She went to the bedroom and put on some clothes.  By the time she walked into the bathroom, Jared was asleep in the tub with the empty glass of champagne next to him.  As he lay there sleeping, he looked so vulnerable that Sarah felt a pang of regret in her chest but she quickly steeled herself.

He betrayed you! 

Sarah had never felt hurt as she had when she discovered Jared’s treachery.  Keeping her emotions from revealing themselves to Lina had been one of the toughest experiences of her life.  As much as she tried to convince herself that she was with Jared only for the sex, she knew deep down inside that she was in love with him.  From the moment they met at that cocktail party she had felt an instant attraction to Jared, and when they talked until the wee hours of the morning, she realised how much they had in common.

Lies!  All lies!  He is nothing like you.  

But sometimes, as they lay together, she felt connected with him on a deeper level.  It was so easy to share her deepest secrets with him.  Oh, how she trusted him.  What a fool she had been!  She who had been taught better when she was growing up.  Trained from young to always be on guard and she had exposed herself to the one person who could have destroyed her.

Growing up had been tough on Sarah.  Orphaned when she was only six, she was sent to live with her rich and miserly uncle.  Interested only in how he could grow his fortunes, he saw Sarah as a pawn he could manipulate to make the right connections with the right families.  She was never allowed to make friends or even date.  She would be physically punished every time she disobeyed her uncle.  He would bring her to dinner parties and offer her as a bargaining chip with the grand prize being the promise of marriage.

That was how she ended up marrying Harold Winston.  The Winstons were old money - wealthy beyond belief and Harold was their only son.  Unfortunately, Harold was never very savvy with business or his finances.  All he knew was how to spend his parents’ fortunes.  He would have a different woman on his arm every week and crash his expensive cars from wreckless racing and drunk driving.  Even now when he was supposedly married to Sarah, he was still a womaniser and alcoholic.

Sarah longed for the company of someone who understood her and loved her for who she was.  She had thought Jared was that man.  Now she realised that her uncle had been right all - “You cannot trust anyone!  Not even me!”  He had said.

Sarah was brought out of her reverie with the sound of the front door opening.  The clean-up crew were here - the henchmen her uncle used to dispose of anything unwanted.  They looked at her questioningly.

“Find out everything you can, destroy his life and send him back to Carli as a warning of what happens to those to cross me.”  Sarah’s face was unreadable.  It was the mask her uncle had taught her to wear when she was only ten - the mask she would never remove again.

Other Chapters in this Title
From the Beginning

I’d enter it just for the chance to win a laptop.

Visit MPHonline for more details and to download the entry form.

Just in case you need some help, MPH is also running a 3 hour creative writing workshop on Saturday 13 December 2008 to give aspiring writers a bit of a helping hand.  The teen category is from 10am-1pm, while the adult category runs from 2pm-5pm.  It will be conducted by Jim Plouffe, the editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest Asia.

For more details on the venue and how to register, visit MPHonline.

As much as I’d love to attend the workshop, I don’t think I’ll make it.  2-5pm is Gavin’s napping time - not that he would even consider giving me a 3 hour leave of absence to attend the workshop…

Ironically, the target market for Chic Lit are young working women in their 20s and 30s, who are usually single. Here I am, married, a housewife with no career, with a kid and planning for number two. About the only thing I have in common with the target market is that I’m in my 30s. I probably had more in common with the target market back when I was still single and working for Colgate-Palmolive. Then again, I never had the time to read books back then because life revolved between work and rock climbing.

The first Chic Lit novel I ever read was “The Undomestic Goddess” by Sophie Kinsella. I happened to read it when I was holidaying in Melbourne at my parents house. Since the internet was dial up and I really didn’t have much to do when Gavin went to sleep, reading was one of the few options available to me, so I read it. Perhaps the book resonated with me because I was very much like Samantha Sweeting before I met my hubby - I was ambitious and career driven. I pulled a lot of OT and I basically didn’t have a life - what little I did have was spent rock climbing.

My life took a complete turn-around when I got married. I became a house wife and had a baby - something I never thought I would ever do in a million years but I did. Although I was never as bad as Samantha Sweeting as far as housework and cooking went, I think I came pretty darn close. Perhaps that was why I enjoyed “The Undomestic Goddess” so much.

However, due credit should also go to Sophie Kinsella because she has a very light-hearted and engaging manner of writing. Oh wait a minute - that’s what Chic Lit’s all about, isn’t it? Being light-hearted and humourous? Since Sophie Kinsella is the only Chic Lit author I’ve ever read, I’m really going to have to come back to you on that one.

After “The Undomestic Goddess”, I read “Remember Me”. I was pretty interested in that book because the storyline was pretty similar to that movie “13 Going on 30″ starring Jennifer Garner. I hesitated from buying it because it was going to cost me RM80 (being a new release) which seemed a bit steep for a novel I would probably only read once. Only when the price dropped to RM35 did I buy it from Times Bookshop with 10% off on my Times loyalty card.

After that, there was no going back. I bought “Can You Keep a Secret?” followed by the Shoppaholic series. Although I enjoyed reading “Confessions of a Shoppaholic” enough to have gone out and bought the rest of the series, the heroine is probably the only character that I can’t really identify with. As much as the hubby claims I love to shop, I don’t think I could ever spend until I was in the red and then some. Neither am I in the habit of paying off the minimum amount on my credit card (back when I was working and responsible for my own credit card bills).

So yeah, I think the only reason I even bought “Confessions of a Shoppaholic” and the rest of the series is because there are no other Sophie Kinsella books left to read. I’ve even done a quick check on Amazon to see what other people have bought after buying books by Sophie Kinsella. Jennifer Weiner, Madeleine Wickham and Emily Giffin are names that crop up the most often so I guess those are the authors I’ll be checking out once I’m through the Shoppaholic series.

Although I enjoy the books written by Sophie Kinsella, I think the main thing that draws me to her novels is the easy reading. I can pick up a book and read it from start to finish without it being a struggle. You know how there are some books that are great reads but you just need to get past the start and get into the meat of the story before it becomes a “can’t put it down” story? The difference with Sophie Kinsella is that it engages the reader from the first page.

Perhaps that is the manner of Chic Lit novels and I’ll find all Chic Lit novels engaging because of the writing style. Regardless, my aim is to write a novel that captures the very essence of that. Even if I don’t intend to write a story in the Chic Lit genre, my hope is that I can produce a novel that captures a readers attention from page one of the book.

Most Fantasy novels I have read are generally slow going to start with but eventually pick up in pace. They only become addictive because you want to know what happens next. The rest of the authors books in the series are then carried by the first book and become addictive only by virtue of the fact that we are now familiar with all the characters and their lives and we simply want to know more.

To me a great author is one who can write a story that captures the reader from the first paragraph of ther novel. That is what I aspire to achieve - as far from it though I may be…

Perhaps Sarah’s feelings for him were growing stronger?  They had been having an affair for the last twelve months but never once did Sarah indicate wanting to leave her husband for him.  Then again, Jared himself was in a relationship with Carli Carter who had business dealings with Sarah and was determined to bring down her company.  Yes, it was complicated.  It was Carli who asked him to seduce Sarah and get into her bed so that he might steal her secrets and report them back to his fiancee.

Jared had been reluctant to play the mole but it seemed so important to Carli that he do it so he finally agreed.  He had not expected to play the mole for so long either.  Truth be told, Carli had hit the nail on the head when she accused him of having deeper feelings for Sarah.  How do you share a bed with a woman for twelve months, share her most intimate secrets and not expect to develop some sort of feelings for her?  And with Carli being so distant and intent on finalising this business merger, they had not had sex for a few months now.  Prior to that, it had been very infrequent sex.

Jared sighed.  He felt guilty betraying Sarah’s confidence.  Underneath that tough business woman facade, she was actually a very warm and gentle woman.  Never in a million years would he have guessed what she was like in a non-business environment.  In the conference room, she seemed every bit as hard as Carli - they were two alpha females in a man’s world, fighting tooth and nail to command the respect of their male counterparts.  But in the condo, when they were alone together, she revealed all her secret fears, hopes and dreams, and suddenly he felt an overwhelming desire to protect her.

Jared’s loyalty had been wavering for some time now but he said nothing about it to Carli.  As time went on, he had told her less and less, but always just enough to ward off Carli’s suspicions.  He had decided that once the deal had gone through, he would tell Carli it was over between them.  He would not play the mole for her any more.  And today was the day it was all supposed to end.  He had planned to see Carli to tell her in person but Sarah had called and asked him to meet her at the condo. 

He arrived at the condo and parked his car.  He glanced at his limited edition Royal Oak that Sarah had bought for him.  It was still early.  Sarah would not be back from the office yet.  He brought out a bottle of wine from the car and headed towards the lift lobby.  He would set the mood and surprise her.  But as he let himself in with the spare key she had given him, he was surprised to hear soft music in the background. 

As he entered the living room, Sarah was sitting seductively on the leather couch with her own bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Darling!”  He exclaimed.  “You’re early.”  He gestured to the bottle of wine in his hand.  “I was going to surprise you.”

“The meeting went very well and I wanted to celebrate,” Sarah replied airily as she poured out two glasses of wine.  She gave him a glass.  “I want to toast to a successful merger,” she smiled.

Jared smiled back.  “I’m glad to hear it went well!  You do so well with these deals, darling, I always have full faith in your successes.”

As they toasted and drank their wine, Jared thought he saw an odd look in Sarah’s eyes.  Her deep green eyes were two dark pools in the dimly lit room.  He moved to kiss her but somehow she turned her back to him and sauntered back to the couch, apparently unaware of his actions.

“I ran a bath for you.  Why don’t you go on in and I’ll join you in a minute,” Sarah said over her shoulder.  “Then you and I can get down to our little business,” she added suggestively.

Jared headed for the bathroom feeling a little light-headed.  Wow!  Was the wine really going to his head so quickly?  It seemed unlikely.  He sank into the warm water gratefully and was asleep before he realised what was happening.

Other Chapters in this Title
From the Beginning

The morning sun was hidden behind the tall rocky face before her and the salty, sea breeze felt refreshingly cool as it whipped through her hair.  She checked the figure eight knot on her harness and brushed the sand off the soles of her shoes.  Chalking her hands, she turned to call out over her shoulder to her belayer, “Climbing.”

The roughened limestone surface of the rock face felt like sandpaper against the smoothness of her hands.  Although in reality it had only been a couple of months since she last climbed but her body felt foreign and unbalanced on the rock, while her brain struggled to comprehend the unfamiliarity.  Even the smoothness of her hands betrayed her, for the callouses had healed and the rocks felt unusually rough against her fingers.  She felt heavy and clumsy and it was almost as if she could feel the weight of the pineapple pancakes she had eaten for breakfast.  Or could it be the added weight from the pregnancy that weighed her down?

As she climbed, she panted and grunted - all the while, her brain kept telling her the mistakes of her moves.  It was as if she had forgotten how to think, how to analyse the surface of the rock to make the moves that required the least effort.  Or was it because her mind was clouded, filled with guilt that today was supposedly her wedding day and she was thousands of miles away with no explanation of where she was to the groom or anyone else?

Sarah squashed the nagging thought in her mind and kept climbing.  She tried to empty her mind by concentrating on the sound of the waves lapping the shore behind her and the soft jingling of the runners hanging from her harness like little bells as they swung from side to side with her movements.  As she continued to climb, she began to feel lighter as her worries fell away replaced with only the awareness of the rock beneath her. 

That was what she loved about climbing - no matter how troubled she was, it was hard to think about anything else but the rock.  So what if she was not climbing as smoothly as she once did?  So what if she was panting and her arms were burning from the build up of lactic acid?  She felt alive like she had not been for months.  As her body eased into the motions and she began to relax, the movements began to feel smoother.  Instead of jerky, uncertain moves, she began to flow across the rock - like water on the rocks. It was just like riding a bike - one never really forgets how it is done even if it felt a little wobbly the first time getting back on after a long time.

Climbing was her element.  There was nowhere else that she truly belonged the way she did on the face of the rock.  Agreeing to marry Daniel had been a moment of temporary insanity, and she realised that now that she was at home again.  She had been away from the rock for too long and time had made her forget, but now the memories were surging back like water released from a dam.  She was never intended for a normal life - what was normal anyway?

Sarah reached the anchor, hooked in her safety slings and yelled down to her belayer, “Safe!”  She threaded her rope through the anchor and called to be lowered.  Although she had started off poorly, she had ended the climb on a high note and she could not hide the smile of delight that twitched at the corners of her lips as her feet touched the ground.

Jon’s grin mirrored hers as he released the rest of the rope to give her some slack.  “I was wondering for a moment what had happened but you did great the rest of the way.  It’s just like old times.”  His fingers had brushed her back and she looked up into his eyes.  It was like they had travelled back in time, but Sarah quickly turned her eyes back to her feet and began to remove her shoes and untie figure eight knot.

Jon had been her best friend since they first attended primary school together and were paired up as rock climbing partners.  They both loved to climb and from that passion grew a deep friendship that continued on through to adulthood.  Even after the classes had ended, they continued the climbing as religiously as Sunday school. Although nothing had ever happened between them, there had been a few close calls.  Usually after a few too many drinks when either Jon or she had broken up with their latest “shirt”.  It was their private joke to refer to their exes as old “shirts” and that it was time to change and go shopping for a new one. 

It was no surprise that she had called Jon immediately after she decided to skip town and get away for a few days.  Even though she had not seen him for a couple of months, owing to all the time she had been spending between work and Daniel, she still knew he would be there for her when she called.  It was just as she had always been there for him whenever he called her.  It was unspoken.  It was understood.  They had a bond that ran deep, like the blood that connected two siblings.

Although Sarah had just plan to disappear for a few days until the wedding had passed, it was Jon who had suggested climbing at Krabi.  Sarah did not know how he had managed to get the leave off work but he was packed and ready to leave by the following morning.  It had taken them nearly an entire day to get to Krabi and the journey had been exhausting given her current condition, but the friendly smiles of the locals and the relaxed atmosphere of the place made it all worth the while.

They continued climbing until the sun began to set over the horizon, then packed up for the day and headed back towards their chalet.

“I’m starved!”  Exclaimed Sarah.  “Let’s eat first before we wash up.”  Almost as soon as she said it, she remembered that Daniel would have objected to going to dinner “dirty”.  Then she relaxed.  This was Jon.  Jon had no problems eating in their grubby climbing attire.

Sarah ordered Phad Thai noodles and a coconut shake - her favourite meal whenever they came to Krabi to climb.  As she sat back and waited for the food to arrive, they talked about the day’s climbs and laughed over the old memories that resurfaced in between their discussions. 

Jon chuckled, “To see his face when he discovered he was still anchored to the last bolt!  It was hilarious!”  Then he sobered up and took her hand.  He shot her a piercing look and cocked his head to one side as he asked, “What happened to us?”

Sarah who had been smiling fondly over the memory pulled her hand back in surprise.  She returned his gaze, then shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.  “I don’t know, Jon.  I really don’t know.”

Suddenly, the bright light source began to diminish. The shadows started closing in on her. They were all around her and she had nowhere to escape to. She started to run but wherever she turned, they would appear just ahead of her to cut her off. Then she fell through a hole and she was falling in an airless void. There were stars all around her – tiny, blinking specks that grew larger and larger until they amalgamated into one solid mass of white light.

The light hurt Yuriko’s eyes so she had to squint to see what was behind them. She saw three hooded figures dressed all in white, floating towards her in the air. Unlike the dark figures that had pursued her earlier, these figures were kindly, beneficent. They emanated a calming aura that helped to dissipate Yuriko’s fear.

“A-are you – are you the three sisters?” She asked when she found her voice.

The strange airless void seemed to swallow her voice and she was not sure if the figures could hear her. Then one of the figures nodded. She raised a thin, bony hand and pointed to the book. Bloodless lips spoke soundlessly but Yuriko heard the word, “Veracore”.

The book lifted out of her hands, floated into the space between them and the pages flipped opened on their own accord. Words began to appear in the book…

Destroy the root of all evil – the Chaos that threatens the lands

There was more written in the book, but it slammed shut and Yuriko felt herself collide with a hard surface which knocked her unconscious. When she came to, she found herself lying next to the rock she had been sitting on. The fire she had started was dying down to embers and she felt the chill of night closing in upon her. Her stomach was rumbling for she had fallen asleep without eating.

Remembering her dream, Yuriko sat up quickly to look for the book but it was gone.

Read more…

Even though we don’t really celebrate Christmas, it is still my favourite time of year.  The hubby accuses me of being a closet shopaholic so I guess I ought to confess that I love going holiday shopping.  If you do celebrate Christmas, then I’m sure this is probably one of the most expensive times of the year - what with Christmas presents to buy and holiday trips to plan over the long break…

Well, guess what?  eBillme is running a shopping confessions contest where you stand a chance of winning the grand prize of $15000.  I’m sure it goes without saying that the extra cash will really come in handy for the holidays.  All you have to do is share a secret shopping experience that you want to confess and enter it to: http://www.shopandconfess.com/. 

You can write a story, post a video (uploaded to Youtube), or use photos for your confession then submit your entry to the website above. 

All I ask in return for sharing this news with you is that you name my blog: http://figur8.net/baby as your referring website.  Good luck!  For more details about this contest, check out the video below:

The tavern bar was dingy and dim, but he had seen far worse before. There were other travellers in the bar but it was far from a full and rowdy night. These were dark times that they were in, and few people dared to take journeys too far away from home.

Sir Bevin sat at a table near the bar and made an order for his meal. The barmaid was a delicate-looking young girl barely out of her teens. She looked timid and out of place to be in a squalid bar. Looking at the features of the gnarled, old man behind the bar, Sir Bevin suspected she must be his daughter.

The girl disappeared into the kitchen and returned shortly to resume her duties tending the tables. A traveller from a nearby table was ready to make payment for his meal and she walked over to his table. Sir Bevin had turned his attention to another table when a commotion broke out at the table nearby.

The bartender had jumped over the counter and knocked the hand of the traveller as he was attempting to pay the barmaid. Gold nuggets flew into the air and landed at his feet. Sir Bevin automatically bent down to pick them up to return them to the owner. The icy cool touch of the gold surprised him but he got up and moved to traveller’s table to return the gold.

“Get out and take your cursed gold from this place!” The bartender screamed. He had one calloused hand around the wrist of his daughter and pushed her behind him.

“I need a room for the night,” the traveller said.

“There are no more rooms available in this inn,” the bartender replied firmly. “Those who are accursed have no business being here.”

Sir Bevin placed the gold nuggets onto the table. The bartender’s eyes locked onto Sir Bevin and followed his arm down to the nuggets he had just released. His eyes darted back to Sir Bevin’s, “Get out! Get out both of you!”

Sir Bevin to a step towards the bartender and he shrank back in fear. There was something happening here that he did not understand. “Sir,” he said. “Please tell me why I am being turned away. I have a room here and my horse is in your stable.”

The bartender looked at Sir Bevin’s hands. “You have touched cursed gold. Now you are tainted by it and we cannot allow you to stay here. Get out before I call the guards.”

Sir Bevin looked at his hand and was startled to see a dark mark forming on his palm. He clutched his wrist with his free hand in alarm and looked at the traveller – the owner of the cursed gold. Only now did he notice that the skin tone of the traveller bore a sickly bluish hue. When the traveller reached out to collect back his gold, Sir Bevin realised the man’s palms had the same black mark that now adorned his own palms.

Shortly after Akira sat down to speak to Hakumo, Geigamon’s guards had appeared from nowhere and seized him. Most of the customers from the tea house had fled the scene when the guards arrived. Not wanting to appear out of the ordinary, Yuriko had been forced to leave as well. She skulked around the tea house surreptitiously keeping an eye on the entrance until she saw the guards leaving with an unconscious body. Hakumo had followed in their company so there was no denying his part in the capture. Yuriko trailed them from a distance until it became clear that they were headed for the palace. After that, she circled back to the tavern to collect their belongings.

With her uncle no longer trustworthy, Yuriko had nowhere else to go and no one to turn to. She had never felt so alone or afraid. As she sat by the brook, silent tears began to form tracks down her face. It was not until she had lost Akira that she realised how much his presence had reassured her. What would she do now?

She turned the book that her father had given her over in her hands then flipped to the last page with writing. New words had formed, detailing the betrayal. On the last written line were the same words that had appeared when she first read the book after her family’s death: seek the three sisters. But how could she look for them if she did not even know who they were?

Read more…

Sarah uttered a curse under her breath and got up to pace the room.  She had thought through this deal over and over - it was the right move for Glo-Mac so how did Jared’s relationship with Carli’s play in all of this?  Not once did Jared try to influence any of her business decisions which must mean he was purely a spy for Carli sent to discover her thoughts and nothing more.  She thought back quickly through all the conversations she had had with Jared, the secrets she had shared with him, compromising information - how could that leak affect her company?

Her intercom button buzzed again.  It was Lina bringing the meeting to her attention.  It was time to go.  Sarah picked up her tailored jacket and was about to put it on when a thought crossed her mind.  She hit the button again and spoke, “Send Morgan to see me.  Send an apology to Ms Carter and her team that we’re running late.  Serve the refreshments while they’re waiting.  Stall Harold from entering the meeting room.  I don’t care what you do, just make sure he doesn’t get there before I do.”

Sarah sat down again, grabbed a pen and made a few ammendments to the contracts.  She was not a Worthington for no reason, she thought fiercely.  If Carli wanted to play this game with her, then she had better be prepared for some hardball. 

Sarah hit the speed dial on her mobile phone and soon heard Jared’s husky voice on the other end of the line.  “Hello darling,” she purred into the receiver.  “I was missing you so I decided to give you a call.”

“What about your meeting?” Jared asked in surprise.  “Doesn’t it start now?”

“Harold’s late,” Sarah said nonchalantly. “And you know we can’t start without him - but enough about him.  I was just thinking about last night and I don’t think I can wait until tomorrow to see you.  How about you meet me after work?”

“I was planning to head to the gym,” Jared replied.

“Don’t worry, with what I have planned for us, you’ll be getting a workout you won’t forget,” Sarah interjected suggestively.  “Just meet me at the condo after work - you won’t regret it.”  She clicked off and thought to herself, Or maybe you will…

Other Chapters in this Title
From the Beginning