Short Story Spotlight: When Summer Lingers
Happy Friday everyone! Queen of Spades here, to present you with another freebie in honor of National Short Story Month. Before I carry on with the blurb and the excerpt, I must tell you of a pleasant surprise I encountered a few weeks back.
The surprise is that the Graphic Design department of All Authors Publishing House graced me with an updated cover to "When Summer Lingers".
Let me show you the old cover before it's officially retired.
And now, presenting the new cover ...
Blurb:
Dahna has always been an outcast and loves to paint her nails in different colors, as well as go to the beach. When Carr notices a nail mishap, it starts an unlikely friendship between two people. When Dahna discovers Carr's biggest fear, can their friendship survive the test, or will it drown while Summer lingers?
Excerpt:
Dahna no longer had the bench to herself. She did not seem to mind. Carr served as her magnifying glass, pointing out any slivers of nail that lacked polish. After a while, he volunteered to paint the ones on her right hand. To Carr, it just made sense because Dahna was heavily right-handed and using her left hand to paint her nails was always a hassle.
When summer was transitioning into fall, Dahna invited Carr to go with her to Dollar Tree. She had used up the last of her Double Duty and she wanted new colors to coincide with the changing of the seasons. Carr was happy to go along. His favorite flavor of Mistic was always sold there.
While Dahna strolled to the familiar beauty aisle, Carr grabbed the Mango Mania Mistic and paid for it on the spot. With receipt in hand, he opened the bottle and began to chug the savory liquid. He called out Dahna's name but she didn't answer. After a few minutes, he spotted her placing shades of red-orange and dark violet alongside Double Duty. Carr frowned and yanked the new selections out of the green basket and returned them to inventory.
“Carr what are you doing?”
“Dahna I like the yellow and blue. Summer is my favorite season. As long as they are on your fingertips it can last forever.”
Dahna thought he was joking around but when she saw Carr's expression, she knew he felt strongly about his conviction. Usually Carr was the one always willing to bend. Dahna would not disrespect his stance no matter how silly it sounded.
Get your free copy of "When Summer Lingers" on my website (pdf) or on the Freebie segment of All Authors Publishing House.
Enjoy your weekend.
