#give me that scandalous and sexy cheating plot

[whylie]

BYE GUYS 🏃‍♂️💨 HI LADIES 👋😫 MWWWAHH 💋💋

hello  <3 i’m cc, twenty1 from cst + my pronouns are she / her! i’m super super excited for this i actually have no thoughts ever and i can’t spell ever, either, but i’m enthusiastic about nari and about varieta and i am excited 2 be here. alright. love u guys. 

MUSE H - ( kim yerim, cis woman, she/her ) nari chae has lived in naples, italy for eleven months. they’re currently twenty two years old and a housekeeper for vista laterale bnb. people tend to associate them with the ache of heartbreak without really knowing what it is, floating face down in the deep end of the pool to see who’d care, yellow fingernails on particularly sticky fingers + a perfect image to present to the world because you don’t even know who you are anymore.

    ﹟ ⠀  influences﹕

carl  gallagher,  shameless.

karen  smith,  mean  girls.

margot,  legally  blonde.

haley  marshall,  modern  family.

   ﹟ ⠀  basic  stats﹕

birth  name:  chae  nari

nickname(s)  /  alias(es):  nana  +  ri  /  lee

preferred  name:  nari

age  +  dob:  twenty  two  +  aug,  third

hometown:  undetermined,  once  said  manhattan  once  said  chicago?

occupation:  housekeeper  +  pickpocket  +  full  time  dumb  bitch

ethnicity:  korean

nationality:  american

gender:  cis  woman

pronouns:  she  +  her

orientation:  demi  sexual  +  demi  romantic

faceclaim:  kim  yerim

﹟ ⠀  intraperson﹕

(  +  )  positives:  charismatic,  perceptive,  intrepid,

(  -  )  negatives:  thoughtless,  impetuous,  equivocal,

labels:  the  icarian,  the  bubble  brain,

natal  chart:  leo  sun,  libra  moon,  libra  rising

moral  alignment:  chaotic  neutral

hogwarts  house:  ravenclaw  (  i  know...  )

languages  spoken:  english  +  korean  +  italian  +  conversational  french  but  in  a  bad  way

exterior:  just...  clueless  in  the  way  that  you  can  tell  that  she’s  experiencing  thoughts  but  refuses  to  acknowledge  them.  always  sort  of  thinking  of  the  most  reckless  thing  to  do  and/or  the  most  mundane,  first  grade-esque  question  in  the  world.  can  come  off  as  both  superficial  and  egoistic,  because  she  is  –  just  doesn’t  care  enough  about  people  other  than  herself.  allows  herself  to  be  a  bimbo  because  old  men  love  it  and  she’s  excited  to  marry  rich  (  but  also  will  never  give  a  man  the  time  of  day  ).

interior:  theoretically,  brainy,  but  in  practice?  technically  yes  because  there’s  a  plan  for  everything,  but  these  days  kind  of  just  stares  off  into  space  like  she’s  a  widow  (  because  as  far  as  she’s  concerned,  she  is  ).  kind  of  conniving  because  there’s  a  reason  she  does  everything,  but  nobody  at  the  bnb  is  worth  conning  so  she  just  barely  does  her  job  and  watches  bad  things  happen  at  the  bnb  without  helping  out  <3

   ﹟ ⠀  dossier﹕  trigger  warnings

the  circumstances  that  nari  is  born  into  is  :/  unfortunate.  she  is  the  youngest  of  five  kids  and  kind  of  just  hangs  around  while  her  family  remains  dirt  poor  and  her  parents  try  (  in  theory  )  to  give  their  children  good  lives.  but,  while  nari’s  siblings  are  working  hard  and  getting  themselves  on  the  right  path,  she’s  busy  sitting  in  the  kiddie  pool  at  the  local  park  with  pink  sunglasses  on,  dreaming  of  a  lazy  life  because  –  she’s  lazy.  her  eldest  sister  dreams  of  becoming  a  politician,  her  brothers  want  to  become  businessmen  and  nari  wants  to  be  a  trophy  wife  ...  so.

anyway,  her  parents  sort  of  turn  a  blind  eye  the  first  time  she  brings  a  wallet  home  and  says  “oopsies!”,  meaning  they  don’t  outright  discipline  her  for  being  a  thief.  too  bad,  so  sad  –  she  gets  caught  once  when  she’s  younger  and  that’s  when  she  learns  that  her  crying  can  get  her  out  of  anything.  not  only  is  she  a  notoriously  beautiful  crier,  she  can  also  be  super  loud  and  obnoxious  about  it  and  a  screaming  nari  just  :/  isn’t  the  way  to  go,  so  she  learns  all  the  skills  she  needs  to  learn  when  she’s  growing  up.

but,  she  gets  caught  again  when  she’s  fourteen  and  her  parents  suddenly  grow  a  conscience  and  send  her  to  live  with  her  scatter-brained  aunt.  aunt  sissy  isn’t  even  related  to  either  of  her  parents,  but  she’s  a  family  friend  of  a  family  friend  and  somehow  nari  ends  up  in  a  stupid  rv  with  a  great  dane  and  a  woman  older  than  both  of  her  parents.  her  outlook  on  life  doesn’t  really  change,  since  from  ages  fourteen  to  sixteen,  she  watches  aunt  sissy  finesse  her  way  into  fancy  dinners  and  onto  yachts.  

anyway,  when  nari  runs  away  at  sixteen,  she  spends  an  entire  year  with  a  rich  family  in  the  hamptons  because  she  pretends  to  be  a  stranded  heiress  from  south  korea  :/  don’t  know  how  it  worked  honestly,  but  it  did  and  she’s  better  for  it.  she  leaves  at  seventeen  to  live  in  nyc,  somehow  wrangles  her  way  into  a  terrible  apartment  when  she’s  eighteen  after  spending  a  year  sofa  surfing.  started  a  job  as  a  housekeeper  in  a  high  end  hotel  and  stayed  there  for  ...  a  bit.

definitely  was  a  little  bit  of  a  rat  in  nyc,  pickpocketing  and  stealing  for  fun  and  for  necessity.  when  she  turned  twenty  one,  was  promoted  to  a  concierge  which  she  only  really  worked  for  a  couple  of  months  (  literally  one  month  tbh  )  before  she  surprised  her  s/o  with  a  trip  to  italy  because  <3  romance  <3  and  then  got  to  italy  and  was  like  “we  should  break  up”  so.

now  she’s  here,  cried  her  way  into  the  bnb  and  into  a  job,  sorry  to  nico  n  nolan  because  she’s  a  nightmare.  she’s  still  flat  broke  but  pretends  like  she  isn’t  out  of  spite  to  muse  i  and  refuses  to  leave  because  nari’s  never  lost  a  break  up  and  she’s  just  too  sexy  to  lose  now  (  her  words,  not  mine  )

  ﹟ ⠀  headcanons﹕

so,  here’s  the  thing:  nari  has  always  been  poor.  her  parents  aren’t  bad  people,  they’re  just  unfortunate  and  all  nari  could  do  as  a  child  was  learn  how  to  pickpocket  (  among  other  things  ).  unfortunately  for  the  entire  world,  nari  is  really,  really  good  at  it.  she’s  good  at  pickpocketing  and  stealing  and  lying  and  crying  on  cue;  she’s  just  all  too  good  at  playing  the  damsel  in  distress  to  lie  and  cheat  her  way  through  life  –  and  since  no  charge  has  ever  really,  well,  stuck,  she  hasn’t  stopped.

genuinely,  actually  really  smart  but  has  never  actually  used  her  brain  cell  for  anything  other  than  crime  –  because,  why  bother?  bottom  of  the  barrel,  she  really  never  thought  that  she  had  a  chance  at  getting  into  a  good  school  anyway  without  burying  herself  in  debt,  so  has  spent  her  life  just  trying  to  build  an  underground  syndicate  while  being  way  too  self  centered  to  ever  have  anything  kick  off;  she’s  literally  so,  so,  stupid  despite  having  a  photographic  memory  and  a  surprisingly  high  iq.  would  rather  be  a  dumb  hot  girl  than  a  smart  hot  girl  for  some  reason?

doesn’t  really  have  anything  to  go  back  to  outside  of  italy,  honestly.  had  an  okay-ish  life  in  new  york  city,  but  the  bills  would  barely  be  paid  and  there’s  only  so  much  that  pickpocketing  +  stealing  can  do  for  a  girl.  she  did  used  to  have  a  job  as  a  concierge  at  a  high  class  hotel,  but  rich  people  treat  poor  people  terribly  and  there  were  rumors  that  she  had  been  stealing  from  guests;  which,  how  scandalous,  she  would  absolutely  never!  “i  can’t  even  get  the  keys  to  work  on  the  first  try?”

   ﹟ ⠀  wanted  connections﹕

everything  plus  angst  and  fluff  and  crack  and  spiderman  memes  <3

  ﹟ ⠀ conclusion﹕

i  will  be  reaching  out  to  plot  soon  just  give  me  a  second  to  find  my  brain.

[wilbur-robinson]

Task #16:  Jukebox Musical/TV or Movie Soundtrack: come up with a playlist of at least 10 songs, write a scene summary to go with each one

The story starts with Aunt Petunia fitting Wilbur with a new look for the stage, as Wilbur is going to be performing at his concert that night. While Petunia fusses with his outfit, Wilbur and Franny are rehearsing together (This Is the Life), harmonizing happily with each other when Louie bursts into the room, having been on the phone the whole time. “Yes I can get you an extra ticket to see Hannah Montana. Yeah. Okay. Okay talk to you later Mark.”

Louie then turns to Wilbur and says “Okay I need two tickets to see Hannah Montana.” Wilbur can’t help but laugh. “Tough luck Louie. I’m all sold out.” And Wilbur would be delighted to keep his brother from something he wanted. It would be satisfying. Franny snorts. “Think of it this way Wilbur. If he goes out with this boy, they fall in love, they get married, he moves out.” It’s a quick switch for Wilbur to offer up the tickets to Louie after all.

All of a sudden, a text message sound goes off and Wilbur gasps. “Pip alert! Incoming in a minute.” Wilbur shrugs off his fancy jacket, tugs off his blonde wig and stashes it away and just manages to adjust his hair when Pip rollerblades into the room waving two concert tickets in the air. “Guesssss who got two of the hottest tickets in town for Hannah Montana!!! Oh I could pass out. He’s only the bi icon of dreams! Why aren’t you jumping up and down in excitement?” Wilbur manages a smile. “Yaayyy?”

Cue the (Best of Both Worlds) with an adorable intro that includes Wilbur twirling around from regular clothes to super glitzy stage stuff. Pip as the best friend, sequences of Wilbur, Pip and Tony trying to deal with various ridiculous shenanigans. Sequences of Franny and Louie messing around and getting into trouble of their own, a Hannah reveal with Wilbur revealing himself to Tony, etc. You get the picture.

The next scene you get Wilbur after his concert dealing with the insanity of fame as Hannah. Tony tries to climb through Wilbur’s window to get an autograph, but Pip is the one that wins out and clambers in over him to get into the room. Wilbur tries to hide his secret from Pip, but Pip is too quick and he realizes Wilbur is Hannah. Pip is scandalized. (cue the Other Side of Me) 

oooOOoooo woaaahhhh

Pip and Wilbur fight over the reveal for days, largely because Pip is offended that he wasn’t in the loop of something so juicy. Wilbur turns it around and tells Pip about all the celebrity gossip he could be in on if he gets over being kept in the dark. Pip and Wilbur make up. (True Friend). End of Episode.

oooOOoooo woaaahhhh

The next story starts with Wilbur, Pip and Tony discussing prom and what to do about dates. Wilbur is exhausted from the world tour he’s been on and hasn’t had the time to really make the connections he needs to get a proper date. “Well who are you going with?” He asks Pip. Pip laughs as if it was obvious, and gestures to Tony. Now Wilbur has the extra humiliation of being the only one in his friend group not to have a date. “Wait. Wait. Wilbur. What about him?” Pip quips, gesturing at only one of the hottest boys in school: Barrel Adamson.

Cue AGAIN the (Best of Both Worlds) with an adorable intro that includes Wilbur twirling around from regular clothes to super glitzy stage stuff. Pip as the best friend, sequences of Wilbur, Pip and Tony trying to deal with various ridiculous shenanigans. Sequences of Franny and Louie messing around and getting into trouble of their own, a Hannah reveal with Wilbur revealing himself to Tony, etc. You get the picture.

“Barrel? Oh my goood there’s no way…” Wilbur groaned, running a hand through his hair and messing it up. “I haven’t done anything interesting enough to turn his head.” “You would have if you said that you-” “No Pip. There’s no way I can tell him my secret. You know what would happen.” This conversation leads to Tony and Pip trying to bolster Wilbur more and get him to try to talk to Barrel.

Wilbur goes over to Barrel where he’s looking at the ketchup and mustard as if they held all of life’s secrets. Wilbur smiles awkwardly. “Hey man…” “Hey!” Barrel quips. Wilbur gets flustered and starts rambling about this movie that’s coming out and accidentally starts covering his hands in ketchup. “You know ketchup’s an excellent moisturizer. Seriously. You should try it,” Wilbur suggests, slathering his crush’s hands in ketchup and then cringing and fleeing back to the table in the Secondary cafeteria. (Nobody’s Perfect)

oooOOoooo woaaahhhh

Wilbur spends the rest of the week trying to charm Barrel and failing miserably, sometimes because his schemes are bad, others because Pip or Tony interfere. It’s a mess. The scene cuts to Wilbur sitting dramatically on the balcony outside of his bedroom, strumming a guitar singing (If We Were A Movie).

oooOOoooo woaaahhhh

The scene shifts and Wilbur’s mom Franny is able to get in touch with BTS who really wants to do a collab with Hannah. The problem is that when Franny and the members of BTS get into the same workspace it’s as if Wilbur stops existing. It makes Wilbur horribly miserable and he wants to try to get the BTS members to dislike his mom. He tells Jin that Franny hates korean food and thinks Jin has a weird laugh. With Namjoon he spins a lie that Franny agrees with the negative critics that say he doesn’t look like an idol and that he’s not a great rapper either. Wilbur avoids Yoongi because he thinks Yoongi would catch him on the lie too fast. He tells Hoseok that Franny thinks his dancing is subpar and that she’d be embarrassed to see him dancing with Hannah. Jimin he tells that Franny thinks he doesn’t try at all and that he’s not that charming, Taehyung that he’s only a visual and doesn’t actually have a voice, and Jungkook that his mom thinks he’s a dimwit. 

The boys rage and try to cancel the collaboration until Franny catches wind of what went down and explains that her son was feeling left out with all the time she was spending working on good music with them to perform with Hannah. Apologies are made and Hannah and BTS end up at this fun festive beach party performing (We Got the Party), (Make it Right), and (Dynamite) back to back.

oooOOoooo woaaahhhh

This next episode has Wilbur facing a massive dilemma. Lately he’s been crushing on this hot guitarist in his band: Robbie. He’s new, he’s intriguing, and he gives off a completely sexy rock star vibe. But at the same time his ex-boyfriend who he has history with Phineas has come swooping back into town telling Wilbur he wants another chance with him. Wilbur is torn. Does he go with the new and jump into the excitement? Or does he pursue the self-centered ex who he still holds close in his heart? (He Could be the One) plays as he struggles, staring at the pictures of Phineas and Robbie.

oooOOoooo woaaahhhh

Wilbur ends up choosing Robbie, ditching Phineas forever for the chance of something new and not someone who cheated etc. (yes i side eye the Hannah Montana plot for that one) He and Robbie go on their first date, and they have their first kiss on the front porch of Wilbur’s house before Franny interrupts them both. Robbie heads out and Wilbur smiles to himself as he thinks he’s finally getting it right. Maybe he won’t have to reveal his secret. Maybe it will work just like this. (This is the Life)

[badbookreviewclub]

Empress Theresa, Chapters 3 & 4

If you haven’t read Chapter 2, here is the the link. I recommend reading through this and Chapter 1 first before continuing on for the sake of continuity. These WILL contain spoilers, so if you’re not cool with that, don’t read it.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 by far has to be one of the most boring chapters I’ve come across in this book. It took me forever to work through this chapter alone simply because of how boring I found the writing and the general story line of the chapter. Its sole purpose is to introduce a couple things, one being Theresa’s love interest, Steve, and how ‘interesting’ she is.  Summary and Analysis: Theresa has finally moved on from her high school baseball career to attend Boston College, which Boutin, the author, constantly abbreviates to BC throughout this chapter. This abbreviation grows annoying rather quickly, considering that I don’t think the name of the college needs to be mentioned as often as it is. Aside from annoying abbreviations, this chapter is absolutely littered with a poor attempt to follow the story line Boutin seems to have loosely laid out throughout the book as well as piss poor logic. In chapter 3 we learn that Theresa is a whiny little bitch who thinks the amount of homework given to her is absurd despite the fact that there are plenty of college students out there who are handling it just fine. “The assignments I got in my classes seemed endless. Could anybody do all that work in a semester? (Pg 40)” This is Theresa’s first day of classes and she’s already getting upset over the amount of work she has to do. I don’t know about anybody else, but even with my higher level courses the amount of homework ramps up over the semester before the assignments become more manageable when finals start to draw near.  Aside from complaining about her homework, we never even see Theresa do it once throughout the chapter. After her classes, rather than starting to work on this ‘endless’ amount of homework she has, Theresa relaxes in her room before a group of girls (I assume her roommates and not just random strangers - It’s never explicitly stated which one.) invite her down to the cafeteria. In the cafeteria, out of a “”long habit” Theresa started to look around the room. She notices pretty quickly that a group of ‘kids’ are staring at her. I tend to take issue with the fact that Boutin constantly refers to these college-aged adults as ‘kids’ simply because it throws you out of the story. Theresa wouldn’t refer to people the same age as her as ‘kids’ and the book is supposed to be written like an autobiography. Nonetheless, these ‘kids’ are staring at her and Theresa automatically picks two out to comment on in the book. “Mr. Intense,” who was looking at her intently, hence the name, and “Mr. Fast Move.” I have a slight problem with the name “Mr. Fast Move” simply because Theresa gave him this name before he even got up to introduce himself. Theresa somehow being omniscient is a problem through everything I’ve read up until this point and I’ve found it to be more and more annoying as I keep reading.  Boutin also tends to have a really big problem with making Theresa assume the emotions and thoughts of other people. “One boy [Mr. Intense] was intently looking at me.... he was around six feet which was a good match for my five feet four inches. I liked taller guys and apparently he liked smaller girls (pg 40).” ‘Mr. Intense’ hasn’t even gotten up to talk with Theresa, nor will he for the next little while as far as I can tell. Yet, somehow, Theresa already knows his likes and dislikes and what he looks for in a potential partner. It doesn’t end there though, Theresa also goes on to continue and assume just what he is doing and thinking. “He wasn’t gawking at a pretty girl, or lusting for her body. He looked interested. And that’s ok. A girl gets used to being looked at (pg 40).” Aside from assuming what he’s thinking, there’s a lot of problems with this quote, enough so that I’m not sure where to being. Starting simple, I absolutely hate when authors write out ‘ok’ rather than ‘okay.’ It comes off as lazy to me. It only takes two more strokes of the key to add the ‘ay’ to the first two letters. Moving on to the next problem, Boutin never takes issue with the fact that someone may be looking at Theresa like an object, and Theresa never objects to that idea. She seems to be fine with the idea that someone is looking at her like an object or like a potential partner. Boutin never out right states that someone is looking at Theresa like an object as far as I’m aware, but it tends to be heavily implied throughout the book that Theresa is fine with that.  Moving on from Theresa’s assumptions about ‘Mr. Intense’ for now though, ‘Mr. Fast Move’ obviously makes the first move. As stated early, Theresa gave him this name before he even got up to make the first move. She also keeps calling him this after he gives her his name, Jack Koster. To keep it short and sweet so you all don’t have to suffer as much, Theresa knows pretty soon into her and Jack dating that the two of them are not a good match and that their relationship won’t last. Yet, she continues to keep dating him and dragging him along. One day, when she goes down to his dorm because they have a movie at eight. Turns out, Jack has another girlfriend named Ginny from before college. Despite the fact that she knew her and Jack wouldn’t work out and was just dragging him along, Theresa still gets angry at him and wants to make him jealous. Jack says that he’ll talk to Theresa upstairs so she goes upstairs to wait for him. Before I go further, I just want to point out that Boutin wrote that there were six guys in Jack’s dorm waiting on him as well as Ginny. That’s a lot of people for a college dorm. Still chugging along, Theresa decides she wants to make Jack so jealous he’ll “throw Ginny out a window (pg 45).” Theresa says that there’s no chance that her and Jack will get back together, so I’m not quite sure what her logic is on this one. But she dresses in a  “backless dress made of flimsy, cling material (pg 45).” The dress falls six inches above the knee, which “wasn’t a big deal these days, but to make it more interesting I folded back the hemline three more inches inside the skirt and taped it (pg 45).” I may just have short legs, but I measured how short this dress would be on myself, and this wasn’t even covering the bottom of my ass cheeks.  Anyways, Theresa watches a movie which Boutin goes into way too much detail to describe and it’s just overly boring and pointless. Jack never shows up but surprise surprise, ‘Mr. Intense,’ better known as Steve at this point, does. At this point the dress has ridden up Theresa’s hips at this point and despite Steve’s clear discomfort with the whole dress situation, she makes no move to try and make it better even though he’s there to offer her comfort. We do get this banger of an exchange though (Pg 49): “You’re quite, Steve. Something on your mind?” “Yeah. I’m trying not to think about what I might see.”  “I’m wearing a thong. You won’t see anything but my hip.”  “And a nice hip it is, I’m sure.”  Steve has had a total of maybe 5 words spoken up until this point but he’s already my favorite character solely from the line “And a nice hip it is, I’m sure.”  Steve and Theresa’s relationship develops absurdly quickly from there and it’s almost at a worrying pace. After only about a month of dating, the two of them decide to get married. Father Donoughty, or as I lovingly refer to him, Father Dick Doughnut, convinces Theresa’s parents to let her marry Steve at the tender age of 18 and after only a month of dating because he is more than certain that their marriage won’t fail. Eventually her parents give in because “Discouraging it [the relationship] could do more harm than good (pg 54).” Theresa and Steve apparently have an absolutely amazing wedding and we get a lovely detailed description of what Theresa wore that I’m more than happy to share with all of you because it’s not in the slightest drawn out or excessive; “I was gorgeous as a recently turned eighteen year old. For the church service I wore a two piece wedding gown. A floor length wide skirt with spaghetti shoulder straps made from matte duchess stain. Over this I had a jacket made of peekaboo cotton Venice lace that more or less covered my shoulders and the top half of my upper arms so as not to scandalize the congregation. At the reception the jacket and train came off and my shoulders and cleavage charmed the crowd (pg 54).” This description just reminds me of the excessively long description of what Ebony was wearing in the all-time classic My Immortal. Nobody gives two shits just what Theresa was wearing and the comments about what she is wearing don’t even make sense. I don’t recall a congregation ever being ‘scandalized’ by a young woman having their shoulders exposed. I also don’t recall a crowd ever being ‘charmed’ by someones breasts and shoulders, or you know, I just live in a boring world where people don’t get dazzled by my boobs and my offensively sexy shoulders.  As for the poor attempt for Boutin to continue the plot throughout chapter 3, in-between Theresa meeting Jake and then finding out about him cheating, Theresa is called into the campus police office because her ‘watchers’ were caught following her. Nothing really comes of this other than that we learn the Pope is paying for her tuition and finds her a ‘highly interesting’ case. The president also talks on the phone to the head of the campus police and tells them to pass along the message that they didn’t see anything happen, that they shouldn’t tell this to anybody, and that they should just forget about it. It’s a boring scene with boring dialogue and its rather pointless as well. If anything, it only serves to create more plot holes throughout the entire story.  Chapter 4 So we got through the boring hell that was chapter 3, but what about chapter 4? It’s not better. Arguably it is so much worse. I can sum it up fairly simply for you. Theresa gets kidnapped by government men, she assumes they’re ‘Navy SEALS’ but calls them goons through the entire book. She’s then put on a plane with an atom bomb on it because I guess the president finally decided that he wanted her dead and yet nobody objected to this happening despite there being no evidence for her deserving this fate. Also her watchers just disappear in this chapter so I guess their presence in her life was just completely pointless. This may come as a surprise, but Theresa manages to get out with the stupidest solution ever and doesn’t die. This is the part where I should be celebrating her survival but all I can do is mourn the fact that she could have died but didn’t. If she did, the book would be over.  Summary and Analysis: God, I really don’t want to summarize this chapter and point out things I hated in it but I will. This chapter was so overwhelmingly painful to read and mark down that I gave up towards the end and just started scribbling ‘No’ and ‘Why’ into the margins.  Okay, rant over. Starting off, Theresa is on her way to go to the grocery store when a bunch of cars in front of her essentially make a barricade so she can’t get through. The people in the cars get out with their weapons drawn as a van pulls up behind her. Once more, Theresa’s omniscient knowledge kicks in and before the door to the van opens she already knows what the interior looks like. She gets into the van anyways without much of a fight and just willingly lets herself be kidnapped. They take her to a helicopter and fly for a long ass time. Eventually Theresa asks where they’re taking her and rather than telling her that it is classified information like they should, they basically tell Theresa that they’re taking her to an aircraft and that she’ll be killed. Rather than getting upset about this, the tears just well up in her eyes but she doesn’t break down into hysterics. As Theresa so eloquently puts it, “But I didn’t cry. I wasn’t a phony movie actress using hysterics to milk all the drama she could out of every moment. I was a real person and I didn’t give a damn what these kidnappers thought (pgs 57-58).” Theresa once more assumes emotions, and states that she must have impressed her kidnappers and won their admiration by not breaking down into hysterics. This is where she also guesses that they’re Navy SEAL despite having absolutely no proof of them being in that part of the army as of yet.  Blah blah blah, Theresa decides to ‘wax poetic’ though she’s not being poetic at all and it’s just Boutin trying to fill in space so he can make his book longer. Somehow this chapter is even more boring and annoying than chapter 3 and shit is supposed to be happening here. I suppose Boutin is trying to make it intense, but it comes off as long winded and any sense of action of anxiety that may have been there is gone.  In-between the long and boring moments of Theresa just observing things, she asks how she’s going to die and they tell her that she’s going to be loaded onto a plane with an atomic bomb. This is a problem for a lot of reasons, actually, and I’ll put them in a list for you:  1. This is a stupidly expensive way to kill someone 2. Theresa never stood trial for this and its not as thought it could have flown under the radar either. There is a shit ton of money being funneled into an atomic bomb and a plane that wouldn’t go unnoticed in the records.  3. Theresa’s watchers never showed up once despite having watched her grow up and seeing that she would never harm a fly. Yet here she has been declared a danger to national security.  4. All of the men who are escorting her to her death have no proof that she has done anything to be a threat to national security. As far as they’re aware, she’s an innocent eighteen year old girl. 5. The way that they’re going to kill her is cruel, inhumane, and excessive. Never in my life could I see anyone letting a president get away with ordering a death sentence like this.  6. Theresa never fucking stood trial for this shit. This wouldn’t just fly under the radar with congress. Believe it or not, but the President of the United States doesn’t have enough power to just order someone dead because they believe them to be a threat. Theresa would have to go through a trial first.  I could see a coup happening in the United States before anyone ever let anything like this happen. These tend to be my problems with a majority of the chapter. To get into more specifics, Theresa says that she needs to think of a way to get out of this, but we never see her elaborate on a plan nor do we ever become clued in that she has come up with an idea. Instead, we, the reader, see her do some nonsensical bullshit. When they take her to an empty cafeteria to have her last meal, Theresa takes an empty garbage bag and fills it with exactly 11 coke bottles that at the time confused the living shit out of me. As it turns out, she’s going to empty out these coke bottles and shove them into her jumpsuit so she’ll be buoyant when she jumps from the plane before it can blow her up. This is some kind of bullshit five-minute crafts solution. It’s a stupid one and never in a million years could I ever see this working.  Theresa also decides to reflect on her life and comes to the conclusion that her life as not significant and was incredibly boring. How wonderful for that the reader has to reader that when we could have come to that conclusion ourselves. We also learn that Theresa has had ‘no illnesses’ which seems like utter bullshit to me, but alright, go off Boutin. She also had a ‘mean’ dog growl at her once and suddenly she now has absolutely no love for dogs. I’ll let you interpret that one however you want. The night before she’s going to be executed, Theresa decides to reflect on her life thus far with Steve. This could have been a bittersweet moment where we truly get something emotion filled and with fond memories that we didn’t see. It’s not a bad idea to have her reflect on her loved one during what should be a very emotional time, yet all we do is get a recap of his experience with her last chapter. It’s boring and inspires no emotion from the reader. We could have learned something about Steve and how Theresa sees him and yet we don’t learn anything.  What we do learn however, is that Theresa somehow has shit tons of knowledge about aircraft despite this never being mentioned before in the book. I don’t think she actually is supposed to be an aircraft nerd, I think that Boutin just forgot about that and started to write far too much that he learned about planes so he could share the information with everyone. It’s more confusing than not in the actual text though and draws away from the story, not that there was much to begin with.  Also, somehow, refueling in flight will snap your neck if you don’t brace right according to Boutin. I did some light research and no, no it will not. Despite this, Boutin goes on for about two pages about how Theresa has to brace so it doesn’t snap her neck when they refuel mid-flight on their way to take her another boat so she can get on the plane with the bomb on it.  Jesus christ the next few pages are just absolute hell. Theresa lands on boat. Captain of boat brought women onto top of boat. Thought the one being executed would be man and deserved to see women before he died. Strongly implies women are objects for men to look at again. One woman takes out her phone. She asks Theresa if she has anything she’d like to say. Dis bitch.  Dis.  fuckin.  bitch.  “I once read a famous quote by the Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh about singing a death song and going out like a hero. I had rewritten it for a more universal use, never dreaming that I’d use it myself so soon. ‘If people grieve your passing rejoice in the good you did and die like a hero going home. I feel good about who I was.’ (pg 68)”  Not only is pulling your phone out to record someone who is about to be executed highly against probably all policies, but also, just... fuckin... if this situation were to ever happen in real life, this would be an absolute shit show of a situation. People are breaking rules left and right, nobody is obeying any sort of code of ethics or any kind of rules that were laid out for them. It’s just stupid. All of this chapter is just plain stupid and the logic is terrible. One of the people gives Theresa thermals because it’s going to be cold when she’s flying up and they insist that she gets oxygen and wears a mask. They do all of this for her despite the fact that in the end she’s going to get blown up and none of it matters. Nothing fucking matters in this book. After this though Theresa fucking jumps from the plane once it has taken off and is at an altitude of 54,140. The impact on the water alone would have been enough to kill her and yet it doesn’t. She just passes out when she hits in and then wakes back up. Now is when she starts to get cold and she passes out again.  The entire time that the plane is climbing into the air and she’s falling before she hits the water is supposed to be an intense and action-packed scene. I get that’s what Boutin is trying to do in this last part of the chapter, but it doesn’t come across that way. It’s dragged out. It’s wordy and Theresa thinks way too much about other things for it to feel like it is supposed to be as intense as I think Boutin wanted it to be. It’s poorly written to put it simply, which really sucks because it’s the climax of the entire chapter and the most intense moment out of anything leading up to this point.  End Alright that is the end of chapter 3 and 4. I don’t know when 5 to whatever chapter I decide is worth it will come out, but hopefully sooner rather than later so I can finish with this book. Chances are I’ll post a review for a different book in-between this one and the next so look out for that. I’ve got a few absolutely terrible books on their way that I’ll be receiving over the next month. The first one out of the batch I plan to review is someone’s fan fiction that they decided to publish called Insanity: Jeff the Killer simply because it’s 77 pages and after flipping through it, it’s already better than some of the shit I’ve read lately.  Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to follow and look out for more reviews of books. I hope I’m actually getting better at this review thing! Please feel free to leave any feedback and things you would like!

[killian-whump]

Plot twist: answer it for each version of Killian Jones!!

YOU’RE CHEATING but I love you.

Unfortunately, we don’t get whump of ALL the versions of Killian Jones, so I’ll go with what I imagine must be the best whump, like my best headcanon whump from what I imagine the daily life of that Killian must be...

Servitude!Killian: Ooooh, lashings at the mast in front of the whole ship when he misbehaves. Yes, please. Thank you. Give him another.

Navy!Killian: Umm... the same thing, except now he’s in a uniform and he really ought to know better and it’s just doubly as shameful now, because he’s supposed to be a gentleman and this isn’t supposed to be happening anymore! Oh dear! The poor young man! So scandalous!

Captain!Killian: AH! Captured by the royal navy and subjected to terrible tortures in the dungeons while he awaits trial! Of course, his crew will come and rescue him and they’ll all make a daring escape, but not before he’s been beaten and bloodied and humiliated by his former navy mates. Oh no!

Captain!Hook: PETER PAN POUNDING HIS PERFECT BACKSIDE. *cough* I’m so sorry, that’s so terrible and awful and I really shouldn’t be so depraved, but I AM and THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. Oh, also public humiliation, in front of crew and lost boys, punishments whenever he misbehaves... all sorts of vile and terrible things done by a vicious demon with the face of innocent youth. GIVE ME ALL OF THIS.

Captain!Hook Part 2: The never-ending adventures of Cora Mills, the Queen of Hearts, and her boytoy cohort Captain Hook. Here we see them in their natural environment, a random dungeon somewhere, where she’s teasing and tormenting him in all kinds of sexy ways... and they both love every minute.

Villainous Storybrooke!Hook: Umm, could Mr. Gold just smack him around condescendingly for, like, half a season or more? An entire season? An entire series? Okay, that’s what I want. I’ll take one of those.

Storybrooke!Hook: I mean, you know Emma gives him what for in the bedroom and I want to see it, all of it, and enjoy every moment of it and THAT IS THE OTP I WANT and DESERVE and DEMAND. Everybody else be like, “What about the CS baby?!” and I’m just like, “WHAT ABOUT THE MOTHERFUCKING CS KINKY SEX GAMES?!?!” I don’t care about babies. Fucking SPANK that glorious motherfucker.

Underworld!Killian: *plonks this down and stares intensely at you*

ARE YOU SORRY ARE YOU FUCKING SORRY ARE YOU

I’m sorry, I got too excited there, I don’t even know what that meant.

Wish!Hook: Like, I straight up wish Gothel had used force and kept him captive and rode him into the sunset until she not only conceived a baby but gave birth to it the old fashioned way, just in case, and developed an unhealthy obsession with him and just kept visiting him periodically afterwards for her own amusement (and mine), because that sounds like a lot of fun.

KnightRook!Hook: WATCH HIM FLY THROUGH THE AIR WHEN ALL HE WANTED TO DO IS HUG HIS PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL

Old!WishHook: Umm... I mean, it was pretty cool when Emma threw him through the air. Did you SEE that fucker FLY?!?!

Detective!Rogers: I want Eloise to take advantage of his lack of real memories and try to get close to him and when that fails, she just abducts his ass and forces him to be her baby honeypie sweetie and he’s so confused and scared and she keeps talking about their history and he has no clue what she’s talking about and omg could someone save him now? Although he’s not even sure who WOULD save him, because he has no friends and no family and there’s only Roni and Henry and Tilly, but how will they find him? And Weaver, who has the means but probably doesn’t care in the least and he’s going to die there and no one loves him... EXCEPT THEY FUCKING DO he just doesn’t remember. SOMEONE SEND ME A FUCKING AMBULANCE.

[alainawriteswwe]

Pride and Prejudice and Wrestling – Part 2

Characters: Seth Rollins x Reader, Cesaro, Dean Ambrose

Summary: When a superstar Hollywood actress (The Reader), interacts with WWE Superstar Seth Rollins at Monday Night Raw, sparks fly. Can Rollins overcome his pride and convince the reader to take a chance on him when she’s still recovering from a nasty scandal caused by her cheating fiancé?

Warnings: Lots of flirting, angsty longing and maybe some bad words

Tags: @caramara3 @hardcorewwetrash

– Part 2: Now Don’t F*ck It Up

She was as sexy as she looked in her movies. Feisty too. That was a pleasant surprise. And Seth Freakin’ Rollins does not like surprises, unless I am doling them out at the end of a steel chair.

She could give as well as she could take with her cutting words and I liked that in a woman. She was strong and that made our interaction fun. A good adversary, one that is up to your level and causes you to challenge your plans and make better ones, is always hard to find.

It was obvious that she wanted me. She couldn’t hide that despite the fact that she’s a great actress with two Oscars on her mantlepiece. The body never lies. I saw the way she looked at me. The way her teeth scraped that plump bottom lip of hers in longing when she thought I didn’t see her looking.

And now I was looking forward to our next sparring match. There was no doubt in my mind that Sasha was going to convince our guest from tinseltown to hang with us after we left the arena. Most nights after a show, if we weren’t on the road immediately, people went out for a meal or to a club. If I wanted to be social, I went to a club on my own for a drink. If I was lucky, maybe I would not come back to my hotel room alone. But most nights it was going out to dinner with Cesaro or straight to my room to tweak my performance for the show and plot how I could be even better tomorrow.

But tonight, I was going out with the usual crew. Karaoke was the contest, bragging rights were on the line and it would be my pleasure to dish out some stinging comebacks to our Princess. Honestly, I couldn’t wait. But first, I had a show to do.

Monday night Raw started thirty minutes ago and the gorilla was a hive of people going to and fro. Promos and backstage segments were being filmed, superstars were being called for their turn in the squared circle. Professionals were working hard to give the WWE universe the best show possible.

It was one of the reasons I loved being here. Why I fought so hard and climbed over every obstacle to get to the main roster. It was all about being in that ring, man. Hearing the roar of the crowd and giving them everything you had. The chance to show your talent against the best in your field and to climb for that next championship.

Everyone thinks that because matches are, hmm, let’s say pre-determined, that putting a belt round your waist doesn’t mean much. That’s a lie. I scrap every night at house shows trying to show the people upstairs that the championship should be on me. That I can carry this company. And while I might not have a belt to sling over my shoulder right now, with a little focus, some great promos and a interesting angle, I know it is just a matter of time before I will be back in the title hunt. I just have to make sure I am ready. No distractions.

My Hollywood Princess, well, she is definitely a distraction. But a temporary one. Tomorrow, I will be leaving Miami for home, and little miss feisty will be going back to Hollywood to have people fawn over her. Oddly, the thought wasn’t as pleasing as I first thought it would be.

“Have you seen her?” Cesaro asked as he handed me a bottle of water backstage so I could wet my hair.

“Who?”

“You know. Our guest tonight. She is gorgeous. Much tinier in person than she appears on screen.”

“Man, you do know the movie screen makes her much bigger.” Cesaro rolled his eyes and sipped his pre-match pressed juice.

“Besides, I didn’t notice her that much.” I took the cap off the water, letting it fall down the back of my hair in a controlled fashion. I always took care to scrunch the ends with my hand to keep water flying everywhere like I was a dog coming out a bath.

“Don’t lie to me, Rollins. Everyone backstage is buzzing about your meeting with her earlier tonight.” The Swiss Cyborg paused. A grin filling his handsomely chiseled face. “Besides, I know your secret.”

I put the water bottle down. Daring my friend with a look that said he shouldn’t go further with this.

“You have a crush on her.” I tried to put my hand up in protest but Cesaro swatted it away.

“You can’t hide it from me Rollins. You always watch her movies if they are available on long haul flights, whether its some blockbuster space saga or romantic comedy or a historical drama. You talk about how great a actress she is all the time. You also read that scandal about her with great interest.”

I narrowed my eyes. Cesaro is fantastic, a great friend on the road but he could also be a little too accurate with his observations. He always had a opinion, Swiss neutrality be damned.

I put my hands on my hips in a defensive stance. “Enough about the scandal. I only paid attention because she was treated like crap and she didn’t deserve it.”

Cesaro considered this, then continued. “Ahh, protective.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Just make sure I get my wedding invite. I will need a custom suit made and I need to give my tailor in Milan advanced notice.”

Damn. Now Cesaro was teasing me. A good natured ribbing but still. I didn’t like it. Why was he pushing with this?

I shrugged. “It’s not like that. I just,” I sighed. “I know what its like to have your name, your reputation dragged in public.”

“Well maybe you could console her before you leave for Iowa and its beckoning cows. Give her advice.”

“I don’t have any good advice.”I hung my head. “I caused my scandals. She didn’t.”

I shuddered internally, like I do whenever I think about that time. The initial sex scandal almost ended my career as well as my engagement, but Hunter had been understanding while still being irate. I had caused the company embarrassment. Bad publicity. I had ruined the official website’s social media stream with my “leaked” nudes.

The dressing down was severe and in that one chilling moment, I saw my lifelong dream floating away. No, not floating. I was throwing it away. For a woman. Twelve years of hard work, injuries, and achievement put at risk over a beautiful girl.

Hunter chalked it up to being on the road. Being lonely and making poor decisions at midnight when inhibitions are low and consequences seem impossible.

But there were no excuses. I had been wrong. I cheated. I also thought I was in love. That the risks were worth it. But I just got burned. And I burned people I cared about. My now ex-fiancee, my mom. Even my dog Kevin who was now living between two homes. Losing him in the “divorce” was honestly the hardest.

No. Not true. Nothing was worse than having to explain this kind of scandal to the people you care about. To tell your mom who loves you dearly that this is not a clipping from a newspaper that she wants to put in the scrapbooks she has had of you since you were a kid.

“What are you guys talking about?”

I turned and saw her there. My Hollywood Princess. And now I suddenly realized why Cesaro asked if I had seen her.

To say she was gorgeous standing there in front of me was a understatement. She was wearing her outfit for our segment. It was my shirt. My Kingslayer shirt. Modified to make it as sexy as possible. The fitted t-shirt was now cropped to show off her extremely toned abs. It stretched teasingly across her breasts and fell off one shoulder which just made me want to touch her. How was it possible for her to make shoulders sexy?

She paired that with black leather leggings that seemed poured on to her long legs and a pair of silver high heeled sandals. Her wavy shoulder length hair was now super straight and all sleek and shiny. I wanted to grab it in my hands and pull her head back for a deep kiss. The makeup ladies had given her a real rock n roll look with her eye makeup. Smoky eyes, Sasha told me it was called once.

Suddenly I wanted to pull our guest into a private locker room and indulge in this thing simmering between us. Her wearing my shirt did something to me. Proved that somehow the universe was saying she was mine. I could feel my body begin to respond to her. Oh no, no, no. Not now. I needed to be professional now and I cannot go out to the ring with a hard on. Think of something, anything but her. Who won the main event of Mania in 1993, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2010.

Cesaro spoke up. “Are you ready to be a WWE Superstar?,” he asked her.

“Sure. If Seth can do it then anyone can.” She looked at me with the smuggest grin. Is that what I looked like when I did it?

Cesaro doubled over in laughter. “I like you,” he said to her between deep guffaws.

Then he slapped me on the back. “You’ve met your match, Rollins. It’s about time.”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

I turned to look at her one last time before she went through the curtain. She looked excited, but also anxious, and nervous. I wanted to give her a hug. Tell her to take a deep breath and enjoy it because it will be over in a blink of an eye.

Then her music hit. The generic music for all guests on Raw. I gently grabbed her shoulders, pushing her through the curtain. “Don’t f*ck it up, Princess.” Then she was gone.

—

I could kill him. But he had literally given me the push I needed. When the music hit, I panicked. I was going out there to be embraced or booed by the WWE universe. The moment I felt Seth’s strong hands embrace me and push me towards the curtain, I knew I had to buck up. Put on the mask of confidence I had developed as a actress.

The music was generic but the pop from the crowd was unexpected. There was loud cheering, whoops. I made my way down the ramp, strutting and waving at the crowd as images of me from my latest movie appeared on the screens flanking me on either side.

I approached the ring, being careful as I ducked under the ropes with my heels and then I was being interviewed on Miz TV. The segment went well. Miz and I got into it as he got upset that I did not consider him a true Hollywood A-lister. Then he disparaged my Seth shirt saying it was obvious I had poor taste if I was a fan of the Kingslayer.

Hit Seth’s music to a huge pop. He came down the ramp like he owned the place and strutted into the ring, taking The Miz down in a verbally blistering promo. I felt proud of him as he came to my aid, even if it was only in service of this feud.

When the Miz verbally dealt me a low blow with a reference to my recent scandal, Seth stepped forward to punch him but not before I could get there first, landing a punch with my fist on the A-lister’s perfectly square jaw. The Miz played it for all it was worth and it was suddenly a brawl as the Miz and his Miztourage started wailing on Seth while I got in a shouting match with Maryse.

And then Dean’s music hit and the arena erupted. He came out to support Seth and they started to wail on The Miz and his cronies, even though the numbers were not in their favor.

Maryse and I slid out of the ring, watching the fight with awe. Then, after the dust settled, The Miz challenged Seth and Dean to a handicap match for later in the show.

But that didn’t stop me taunting Maryse and her husband from the apron, which caused Seth to slide out the ring and sling me over his shoulder. He carried me up the ramp, his arms securing me by the back of my knees while I continued yelling at Maryse and The Miz. Dean followed behind us, taunting them as well.

When we got back through the curtain, Seth did not put me down. He looked at me from over his shoulder. “You know what, I think I enjoy throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you off.”

I just sighed. Could he see my annoyance when I was literally upside down? “Caveman instincts kicking in, huh.”

He gave that little hyena like cackle he was infamous for. “Something like that.” He paused a second. “You know, you did good out there, man.”

“Why do you say that? You’re always calling me, man.”

He shrugged his shoulders even though he was still holding me. “I don’t know. It’s just an expression I use.”

Even though he could not see it, I threw my bottom lip out in a pout. “Well I am not a man.”

“That is definitely true from where I am standing.”

He swatted my butt lightly with his hand. I should have been offended but secretly, well, I really liked it. What would it be like for him to continue doing that? A good and proper spanking with his large hands continually making contact with my ass?

I was going to interject, to complain about his manhandling of me, especially in a space that anyone could walk by, but he cut in.

“You are definitely not a man. You’re a Hollywood Princess. All spoiled and pampered. I bet you have two assistants who do your every bidding. They fetch you lattes, and listen to your every command.”

“Put me down!” I rained my fists on his back.

He chuckled. “As you wish Princess. I am sorry you have to be around such a uncouth servant.”

Seth began to put me on my feet, letting me slide slowly down the front of his body until I was staring up at him. I was kinda bereft that he had put me down even though I asked for it. I felt, well, secure in his arms all high in the air. It was a feeling I had not felt since childhood.

I looked up at him. He looked dangerous. His hair all wild, and wet, a wayward strand stuck to his cheek. His eyes were looking at my lips like they were the best temptation in the world. I wanted to lean up. To have him meet me half way by leaning down and kissing me. I licked my lips in anticipation greedily. I felt my chest rise and fall. My nipples tighten. My core heated, begging me to give it what it desired. Seth.

My hands were still on his chest. I was jealous he was still wearing his Burn It Down t-shirt. I wanted to feel him with no barrier between his skin and my hands. I knew what he would be like underneath that shirt. Hard muscles and sculpted abs that I could explore for hours with my fingers, my mouth and my tongue before dipping a bit lower.

I closed my eyes and parted my lips in anticipation of a kiss when Dean blew the moment by coming through the curtain. I stepped away from Seth who was still looking at me intently with soft brown eyes.

“Wow! That was great.” Dean cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck. Can’t wait for later.” He slapped Seth on the back. “We will give ‘em all a great match tonight.”

Then Dean looked at me. “You did great kid. A real natural out there. I wonder if you could actually wrestle, given the chance?”

I blushed at that. Me, wrestling with proper theme music, gimmick and outfits. Me as a “diva” cutting promos and pulling submission holds on Alexa Bliss for the belt. How wild would that be? But it would also be an insult to those women and all their hard work if I just rolled up one day and started wrestling for the hell of it.

“Oh I like the fight scenes in my movies, learning the fight choreography and stuff but that’s way different than being in a ring. I would worry I’d hurt someone.”

I looked at Seth who considered my words before speaking in a huff. “You should also be scared of getting hurt yourself.”

He grabbed a water bottle and set off to the back where a curtained area had been cordoned off for interviews. “Let’s go, Deano. We’ve got a promo to shoot with your wife.”

And then they were off. But I watched the interview and backstage vignette they filmed from a distance. It was funny and poignant as Dean still tried to confess to Seth that he didn’t care about him despite his actions to always have his back. That they were no longer brothers to the bone as Booker T called them.

The puppy dog look Seth gave the camera when he was rejected by Dean squeezed my heart even though I knew it was all an act for the cameras. I still wanted to go to him and make it better with a kiss or two or twenty. But like Dean, I was also guarding my heart from the Kingslayer.

—

[swoonromance]

Writerly Wisdom from Swoon Romance Authors

Writerly Wisdom from Swoon Romance Authors is a new feature Swoon Romance is hosting monthly with its authors who have multiple books out with us. The goal is for these authors to share their writerly wisdom with the rest of the world.

Our first author to share her Writerly Wisdom with you is Natalie Decker! Natalie is the author of the Rival Love Series and the Scandalous Boys Series.

Writerly Wisdom

What inspired you to write the Rival Love Series?

Rival Love Series was inspired from an article I read about rival schools and how some of the antics done such as pranks and making fun of the rival school was now considered bullying. I kept thinking about my own rivals in high school and how it would suck if a girl say up for a captain position and had to move to her rival school territory. That's how Rival Love Series was formed.

What inspired you to write the Scandalous Boys Series?

Each of the scandalous boys series is about one boy’s story to win over a certain girl. Bryce’s story came to me watching my son and our next door neighbor play. I thought about a story where the neighbors weren’t friends but did things to sabotage each other's lives but then ended up falling for each other.

Graham’s story was something people experience which is a person cheating on them. But I wanted to twist this because usually people don’t take back the person who did them wrong. In this case though Graham loves Sarah and wants to forgive her but can he trust her ever again?

Kyle was a little twist from my own personal past. Once upon a time my brother had a best friend who was always over my house. He was super hot but he didn’t like me. (Now I think OMG why did I ever think that boy was hot?) Anyways, the story also has a personal twist from me because some of the content that happens in the book did happen in a round about way to myself. I fell for a person in college who turned into a monster. For months I couldn’t sleep right. I was terrified to talk to anyone. He just turned the story around and made himself seem like a golden boy when really he was mean. Breaking through that was hard, for me, I have my best friend to thank for that.

What inspired you to write the Right Text Wrong Number?

With technology today I tend to get a lot of wrong number texts. Like one time someone sent me a picture of their street bike and said what do you think? Pretty awesome huh? Gonna on a ride this weekend. I didn’t plan on messing with this person but I was in a mood. So I wrote back Eh. I’ve seen better. This person writes back Bro what’s the heck? Why are you hating on ride? I was like first off Not a bro. Don’t have those kinds of parts son. Second of all I think the colors on your bike are awful. That’s when the person realized they weren’t texting their buddy Alex but me. This helped inspire in a round about way of Right Text Wrong Number. Where my main character Layla is dyslexic and she discovers on her date her boyfriend has been sexting another girl. She decides to send the girl a warning text using her phone and also to get to the bottom of this crap. Wants to know how long it’s been going on that kind of stuff. But she mixes up the numbers and accidently texts some guy.

Was it an easy journey, or did you struggle when writing the story?

I struggled with two stories actually. Graham was difficult because I didn’t know how to make the characters likable. Because they come off as douches when your introduced to them in Bryce. Kyle was difficult because it hit a personal home for me. Outlines help me get through everything though and ice cream. 😊

What was the most challenging part or parts to write and why? How did you overcome the challenge(s)?

Turning douchy characters into likeable ones was difficult because it’s like how do I transform someone who’s been a total ahole into someone relatable. The only thing I wanted to do to them in book 1 was beat the heck out of them both. And I’m the author. I tapped into the inner emotions though, step inside their shoes if you will and how would you react if this happened or that happened type situation. That really helped. With Kyle it was my chance to get my own sort of closure to that dark time in my past. Once the book was finished I felt a thousand times better.

What advice would you give newbie writers seeking to get their voices heard?

Make sure your story is unique. Find other writers either in a group through FB or Twitter or a writing site. Become friends with them because you each can be each others support. Trust me you will need a lot of that. Rejections are hard. Critics are harder. Also, remember this Keep an open mind to different possibilities. You can have a singular plot: A girl goes to the store and a man holds her at gun point … There are a million ways this story can transpire, and come about, just remember to be open to possibilities.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on the second book in the Love Offsides Series. Which happens to be Jared and Juliet’s story. I’m really loving it!

Author Bio

Natalie Decker is the author of RIVAL LOVE series and the Scandalous Boys series. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn't her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She's a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she's not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she's off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!

Find out more visit: www.authornataliedecker.com

Rival Love Series

Rival Love

Skylar Fletcher is a proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall. But nothing lasts forever. Skylar's world shatters when her mom decides it's time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.

At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom's live-in boyfriend.

At first, Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon discover they're not that different after all--and each is harboring a secret attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out?

Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.

Find the book on Amazon.

Rival Hearts

Caleb is ticked off. Skylar hasn’t answered any of his calls, texts, or emails since her move to New York, virtually cutting him out of her life without warning. So Caleb decides to go after her—and convince her to come back home.

But even when Skylar realizes her heart does belong at home with Caleb, her uncertainty lingers. Is it safe? Have things changed?

After the mysterious vandalism to the pool at Delmont High, everyone is desperate for answers they believe Skylar can provide. At first, she’s determined not to run. But when Caleb’s ex-girlfriend unleashes a vengeful surprise, Sky's love for Caleb is threatened.

Are these two rival hearts ready to fight for their love, or will they have to throw in the towel?

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Rival Dreams

Skylar Fletcher and Caleb Morgan have been together for almost two years. On the surface, everything is great.

Skylar is kicking major butt in swimming and has been offered the captain's spot. Caleb is the top quarterback in the league. And even though their schedules can be a little hectic at times, they always seem to make time for one another.

But once Caleb is approached by the NFL, everything changes. He flakes out on appointments to check out apartments with Skylar and doesn’t call her on the nights they’re apart.

Pro football has been Caleb’s dream since forever. But what kind of idiot asks a girl to drop everything so he can follow his dream? And what kind of girl with a bright future ahead of her would even consider something like that?

Skylar and Caleb are about to find out.

RIVAL DREAMS is the dramatic and heartwarming conclusion to Natalie Decker’s RIVAL LOVE series.

Find the book on Amazon.

Scandalous Boys Series

Bryce

Bryce Matthews doesn’t do the whole nice boyfriend thing. Chocolates and flowers—girls can forget all that. And he certainly doesn’t care about the gossip and rumors that follow him at school and around town. If anything, the talk amuses him. Bryce isn't lacking in confidence. He knows himself and he knows his limits.

One of those hard limits is Madison Issac. Bryce can never have her, and he's perfectly fine with that. Sometimes the fantasy is better than the reality anyway. Madison Issac thought she was a pretty good judge of character. But she's surprised at how gentle and comforting resident bad-boy and next-door neighbor Bryce Matthews is when we finds her crying in the park.

Maybe there's more to Bryce than people think? So Madison begins to wonder.

Can a guy like Bryce ever change his ways?

Can a girl like Madison really be into a guy like Bryce?

With hearts and reputations on the line, this kind of love can be scandalous.

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Graham

Graham Nichols’s main goal in life is to forget. Getting high, completely wasted, and running through a string of sexy blonds daily helps him achieve this task. But one night of partying lands him in a heap of trouble and sent back to the confinements of his hometown. Things can’t possibly get worse, right?

Sarah Morris can't seem to run fast enough away from her past. She’s spent months trying to amend her ways, and is doing a pretty good job. She’s getting good grades, isn't acting like a spoiled brat, and even works at the local grocery store. The last thing she needs is a distraction.

Enter Graham Nichols, the one mistake Sarah can't escape.

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Kyle

Kyle Issac is a player in the biggest of ways. He’s not into relationships. Fun is all he wants, but one night with his sister’s best friend changed him in ways he can’t explain. Maybe because she was the only girl who turned him on and then shot him down. Maybe because she’s off limits in a way that has him wanting more of her. He’s not sure but something definitely changed and now he’s looking for another chance to even the scoreboard. He’s got one summer to do it.

Emily Emerson is not a relationship type girl like her best friend Madison Issac. However after her newest fling gone wrong, she’s starting to realize the fun carefree way Em is lost. Maybe a relationship is the kind of thing she needs to get herself out of this funk. But Kyle Issac, her forever crush is not going to be it. The longest he’s dated a girl was a weekend tops. How can she find someone though if Kyle is always there butting in? So, she turned him down three times, she figured he’d get over it and move on. Apparently not.

With wants and doubts confusing her, one question remains: Does Kyle really want her or is she just another game for him to win?

Find the book on Amazon.