Flower Girl
by Merida Johns
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GENRE: Women's Fiction, Family
Life Fiction, Women's Domestic Life Fiction, Psychological Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Everyone
wants to believe they can hold on to their anchor, the light of their North Star,
and live their truth . . . Suzanna Jordan did too until she fell for a man with
a movie-star presence and a dark alter ego. Losing hope of salvaging her life
and gaining her freedom, an unlikely source serves up a platter of just
desserts that even Suzanna’s treacherous abuser might not evade.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE
13, 1984
It’s five
o’clock in the morning. A waterfall of worries washes over me, but one remains,
one I cannot ignore, one that means my life or death—do I have the courage to
stop this nightmare?
I hear muffled
voices and hasty footsteps fading away in the distance. My crisis, already old
news to them, cataloged on a forgotten document. They have abandoned me and
left me alone with my fear.
Rolling to my
side, my legs dangle off the bed, and gravity pulls my five-foot-five, slender
body toward the floor. My feet rebel. They scream and cramp in pain as they hit
the cold cement. My insides shake, and my body wobbles. My eyes blur, and my
hands reach out to find the bed. I steady myself and count under my breath,
“One, two, three . . .” The agonizing muscle spasms in my feet start to unwind.
My world plays in slow motion. My eyes drift
across the brackish-beige walls, swamp-green curtain, stainless steel
instruments, and electronic gadgets—my stomach knots, my heart falls, my mouth
goes dry. Helplessness hits me like an animal in a snare.
I spot my
possessions, swathed in clear plastic, in the chair’s seat in the corner of the
room. I hobble over and open the bag and poke through it—a Victoria’s Secret
midnight-blue lace bra, an OSU red T-shirt, a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt denim
pants, a Coach purse, and white Reeboks. I loosen the ties of the rumpled
steel-gray gown; it slips off and falls to the floor. Dressing in fancy
lingerie is absurd, so I toss it on the chair and throw on the shirt and jeans.
I look down at
my sneakers and stop. In my mind, I see my husband’s squinting eyes and hear
his haunting disapproval. Quit wiggling your feet over the counters of your damn
shoes, Suzanna. You’ll ruin them! I shake my head, clench my jaw, and disobey.
I have no
strength to bend over and tie the shoelaces. Jonathan would have a nasty
comment about this, too. I ignore him. My eyes close in victory. “Cherish every
step. Each is a grand slam toward deliverance.”
My fingers run
through my disheveled hair, soaked with sweat—my muscles loosen, my brain fog
lifts, and the ache behind my forehead fades.
I pull back the
curtain circling the bed and grimace—the overhead lights jar me. I pump myself
up—One, two, three, go. I take off.
I shuffle
through the corridor between the beds bordering the room and reach the doorway
to the waiting area. If people are here, I do not notice them. My eyes fix on
the escape at the end of the room—the pulsating red exit sign. The
floor-to-ceiling doors open, allowing my aching body to limp toward daybreak.
The heavy morning breeze hits my face, and the sickening, sterile scent
covering me blows away. I clutch my heart and silently sob, Thank God I’m
alive.
But the joy
vaporizes into the humid air. The war has only begun. Clutching for courage, I
console myself. You’ve gotten this far. You can make it! You can live your
truth.
I look up above
the horizon, and I see it! There’s my North Star, its five points shimmering in
the dawn and guiding me toward my purpose—But before I can help others be their
best, I must help myself be my best.
Outside the
sterile walls of a hospital emergency room, I hold my own. I put a stake in the
ground. I swear that the fight to flee my abuser’s snare, save my life, and
follow the guidance of my North Star is worth it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Merida Johns
writes about the human experience—that often is messy—and how ordinary people
tackle challenges, live through sorrow and betrayal, struggle with doubt, but
despite this, gather the strength to act on their aspirations and achieve
flourishing lives.
“My insight
into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a
group of fellow life coaches when I asked, ‘What would it be like to help
people achieve a flourishing life through storytelling instead of another
self-help book?’
After that
phone call, I got started answering that question. Almost three years later,
the result was my debut novel Blackhorse Road, a heartfelt story of womanhood
and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness that was published July 21,
2020, by Coffee Cup Press. Now, I’m thrilled about the upcoming release Flower
Girl—a story of a woman who must make sweeping changes in her life to live her
truth.
Before writing
fiction, I was a professor and author of health informatics and leadership
textbooks. Later, I put my experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on
helping women break the glass ceiling and fulfill their leadership and economic
potential.
My husband and
I reside in the beautiful Midwest countryside. This is where I find the
serenity and space for bringing to life the stories about everyday people who
face and overcome extraordinary challenges by finding and following their North
Star.
https://www.MeridaJohnsAuthor.com
Twitter: @MLJohnsAuthor
FB: https://facebook.com/MeridaJohnsAuthor
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/meridajohns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Merida
Johns will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
