*Throwback Thursday* French Twist Truth: Bluey's Style

Are you ready for Throwback Thursday, y'all? We aren't throwing back very far, just to my first book blog post EVER - from March of this year.  Let me refresh your memory...

 

One of the fun things about writing a true story (with just a little judicious editing) is delving into the details and sharing what is real and what is not real.  And for those real items, perhaps sharing a little photographic evidence…

The description of my husband’s attire the night that I met him is absolutely true, right down to the blue sunglasses:

It was not just that he was handsome; he had style!  Style like none I had ever seen before.  He was at least six feet tall and was wearing, I kid you not, a pale blue suit, complete with matching pale blue sweater underneath.  He had accented this ensemble with a large silver chain, massively spiked dark hair, a perfectly sculpted goatee and, wait for it, pale blue sunglasses.  Clearly this guy took coordination to a whole new level. It was immediately obvious that he was either gay, not from this country or both.  If he turned out to be gay, all the better.   A new friend with great hair and makeup tips was always a good thing.  

(Excerpt from French Twist by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2013.)

Unfortunately, I was not able to snap a photo that night (cell phones with cameras were not as common back in 2001.)  I do; however, have a photo of him wearing his amazing pale blue suit on a later occasion.  As an added bonus, he had had a shaving “accident” that night and is completely devoid of his beautifully sculpted goatee.  I have not yet been granted permission to post this precious pic, but I am working on it!  Tune in next week to see if I am successful.  :)

Fast forward two months and I have been granted permission to post the photo as long as I implement one small change.  Can you guess what he requested?

Now you have finally caught a glimpse of the amazing blue suit my husband was wearing the night that I met him. He was truly a sight to be seen! The aforementioned shaving accident and resulting baby face was simply too much for him to share with the world. I give him props for sharing the suit! I hope that you enjoyed the photographic revelation. :)

French Twist Dare: The Engagement Ring

One of my favorite parts of French Twist is the scene that I wrote when Sydney finally gets her engagement ring.  Not the costume ring that she purchased before she proposed to Louis, but the gorgeous ring that he had made as an exact replica of the costume ring she had picked out.

Louis came back into the bedroom to find me sitting in the same spot on the floor.

“Who was that?” I asked, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Sydney, please look at me."

I grudgingly looked up at his face.  He had the nerve to be grinning from ear to ear.  My annoyance was reaching a dangerous level.  I was sure that I didn't have the friendliest look on my face at that moment.  

His smile did not waver.  “It was a special delivery.”

Now it was my turn to be bewildered.  “Special delivery?”

He sat down next to me on the floor and handed me a square black velvet box.

I looked over at him with my tearstained face.  “What is this?”

His voice was very soft.  “Why don’t you open it and find out?”

Well, it probably wouldn’t make things any worse.  Opening the box took a little effort because my hands were still shaking, but when I finally got it open, the contents took my breath away.

            I looked up at Louis.  “When did you do this?”

            “During one of your many wedding planning sessions with Kate and Maya.  Do you like it?”

            I was speechless.  Nestled in this little black velvet box was an exact replica of the costume engagement ring that I had purchased at Nordstrom.  It was absolutely beautiful.

            Tears filled my eyes.  “I love it.”  I sobbed.  “And I love you.”

            I put my arms around his neck and started to cry.

            “Why are you crying, mon coeur?”  He started to chuckle.

            “I don’t know.”  I continued to sob.

            He pulled me out of the embrace and stroked my face.  “Why don’t you try on your ring?”

            My face lit up and I held out my trembling fingers.  He removed the costume ring from my finger and replaced it with the ring he had had made for me. It fit perfectly.  He looked into my eyes and smiled. 

            “Happy Birthday, Syd.”  He kissed me tenderly on the lips.

            I buried my face in this chest.  “Thank you, Bluey.”

            He cleared his throat.  “Now, I am sure that you are in need of some food.  Any interest in the chocolate cake that is currently in the refrigerator?”

            I grinned at him.  “Is that a trick question?”

            He pulled me up to my feet and carried me into the kitchen.  I giggled the whole way and was immensely thankful that my birthday had vastly improved.  We then sat at the dining room table and ate cake out of the box.  It was the best birthday cake I had ever had.

(Excerpt from French Twist by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2013.)

While I would love to be able to say that this is exactly how it happened, the reality was far less glamorous.  I did, as you know, propose to my husband with a costume engagement ring, but we had very little money at the time, so my actual ring was purchased in pieces - first the setting, then the diamond.  Thankfully, we purchased it before my husband (then fiance) met my family for the first time - since I can only imagine what my father would have said about the absence of a ring - and I have been the blissfully happy owner of it ever since.  If you are like me and LOVE to see people's engagement rings, I have just the photo for you.  

French Twist Truth: The Fart

I don't know about you, but in the beginning of relationships, I always try to hide rather, um, unsavory habits from my partner.  Farting is at the top of that list.  This scene from French Twist, in which Sydney farts for the first time in front of Louis, her brand new fiance, is an exact account of how everything went down between me and my husband.  Oh, the embarrassment!  But it made a really funny scene, didn't it?

  

Unfortunately for me, that evening was my turn to be the source of a scent faux pas.   Louis and I were sitting on the couch after dinner enjoying some mind numbing TV when I felt some rumbling in my abdomen.   Uh oh.  I had been able to hide the fact that I fart from Louis for the duration of our relationship, though once we started living together it had become much more complicated.  I had made more than a few spontaneous trips to the balcony for “a breath of fresh air.”  I was sure that Louis was on to me, but I wasn’t ready to give up the illusion yet.

            I started to extract myself from the couch for a trip to the balcony, when Louis tugged on my hand. 

            “Where are you going, mon coeur?  You are so snuggly.  I don’t want you to get up.”  He tried to pull me back onto the couch.

            I laughed nervously.  “I just need a little air.  I will be right back.”  I tried to pull my hand away.

            He held onto my hand and looked at me.  “Is that really what this is about?”  He was trying hard not to smile.

            As I was about to answer him, a foreign sound escaped my body.  I had finally farted in front of Louis.  I knew that I was blushing from the humiliation.  And I haven’t even told you the worst part.  It was smelly, loud and, oddly enough, musical.  That’s right!  It came out as a high pitched note that is hard to describe.  It almost sounded like... “Plew!”

            Louis laughed so hard that he fell off of the couch.  He had tears of laughter streaming down his face.  I just stood there looking at him completely torn between laughing with him and being really annoyed with him.  I finally joined him on the floor and started to laugh.  Every couple of minutes he would stop laughing, look at me and sing, “Plew!”  Then he would start laughing all over again.  I decided that my days of hiding farts from him were over.  Although I doubt that he would find it this funny every time...

(Excerpt from French Twist by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2013.)

Many thanks to my son's preschool teacher for the suggestion for this week's post.  I don't think that I would have chosen the scene had it not been specifically asked about. :)

French Twist Dare: The Proposal (Part II)

We have now arrived at our discussion of the fictitious elements of the illustrious proposal scene in French Twist. But before we get to the actual proposal, I must confess that one of my favorite scenes, just prior to the proposal, was a complete figment of my imagination.  Sydney was trying to sneak out of the apartment the morning after Louis brings up going to Las Vegas for the weekend to get married...

He stroked my back.  “I am not making fun of you.  I am just trying to lighten the mood, which is what I think you need right now.  You are just taking things far too seriously.  Whether or not you realize it, I have gotten to know you pretty well, mon coeur.  In fact, I am sure that I know you better than you think that I do.” 

“Really?  And what is it that you think that you know?”  I looked at him quizzically.

He sat up and faced me.  “You are hungry ALL OF THE TIME.  You need to be fed every two hours or there will be serious consequences.  You always want to choose the movie that we watch and then you always fall asleep and snore through it.  Romantic comedies are your favorite, but you are also addicted to murder mysteries, though you are always wrong about the identity of the murderer.  You love Italian and Mexican food, but your absolute favorite is Greek.  You love red wine and margaritas and hate white wine and all other hard liquor.  All your desserts must contain some kind of chocolate or there is no point in having dessert.  You buy yourself a new outfit every year on your birthday to make yourself feel better about getting older.  You are completely self-conscious when you are wearing anything tight or short (or are naked), though you shouldn’t be because you are absolutely gorgeous.  You put everyone else in your life first and often forget that you need things too.  The first opinion you want on anything important is Kate, followed by a close second with Maya. I have absolutely no idea where my opinion factors in, but that is not what is important right now.”  He stopped to draw breath.  “Shall I go on?” 

Wow.  I wasn’t expecting that.  I guess that he has been paying attention.

“Am I to assume from your stunned silence that you realize that I am right?  That I do know you pretty well?”  He shook me gently by the shoulders.  “I LOVE you.  I am very sorry if I scared you with my ridiculous idea to go to Vegas.”  He sighed. “But I really want you to hear me when I say this.  Nothing that you can say or do will scare me or will change how I feel about you.”

I just continued to stare at him.  For the life of me, I couldn’t think of what to say.

“Mon coeur, I have never felt this way for anyone.  It amazes and overwhelms me.  I...sometimes get carried away.  I just knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and it came out.  I am sorry.”

I laughed.  “You’re sorry that you want to spend the rest of your life with me?”

He looked relieved.  “There she is.”  He grinned and gave me a soft tap on the nose.   “I knew that you were in there somewhere.”  

(Excerpt from French Twist by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2013.)

I am a total sucker for dramatic speeches and while my husband has indeed said these things to me before, he did not deliver his comments altogether and in such a confessional way.  The speech still gives me the shivers when I read it!

Now, back to the proposal....

The actual proposal was not as glamorous as in the scene that I wrote.  I met my husband at a bookstore after work, with the costume engagement ring tucked away in my jeans pocket.  When he sat down next to me in the open air cafe, I asked him how his day had been and after he answered, I leaned over to him and whispered in his ear, "Will you marry me?"

There was a horrible moment when I thought that his whole suggestion of going to Las Vegas to get married had been a joke, because he took WAY too long to answer my question.  But once he gave me an emphatic, "Yes!" my heart rate began to slow down.  We then perused the streets and selected a lovely Italian restaurant in which to celebrate our engagement.

It was a wonderful evening, but proposal scenes in books need a little more polish!  I hope that you enjoyed it.  I certainly had fun writing it.

French Twist Truth: The Proposal (Part I)

         As it is well known at this point that French Twist is based on the true story of how I met and married my husband in a rather, um, short period of time, I am often asked about the illustrious proposal scene.  Unfortunately, in this case I cannot simply tell you truth or dare. :)  The scene in which Sydney proposes to Louis is a multifaceted collection of both truths and lies.  We will have to take our time on this one.  

Since this week I am revealing something true, I will reveal all true elements of the proposal.  Are you ready?  Here they are:

1) My husband did suggest going to Vegas for the weekend to get married, but never actually asked me to marry him.

2) I proposed to my husband after knowing him for five weeks. (Yes, I know I wrote six in the book, but close enough!)

3) I did give him a costume engagement ring to put on my finger after he accepted.

4) He did look at it in amazement and tell me that we might have to buy something a bit smaller. 

The whole scene pretty much played out like this:

I had planned this whole beautiful speech about how much I loved him, how special he made me feel, how sure I felt about his feelings for me - with or without the crazy - and that he had come along at a time when I thought that I would be alone for the rest of my life.  As these thoughts swirled around in my mind, I looked at him and realized two things.  One, I would never get through all of that without either crying or saying something stupid.  And two...he already knew all of that.  Louis was a man that did not need to hear all of these things again.  There was just one thing that he needed to hear.

I took both of his hands in mine, gazed into those achingly beautiful blue eyes that I loved so much and whispered, “Will you marry me?”

The look of shock on his face spooked me for a minute, but his face quickly morphed into the hugest smile I have ever seen on a person’s face.  He picked me up, squeezed me within an inch of my life and twirled me around for what seemed like ten minutes. 

When he finally put me down, he held my face in his hands and kissed me gently on the lips.  He then leaned his forehead against mine and ran his hands down my back.

“You have made me the happiest man in the entire world.”  He was breathless and could not stop smiling.  It was absolutely adorable.

“Well, are you going to answer my question?”  I grinned at him.

He laughed.  “Yes! Yes! Yes!  I will marry you.”  He picked me up and twirled me around again.

When he put me down, I reached into my bag and pulled out the ring.  “OK, then.  You will need to put this on my finger to make it official.”

He took the ring from me and looked at it.  He then cocked his head to the side and looked at me.  I laughed nervously.  “It is just a prototype.  I wanted to have something on hand for this evening.”  Maybe this was a stupid idea...

“A prototype?”

“You know, just a model of a ring that I might like....” I trailed off, wondering if I had totally ruined this.

He looked at me again.  “It’s fairly large.  Is this what you want me to buy for you?”

My hands flew to my face.  “I’m so sorry!  There isn’t a lot of choice when it comes to costume engagement rings.  All of the ones that I found were about this size.  I just chose the shape and general style that I liked.”

He laughed and pulled my hands down from my face.  “Syd, I was just kidding.  Though I think that we will have to go a bit smaller than this.  French companies don’t pay as much as American companies.”

I smiled and looked up at him.  “I don’t care how big it is.  I am just happy that you said yes.”  So that was MOSTLY true.  We could always upgrade later....

(Excerpt from French Twist by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2013.)

As for the elements of the proposal that were fictitious, tune in next week for further details!

French Twist Dare: Sydney's Drunken Airplane Episode

As you well know, French Twist is based in truth.  The major elements of the story are all blissfully true, but I felt the need to add a little excitement (and a whole lot of comedic value) to the story.  And there couldn't be better comedic value than embarrassing myself, right?  

One of my absolute favorite scenes to write was this completely fictitious episode where Sydney and Louis fly to New York together to spend Thanksgiving with her family.  While it is absolutely true that my parents met my husband for the first time over one strenuous Thanksgiving weekend, we were not able to fly together and I am pleased to tell you that I did not consume any alcohol at all.  Thank God!

Now, back to our good friend, Sydney.  Unfortunately, she is left to her own devices during the six hour flight from San Francisco to New York because, of course, Louis fell asleep the instant that the plane took off.  Sydney attempts to drown the anxiety she feels about her parents meeting her brand new French fiancé for the first time by having a nice glass of wine.  When one glass doesn't do the trick, she has another - you know where this is going.  The more wine she drinks, the better she feels, until...

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around.  We appeared to be in some kind of exam room.  How had we gotten off of the plane?  Oh my God.  I had a really, really bad feeling about this.  Slowly, some rather unsavory memories permeated my mind.  No.  That could not possibly have happened.  I could not have been that stupid.  Sydney!  What have you done?

I looked at Louis.  “Um...Louis, how did we get here?”

He bit his lip.  That was a really bad sign.  He only did that when he had something unpleasant to tell me.

He exhaled slowly.  “You were put on a stretcher.  The EMT’s couldn’t wake you, so you had to be taken off the plane as quickly as possible.”

I put my head in my lap.  I have done some pretty embarrassing things in my time, but this incident was now number one on my list.  God help me when Maya finds out.  She will hold this over me for the rest of my life.

 Louis cleared his throat.  “Syd, you have been cleared to go home.  We should go down to the baggage compartment now.  They are holding our luggage.”

I looked up at Louis in horror.  “How long have we been here?”

He looked at the floor.  “About two hours.”

Oh shit!  My parents were picking us up from the airport.  They must be freaking out right now.  I started looking for my purse so that I could call them quickly and tell them not to worry.  I am such a total freak!  I cannot believe that I did this.

            Louis took my hand.  “Calm down, Syd.  I have already called your parents to let them know that we are fine.”

            I buried my face in my hands.  “What did you tell them?”

            “What could I tell them?  I told them the truth.”  A small chuckle escaped him.

            I slowly removed my hands from my eyes to find that Louis was desperately trying not to laugh.  The amount of anger I felt towards him at that moment was astronomical.   I slowly stood up, felt completely nauseated and promptly sat back down.  With no other viable options, I settled for fixing my deadliest stare on him.  I was prepared to tear him a new one, when the floodgates opened and he dissolved into hysterical laughter.  I was so shocked that I didn’t know how to react.  I just stood there, watching him completely lose his composure and wondered what I was supposed to be feeling...

(Excerpt from French Twist by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2013.)

And there you have it.  I laughed so hard while writing this scene that I had tears streaming down my face.  I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  I am INCREDIBLY thankful that an event of this horrific magnitude has not happened to me.  Though I must admit that I have come pretty close.  Maybe some of those stories will make it into another book!

PS - I am very sorry to say that I have not been given permission to post the photo of my husband wearing his epic blue suit.  I will keep trying! 

French Twist Truth: Bluey's Style

One of the fun things about writing a true story (with just a little judicious editing) is delving into the details and sharing what is real and what is not real.  And for those real items, perhaps sharing a little photographic evidence…

The description of my husband’s attire the night that I met him is absolutely true, right down to the blue sunglasses:

It was not just that he was handsome; he had style!  Style like none I had ever seen before.  He was at least six feet tall and was wearing, I kid you not, a pale blue suit, complete with matching pale blue sweater underneath.  He had accented this ensemble with a large silver chain, massively spiked dark hair, a perfectly sculpted goatee and, wait for it, pale blue sunglasses.  Clearly this guy took coordination to a whole new level. It was immediately obvious that he was either gay, not from this country or both.  If he turned out to be gay, all the better.   A new friend with great hair and makeup tips was always a good thing.  

(Excerpt from French Twist by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2013.)

Unfortunately, I was not able to snap a photo that night (cell phones with cameras were not as common back in 2001.)  I do; however, have a photo of him wearing his amazing pale blue suit on a later occasion.  As an added bonus, he had had a shaving “accident” that night and is completely devoid of his beautifully sculpted goatee.  I have not yet been granted permission to post this precious pic, but I am working on it!  Tune in next week to see if I am successful.  :)