff that doesn’t make me sad.”

The boys all look sad at her confession and Lia sits up suddenly.

“But I mean you do play. We heard you this morning,” Alex says standing up all of a sudden.

“In the garage!” Julie looks frustrated. Luke and Reggie scrunch up their faces towards him. Luke flicks his shoulder as Lia throws another pillow aimed at all three boys.

“So you were there too?”

“Uhhh… I don’t…” “Uhh he was like…” “We were… somewhere”

Lia stands up before the situation would escalate.

“I have to head home for a sec… but I’ll be back tonight. Good luck boys,” She says sending them a wink and leaving the room.

Lia’s perspective - Once she gets home

Now I don’t know why mum called me but I think I have an idea. It probably has something to do with me quitting the program. Things are gonna be awkward and suddenly I’m glad that Mr. Molina actually likes me and I was already sleeping over. As if I don’t basically live in their house. I take a breath before walking in.

“Mum! Dad! I’m home!”

I hear pots and pans clash, so I make my way towards the kitchen. As I walk towards the fridge to grab a snack Dad turns off the stove and Mum looks up from her spot at the table.

“Take a seat Malia.”

Oh crap. I make my way towards the table, a clementine in hand. I take a seat and take in the death stares burning into my face. I slowly start peeling my clementine while Mum takes in a sigh.

“Why’d I get a phone call saying that you wanted to quit the music program?”

I set aside the peels as I pull of a piece of clementine, “I thought you’d be happy.”

“So that’s it? You’re done with music? For years you fought us to get up to buy you your guitar and your violin and all the other instruments and now you just give up on it?”

I swallow a couple of pieces down, “I’m not giving up on music. I just think that… I need to focus on other things for now. Maybe I’ll reapply next semester or maybe I won’t. I just want you to be happy and okay with this.”

“In the end we aren’t going to stop you from this but. Yeah maybe it is better that you focus on your studies than music right now.”

“It’s still going to take some time to process everything but starting next week I’ll officially be out of the program then,” I chow down on the rest of the clementine before standing up and going to throw the peels out. I rapidly blink to force the tears back, “I’m staying over at Julie’s house so I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

I quickly head up the stairs towards my room, finally letting the tears fall. Once I’m behind the closed doors I let the tears fall freely while I pick up my guitar case. I bring it over to my bed and open it up. I take out my guitar and make my way towards Luke’s room. Walking in, I quickly grab his guitar and bring it back into mine and set it into my guitar case. I move to wipe the tears from my eyes. This might be a choice but it still hurts. I’ve spent my entire life trying to please my parents and apparently the only way I can do so is by giving up my number one love - something tied so closely with my family but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past year its that family should mean everything. I quickly pick up my case and leave to walk back to Julie’s house.

Masterlist part two

#jatp fanfic #jatp #julie and the phantom fanfic #julie and the phantoms imagine #julie x luke #julie and the phantoms #luke patterson! sister

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deadlymodern · 4 years

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Gen 1. Summary

Hello!

I know it might be a bit hard to keep up with legacy stories, so I tried my hardest to summarize the major events in the Norman Legacy so far just in case someone who is not up to date and has no time to go through all the posts wants to catch up!

It's quite a read for Tumblr standards (a bit less than 6 google document pages, to give you an idea), but I think it does the job. I hope this will help things make more sense to newcomers c:

This post will be linked in the Norman Legacy main page so you can easily access it if you'd like.

Once I update my theme (an endless wip), I will create a page fully dedicated to summaries of generations. But for now, I hope this will do.

So, without further ado:

Summary under the cut!

In the early 1870s, the young married couple, Edgar and Theresa Norman, built a farmhouse in the English village of Brindleton.

They had four children together: Bethany, Edward, Matthew and Phillip. But, due to complications in labour, Theresa passed away giving birth to their last son.

Theresa wanted her children to receive equal education. She enrolled her daughter in school and, on their way to Beth's first day, they met a little girl named Mary McNeill. However, after Theresa's death, Edgar pulled Bethany out of school so she could help him with the farm and house work.

Mary would visit Beth often and a very special bond between the girls flourished. Also, during her time away, Beth developed a passion for reading and writing as a way to express her feelings.

At the same time, Edward was crushing on his classmate Susana Harrison. They had a rocky start to their friendship, but eventually Ned apologized for hurting Sue and they became inseparable.

Time went by and, when Phillip was old enough to go to school, Edgar allowed Bethany to return to her studies. Beth and Mary started seeing each other every single day in class and were attached by the hip.

***

A few weeks before Mary's 16th birthday, Bethany and her were talking. Beth expressed her insecurities and Mary comforted her, assuring that she was utterly beautiful and that someone would most certainly ask her to dance on her birthday ball. The girls, then, wondered how it would feel to be kissed. Mary took the opportunity to tell Beth that "they should practice together", kissing her for the first time.

It all seemed fine to Beth until she realized Mary started to avoid her on the following days.

The girls spent a couple of weeks apart until Mary apologized for her coldness, explaining she was just scared of what she was feeling. She, then, convinced Beth to attend her birthday and they got ready together, trying to get back to how their friendship was before.

During the ball, Beth was trying to contain her jealousy as she saw Mary dance with her suitor, Timothy Laurence. She was having a bad time until she was asked to dance by a gentleman called William Carrington. He taught her the basics of the waltz and she had a lot of fun, until she noticed Mary leaving the ballroom with a saddened expression.

Beth followed her friend to the roof and, amidst tipsy giggles, Mary kissed Bethany again. This time, with a lot more meaning to it.

A few days after the ball, Beth went over to Mary's house but was greeted with bitterness. Mary told her they couldn't be friends anymore since she only had "sinful thoughts" when they were together. She also told Beth that she was to go to Finishing school in the Summer and, afterwards, marry Timothy.

Bethany, who didn't usually let her emotions out, was devastated and Ned consoled her.

Eventually, Edgar married a woman named Elizabeth Reginald and Ned & Sue fell in love with each other.

***

One day, while running errands in the nearby town of Battlemere, Beth met with William again. He asked if she was in town to apply for the Battlemere College entrance exam. She had never believed that was even a possibility for her, but after their banter, she became motivated to apply and take the test.

These news weren't well received by Edgar, who scolded both Bethany and Matthew, who gave her a ride. However, Matthew stood up for his sister and reprimanded his father for being absent as a parental figure ever since their mother's death. Elizabeth consoled the teenagers once Edgar stormed out of the house.

When Summer came, Mary's mother invited Bethany to her daughter's farewell dinner. She decided not to attend, as she hadn't spoken to her friend in months. But, for her surprise, Mary showed up at her house after said dinner and asked for Beth to come see her off in the morning. Mary also apologized for her behaviour and confessed to be in love with Beth.

Both women spent the night together and said a bittersweet goodbye in the morning with a promise to exchange letters.

Around the same time, Phillip met Dorothy Turner at the music group and they became good friends.

By mid-summer, Beth discovered that she did not pass the entrance exam. To cheer her up, William decided to take her to watch a film after they accidentally met again. From then on, they developed a good friendship.

Once she arrived home, Edgar announced that he'd allow her to study and retake the college exam, just as long as she got married first. Bethany felt conflicted with the deal and, to make her feel a little better, Matthew offered himself to help her with her studies.

***

After celebrating the end of the school year - and Bethany's graduation from school - Edward received Susana's father's permission to propose.

Beth and Mary kept their promise and wrote each other weekly letters. But Edgar also kept his end of the college deal: he started receiving possible suitors for his daughter. And, once Edward announced he was going to propose to Susana, Edgar made sure to add extra pressure on Beth by saying Ned was to marry only after his sister.

That same night, Beth and Ned had an argument that made her realize her brother was more similar to their father than she imagined.

For the next couple of months, Edgar and Ned decided to update the farm house. During the reforms, Bethany stayed at Susana's house. One day, Ned brought Beth a package from Mary, but found very peculiar how his sister's eyes filled with tears as she removed herself from the room to read her letter.

Finally, after the farmhouse remodel, Ned proposed to Sue and they got engaged.

***

Phillip and Dorothy were very excited after knowing they were to perform at the village's Winterfest. During the event at the main square, Mary showed up and surprised Beth.

William felt a bit jealous to be utterly forgotten by Bethany once her friend arrived and, then, realized he was in love with her.

While Flip and Dottie performed with the music group, Edward noticed how both Mary and William stared at his sister in a similar loving way, but Sue made him cast the very idea aside.

Throughout January, Beth and Mary spent every waking moment together, enjoying the little time they had until Mary had to return to Germany. One day, the women hiked up to Whitecliff to spend some safe time alone. There, the girls confessed their deep love for each other and their desire to be together, promising to run away once Mary is finished.

At the same time, Flip and Dottie started spending more time together as well. For the first time in years, Phillip spoke about his mother and the guilt he carried for feeling "responsible" for her death. Dottie advised him to learn more about his mum as a healing process. So, on his 14th birthday, Phillip asked Edgar about his mum and Edgar showed his children a box of things that belonged to Theresa. That comforted Flip a little.

On Mary's birthday - the day after Phillip's - Beth decided to giver her the ring that belonged to her mother as they would never have a proper engagement ring. During Mary's birthday dinner, Edward noticed the ring and confronted his sister about it, only to be shunned down. Their relationship was going sour.

Beth and Mary spent their last night together and said a hopeful goodbye in the morning.

***

In Germany, at the Windenburg Finishing School, some of the girls began commenting on the amount of letters Mary would receive from Beth.

Odette Bourguignon, Mary's roommate, told her that one of the girls, Rose Courtenay, had started some "vile rumour" about her and Bethany. She advised her friend to invite her suitor to the Easter Banquet as a way to make the gossips end.

Back in Brindleton, another gossip was going around. Edward and Susana heard that two men were spotted kissing near the Battlemere Lake. Beth was surprised and excited about the idea of having more people like her living in the Bay area, but Sue didn't know much more information about the men.

***

Mary decided to follow her friend's advice and invited Timothy to the Banquet. While they had a lovely time together exploring the manor, the situation backfired once Timothy asked for Mary's hand in marriage.

The woman denied him, which made her father, Charles, furious. Before leaving the venue, Charles told the school governess, Mrs. Wagner, to let him know of any suspicious behaviour Mary may have and gave her permission to pry into her personal things.

While things seemed to go badly in Germany, Beth and Will had fun spending time together and trying to discover who the "Battlemere Two" were. Bethany was very grateful to William for being supportive of an interest of hers that wouldn't be considered ladylike, and both bonded even more.

A few days after the Easter Banquet, Mary discovered that the box she kept all of Bethany's letters had gone missing. In the middle of her panic, she indirectly confessed her relationship with Beth to Odette.

Trying to calm herself down, Mary hid from everyone, but soon she was found and learnt that Rose had been in her room the day before. Right after, Mrs. Wagner told her that her father wished to see her.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Mary saw her box on the coffee table. Charles said he had read all of the letters and was absolutely revolted by them. He gave Mary two options: she could either get married to Timothy or watch him expose Bethany to the whole Bay area.

Mary agreed to his terms but couldn't help her crying even when Timothy arrived. Tim tried to comfort his friend telling her he also did not wish to marry. He confessed to be in love with another who was not suitable for him, and said he was obliged by his father to propose.

With no other choice, Mary and Timothy got engaged.

Mary was required to stay for tea afterwards. Her parents started to excitedly plan the wedding. To make sure Mary would not get the chance to see Bethany in Brindleton before getting married, Charles suggested the wedding was held in the town of Normouth, right after the woman's graduation.

Once Mary got back to her room, she wanted to write to Beth, letting her know of her situation. However, she was interrupted by Rose, who confessed to have taken Mary's box not only by Mrs. Wagners orders, but also by curiosity to know if Mary was truly "like her"...

Rose tried to make a move on Mary, claiming that they would both end up in a sad marriage and should have some fun before. Mary pushed her away and yelled at her, ending that terrible day by herself.

#gen1 recap #norman legacy

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andimarquette · 5 years

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Introduce yourself to the rest of the class.

I’m a lifelong writer, originally from California (Los Angeles and then San Francisco), retired now and living in Decatur, Georgia. For many years I wrote under my given name, Priscilla Scott Rhoades, for the gay/lesbian and alternative press in San Francisco, including the Sentinel, Plexus, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. I also published poetry and short fiction in a number of literary journals, and articles in various magazines and newspapers.

A few years ago I tried writing erotica under the pseudonym Pascal Scott. My erotic short stories have appeared in several anthologies including Thunder of War, Lightning of Desire: Lesbian Historical Military Erotica; Through the Hourglass: Lesbian Historical Romance; Order Up: A Menu of Lesbian Romance and Erotica; Unspeakably Erotic: Lesbian Kink; Best Lesbian Erotica, Vol. 2 (2017); and Best Lesbian Erotica, Vol. 3 (2018).

Now I’m trying thrillers. Hard Fall: A McStone and Martinelli Thriller is the first in a series of novels coming from Sapphire Books Publishing.

Who are you and what makes you tick?

What makes me tick? Writing. I truly believe that the writing life is the best life imaginable, and I’m lucky to be able to live it and to share it with my lover, who is also a writer.

What does it mean to you to be an author?

An author is a writer who has been published. A writer is someone who has pages of written words lying around that may never get the blessing of a publisher. Being published is a privilege. I’m extremely fortunate to be a published author. There are lots of good writers who never get published.

What makes a writer a writer?

Writing is an obsession. Thomas Mann said a writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. The compulsion to write, no matter how your day is going, is what makes a writer a writer. The novelist Don Winslow talks about how when he committed to writing five pages a day, he forced himself to keep that commitment no matter how his day unfolded, including the day he was chased and shot at by drug lords.

A writer is someone who understands that it takes more than desire to write well. As Christopher Hitchens said, “Everyone has a book in them, and in most cases that’s exactly where it should stay.” Everybody has a story to tell, but not everybody can tell a story. Writers need to learn their craft, to study grammar, to respect the beauty of the English language, to take classes, to get a job at a newspaper, to do all the things writers have always been advised to do. And read. If you’re not reading, you’re not a writer. Read everything that’s good. As Jewell Gomez said recently, if you’re reading only authors who look like you, you’re not reading widely enough.

Are you promoting a specific book? Tell us about it. Include the book blurb if you’d like.

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Hard Fall: A McStone and Martinelli Thriller.

Five days after the Loma Prieta earthquake strikes San Francisco, Emily Bryson, a young, everything-to-live-for lesbian SFSU student/part-time exotic dancer, is dead, her body washed up on a beach south of the Golden Gate Bridge. The medical examiner rules it a suicide, and the police close the missing person case filed by Emily’s lover, K. M. “Stone” McStone. Through a series of fortunate circumstances, Stone is introduced to Zoe Martinelli, office manager of Coppola Investigations, amateur sleuth, and student psychic. Stone and Zoe team up to find out what really happened to Emily. Was it suicide, as everyone assumes? Or murder? Or something else?

Tell us about your biggest guilty pleasure. For example, to you sit naked in your pantry in the middle of the night and eat Nutella with your fingers?

Coffee. I joke about it, but I drink too much coffee. Seriously too much. But still, it’s coffee. I’m interested in watching where the American Psychiatric Association is going with their “Caffeine Use Disorder,” which came this close to be included in the DSM-5 (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, their bible). Now that they’ve depathologized sexual diversity and consensual kink, they’ve got to have somebody to pick on. Guess it’s going to be us coffee drinkers. I’m only half kidding here.

Tell us one thing that you’re passionate about. For example, would you strap yourself to an oil rigging a la Lucy Lawless with a Greenpeace sign in your hands?

Uh, no to the Greenpeace strapping. I’m passionate about my lover, the author Josette Murray. I’m passionate about writing, reading, words, books. That’s about it. Hemingway said he needed two things in his life to be happy: work to do and someone to love. That’s my formula, too.

What’s your writing process? That is, do you have a particular place you write and/or time of day? Do you have any particular things you do before you write? (e.g. do you listen to music, drink coffee, take dance breaks…)

I usually get up between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and am at my desktop computer first thing, drinking coffee. I write until about noon, then break, and then take it up again in the late afternoon or early evening. This is my schedule now that I am retired, which is wonderful. When I was working fulltime, I wrote when I could—in the mornings before work or in the evenings when they were free, or on the weekends.

Tell us something that most people don’t know about you (unless you’d have to kill us, in which case tell us something that some people don’t know).

Like several of the characters I write about, I was a ward of the state of California and grew up in foster care. I know there are good foster parents out there, but there are too many bad ones, and too many bad group homes. The comedian Monroe Martin, who grew up in care, once joked that foster care is where they take you out of a situation in which you were neglected, molested, or abused and put you into that exact same situation. Too often that’s what happens when a kid goes into care. It did with me, which is part of why I became a writer.

Is there a book by another author that you wish you had written?

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.

If time and money were no problem, where would you most like to go in the world?

Europe. I’ve never been. Back in my twenties when so many people I knew seemed to be backpacking through Europe and staying in hostels, I was busy working a survival job, finishing my BA (which took me nine years to complete), and juggling parttime assignments as a freelance writer. If I had all the money in the world—I’m retired so time isn’t the problem now—I’d travel more and see Europe. And I’d do more Olivia Cruises. I got back recently from a Sapphire Literary Adventures at Sea cruise with Olivia to the Caribbean. If I had money, I’d live on a Holland American ship and cruise the world with Olivia.

And finally, what sorts of writing projects are next for you?

I just submitted the second book in the Hard series to my publisher, Sapphire Books. It’s called Hard Luck: An Elizabeth Taylor Bundy Thriller. It picks up where Hard Fall ends and follows the Elizabeth character. I’m currently working on Hard Line: A McStone and Martinelli Thriller. Hard Fall took place in 1989; Hard Luck in 1996. It’s 2008 in Hard Line, and this third book in the series brings the reader up-to-date to that year in the lives of Stone McStone and Zoe Martinelli. And, of course, in every Hard book somebody dies, and there are disturbing circumstances and unanswered questions about the death. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a thriller, would it?

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Pascal Scott is the pseudonym of the author of Hard Fall: A McStone and Martinelli Thriller from Sapphire Books. Writing under her given name, Priscilla Scott Rhoades, her poetry, short fiction, and newspaper and magazine articles have appeared in numerous publications. She has a BA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and an MA in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. After a long career in academia, she retired happily to Decatur, Georgia.

www.sapphirebooks.com

Facebook/Priscilla Scott Rhoades

Twitter/pascalscottwrit

https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Fall-McStone-Martinelli-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07QFYNMC5/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?keywords=hard+fall%3A+a+mcstone&qid=1558213269&s=books&sr=1-3-fkmrnull

Back Cover Blurb

Stone, the university’s graduate admissions officer, doesn’t believe it’s a suicide. The Emily she knew had too much going for her to take her own life. Through a series of fortunate circumstances, Stone is introduced to Zoe Martinelli, office manager of Coppola Investigations, amateur sleuth, and student psychic. Stone and Zoe team up to find out what really happened to Emily. Their investigation takes them into the private lives of San Francisco’s exotic dancers and into Emily’s dark past where they discover that some secrets can be deadly.

Was it suicide, as everyone assumes? Or murder? Or something else?

Q & A with Pascal Scott

Introduce yourself to the rest of the class. I’m a lifelong writer, originally from California (Los Angeles and then San Francisco), retired now and living in Decatur, Georgia.

Q & A with Pascal Scott Introduce yourself to the rest of the class. I’m a lifelong writer, originally from California (Los Angeles and then San Francisco), retired now and living in Decatur, Georgia.

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jovebelle · 5 years

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Introduce yourself to the rest of the class.

Now I’m trying thrillers. Hard Fall: A McStone and Martinelli Thriller is the first in a series of novels coming from Sapphire Books Publishing.

Who are you and what makes you tick?

What makes me tick? Writing. I truly believe that the writing life is the best life imaginable, and I’m lucky to be able to live it and to share it with my lover, who is also a writer.

What does it mean to you to be an author?

What makes a writer a writer?

Are you promoting a specific book? Tell us about it. Include the book blurb if you’d like.

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Hard Fall: A McStone and Martinelli Thriller.

Tell us about your biggest guilty pleasure. For example, to you sit naked in your pantry in the middle of the night and eat Nutella with your fingers?

Tell us one thing that you’re passionate about. For example, would you strap yourself to an oil rigging a la Lucy Lawless with a Greenpeace sign in your hands?

Tell us something that most people don’t know about you (unless you’d have to kill us, in which case tell us something that some people don’t know).

Is there a book by another author that you wish you had written?

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.

If time and money were no problem, where would you most like to go in the world?

And finally, what sorts of writing projects are next for you?

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www.sapphirebooks.com

Facebook/Priscilla Scott Rhoades

Twitter/pascalscottwrit

https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Fall-McStone-Martinelli-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07QFYNMC5/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?keywords=hard+fall%3A+a+mcstone&qid=1558213269&s=books&sr=1-3-fkmrnull

Back Cover Blurb

Was it suicide, as everyone assumes? Or murder? Or something else?

0 notes