The first book in the series, The Search For Intelligent Life on Earth, is a literary novel with the subtitle A Story of Love.
The series is a fictional portrait of the spiritual journey. Note: Due to mature subjects, the series is intended for readers 18 and over. Please respect that this material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any format for any reason without the publisher's permission.
Chapter Two introduces a new character in a different part of the globe, Jacques. It is still spring of 1982. A short chapter, it provides enough to catch a glimpse into the voice of this character but leaves the reader to wonder what's going on with him. Jacques' situation is a world apart from Mark's. In the first chapter, the protagonist (Mark) was forced to say good-bye to his boyfriend, whose father is being transferred to another embassy. At the end of the chapter, Mark and Kyle discuss communistic viewpoints, and Kyle implores Mark to avoid joining a communist group he suspects of violence. He tries to encourage Mark to go to college in the US and tells him he will come back for him. Mark is dubious.
Jacques, on the other hand, is working at his father's night club and suffering from a form of depression. He is a difficult character to gauge at this point, readers unsure if they like him. Here is a sneak peak:
Jacques
sat alone at his dressing table and began the ritual he’d practiced every evening
for the last three years. He brushed his long blond hair until it hurt his
scalp. Still wearing his silk, cream-colored robe, he opened the door a smidge,
a message that he was ready to be prepped and groomed, made up and dressed.
Then he returned to his cushioned, floral, and somewhat stately chair, unlike
the fold-up ones the other performers had. Being the boss’ son had certain advantages.
The
stagehand Aimee stuck her head in the door and waved. She’d been told not to
bother him when he was getting ready for work, but sometimes she seemed unable
to stop herself. He smiled ruefully and returned his eyes to his own visage in
the mirror. Where were they? There was usually no time for contemplation once
the door was ajar, and too much reflection could be a bad omen. Jacques didn’t
have a whole lot to celebrate in his life, and his mind could too easily become
wrapped in self-woe. He took a deep breath and started counting in his head as
a distraction. Maybe he should have asked Aimee to keep him company.
Finally,
a tall, gaunt man with little hair entered. He was one of the fill ins. “Bon
soir,” he said with a perfunctory smile. He apologized for keeping the star
waiting. Jacques said it didn’t matter because he preferred not to appear ruffled
in front of the help, both here and at home. What was his name? Not the usual
makeup artist, not very friendly. There was always a cold edge to this man. He
started to rub cream into Jacques’ arms and hands, then his face.
“Did
you see the costume for tonight?” the man asked.
“No,
not really.” Jacques wasn’t in the mood for small talk. He wanted to crawl into
a ball and play dead.
“Feeling
blue?” the man asked as he slapped foundation on.
“Where
is everyone?”
“Everyone
who?”
Jacques
sighed out of frustration. “Westhoff, Yves, my hairstylist, my assistant, the
people who are usually running in and out of my room with last minute
problems.”
The man
shrugged as if he didn’t care. “The choreographer is prepping the dancers
because one was injured. He has to rework the routines. Yves is sick. The
stagehands are…sit still, look what’s happened now.” He huffed as he took a
cloth and rubbed at Jacques’ face.
Jacques
grimaced and pulled away. “You’ll make my face red. Where is my father?”
“He is
not coming this evening. You don’t know?”
Jacques
felt too humiliated to answer, but it explained why the staff was running late.
For a second, he deluded himself about walking out. What was it that American
tourist said to him last week? If you are
not happy, just do something else. Just do something else! Americans! They
are so naïve. He didn’t know anything else and was still underage. His father
had too much pull in this part of France. What would he do for money? Work in a
boutique and live in a flat in the dangerous outskirts of town?
He
glared at his reflection again. Maybe he could sell his hair and make a getaway
with the profits. Though, maybe it would only afford him a croissant and a
coffee. He had no idea. As he was considering his escape strategy, the inept
theater manager arrived.
“Come
on, come on! You are on soon, and you are still not dressed.”
“You
are the one who was late, Westhoff,” Jacques said with a bitter note.
“Not in
the best mood, Jacqui?”
“Not in
any mood. I’m just not the one who was late.”
“Well,
I was arranging a seat for your father’s guest. He seemed very nice, by the
way.”
Jacques’ stomach fell when he caught the makeup artist exchange a glance with the manager. How much did they know?
Jacques’ stomach fell when he caught the makeup artist exchange a glance with the manager. How much did they know?
As you read the excerpt or chapter, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the following:
1) What do you think Jacques is running from? How does one overcome being trapped in exploitative or abusive circumstances (especially one underage)?
2) Do you like or dislike the character? What do you think your feelings about this character say about you as a person?
3) What do you think the connection between these characters (Mark and Jacques) will be?
Since the publishing of my novel, I've come to realize first hand that readers project an enormous amount of themselves into the stories they read. They project their histories and experiences, preferences and secret desires, fears and judgments. It creates a stew of effect when getting feedback.
In other words, sometimes I am learning more about them than I am about my novel. But I enjoy this! Reading novels should be about self-growth and introspection. Besides, I've always been a student of the human mind.
The book is available in paperback online and electronically for Kindle (internationally on Amazon sites, as well). The complete first chapter is usually available to read on the Amazon link: click here
Happy reading!
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