*** BOOK EXCERPT ***
Ok! So, I've spoken quite a bit about HER ESSENCE, perhaps teased you with tidbits about the plot. Well, today, I'm sharing a bit of the novel. Her Essence is a thriller, billed by those who have read it: an "intelligent thriller." following is from the first chapter, entitled: Afriad. In it, Eva (one of the protagonists) agrees to try yoga on a dare.
Eva was glad she made it to the class early. It gave her time to adjust to the new surroundings. She was surprised to find a big room with shiny hard wood floors, “a waste of space,” she thought as she surveyed the area. It took her mere seconds to identify the instructor, Jenny; she remembered Matt said that she reminded him of her. Jenny was a rather angry looking woman who kept to herself; small in stature, big in attitude. A severe hair cut highlighted her delicate features: high, prominent cheek bones, and a small angular nose. Eva introduced herself and engaged Jenny in conversation. After a brief period of discomfort where they sized each other up, Jenny reluctantly showed her several basic moves she would need for the class: mountain pose, plank position, downward dog, and the warrior poses.
“Is that it?” Eva asked.
“It’s a start,” she eyed Eva appraisingly; “I’ll talk you through the other poses during the class. Don’t worry; it’ll get tougher as the class goes on. Trust me.”
Eva had her doubts as she eyed the blankets, rainbow colored mats and blocks located in the corner of the room, she thought it looked more like romper room than an exercise studio. She really wanted to withhold judgment until after the session, but it was going to be hard. She settled on the purple mat and laid it across the floor.
“So what brings you to yoga?” Jenny asked as Eva unrolled her mat.
It was an odd question she thought, and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Yoga. People are drawn to it for different reasons. Some seek a more gentle form of exercise. Some are curious, looking for a miracle. Some simply want peace,” Jenny said.
“I guess all of it…none of it. I came on a dare.” With that, Jenny snorted and left her to set up for her practice. Eva secretly hoped Matt was right, that yoga could help her concentrate; recreate that special state of mind. Soon the class began to fill with a few men but mostly women of varying sizes, ages and shapes. The number of men in the class surprised Eva. She was expecting women who didn’t want to work too hard at their chosen form of exercise and trendy men—metrosexual was the new term she recalled, although the term was probably old now. Things had a way of traveling to Charlotte well after the novelty had worn off. The men in the class weren’t what she would consider metrosexual; they seemed normal, tough enough and hardly fashionable in t-shirts and long shorts. Eva wondered where Matt fell on that metro line, given his affinity for yoga. Lost in thought or perhaps in a trance from the kooky transcendental music, she hadn’t noticed Matt until the commotion of his arrival broke her concentration.
Eva was glad she made it to the class early. It gave her time to adjust to the new surroundings. She was surprised to find a big room with shiny hard wood floors, “a waste of space,” she thought as she surveyed the area. It took her mere seconds to identify the instructor, Jenny; she remembered Matt said that she reminded him of her. Jenny was a rather angry looking woman who kept to herself; small in stature, big in attitude. A severe hair cut highlighted her delicate features: high, prominent cheek bones, and a small angular nose. Eva introduced herself and engaged Jenny in conversation. After a brief period of discomfort where they sized each other up, Jenny reluctantly showed her several basic moves she would need for the class: mountain pose, plank position, downward dog, and the warrior poses.
“Is that it?” Eva asked.
“It’s a start,” she eyed Eva appraisingly; “I’ll talk you through the other poses during the class. Don’t worry; it’ll get tougher as the class goes on. Trust me.”
Eva had her doubts as she eyed the blankets, rainbow colored mats and blocks located in the corner of the room, she thought it looked more like romper room than an exercise studio. She really wanted to withhold judgment until after the session, but it was going to be hard. She settled on the purple mat and laid it across the floor.
“So what brings you to yoga?” Jenny asked as Eva unrolled her mat.
It was an odd question she thought, and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Yoga. People are drawn to it for different reasons. Some seek a more gentle form of exercise. Some are curious, looking for a miracle. Some simply want peace,” Jenny said.
“I guess all of it…none of it. I came on a dare.” With that, Jenny snorted and left her to set up for her practice. Eva secretly hoped Matt was right, that yoga could help her concentrate; recreate that special state of mind. Soon the class began to fill with a few men but mostly women of varying sizes, ages and shapes. The number of men in the class surprised Eva. She was expecting women who didn’t want to work too hard at their chosen form of exercise and trendy men—metrosexual was the new term she recalled, although the term was probably old now. Things had a way of traveling to Charlotte well after the novelty had worn off. The men in the class weren’t what she would consider metrosexual; they seemed normal, tough enough and hardly fashionable in t-shirts and long shorts. Eva wondered where Matt fell on that metro line, given his affinity for yoga. Lost in thought or perhaps in a trance from the kooky transcendental music, she hadn’t noticed Matt until the commotion of his arrival broke her concentration.
posted by Andrea | 3:47 PM
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