On Why Rocky Isn't a Bada**

I'm not exactly on the same page with John Green all the time but he did say one thing that I completely agree with, and I'm paraphrasing here, "You don't have to like my characters."
In the past, back when I dared to read reviews, some complained about Rocky. She's emotionally unstable. She doesn't know what she wants. She's this then she's that. She's annoying.
Yeah.
She's 17.
She's never traveled.
She doesn't hang out with the party crowd.
She's built this false exterior around herself to hide her pain and to protect herself from abuse.
She has serious, legitimate trust issues.
Take her away from her white trash, roaming-eyes pervert of a stepdad and throw her into a world with rich men who have potentially nefarious ulterior motives and yeah...that could make her a little bipolar in her actions. Mix together the danger, intensity,  and lies with some seriously emotionally damaged heartthrobs and the girl has some issues to work out while she's in the thick of it.
I believe in growth, that wisdom and strength come from passing through the fires and being refined. What teenage girl doesn't think she's all that but doesn't fall apart when cast out into the storm? We stumble and fall along the way before we learn to walk against the wind. We do stupid things and that is how we gain wisdom and humility.
Is Rocky a pain?
Absolutely.
But she and William and Peter are on a journey to become the people the family has needed all along.

#WD3

Forget anything else I ever said before about anyone other than Ian Harding playing William Drexler the 3rd. 
Yes. I'm 35. 
Yes. I watch Pretty Little Liars. 
The first time I watched it (after reading the first two books), I was absolutely stunned to see William Drexler the Third himself walk onto screen. The look of him, the way he moves....it was eerie. I found myself watching scenes over and over again just to see "William" move around. 
So forget all my other suggestions. 
Only Ian Harding will do. 
No idea what I'm talking about? The von Strassenberg Saga is available for Nook, Kindle and in paperback. BUY The Bundle FOR KINDLE BUY the bundle FOR NOOK 
FILTER for KINDLE $0.99
And I am slowly working on the adaptation for a screenplay contest!

Adapting The von Strassenbergs

My favorite book is being made into a series on Starz. And it's killing me. Not just because I can't wait to watch it but because I would give anything to be a part of the process. The art of crafting a story into a visual reality is just thrilling to me. Making fictional characters take on physical form...gah! I love it!
You see, I have always been a nerd. Not even a tech-savvy geek. I was a flat out nerd. In elementary, middle and high school I spent most of my time reading and writing. Alone. Holed up with fictional friends. 
At some point, probably middle school, I began writing what is known today as fan fiction. This was back when email was still a really big deal and websites were all in basic html. I was, as many people could tell you, obsessed with MacGyver. Something about a really competent man is very alluring. So I started writing my own episodes of MacGyver. And then I started writing episodes of my other favorite shows. I abandoned the novel I was working on to focus primarily on writing scripts. 

Evidence of my early nerdom. All those binders? Filled with teleplays.

Screenshot from Filter's adaptation

Fast forward a decade. Somehow I've wound up a stay-at-home mom and I only have half a college degree. Restless and disappointed in myself I take up writing again. But prose just doesn't flow easily through this brain. It's still wired for action and dialogue. So I write a screenplay. It takes me a year but I manage to finish a first draft of a 120 page script. It's a romantic drama. I put it up on American Zoetrope and get some good feedback. And it pretty much died there. I never worked up the courage to enter it into their annual contest. This year I want to change that. 
My one main goal for this year is to adapt my first novel, Filter, into a screenplay. I've been working on it off and on but this year I mean to complete it and to have it ready to enter for early submission into the annual American Zoetrope screenwriting contest. 
So here's hoping to a very productive year!

Red Pen Reader

I used to be a red pen reader. You know? One of those readers who fancies herself a grammar Nazi who could be a hotshot editor if she really wanted to be? 
And then I wrote my first novel. And tried to edit my first novel which was 90k words long. I even had several highly respected, extremely intelligent friends help me edit my novel. That was three years and five dozen edits ago. And you know what? There are probably still mistakes in Filter. 
There's a big difference between reading a novel with fresh eyes, just picking it up off the shelf and scanning it....and struggling through writing it for six months and then trying to convince yourself to read what has become the bane of your existence. My novels and I fight like siblings. It's awful. 
I liken editing my novels to trying to get stones out of the garden. No matter how many times you plow or turn the soil over, there's always another stone lurking somewhere in the dirt. 
That's all very understandable. 
But sometimes, sometimes, I do something very stupid. Sometimes my brain glazes over certain points because it figures that those points must be right because who would get THAT wrong because it's not complicated to get it right. 
What I'm trying to say is that I made a big boo-boo in the first edition of Lipstick & Bolsheviks. It is proof that even I get confused by this massive, tangled family tree. 
I suppose now is a good time to 'fess up. 
I'm just glad my BFF caught it before it went into print! I was just about to click on APPROVE FILES! Ack!

Just Giving it Away

Because I am overjoyed to finally have Holler's Grove available in a swanky looking paperback and because Lipstick & Bolsheviks is FINALLY out, I am in the mood to give away some books.
Now through January 14th, you may enter to win a signed copy of Holler's Grove and/or Lipstick & Bolsheviks.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/75232-holler-s-grove
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/75231-lipstick-bolsheviks

I am giving away three copies of each book. The giveaway is open to residents of the the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

The von Strassenberg Saga: The First Four

The first four installments of The von Strassenberg Saga are now available in one enormous bundle! The length depends on the eReader you use (the Word document is 988 pages, Kindle is somewhere around 925). The bundle price of $5.99 will save you two dollars. 
Filter $2.99
Bluestocking Girl $1.99
Katherine's Journal .99
Lipstick & Bolsheviks $1.99 (for a limited time...so after that limited time the bundle price will actually save you $3). 
And because it's so ginormous, the sample is actually fairly long. Most of the first book, I believe. 

Note: Lipstick & Bolsheviks is NOT the end!
I had a reader who was slightly heartbroken because he thought Lipstick & Bolsheviks was the end of the series and he was actually putting off reading it because he didn't want it to end. IT'S NOT THE END! In the very least there will be three more full-length installments and I don't know how many in-betweeners. It will keep going on until all of your questions are answered and there are no more cliffhangers to be hung. 

The bundle is available for NOOK and KINDLE. 

Katherine's Journal: A Defense

Once again, I honestly don't read reviews. It's bad for me. Whether they are glowing or scathing reading reviews is bad for my mojo. That being said, I cannot bypass my local readers and their opinions...especially the teenage ones. 
Recently I was chastised for Katherine's Journal: A Novella being too short.....
"Novellas generally run 20,000-50,000 words.  About 30,000 words is average" (Writer's Digest)
Katherine's Journal is 29k words. I have paid $1.99-2.99 for 5k words from big name authors to read snippets of stories that don't really qualify as full novellas. (For those who want to complain about paying .99 for 29k words or roughly 3 or 4 months work on my part.)
More than once I have been scolded for Katherine's Journal being too much of a "repeat." This is something I struggled with while writing it. BUT logically, if you were a 17-18 year old girl madly in love with Viktor and you were in Katherine's position, scratching out your love story with art supplies on stolen bits of paper would you leave out the balcony scene? I wouldn't. 

Can you jump from The Bluestocking Girl to Lipstick & Bolsheviks without reading Katherine's Journal? Sure. It was a selfish endeavor on my part because I wanted to go back to that love story...and I missed some people. One person in particular. And I still do. 
I've see a lot of authors being accused of writing in-between-the-numbers novellas and cliffhangers out of greed. If greed were my motivating factor I would A. Charge more per book and B. Spin stories out faster. For me, the story reigns supreme. I let the fictional voices in my head dictate what is revealed, when it is revealed, and end the story at its natural closing. If that makes people angry *shrugs*....that is the nature of my style. Stuff happens in these books all the time that causes me to go NOOOOOOOOOOO! And then I have to go back through everything, forward and backward and figure out a way to make it all make sense. It's more work, it's heart wrenching at times, but in the end it's more unique and unpredictable. That was my only goal when I set out to write these books, to be original and unpredictable. Regardless of whatever the ratings may say about novel length or cliffhangers or editing or anything else, if I have accomplished writing a story like you've never before read I will count it as a success. 
All that being said, I adore my local readers (we've already hashed this out face-to-face) even if they are incredibly mouthy :) Their energy (boundless energy) and passion for this story keeps me going, even when we disagree. 

Lipstick & Bolsheviks: The von Strassenberg Saga Book 3

At long last, Lipstick & Bolsheviks: The von Strassenberg Saga Book 3, is finally here!
Yes, in its entirety. 
NEW LINK FORTHCOMING!
I went back to slip in a warning that this is NOT the first book (some old college friends of mine didn't realize it and started reading this first) and I noticed that I had not enabled encryption. Yes, I believe encryption. So the new page is currently being created. If you haven't read the series at all yet, there is now a 4-in-1 digital bundle available. It'll save you $2. (http://www.amazon.com/The-von-Strassenberg-Saga-Bluestocking-ebook/dp/B00GHTVM00/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1383778207&sr=8-9&keywords=gwenn+wright)
At the moment, it is only available for Kindle.
Also, yes. It is a cliffhanger. If this displeases you, I suppose you should wait two more years and buy books three and four at the same time. I kid, I kid. Because, obviously, book 4 will also be a cliffhanger. 
You know I love you all. 
And am immensely grateful only a handful of you know where I live!

Set William Free!!!

Oh my. 
Typically I don't read reviews of my books. 
It either puffs up my ego or smashes it. Neither is good. But today I traipsed into that land and wow. WOW. Some people are angry at me. 
They want William, they want to spend time with him and they want to know that he's okay. 
I want the same things. 
Truly I do. 
Thing is, if I rush the story it won't be good for anyone. 
Consider, each book jumps about seventeen years or so, with the exception of Lipstick and Bolsheviks. It went crazy on me. Part one opens in 1905, only nine years after the end of Bluestocking Girl. Part Two opens in 1917. This is crucial to the story. 
The historical part of The von Strassenberg Saga thus far spans 40 years. The contemporary part spans only a month. Book 3 closes in 1917 and we still have three more "Marias" to get through, and a gap of about 70 years to close. 
Things are coming together, I promise. With more revelations and more twists but you have to trust me. It's more fun this way. If you're like me, you don't want to know yet because if you did it would ruin the big AHA! that's coming. 
Stick with me, I know how it ends and you'll love it. Trust me, you want this to happen....

No idea what I'm even talking about? Start with Filter today for $2.99 on Amazon. Now through November 12, 2013 it Filter will be available on Amazon Prime. 

Lipstick & Bolsheviks, How It Will Go

I've had some questions about how book 3 will work, considering it is being released in two parts. 
Part one of Lipstick and Bolsheviks will be released within days. 
My full-length novels are always priced at $2.99 upon release. 

As part one is only the length of a novella, it will be available for .99. 

Part two will be priced at $1.99 upon release. The combined novel will contain both parts and be priced at $2.99.  

The physical copy will not be available until both parts are complete and properly formatted. 

My apologies for the confusion but I blame Katie, who wanted her own spotlight.

You only think you know him

 A lot of you have formed opinions on the matter of William III v. Peter.

I would be careful with that if I were you. Young Peter von Strassenberg is revealing himself...

Katherine's Journal now Available!

Katherine's Journal: The von Strassenberg Saga 2.5 (a novella) is now live on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! The paperback will be available sometime in April 2013. 

Buy it on Amazon .99

Buy it on Barnes & Noble .99

Swanky New Look

Whilst my wonderful editors are going over Katherine's Journal with their fine-toothed combs, I have been working on updating Filter. It's always seemed unfortunate to me that the digital version wasn't as lovely as the paperback. It is my hope that I have rectified that situation. The new version is live on Amazon but I'm still struggling to make it work on the Nook. Here's a preview:

If you update your copy let me know what you think. I'm hoping the Nook/NookHD version will soon bend to my will and be live sometime later today. Maybe.

#TeaserTuesday Katherine's Journal

Only one Teaser Tuesday left until the big day!
And it's a good thing. It is getting very difficult to tease without spoiling for those who have not been on this journey with us from the beginning. 

From Katherine's Journal:

We had one last night together before everything fell to pieces around us and I fear I must tell you quickly. Doctor von Strassenberg appeared today. He looked harried and at a loss. “I need you to behave yourself. It is vital that I check your condition. I ask that you trust me to do this,” he said quickly. He ignored all my questions and would not tell me what the matter was. I have never seen him in such a frenzy. He poked and prodded at me. I will spare you the details, they are not pleasant but I believe they were necessary. I feel it will not be much longer. It is with great risk I pen this final story of my love. The doctor says he will move me soon, that the time is near. Has it been so many months? I cannot believe it. He says he is bringing the monster back later this day. It cannot be helped he says. He has no time to prepare another cell, everything is upended. Nothing is going as it is meant to, he wails at me as though it is my doing.

She is coming. Viktor’s betrothed. ©2013GwennWright

There's still time to get caught up! The von Strassenberg Saga is available for Nook, Kindle and in paperback. Enter to win a paperback copy of Katherine's Journal! http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/43083-katherine-s-journal

#TeaserTuesday, Katherine's Journal

It's Teaser Tuesday!
Take heart, Valentine's Day is less than a month away!

From Katherine's Journal: The von Strassenberg Saga 2.5

“Your precious Viktor,” he whispered near my ear, his foul breath washing over me. “Has disappeared. He has been gone so long,” with his finger, so long and thick it could have been a small branch, he yanked at my hair, as was his habit. “They begin to worry if he is not dead.”

I did not respond though the questions burned in me. Why had he gone and to where? There was no time to ponder these concerns or even for tears to well in my eyes before he added, “The doctor is fuming, you know?” He never called Klaus von Strassenberg anything other than the doctor. He was not a creature bound by convention. He narrowed his light red eyes at me as though searching my thoughts to see if I could reason out why the doctor would be fuming, other than the simplest reason that his one good son had run off. He leaned back upon his bed, resting against the wall. A sheen of sweat shone on his pale skin as the light of the oil lamp danced across his features. He would be taken away for more treatments soon. I rejoiced at the thought of him falling ill once more and felt no shame for it.

“The doctor,” he continued, watching me carefully, his words beginning to slur. The weariness was setting in again. Klaus would return soon with our evening meals. Peter would undoubtedly try to hide his symptoms from his father but even I could see the signs that would lead to the inevitable sedative. Many nights I had dreamed of this opportune moment when the doctor was consumed with the task of coaxing his son to inject himself and then with the even more arduous task of dragging the immobile hulk onto a gurney. I would wait until Klaus was inside the cell with us, when all of his effort was concentrated on lifting that colossal form, and I would leap past them, out the door and grab the keys off the wall, imprisoning them both. Invigorated by my escape, I would take flight up the twisting stone staircase and find my way back to Viktor.

Only, I knew, my plans would not succeed.©2013GwennWright 

To get caught up before Katherine's Journal releases on Valentine's Day, read Filter: Book One of The von Strassenberg Saga and Bluestocking Girl: Book Two, available for Nook, Kindle and in beautiful paperbacks. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11234679-filter

 

#TeaserTuesday

In honor of Teaser Tuesday I will tease you, my dear von Strassenberg Saga readers...even though you know how much I hate to give things away and how difficult it can be to tease without spoiling for those who have not read either Filter or Bluestocking Girl!

This Valentine's Day Viktor and Katherine (and yes, William!) are back in A von Strassenberg Saga novella which picks up right where Bluestocking left off...as well as after the swoon-worthy balcony scene between Viktor and Katherine in Filter. 

"These were not the belongings of the past prisoner he had imagined. These were a lady’s things—hairpins and stockings and a glove. There were more clues waiting but William no longer felt certain he wanted to know the dark secrets of this cell. as he reached in to draw out the next clue he tried not to think about what could have happened to a woman in a place like this. Without seeing, he knew what it was his hand next closed around. He hoped he was wrong but no, in his hand he held human hair, plaited in a braid, and bound at either end with bits of torn cotton. It was hard to discern the color of the hair in the ghostly glow of the LED lantern, a shade of brown, not dark or light, somewhere in between, was the best he could tell. William knew hair that color but tried not to think about it being in a place like this. He thought of Rocky’s short spiky hair, of the portrait in her living room--the small young woman who bore such a strong resemblance to her great granddaughter five times removed. He looked at the hair in his hand again and a wave of revulsion swept over him.

The Demure’s two missing daughters." ©2013GwennWright

Need to get caught up? The von Strassenberg Saga is available for Nook and Kindle and in a lovely paperback. 

Find it here on Goodreads ----> http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11234679-filter 
Where fans harass me about meeting my deadline :) ---> https://www.facebook.com/ThevonStrassenbergSaga

Mr. Charles William Demure, Attorney

This morning I've been writing a scene for Katherine's Journal: The von Strassenberg Saga 2.5 that includes Katherine's father Charles William Demure. Going back over all his physical characteristics 

Broad shouldered
Hazel Eyes
Average height
Straw-colored, wavy hair
Proud

I was trying to envision which actor would be best suited to play him. It helps me play the scene out in my mind. At the time of Katherine's Journal, Mr. Demure is 43 years old, a veteran of the Civil War and a practicing attorney. 

Aaron Eckhart, though blue-eyed, was the first person to come to mind. 
But, I don't know, it doesn't sit quite right. 



The next option was Josh Lucas, also blue-eyed, but who doesn't love Josh Lucas? And that's what colored contacts are for. 











And can't you just picture Josh Lucas playing father to Henrietta, as portrayed by Ashley Benson,




And Katherine, as portrayed by Janelle Froehlich (who has brown eyes, not green but....) 

When I imagine Mrs. Raquel Anna d'Orleans Demure it is always in the form of Olivia Williams from her Peter Pan days. She's so lovely. 

Sigh. I just wish people could have the right eye color. It honestly IS a big deal in this story!

Cover Reveal! Katherine's Journal

RELEASE DATE:

February 2013

...just in time for Valentine's Day!

I really can't even post a snippet. 
To post a snippet would be to post a spoiler for whoever hasn't read Filter or Bluestocking Girl, as the novella picks up right where Bluestocking Girl left off. 

So, if you haven't even begun, you must begin with Filter find it here on Goodreads.
You can also find Katherine's Journal  on Goodreads HERE And, my apologies for my lack of Dacie Mae posts...With a release date just around the corner I am distracted. 

Lipstick & Bolsheviks, The New Maria #VSsaga

"WHY IS IT TAKING YOU SO LONG!???" I hear this a lot. Either in all caps or in person with a teenage girl yanking angrily on my arm. Local readers can be a hazard. :) 
First, it was research. 
Then I was convinced it was the effect of the few scathing reviews I had read regarding Filter and Bluestocking Girl. But I haven't read any reviews since...oh, January. 
So what is taking me so long?
I am in mourning. I will never write one of my favorite characters again. 
Or will I?
But that is for another day.

To prove I am working, slowly, painfully, through my fictional grief, here is a snippet:

FROM LIPSTICK AND BOLSHEVIKS: THE VON STRASSENBERG SAGA, book 3

She turned her gaze upon him, the fury crackling in her eyes. “Take me with you,” she begged, kneeling beside him on the floor.

“Your parents would never forgive me,” he scooped up her hand. “Your father would hunt me down, as any father would. Ocean or not.” The stubble on his cheek scratched against her skin as he pressed her hand to his cheek, leaning into her touch, pressing her heat into his flesh.

“We would be gone before they ever knew,” she yanked her hand from his cheek, grasped his calloused fingers and held them to her heart. “And they would never know who I had gone with.”

“Or who had introduced you to the devil,” his lip quirked, but she knew he regretted their unorthodox relationship.

“None of it is your fault Sasha,” she tilted his chin, demanding his blue eyes rise to meet her own. “I was wicked well before we met. Ask my father.”

“I think I prefer to never have the opportunity.”

“Oh,” her hand shot out and pinched his side. “Are you a coward then?” Frightfully ticklish, he twisted away, laughing and pulling her with him. “Are you scared of my daddy? Big, strong Sasha?” ©2012GwennWright 

Books 1 & 2 are available for Kindle, Nook, and in paperback (which I prefer because it's all lovely with the fonts)You can also find me on Goodreads 

Lipstick and Bolsheviks: Peter meets Abbie

#TEASER
#VSsaga
#LipstickNBolsheviks

“Shall we sit,” he gestured at the chairs.
“No,” but she sat anyway.
He took the chair beside hers, pulling it around so the table wasn’t between them. She hated him. She was trying really hard to hate him but looking at him was distracting her from her intense loathing of him. 
“Why did you break into my house,” she demanded again before she could linger too long on how the sleeves of his shirt stretched across his biceps. In an effort to ignore his ridiculous magnificence, she snatched up her phone, idly tapping the weather app, checking the weather in Singapore. 
“My dad asked me to.”
She jerked, nearly dropping her phone again. He wasn’t supposed to admit to anything. Abbie was behind them, watching, waiting for her turn, but Rocky wasn’t sure how to proceed. Peter was supposed to deny everything. He wasn’t supposed to actually be honest. Somebody who goes around giving himself a fake name and breaking into your house doesn’t resort to honesty without threat of death. 
But he had. 
“I didn’t want to,” he continued. “And actually I got reamed for,” his shoulders lifted in a shrug. “For mishandling it.”
“I’d say.”
He caught her eye, seeming somewhat affronted by her obvious insult to his B&E skills. “Yeah well, my father may have taught me how to be a convincing liar but he forgot to mention how to break into a house with a state-of-the-art security system.”
“Bad parenting,” she tapped on the ten-day forecast. “Someone should report him.”
Peter snorted and fell into silence. 
She was working up the courage to go ballistic in a public setting. The observers at the other table would certainly appreciate a good show, she told herself. 
“Look,” he said, just as she had decided to open her mouth to let loose. “I didn’t want to do it. I’m not really even sure what’s going on.” He ran a hand through his rumpled hair. “But he said if I didn’t he would cut me off.”
“And you believed him?”
“He was pretty convincing.”
With a long strengthening sigh, she silently reminded herself that there could be no mercy, no understanding. William was missing and no one was talking. She had to freak out. Knocking her chair out behind her, Rocky leapt to her feet. Peter didn’t follow suit. He was supposed to follow suit. She was supposed to thump his chest and get in his face but he just sat there, looking up at her in expectation. She caught herself before she could throw an exasperated look back at Abbie.

            She could yell at him just as easily from this vantage point, she decided. “I don’t care what your rich daddy threatened to do,” she jabbed her finger in his face. “You broke into my house,” her words crescendoed. “You planted pills!”

            He opened his mouth to object but she stepped closer, nearly pressing her legs against his kness. Glowering down at him, her eyes locked on his, she growled, “I don’t care about your psychotic excuses or your psychotic daddy. I don’t want anything to do with you. You’re unhealthy for anyone with a brain.”

            She spun on her heel and nearly ran to the door to the thunderous applause of the girls, who apparently adored a good-looking man but liked a strong-willed woman even more.

            Across the room, Abbie watched as Rocky disappeared out of view. The girls laughed uncontrollably and wiped away fake tears while making boo-hoo faces at Peter. Before any of them had a chance to get up and interrupt Phase 2 of their plan, Abbie tucked her purse under her arm and strolled over to Peter. His face was in his hands, fingers rubbing his eyes. He hadn’t noticed her approach.

            She cleared her throat a little. He looked up and she felt her stomach clench and her breath catch. Rocky had warned her. William was handsome and very striking but Peter, well he was something like a god. He was Calvin Klein model material, only on a much larger scale. Her knees went a little weak, not just at the effect of his bronzed godlikeness but at the tragically beautiful pain in his storm-blue eyes.

            “Can I help you?” He seemed a bit annoyed.

She had forgotten to speak. “Um,” she pushed a stray curl behind her ear. “My, uh, I work for Mr. Drexler.” She stuck her hand out awkwardly.

Peter rose to his feet with some reluctance, making her feel like a tiny child beside him. He was so much taller than she was, taller even than William. A breath of silence passed between them. He just stood there looking unimpressed so she stumbled on. “I was, um, so you know Miss von Strassenberg?”

            He regarded her cautiously for a moment before asking, “Is that a problem?”

            “No, no,” she laughed and readjusted her purse beneath her arm. “No it’s just, well no one has heard from Mr. Drexler’s son for a week and so Mr. Drexler asked me to follow Miss von Strassenberg,” her words were faltering and she knew it. She was suddenly quite certain he would see through their weakly plotted scheme. She shrugged helplessly, “Never mind. I’m supposed to follow her and see if she does actually know where he is.” He was just staring at her as though she obviously must have more to say than just that but she was out of words. She had never been a good liar. Making a helpless gesture she sighed, “Never mind,” and turned to leave.

            “I haven’t seen him. Not that we’re pals or anything. He could fall off the face of the Earth and I wouldn’t know.”

            “Okay, well thanks anyway,” Abbie smiled up at him. “I hope he decides to reappear soon. I’m kind of tired of following her around.”

            A secretive smirk tugged at his lips, “I know the feeling.”

            “Sorry?”

            “Nothing. Listen,” he cleared his throat. “Since we’re here, would you like to grab some coffee? We could sit around and swap stories of the erratic Miss von Strassenberg.”

            He didn’t realize it but the trap was now sprung. Despite a few off-script deviations, their plan was working. Now Abbie just had to work her feminine wiles on Peter and hopefully by the end of the night she would be strolling arm-in-arm with him into Castle von Strassenberg. ©2012GwennWright