I was living the bliss of my little solitude bubble, feeling all calm and tingly from my pleasant, and, for once, quiet chat with Rebecca Odum.
I drank the last of my tea, and walked down to the shed and prepared for my next guest arrival.
Yelle Hughes was due to arrive in twenty minutes, so, after realizing that I did not have much left to drink, I headed to the store to stock up.
When I returned, my blissful bubble burst when I saw Terrance, Jack, Frank and Gerard enter the shed with cases of beer scuffle into the shed.
Groaning, I round the corner, and see Yelle waiting for me.
I assume the by's did not see her, because she was still in one piece.
I smile and invite her in.
"Welcome, Yelle Hughes have a seat, I do not know if you heard from the other authors, but I no longer have my milk crates, Jack kind of broke them on me, but I now have these more suitable chairs. I have plenty of refreshments, care to have one?"
"Could I have an MGD, please."
"Thank you for coming, Yelle. Though I have known you for years, this yahoos are unfamiliar with you, share a little about yourself. "
"Well…my name is Yelle. It’s actually a nickname my family gave me because I was loud. Still am…so they tell me. I’m writing a romance series about Greek mythology in modern times. The first two have been written and I’m in the process of getting the first “Triton” published.
I like moonlight dancing and long walks on the beach…scratch that, give me a porno with Manuel Ferrara and lifesaver candy, I’m good to go. (Did I share too much? You’re not offended, are you guys?)"
"No, baby doll, you certainly did not offend! On the contrary, you spiked our total love and devotion to you the moment your sweet lips said porno. We may not know or care who Manuel Ferrara is, but being a cheap date only needing a life saver with your porno? Mmmmm...."
This was Jack's tasteless attempt at flirtatious humour.
I glare nasty at Jack, who simply sticks his tongue out at me before returning to the back.
Yelle does not react only chuckle before composing herself and continuing.
"I have three kids that are practically grown and gone and now its mommy’s time to play. Learning more about the author’s world has been thrilling, frustrated and satisfying…and that’s before I’ve been published."
"I know that Trition is not quite ready to be released to the world yet, but could you please, could you tell me a little about it?"
"The first book is about a god, “Triton”, who has to protect a girl, “Ariadne” (reluctantly, I might add) from her dear old, great, great, great (how many greats would it be if your grandfather was born in ancient Greece?) anyway, King Acrisius is old as hell and wants to kill anybody that doesn’t kiss his butt.
I will take you from the normal town of Columbus, Ohio, to the beautiful islands of Greece and Ariadne’s favorite bar. You’ll meet Triton’s friends (they have a penchant to fight each other all the time) and you will meet Ariadne’s girls. You will see how they clash, how they love and how they protect each other from hidden and known enemies."
" Wow, Yelle, Triton sounds intriguing, is there a particular part of the story that you really enjoyed writing? "
"The sex scenes…yea I said it. I really enjoyed writing those."
A chorus of Whoops, and "Oh yeah, baby! Go Yelle!"
I hang my head in shame.
Just as I thought I heard the last of his rude and crude and ugly self, he waltzes over to Yelle, snakes his arm around her and asks, his favourite question.
"Hey dude, tell us who your favourite characters are!"
"Sure, dude. Right now, it’s Triton and Ariadne. There’s so much of me in them, it’s not funny."
"Now, I know I want to read it when it comes out!" Jack quips before sauntering away.
Relieved to finally have him to return to his spot, I continue with my chat.
"Sorry about that, but Jack's question brought another question to light, "If Triton were to be optioned for a movie, who do you see playing your main characters?"
"That’s easy, Dwayne Johnson would be Triton and I would be Ariadne lol…just kidding…I modeled Ariadne’s looks off of Sanaa Lathan"
"I feel that Dwayne Johnson and Sanaa would be ideal for those roles, knowing the little I do from your little teasers. I was wondering, as a person who writes on the side, during my down time, my writing process starts with forming the story in my head before I put pen to paper, what is your writing process like?"
"Don’t think I’m crazy but I dream my scenes. I will write down the characters and what issues they have, their good qualities and then the dreams come. The next morning, I write down what happened and move on from there."
Terrance staggers over to us, nearly falling into Yelle's lap, spilling some of his beer on her.
"All of this sounds fascinating but I heard writing is a hell of a lot of work, why do you do it, what do you get out of it?"
"Hey, Terrance, I will answer any question you have, but dude, why you got to spill your beer on me? I just bought this jacket at Walmart. You owe me $6.79 buddy. Go get me some paper towels, so I can dry off. While you’re doing that, I’ll tell you my answer.
I’ve been fascinated with Greek mythology ever since I was a little girl. Then I got into romance novels a little later. The books, back then had the same formula…poor woman, meets rich man and he rescues her from whatever. I started my story about Triton 20 years ago, but with kids, husband, work and life in general…it sat on the backburner.
A traumatic event happened to me a few years ago and I made the decision, that in order for me to be happy, do something that I love. That was putting my fantasies on paper and sharing with the world. I hope others will enjoy my people, as much as I do."
I have to admit, though I was horrified by Terrance's continuing drunken behaviour, I lost myself in a fit of laughter at Yelle's humorous response.
She is so cool.
I wipe my eyes with a tissue I had in my jeans pocket, clear my throat and continue.
"Thanks for the awkward segue, Terrance, now go over with the rest of the b'ys and let me and Yelle have our yarn. Terrance asked you why you like to write, now I want to ask you, is there anything about writing you don't like?"
"When I’m on a roll (writing wise) I hate being interrupted. I’m a freaking bear…I growl, I snap and my eyes roll in the back of my head. Also editing, that’s kryptonite to me, but I’m working on getting better."
"When you write, what is it that you hope your readers take away from your story?"
"Laughter, sadness, horniness…just an overall enjoyment of the story. I want them to actually care about the characters."
"Do you have any other stories you are currently writing or are planing to write?"
"I am working on the second of the series “Cupid”. He resigned from his job as the god of love and is now a warrior for the immortal Greek army."
"Thanks a million for answering all my questions…and the others, Yelle. It has been a real pleasure. Where can I go to find out more about Triton?"
"Triton, is in its last stage of editing and will be available soon. If you would like to know more about the book, you can visit my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/YelleHughes?ref=hl
Or you can visit my website: http://yellehughes.com"
"You must be frozen solid by now, Yelle, my mates have been pretty greedy with the heat, so I am going to let you go so you can toddle on home and warm up, but before you go is there anything else you want to add?"
"I just want to thank you all for your kind hospitality (except or Terrance). I enjoyed sitting here chatting with you. I forgot to tell you that I’m not a big drinker, so this MGD has gotten me a little tipsy.
Is it okay if I leave my car here? I’m gonna call a cab."
"Of course...."
I am interrupted by Gerard offering up his bed for Yelle, but gratefully, she declined.
"Here’s the link to my book trailer. Hope you guys like. Terrance, this would be great for you to dance to."
"Good thing you are a looker and seem as horny as I feel, or I would be irate with you not being grateful with my company. But, I think I will dance to this, if you dance with me?"
Before Yelle has a chance to respond to Terrance's invitation, I usher her out of the shed, and bring her to my home where I can call her a cab.
As I wave good bye, I cannot help but smile. Yelle was so funny and proven to be a wonderful match for the back of the shed jokers.
Now, If I can come up with a way to permanently get rid of them....
Thank you guys, so much! I had a great time. Tina, just wanted to let you know, I made it home safe and sound.
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