New Release ~ Project US

Happy Friday!
I know that I said that I would release Project US on August 7th, but I decided to release it early! Who doesn't like surprises? Plus it is Friday, who doesn't like a treat on a summer Friday? Weird people obviously. Now, I did the necessary approvals for the paperback and Amazon, but it will take a couple of days for Project US to show up on there. This story is close to my heart as it took me almost 11 years to write, edit, and build up the courage to publish this book. This could have been before Family Ties or End of the Line, but I kept it back and given the changes I did I'm glad I waited.

Project US is a Young Adult novel. It is a Romantic Suspense story that is like my other works and better suitable for high school and older. It is also longer than my other works!

If you read any author's work especially an indie one if you could it would be nice to leave a review so the author can grow. :) How will I celebrate my new release? I will be spending the whole weekend packing, moving, and unpacking. So have fun for me this weekend because it might take me a little bit to get internet as well! I also made white cupcakes with chocolate frosting and crushed oreos on top last night. I'm hoping that will be a nice gesture to those helping me move!

Project US

Rachel is used to being in control of her emotions, never letting anyone get close to the real her. Nick is exactly the kind of guy Rachel has been trying to avoid getting involved with. Yet, when their school arranges a mysterious project that puts them together, they soon become trapped in a marriage that turns out to be real and legally binding, and they aren't the only ones.

While their parents try to get four hundred students out of these marriages with legal help, the teenagers must live in a compound with their respective spouses for the duration of the project. Being trapped together leaves no room for denials. As Nick begins to fall for Rachel, she does everything in her power to avoid his charms and protect her heart. All she wants is to get out of the marriage, but does she truly want out, or is she only lying to herself?



Are you still interested? You can check out the following links!

Wattpad ~ first two chapters.

Goodreads ~ Add it to your to-read list and enter a giveaway for a signed paperback!

Barnes&Nobles ~ Nook is ready to go, but the paperback will take a few days.

Smashwords ~ a site, where you can get books in any format (kindle, nook, pdf, etc.)

Createspace ~ Paperback

Amazon ~ Paperback and Kindle

Midnight courtroom session and death penalty

The last time I stayed up so late, till 5 am, was when Mumbai was attacked in 2008.

The story broke around 11 pm, and it was well past 1 am when we got any idea of what was going on. I finished my pages and sent them to the press, by 2.30 am. By then three top police officers of Mumbai had been killed; and when I came home, I switched on the TV to see what was going on. I went to bed around 5 am unsure of what was happening to Mumbai, and if I would get to know about any more tragic developments in any other part of the country, when I got up next day morning.

Yesterday, when I was leaving office, news alerts came in saying the Supreme Court would hear at 2 am yet another challenge by Yakub Memon against the decision to hang him today morning. After I reached home, I switched on TV to keep track of what was an unprecedented act of the Supreme Court being opened up 2 am to hear a petition.

Apparently, the court entertained the plea to ensure that Indian judicial system was fair and transparent in considering an important appeal like this one.

Though it looked unlikely that the same three judges who had rejected earlier appeals would find merit in a new line of argument put forward by Yakub Memon's lawyers, I sat glued to the television as a tense sequence of events seemed to play out. I didn't want to miss out this one.

What a night it was for the legal and media fraternity! Apparently most of the people inside the court room were media personnel. There was virtually a live coverage of court proceedings. I thought the whole thing will end by 3 am or at the most 3.30. But arguments began only by 3.

Some of my friends too were up tracking this unprecedented apex court room activity, and we discussed the whys and hows, and the possible implications of this.

Finally, around 4.30 news came that the judgment would be delivered shortly. And just before 5 am, two hours before the scheduled hanging, verdict came that the appeal had been dismissed.

DEATH PENALTY

When it comes to death penalty, I have mixed feelings. Actually, my thoughts tend to be with people, wherever in the world they may be, who have had to suffer and even pay with their lives for no fault of theirs.

Most of these acts of crime or terrorism are part of a chain of tit-for-tat or eye-for-eye actions. Every thing is supposed to avenge a past crime. But, eye for eye makes no sense. I always wonder, can't we just forget the past, focus on the problems of the present and get on with our lives.

There has been a raging debate world over, not just in India, on the ethicality and morality of death penalty. There are many arguments for and against it.

In one view, how can one person who has elaborately plotted a crime with the objective of killing people, himself think that he can't be executed? What is the logic behind the thought that a murderer can only kill others, but himself can't be killed? 

THE MANY DOUBTS

Having said that, the fact is that capital punishment is one on a much different plane compared to all other punishments. It always leaves a number of questions unanswered.

At a very basic level, for a layperson, it is difficult to understand what crime exactly qualifies for a death penalty. What exactly is "the rarest of the rare" case? Many times we have seen the death penatly being commuted to life sentence.

My doubts about the righteousness of death penalty stems from how conclusively are we able to prove that an individual has to die; what about others who are party to the crime; there are also so many other related issues.

Court judgments are also a lot about how lawyers argue out their case, and how they are able to convince the judges, who, based on evidences presented, come to a judgement regarding the crime and the punishment. In the whole process, it cannot be denied that there is a lot of subjective interpretations coming into play at various levels.

In a sense, the death penalty can also be seen as an eye-for-eye approach. When a mistake or crime has been committed, the punishment makes little difference to the damage that has been committed. Lives lost don't come back. Properties destroyed aren't restored. Punishments are retributions. I doubt if they even serve as a deterrent.

MY TAKE

I don't think there will be much loss if we reimpose a moratorium on death penalty, if not altogether abolish it.

The Supreme Court in India has made execution a difficult option, with many layers of review. But that process in itself throws up umpteen questions.

My reasoning is simple: most often many questions are asked whether we have been able to conclusively prove the crime has been grave enough, whether it is the "rarest of the rare" to warrant death. Then there are also questions like: if A has been given death penalty, then what about B or C or D. Wasn't their crime also bad enough? Why haven't they got the death penalty? There are appeals and counter-appeals, and it goes on and on; which doesn't look good at all.

Instead, can't we jus opt for imprisoning the convict for the rest of his life with no option for remission, as the toughest punishment?

Windows 10 - my first impressions

Around 11 am today, I opened my Outlook Mail to see if I had got any mail regarding availability of Windows 10 for my PC. There wasn't any. Then I clicked on the small "Get Windows 10" icon on the right end of the Taskbar, the icon that has been there ever since I reserved a copy of the new operating system.

When I clicked on that icon, a small window opened saying that Windows 10 has been downloaded on to my PC, and I had the option to instal it right away or at a later time. Impatient that I was, I clicked on Instal.

The process lasted around an hour, with multiple restarts. And finally, I got the free upgrade to Windows 10, and was good to go.

The Start button

The Desktop -- including the Wallpaper and Shortcuts -- remains as I had customized earlier. That means, I didn't have to make any customization all over again. The Taskbar at the bottom is now a black strip, with the Windows icon on extreme left (reminiscent of the Start button, we all were used to seeing). To its right is a small box to "Search the web and Windows". That's a good new addition.

Somewhere to the middle of the Taskbar are the apps that I have pinned to the Taskbar. This has that very vague resemblance to the Mac feature. (I know Apple fans will be outraged to see any attempt at comparison with their greatest gadget on the face of Earth.)

On the extreme right of the Taskbar are the same stuff, like time and date stamp, notifications, WiFi, battery indicator etc -- only that some of the icons look now different.

The first thing that I did -- well, Microsoft would have expected that from anyone who upgraded -- was to click on that Windows icon, or the Start button, on extreme left bottom. This was touted as the single most important feature of Windows 10, the restoration of the Start button.

Yes, the very same pop-up appeared, only that this time it's a bit broader, with all the most used app on the top left, and below that File Explorer, Settings and Power button. I remember how I struggled to find that Power button in Windows 8.1. Below Power button is "All apps".

To the right of the pop-up is the old live tiles that used to occupy most of the screen in 8 and 8.1. On top is "Life at a Glance", comprising Calendar, Mail, Photos, Weather etc. And below that block is "Play and Explore", comprising Games and and other leisure apps.

Minimize and Close

The other feature I found restored and felt quite happy about was the Minimize and Close buttons on top right when one opens a window. In Windows 8 and 8.1, once you opened a window, if you wanted to minimize or close it, you had to hover the mouse, for the buttons to appear, and along with them, in the most confusing manner, a vertical Menu also would appear on the right, making it all so cluttered and chaotic.

Mercifully, that's all gone, and you don't have to struggle to minimize or close a window that you have opened.

Windows Store

The app store is now available on the computer. That's very much in sync with Microsoft's aim of better integration among all devices. But it's a different matter that all Windows apps aren't as good as their counterparts in Android or iOS.

Cortana

I looked around for Cortana, the personal digital assistant (similar to Apple's Siri and Google Now). But it was nowhere to be found. I gave a search, and Microsoft website told me: "Cortana is available in the following countries/ regions: China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States." This was a disappointment as I was looking forward to chatting with my PC.

Edge

This is the rebranded Explorer. One new feature is the "Make a Web Note", on top right. Click on it to make notes, draw lines or make a clipping. Otherwise, on first look, Edge looks very much the same. Nothing extraordinary about speed.

Different look

Most of the features, like Settings, File Explorer, Time and Date Stamp, and many apps have a much sleeker and nicer look about them.

Overall, first impression

Good. It looks like a natural progression from Windows 7. It's not confusing and cluttered, and the simpler interface is a big relief for people who are struggling with Windows 8 and 8.1.

Abdul Kalam, a beacon of inspiration

When I saw the three-word announcement "Abdul Kalam dead" on PTI Twitter feed close to 9 pm yesterday, I just couldn't believe it. There was an earlier news item that he had been hospitalized in Shillong. But his end was too unexpected and shocking. It took some time for it to sink in.

What a way for a man like Kalam to depart. He was doing what he likes the best: talking to students at the IIM in Shillong.

While I was watching television visuals of the official ceremonial tributes being paid to Kalam as he lay in State at the Palam airport this morning, one thought crossed my mind: Atal Behari Vajpayee is unable to come and pay his tributes. After all, it was the Vajpayee government that nominated him to the President's post.

In this extract from Turning Points: A Journey through Challenges, that appeared in Scroll, Kalam describes the moments that led up to him becoming the President. 

The fact that Kalam became the President, an unusual President, went a long way in all of us getting to know more about this amazing human being. Had he not become the President, we still would have known him, as a Missile Man. But the role of the President gave him a lot more of opportunities to influence all of us.

Abdul Kalam was more of a teacher, a scientist and gentle human being, than the 11th ceremonial Head of State of our nation. And because of those unique qualities, he was able to breathe fresh life into the role of the occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

As a President, whenever Kalam attended events, he was not the stereotypical Head of State. He identified with the common people, especially children and students.

He came very close to what many of us see as a very desirable scenario of academicians and intellectuals getting to have a greater say in the running of our country. His speeches were not the typical long-drawn out ones dripping with political rhetoric. He had a vision for the country, to see India as a great nation; and he worked tirelessly for inculcating the right ideals and value systems among all of us, especially the students.

Kalam is gone. But his teachings and the invaluable thoughts he shared with us will always remain. And he will continue to be a beacon of inspiration, someone we can always look up to.

Rest in Peace, Kalam.

Here is a moving account by Srijan Pal Singh, an associate of Kalam, on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/SrijanPalSingh/posts/1036964249687030

If the link isn't working here it is:

What I will be remembered for.. my memory of the last day with the great Kalam sir...

It has been eight hours since we last talked – sleep eludes me and memories keep flushing down, sometimes as tears. Our day, 27th July, began at 12 noon, when we took our seats in the flight to Guhawati. Dr. Kalam was 1A and I was IC. He was wearing a dark colored “Kalam suit”, and I started off complimenting, “Nice color!” Little did I know this was going to be the last color I will see on him.

Long, 2.5 hours of flying in the monsoon weather. I hate turbulence, and he had mastered over them. 

Whenever he would see me go cold in shaking plane, he would just pull down the window pane and saw, “Now you don’t see any fear!”.

That was followed by another 2.5 hours of car drive to IIM Shillong. For these two legged trip of five hours we talked, discussed and debated. These were amongsthundreds of the long flights and longer drives we have been together over the last six years. 

As each of them, this was as special too. Three incidents/discussions in particular will be “lasting memories of our last trip”. 

First, Dr. Kalam was absolutely worried about the attacks in Punjab. The loss of innocent lives left him filledwith sorrow. The topic of lecture at IIM Shillong was Creating a Livable Planet Earth. He related the incident to the topic and said, “it seems the man made forces are as big a threat to the livability of earth as pollution”. We discussed on how, if this trend of violence, pollution and reckless human action continues we will forced to leave earth. “Thirty years, at this rate, maybe”, he said. 

“You guys must do something about it… it is going to be your future world”

Our second discussion was more national. For the past two days, Dr. Kalam was worried that time and again Parliament, the supreme institution of democracy, was dysfunctional. He said, “I have seen two different governments in my tenure. I have seen more after that. This disruption just keeps happening. It is not right. I really need to find out a way to ensure that the parliament works on developmental politics.” He then asked me to prepare a surprise assignment question for the students at IIM Shillong, which he would give them only at the end of the lecture. He wanted to them to suggest three innovative ways to make the Parliament more productive and vibrant. Then, after a while he returned on it. “But how can ask them to give solutions if I don’t have any myself”. For the next one hour, we thwarted options after options, who come up with his recommendation over the issue. We wanted to include this discussion in our upcoming book, Advantage India. 

Third, was an experience from the beauty of his humility. We were in a convoy of 6-7 cars. Dr. Kalam and I were in the second car. Ahead us was an open gypsy with three soldiers in it. Two of them were sitting on either side and one lean guy was standing atop, holding his gun. One hour into the road journey, Dr. Kalam said, “Why is he standing? He will get tired. This is like punishment. Can you ask a wireless message to given that he may sit?” I had to convince him, he has been probably instructed to keep standing for better security. He did not relent. We tried radio messaging, that did not work. 

For the next 1.5 hours of the journey, he reminded me thrice to see if I can hand signal him to sit down. Finally, realizing there is little we can do – he told me, “I want to meet him and thank him”. 

Later, when we landed in IIM Shillong, I went inquiring through security people and got hold of the standing guy. I took him inside and Dr. Kalam greeted him. He shook his hand, said thank you buddy. “Are you tired? Would you like something to eat? I am sorry you had to stand so long because of me”. The young lean guard, draped in black cloth, was surprised at the treatment. He lost words, just said, “Sir, aapkeliye to 6 ghantebhikhaderahenge”. 

After this, we went to the lecture hall. He did not want to be late for the lecture. “Students should never be made to wait”, he always said. I quickly set up his mike, briefed on final lecture and took position on the computers. As I pinned his mike, he smiled and said, “Funny guy! Are you doing well?” ‘Funny guy’, when said by Kalam could mean a variety of things, depending on the tone and your own assessment. It could mean, you have done well, you have messed up something, you should listen to him or just that you have been plain naïve or he was just being jovial. Over six years I had learnt to interpret Funny Guy like the back of my palm. This time it was the last case. 

“Funny guy! Are you doing well?” he said. I smiled back, “Yes”. Those were the last words he said. 

Two minutes into the speech, sitting behind him, I heard a long pause after completing one sentence. 

I looked at him, he fell down. 

We picked him up. As the doctor rushed, we tried whatever we could. I will never forget the look in his three-quarter closed eyes and I held his head with one hand and tried reviving with whatever I could. His hands clenched, curled onto my finger. There was stillness on his face and those wise eyes were motionlessly radiating wisdom. He never said a word. He did not show pain, only purpose was visible. 

In five minutes we were in the nearest hospital. In another few minutes the they indicated the missile man had flown away, forever. I touched his feet, one last time. Adieu old friend! Grand mentor! See you in my thoughts and meet in the next birth. 

As turned back, a closet of thoughts opened. 

Often he would ask me, “You are young, decide what will like to be remembered for?” I kept thinking of new impressive answers, till one day I gave up and resorted to tit-for-tat. I asked him back, “First you tell me, what will you like to be remembered for? President, Scientist, Writer, Missile man, India 2020, Target 3 billion…. What?” I thought I had made the question easier by giving options, but he sprang on me a surprise. “Teacher”, he said. 

Then something he said two weeks back when we were discussing about his missile time friends. He said, “Children need to take care of their parents. It is sad that sometimes this is not happening”. He paused and said, “Two things. Elders must also do. Never leave wealth at your deathbed – that leaves a fighting family. Second, one is blessed is one can die working, standing tall without any long drawn ailing. Goodbyes should be short, really short”. 

Today, I look back – he took the final journey, teaching, what he always wanted to be remembered doing. And, till his final moment he was standing, working and lecturing. He left us, as a great teacher, standing tall. He leaves the world with nothing accumulated in his account but loads of wishes and love of people. He was a successful, even in his end. 

Will miss all the lunches and dinners we had together, will miss all the times you surprised me with your humility and startled me with your curiosity, will miss the lessons of life you taught in action and words, will miss our struggles to race to make into flights, our trips, our long debates. You gave me dreams, you showed me dreams need to be impossible, for anything else is a compromise to my own ability. The man is gone, the mission lives on. Long live Kalam.

Your indebted student,

Srijan Pal Singh

Leading Ladies ~ Rachel

Hello!
With Project US being released this year it is only fair to have the characters be introduced before hand. I have already done Men of Ottilie with Nick. Just like my other books Project US is told through two characters, Nick and Rachel. I'd like you to meet the characters before hand. She was interesting to write, and I loved writing their relationship.

                Rachel Hertz

Blond hair
Loves to read
Worries for her friends
Favorite book is Wildflower Hill
She likes ice tea
Has a younger sister

Scene:

3

Rachel

Ringing, ringing, ringing; whoever was calling needed to be shot or to have the wires in the phone send out electric shocks! Rolling over, I picked up the phone as I couldn't feel movement over our makeshift of a wall, lucky jerk. The plastic of the room phone on the nightstand felt cool against my fingers. Wouldn't our cell phones have been easier?

"Hello," I spoke, hearing how drowsy my voice sounded. I wanted more sleep as I put some effort into listening to what the teacher was saying so that I could remember to tell Nick.

Hanging up the phone, I turned to look at Nick who was lying on his back as I tried to figure out how was I was supposed to wake him up. My heart sped up a little at the thought of having to touch theNick March. Leaning over the fake wall it was crushed below me as I reached out to contact Nick's bare shoulder with hesitant fingers when I noticed his eyes were opened the smallest crack possible.

"You're awake aren't you?" I whispered incase I was wrong, my hand still not touching his skin.

"Morning," Nick responded, yawning and stretching so that his lean muscles moved under his skin, that faker.

I pushed my hair back out of my face so that the wavy pieces were out of the way.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked, my head tilting lightly so that the locks that I had just moved fell back down.

"I don't know what you're talking about I just woke up," Nick retorted, his voice airy and with a matching grin on those lips.

I shoved his shoulder as he sat up and he let out a small mock-yell.

"Rachel, you touched a shirtless guy! What a scandal!" Nick reacted. His blue eyes were wide as his fingers went to hide his nipples.

"You're insane! We've got to be downstairs in like forty minutes for whatever it is they're planning on doing with us."

I stood up, sliding my legs out of the bed. Standing on my toes with my hands reaching high above my head I stretched out my entire little-over-five-feet body, which just made me slowly, but surely, happier to be awake. Feeling eyes on me I glanced over to see Nick just sitting there watching me, which caused me to fall back onto the soles of my feet, arms crossing over my chest and for once wishing I was wearing a bra. Biting my lip I had to move my gaze elsewhere as the heat rose to my face. Guys didn't look at me and they never asked me out. My mom always asked if I thought guys were intimated by a group of girls always hanging out together. How would I know; I was quite happy about not being inside a fifteen-year-old male’s mind?

"Um…" I started, not sure what to really say, was I imagining things?

The shirt was long so I knew no stomach was showing and I was close to flat-chested.

"Is it raining outside?" Nick asked, his voice sounding sincere.

I sighed as I moved the blinds. "No it's not raining," I replied, my voice soft as I pulled some hair behind my ear.

Nick closed his eyes for a moment as he ran his fingers through his longish brown hair that was slightly curly. Nick kept running his fingers through his hair till the locks were flattened.

"Do you need a brush?" I finally asked.

"Nope, I have this hair well under control," Nick answered, shaking his strands.

Keeping my arms folded over my chest I walked away from the bed still feeling Nick's eyes on me. Bending over, I picked up my bag and not soon enough had the bathroom door closed between us. Taking a deep breath I let it out gradually as I stared at the girl before me in the mirror. The waves were begging to be controlled as the top part of my hair was slightly puffed up while most of it fell flat. Reaching down into my bag, I threw on a long sleeved purple shirt and jeans. Picking up my brush and mascara, my golden locks were tamed as my light eyelashes were once again found. Once the knots were gone I threw my hair into a mid-high ponytail. Sighing once more at my reflection, I made my way out of the bathroom.

Dropping my bag onto the ground I started to put my socks on. My purple polished toes were now covered by the white fuzzy fabric, making my feet slightly warmer instantly. Glancing up I saw that Nick was sitting on the bed still running his fingers through his hair before reaching over into his bag for a comb then for a can of body spray. The new scent, faint and husky, filled the room causing flutters in my insides. Blinking frequently I hastily moved to my side of the bed where my jewelry was so that I could put it back on. Round blue eyes watched me as I poked the earrings into my ears and my own gaze drifted onto the bed, my cheeks warming.

Finally as I hooked my necklace around my neck I asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Nick chuckled, his eyes sparkling. "When did you get your second hole in your ear?"

My face scrunched as an eyebrow arched high.

"Um, two weeks ago," I answered as I sat on the edge of the bed about to slip on my shoes, changing my mind about the socks so I took them off to then put on my black flats.

Nick stated, "So you really don't look that much different without make up."

I glanced over in his direction. "I'm sorry to disappoint you?"

"It's not that it's a bad thing…" Nick started to ramble which I could not remember him ever doing before. "Never mind, I'm just not used to living with a female that isn't blood related and they don't count."

I smirked. "Be sure to tell your sister that she doesn't count as a female, I'm sure it'll go over well."

He chuckled. "Oh don't worry, she's used to hearing that, it's nothing new. She usually turns it around saying my brothers and I aren't really guys, we're subspecies males."

I grinned. "Oh the joys of siblings," I sang, thinking of my own little sister who was probably enjoying life as an only child during the days while I'm on this trip.

A lopsided grin took over Nick's face, his cobalt eyes glittered with mischievousness. "You seriously have never been to my house before."

"No, but by the sounds of it, it kind of sounds overwhelming. Wait until karma comes back to bite you in the butt with your own kids."

Nick simply laughed. "Oh karma and I will one day be having an amusing conversation in a bar, we'll have to work out a deal."

Shaking my head slightly dry laughter slipped from my lips.

"See, and you were worried that we would fail," Nick commented as he held the door open for me to leave, I followed his lead out into the hall strolling besides him.

"It's still early," I shot at him.

Nick pressed his hands over his heart stumbling back a step or two. "Ouch, Rach, that really hurt."

I giggled, rolling my eyes. "You're absurd."

"Don't be jealous of my awesomeness."

I snickered fully at him, getting ahead of him as I hopped down the steps.

He was still behind so I waited for the slow poke, now feeling a little jittery from the giggles and hopping. Nick finally reached the bottom, but beat me to the door to open it.

Nick's voice came out slow, cautious, "So…were you able to sleep? Were you comfortable enough with the makeshift wall?"

I bit my bottom lip as my cheeks warmed. My fingers went straight to my necklace, playing with the pendant. "Yeah I slept fine, you?" My voice came out shaky.

"Always do, was limited with rolling space, but wasn't sure if you were okay."

"Thank you." Silence filtered between the two of us as I kept glimpsing over at him, only to watch his own retreating. I could not begin to guess what shade of red my face was from feeling his eyes on me. "Why do you keep staring at me?" I blurted out, my voice sounding shrill.

"Sorry." His eyes darted away in another direction, just as a thud echoed through the hall, just as I glanced over to the source of the sound.

There was Nick with his hand to his forehead. He had walked into the wall.

"Nick!" I exclaimed as I closed the gap between the two of us, my gaze skimming over his eyes to see his forehead, brushing aside chocolate strands to press my fingers against his warm skin. "Are you alright?" I could hear the panic in my voice.

"Yeah I'm fine. God your fingers are like freaking ice cubes! I don't need ice for the bump." Nick's lips became crooked.

"Sorry," I spoke, recoiling my fingers and keeping them under my shirt sleeves. "You okay though?"

"Well you've always said that I was hardheaded so I'm a-okay." Nick shrugged.

"I'm sorry!" I retreated quickly, my eyes widening as my concealed hands went to my mouth.

"Rachel, I was only joking," Nick responded as he kept moving into the entryway of the conference room towards the table we were at yesterday.

We sat down at a table that was assigned to us as I kept peeking over at my partner hoping that he was alright. Yet, his shoulders were stiff and he seemed to be avoiding eye contact. I knew he didn't want to talk about the incident anymore.

Dill was sitting across from us when he shouted at Nick, "Dude what's on your face? Don't tell me Worm did that to you."

"How the hell could Rachel hurt me?" Nick snapped then his voice got lower. "I walked into the wall."

"You what?" Dill asked with a brow raised high, judgment glistened in his eyes.

"I walked into a freaking wall, you happy?" Nick barked, causing his friend to smirk.

"Are you serious? You're so stupid and here's an example of it, you walking into the wall."

"I got distracted…" Nick rolled his eyes at his own words.

What was he distracted by? We weren't really talking at that point.

"By what?" Dill questioned, just like he had read my mind.

Nick shrugged. "I was thinking."

"Thinking doesn't work for you my friend," Dill said, taking a sip of his drink.

"It works better for me than it does for you," Nick muttered under his breath as breakfast was served.

Giveaway
Barnes & Nobles
Smashwords

ARC for Project US

Hello!
I am looking for reviewers to do a review for my upcoming Young Adult Novel. I have one or two already, but I would like a couple more. The ARC copies will be ebooks. If you agree to read an ARC can you please post on any combination of the following sites: Amazon, BN, Goodreads, blog, etc. Thank you!

August 7, 2015 is the release date!

Young Adult ~ Romantic Suspense 
Rachel is used to being in control of her emotions, never letting anyone get close to the real her. Nick is exactly the kind of guy Rachel has been trying to avoid getting involved with. Yet, when their school arranges a mysterious project that puts them together, they soon become trapped in a marriage that turns out to be real and legally binding, and they aren’t the only ones.

While their parents try to get four hundred students out of these marriages with legal help, the teenagers must live in a compound with their respective spouses for the duration of the project. Being trapped together leaves no room for denials. As Nick begins to fall for Rachel, she does everything in her power to avoid his charms and protect her heart. All she wants is to get out of the marriage, but does she truly want out, or is she only lying to herself?


If you are interested please either comment or email me at ottilieweber (at) gmail (dot) com!

If not, check out the giveaway for a signed paperback or order your pre-order copy. :)

Giveaway
Barnes & Nobles
Smashwords

Giveaway ~ Project US

Hello!
So I have been marketing my upcoming Young Adult novel Project US for a little bit. However, have you noticed that goodreads link on the side of my blog? No? I am having a giveaway for a signed paperback of Project US! If you are on goodreads, I suggest you take a look! Here is the link for the giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/147378

Rachel is used to being in control of her emotions, never letting anyone get close to the real her. Nick is exactly the kind of guy Rachel has been trying to avoid getting involved with. Yet, when their school arranges a mysterious project that puts them together, they soon become trapped in a marriage that turns out to be real and legally binding, and they aren’t the only ones. 

While their parents try to get four hundred students out of these marriages with legal help, the teenagers must live in a compound with their respective spouses for the duration of the project. Being trapped together leaves no room for denials. As Nick begins to fall for Rachel, she does everything in her power to avoid his charms and protect her heart. All she wants is to get out of the marriage, but does she truly want out, or is she only lying to herself?

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Men of Ottilie ~ Nick

Hey Lovelies,
I enjoy doing men of Ottilie and leading ladies posts. It lets me try to give you a rough visual of the character, and let you know the character a little outside of the book. Think of it as a snapshot, or a profile of the character. Nick March is a character from Project US. He was based off a dream I had when I was a freshman in high school, took that person, and threw in some fantasy/creativaity on the character. Then over the years as I edited, he picked up a few mannerisims from my boyfriend, but he doesn't need to know that! My friends in high school adored Nick, and didn't want me to write anything bad about him. Of course I loved writing him as well.

         Nick March

Brown hair
A sophomore at Adams High School
The youngest four children
Middle name is Alexander
Wants to go to college
Used to sneak cookies with his sister


Scene:

2

Nick

I crossed the entryway, my hand behind my back to close the door behind us. Rachel turned around, probably thinking she'd close it herself. She came up chest to chest, face to nape of my neck. I grinned. Rachel's cheeks had pink spreading across them. Her gaze was glued to the floor as the door clicked behind us. I watched Rachel's whole upper body rise, filling up like a balloon before letting out a long breath. Rachel has always been funny to embarrass. I held back laughter. I didn't want to make her completelyuncomfortable.

The hall was surprisingly quiet especially considering the hotel was filled with high schoolers. Rachel was a step or two ahead of me despite her shorter legs. I glanced over at her. Rachel's hair was just short of her waist, blond with smooth waves that flowed down from the top of her head to the tips of her strands. Her coat was buttoned and tied close to her upper body and overlapping those dark blue jeans of hers since it was so big. Rachel's white little sneakers were just peeking out of the bottom of her pants, no I wasn't studying her.

I reached around Rachel when we got to the end of the hall to open the door before her. She tilted her head to some extent so that her big green eyes would meet mine. The corners of her lips turned ever so slightly.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Rachel," I responded.

Rachel started to hop down the stairs. When I say hop, I quite literally mean bouncing down the stairs like a small child. I took each step in haste to keep up with her. It was probably not wise to lose a short woman on a mission. My sister and mother proved that one. I was the youngest of four, two older brothers and an older sister. Plus I've had classes long enough with Rachel to know the teachers were going to fix our room situation. She was so sweet and innocent; no one would dare try to corrupt her, minus my sense of humor.

When we reached the bottom of the platform we made our way out into the lobby to see our grade traveling as a herd into another room, a big room filled with tables and chairs for dinning, most likely it was used for conferences that came to the hotel. I glanced down at Rachel who shrugged her shoulders as we followed. We were ushered to a random table.

I sat in the chair, closed my eyes for a moment and stretched, wishing that I could just go to sleep already to make up for waking up so freaking early this morning for this stupidity the school had arranged. My siblings took this trip in eighth grade, my brothers felt the need to brag about the fact they didn't have a project like us. My sister smacked them with a spoon when she was cooking to get them to shut up. That started a food fight in the March household. We were lucky my mom came home before my dad; otherwise we would have been doomed. Mom got the last word in by shoving spaghetti sauce on all of our heads then making us clean up before Dad saw. I love my family.

"It kind of looks like everyone is paired up when they're coming in here," Rachel announced in a low voice, disbelief in every word.

Oh God girls were absolutely crazy! "Rachel, I think you've been reading too many of your weird books," I started, thinking about when the book, I think it was called Flowers in the Attic, came up with some students because some kid saw the movie and Rachel straightened out the facts which left me to never look at her the same way again. "We go to a public school. We’re not people in a dating service."

I shook my head as she raised an eyebrow at me. "Don't patronize me Nicholas, look around the room," Rachel muttered, she just had to use my whole name.

I rolled my eyes as I scanned the room, observing more of my peers entering. "Okay, maybe you aren't completely crazy," I responded under my breath and she stuck her tongue out at me.

I returned the reaction and she giggled. I smiled. This was so normal for us. I really wish Rachel wasn't right as much as she was.

"Yo, dude, what the hell is happening?" A slap on my back punctuated my best friend's question.

I peeked over my shoulder and grinned. "Dill, if I knew I'd think about telling you for a good price," I told him.

Dill, Mark, John, and I were part of a close-knit group, each person coming in at different years. Dill and I were probably the longest in the group then John later in elementary school when he moved into our town. Mark moved into our town in middle school with his uncle, we were all a little different yet, still had fun busting each others’ chops. What else are friends for?

Dill had his dark hair in his usual short cut. I did not know how he could handle only half an inch of hair. I liked being able to have hair to run my hands through. I would never tell my friends that, the girl jokes that I would get. Dill had dark eyes and was a little shorter than me. Dill sat in a chair across from me, slouching back in the chair. Next to him glared Rachel's dark clothing wearing friend Bridget, big hair and all.

"Hey Rachel, maybe you had a point in being pessimistic on the whole drive here after all." Bridget still kept her eyes on Dill who appeared to be just as thrilled as her.

"Schools, you can't trust them," Rachel responded, but she was turned around not facing the three of us, still surveying the room, her voice distant.

"Rach, you okay?" I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She withdrew her body from me in a snap of a reaction.

"Don't touch me," Rachel said. Even through her jacket I could see her shoulders tense.

I tried to remember her friends hugging her in the halls like some of the other girls did. I couldn't think of a time I'd seen that. Actually thinking back to eighth grade graduation she was laughing at those who were crying. She kept shouting something like 'you'll see them in three months!' over and over. She'll calm down eventually.

Principal O'Doherty stepped up to the front of the room.

"Students quiet down, quiet down!" His stern voice was cutting through the voices of the whole sophomore class.

A middle aged man with brown hair that was speckled with gray and white, that I could see even this far back, was up front. A microphone was in one of his hands while his other hand was free to be able to be expressive. I scooted my chair a little so that I could see the principal, leaning back I watched around Rachel's blond head. Principal O'Doherty was a tall, lean man who always wore a pressed suit that seemed to hang just a smidge on his frame. Back when my siblings were in high school he was a decent guy, but apparently a few years ago his wife and him started having issues in their marriage. Rumors spread around the school that his wife left him, that they split up, that there was a full-on battle of a divorce. That one of them was caught cheating, you think of any form of gossip that could have been thought up, and it was mentioned. Ever since then Principal O'Doherty had been a hard-ass, ruling Adams High with an iron fist that was apparently desperately needed for a very low key suburban town.

"Before you continue to harass the teachers to fix your room arrangements, there were no mistakes made. That's your roommate." Principal O'Doherty paced, his eyes scanning the room that was now hushed except for a few whispers. One of his hands was somewhat open, rolling around in the air as he spoke. "The project will be taking place over the next few months, possibly longer depending on how things go. Spending more time with your partners will help the project develop for the full experience. That is one of the reasons we said no electronics on the trip, we want you all to be focused on the task at hand."

He stopped in the center of the platform upfront. Principal O'Doherty's body was directly facing the student body. All of us waited for him to continue so we would finally hear the details of the alleged project. My eyes drifted down from Principal O'Doherty and to Rachel. The girl was stressing from the moment the permission slips were passed out during homeroom. Rachel's emotions weren't fully furious or crazed, but more curiosity and dread of who she would be paired up with. GPA was a heavy weight on her and she was the type to stress over that since kindergarten. When our friends were a little side tracked I tried to calm her. I joked with Rachel that worst case scenario that she would mess with her partner, Rachel didn’t like that.

"We want our students at Adams High to be able to enter the real world prepared for life and what will come their way. We have a reputation to keep up. Now I'm sure you students have over the years seen on television or even from grades above you, the marriage project. You and your partner will learn to co-operate with each other, in addition to learning the basic skills it takes for a couple to function in a marriage."

"Oh, for the love of God," Rachel mumbled under her breath, with her elbow resting on the table she leaned her head against her hand.

I might never have been Rachel's number one friend, but I do try to look out for her. I admit that I have been known to pick on her over the years, but I was never that bad. I'm not that mean, like I tell her to stand up for herself against others. My picking is more like joking between the two of us than harshness. For example a few guys made a nickname for her (that she hates) and I call her that sometimes. At the same time I tell her to tell on them since a teacher heard someone saying it to her and told them to stop. When I do push her buttons it always seemed different. I can't explain it, but it just was. It was also written on her face that when I do call her it once in a blue moon, when I do call her Worm, she doesn't have the look of 'I hate you, go die'.

I leaned in close to her. "You could have been paired up with someone worse, Rachel," I whispered to her, red spreading across the side of her face.

Rachel always turned red. I smirked. Her chin was against her shoulder so that she could almost see me. She placed her index finger over her lips so that we wouldn't start anything.

"I'm hoping that even though we paired a bunch of high school students together for this assignment you'll will act as young adults instead of hormone driven teenagers," Principal O'Doherty continued, voice still stern despite the catcalls that followed.

I glanced around at all of the tables. There were the girls who did their make up between classes paired with guys from honors classes, then there were some with guys that they wouldn't usually take a second glance at. Then there seemed to be football players with cheerleaders, a couple were with girls from orchestra and some girls from ROTC with guys from choir. I smiled at the so-called social spectrum being scrambled. I peeked over at my friend Dill and he rolled his eyes once he saw that I was watching him.

"Since it's still a decent hour in the afternoon we're going to have you in your groups get organized, then head over to the historical sight. Watch for your chaperones and remember you're representing Adams High on this field trip so behave yourselves."

The teachers started to line up in front of the room to get our attention, but the chatter in the room just grew by the second. Dill rolled his eyes as Bridget next to him was putting on her long black coat, ignoring the guy beside her. I glanced over to Rachel who was always bundled up in class. She was still wearing her coat, her hands buried deep in her pockets. Rachel was already standing up as if I was taking too long.

"Ready to head over?" Rachel asked, her green eyes on me, her voice light.

I shrugged my shoulders and followed her through the mob of students. I was almost tempted to grab onto her hand so that I wouldn't lose her in the crowd. With her tiny stature she was having an easier time zipping through the people than me. I had to watch to trail after her. Rachel kept her arms curled into her chest as she weaved. I did not want to lose her. I was squishing myself between people to keep up with her. How the hell was she doing this? She finally stopped near the teacher, scanning over her shoulder till she found me. Squeezing through the last couple of people I made my way next to Rachel whose head came up to about the nape of my neck.

We moved out of the room and got onto our newly designated buses. It was a short bus ride to Williamsburg. Everyone was talking madly about this new news. We had to share a room with the opposite sex. The guys were either complaining about the girl they were with, celebrating that they got the hottie they wanted to talk to in class, but couldn't, or were too embarrassed to say anything. I didn't really know how to respond to my situation. Here I was with Rachel, even though I had a girlfriend. I kept glancing over at her but she was staring out the window the whole ride. She was acting as if I didn't exist.

Release date: August 7, 2015

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Pirating E-books

Hello,
I woke up in a good mood today, I got the final edits of Project US. It will be my next novel and it is me returning to my Young Adult genre. I was also preparing my schedule to work on End of the Line 2. For giggles I sometimes google myself, it is a form of procrastination I will admit. I do not expect to be the next J.K. Rowling, but I have heard horror stories of other authors saying they find their work on pirating websites so I just like to keep an eye to see if I have hit that level.

I enjoyed seeing some people using my quotes on tumblr with cute pictures. I see quotes from Family Ties and End of the Line. I even saw a pinterest board named after one of the letters from Beneath the Scars. There were a couple other sites, pictures, and even some articles that have used my quotes. Honestly, I never thought that something like that would happen.

I came across a few sights that claimed that you could download my books for free if you signed up. I tried, but I didn't create a username/password so I only got so far. Then I came up to a discussion board. In this board there was a person asking how to download Beneath the Scars for free. It was nice to see a few people on the board talk about how they liked the book. There was one person suggesting a site to do so. Yet, there was only one person on the discussion board who stood up and said that's called pirating, and it's illegal. The person went on further saying how harmful it is for the author.

It is true I don't write for the money. However, I tend to put my books for a cheaper price. I tend to do a good amount of giveaways and made my ebooks free for libraries. I have also donated paperbacks a couple of times to libraries. I even post about how I need reviewers and that I'm giveaway free copies. It is one thing to think, okay I'm sure there are a few people getting free copies online, but to see it in writing is a little hurtful. The person also suggested borrowing from a friend. My friends and I would do that all the time in high school. There were a few books that six of us were rotating with. I have bought used copies of books when I am low on money.

So please...don't be a pirate go to your local library! Even if you have to contact the author. I know if someone asked me I'd see if their library has a copy, and if not I'd find them a deal or help them out.

RIP, dear mom

She had been sinking; her weak lungs and heart trying their best to function normally. She had already drifted away into unconsciousness. When I came to see her today, I remembered and cherished the conversations we had till a couple of days ago. Then, in the evening, the doctor called me. "Have one last look," he said. They showed me the multiple lines on a pink graph paper, pointed to the time and said the end came at 5.56 pm.

My mother had been fighting old age even as her body was getting weaker and weaker. She was fiercely independent. She had amazing reserves energy to keep herself going. She tried her best, until she just couldn't.

She enjoyed the reputation of being a fine cook. Everyone in family always spoke of the many curries, sweets and other delicacies she made. Her tea had a unique taste; no one knew how she managed to get the right taste. A gift, I am sure.

Slowly, she stopped cooking. Then, she stopped washing vessels. She just used to prepare a cup of tea in the night. One day that too stopped. During the last few days she was just eating barely enough to keep herself going.

On the first of July, she seemed to have contracted a chest infection. We got a nearby physician to examine her. Since it looked like she wasn't getting better, on the eighth, we moved to her to a nearby hospital. On the next couple of days, she seemed to be getting better. But the doctor said the infection had weakened her lungs. She also seemed to have had a very mild heart attack a few days earlier, because of which the heart too was weak. The doctor was just hoping that things would get better, especially since two important organs weren't working to their full capacity.

During the last couple of days, her condition worsened, and today evening, she left for her heavenly abode.

One regret, if at all, was that she never wanted to be in hospital. And sadly, her last days had to be in one. But, mercifully, she didn't have to suffer much. She was 84, and lived a full life.

You leave behind tons and tons of good memories. You will never go away from my thoughts.

Rest in Peace, dear amma.