Whispers = Club 215

In case you were wondering, or if you had the slightest of inklings, Whispers Club in Bombshell is in fact a fictionalized version of Club 215 in Colton, CA. Here's some pictures I took today of the real club.

As you can see it is in fact two stories with the club its self being up stairs. There's also a balcony up there for the customers and the dancers to convene on. And as you can see, it's quite small and cozy. Just thought you might enjoy seeing the real place. Was this what you had imagined?

I've gotten a few reviews of Bombshell recently that I'd like to share here just in case you haven't picked up a copy yet.

Stacey said:

Bombshell is a very strong first fiction for new author Jessie Terwilliger. Marina, the main character, is a strong and interesting young woman who has had a hard life. As the story opens, Marina is having a hard time making it in the nightclub world as an exotic dancer. She wants to get out, and go into law enforcement, but she has a lot working against her. Terwilliger's dialogue is interesting and true to life, with enough "cute" to make you root for the characters, enough darkness to make the story compelling, and enough humor to make you laugh out loud.

Bombshell gives the reader an interesting inside look at nightclubs and a harsh look at the realities of working as a stripper. I'm looking forward to reading more about Marina.

Kelly said:

Bombshell is an unforgetable story. As a busy mom, I don't have much time to read, but I made time for Bombshell! The book is so fast paced and well written, I read it in three sittings (would have done it in one, back in the pre-baby days). It is an amazing story about unlikely characters whose paths cross in a crazy way. I was super impressed with the book, for so many reasons.

First, you can tell that the author put a lot of research and time into this book. There are so many specific details that do not necessarily stand out, but they add to the depth and believability of the book. I actually found myself thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, and in my busycrazyfull world, that is something in its own. It is described as a book about a 'topless dancer, who wants to be a cop...' but it is all that and more. I thought I might be reading about the adventures of a stripper, rather I read about the struggles of a girl that is easy to relate to. No, I've never stripped or had dreams of going into law enforcement, but I have had crazy relationships: whirlwind love that comes out of nowhere and disappears into thin air and I have always wanted better for myself.

Very cool book. I cannot talk enough about it. The various plot twists keep the reader on the edge of their seats, and the ending is something that is unforeseeable. By the end of Bombshell, you will have developed a relationship with the characters and closing the book will be bitter sweet. I can only hope there is a sequel!

Read it! You will not regret it!

Thanks to everyone who has left reviews, they help and I really appreciate them. By the way, I occasionally do stealth giveaways of the book via Twitter, so be sure that you're following me at http://twitter.com/davidsdoll101.

Still working on a few other books at the moment, I've got my brains all scrambled trying to do research. No official news as to any further release dates yet, but stay tuned.

Paper Pages

Bruce is a man that I am very fond of. He's stocky and balding and his voice is gruff like the Cookie Monster. I love his story, and he said I could use it, but it's such a bittersweet tale that I cant seem to bring myself to write it. It's what happens to my fictional cop and it's harsh, oh it's harsh as all hell.

But then Bruce walks up all smiling and wearing a newsboy cap and all this green and plaid and he has a plastic green necklace and he says "Top of the morning to you," half jokingly as he throws a piece of trash into the trash barrel outside of David's bins and I wonder why I cant just get the fuck over it already and write the next part of the story.

I'm knitting less but I'm writing more. That is to say that I've got my young adult novel in the process of being rewritten from the pale and dry crap that it was and I've been taking a lot of notes in my journal. I've also decided that my journal is too hard to go back and sift through for notes so I've ordered a stack of Moleskines and I've bought an expensive pen to use in them so that each book has its own journal full of notes.

Five books you may or may not know about:

A Powdery Tattoo- young adult novel largely inspired by Victor back before he was a big fat asshole, also pertains to the weirdness that it was to be in high school just a year after Columbine. Okay for adults to read it's just that there aren't any sex scenes or heavy swear words.

Social Butterfly- Bombshell II which follows the story of another stripper who is largely based on Mustang Sally, broken English included. It's a year later so the lives of the characters from Bombshell have changed for worse or for better, plus gaps from Bombshell get filled in quite nicely. Not to mention lots and lots of cop stories.

Chelsea's Demon- Bombshell III which is 20 years in the future and follows these new characters with the aging original characters in tow...you might be able to figure out what I mean by that but I don't want to spoil Bombshell for those who haven't read it yet. The style is different but the details are pretty rich, and this is the one that's written 3/4 of the way through the story, nosing right up to the edge of this dramatic event but I cant quite push it over yet. Nobody dies, but...when you read it, you'll shit bricks.

Girls Are Pretty- Another high school story but this will not be appropriate for children. This is based on my senior year in band when we had this new teacher who sexually harassed and manipulated me and several other girls. Of course some of them liked it. It takes place in the semi fictional Mystic Lake, Ca, which is a real lake but not a real city. It's basically a big mud puddle that is now drying up because of the drought over in Moreno Valley. Regardless, there's a lot of sex and drama in this book, like teacher student sex, and somebody dies so that's good. I'm not really clear how all this is going to go yet.

The Fool on the Hill- Golden Dawn II, which is 15 years after the first book ended. Think about the word "malingerer" and decide if it makes sense to you, then go back and read Golden Dawn again. There's going to be a lot of backstory involving the Kade family, specifically one elder who was only briefly mentioned in the first novel. Oh and that whole idea behind the word "malingerer," just throw it out the window because you're probably wrong anyway. Oh yeah, and where's Dani?

These five stories in my head that are either partially on paper, only in note form, or not even really doing anything yet, but they're swirling around up there. And for some reason when I look into the beedie little eyes of a poppet I'm inspired to check out these new worlds. I cant help it, but it's true. They've somehow become an aid to my writing, sort of like how people who work in cubes have those metal balls suspended by strings that swing back and forth on their desks, and like Dilbert comics and such. So does the feel of ink on paper kind of inspire me, with these really nice journals I'm getting and my pen from the scrapbooking store, all acid free and fancy. My current journal is just in whatever ink I could find at the time some idea struck me.

And there is an extra one so that David can journal his beer recipes and paste the labels from the ones that he's tried and liked.

Bruce tells me for the third time the story about the time he sold a cobra to a guy when he was under cover, then turned the guy around and slapped the cuffs on him. And I never get tired of hearing that story.

I just need to tell my story now.

First Few Paragraphs Of "A Powdery Tattoo"

Just for fun, here's the opening to A Powdery Tattoo, a Young Adult novel I am polishing up at the moment. This is raw and unedited.

It’s not like it’s hard to get from my house to my school in the mornings, it’s a simple point A to point B bike ride. It’s hard to get lost when you only have one left turn and then a long straight line down the boulevard, I’m not saying that I can’t do it, or that I don’t do it most mornings. It’s just that if it were a job with a paycheck, the paved road beneath me with the empty fields full of dry brush and the rounded tops of Crafton Hills, the churches and parking lots would all just be a part of society that I belonged in and could relate to.

The little fast food restaurants, the drug stores, those ugly little box houses that they mowed down several hundred acres of orange trees to make room for.

But I’m 16. I don’t have a job, except that school is my job. The gas station and the car wash and all the traffic whizzing past me is all part of my path to something that I don’t particularly like to end up at when I’ve completed my regular morning journey. It’s not like it’s hard to get lost going from point A to point B, but let’s just say that I occasionally get distracted and miss first and second period to go sit and be by myself at the park.

The dry cleaner’s, the grocery store.

I have no defense, really, because I should be in school and I should be making things a little easier on Gran. How I hate upsetting Gran.

Bombshell For $5

I have six copies of Bombshell which have defective covers as seen in this photograph:

There was a problem at the printer and these books came out with no front cover picture, however all of the pages are correct and intact, so it is perfectly readable. I am selling these copies for $5 each to anyone who wants them, and I will sign them.

If you are interested please contact me at TeamTerwilliger at Gmail dot Com.

This Is My Paragraph

I received an email from someone who is reading Bombshell at the moment with the subject line "This is my paragraph."

Pasted into the email is a paragraph from the book:

“The first time I ever saw a dead baby it was a SIDS call. I’ll tell

you, I cried for three hours straight that night when I got home. They do

everything they can to desensitize you in the academy, but it’s not all

guns and donut shops like they make it seem on TV. Then these god

damned kids, and not just the teenagers, but little 10 year olds, they’ll call

you a pig and say ‘I smell bacon’ but when a man breaks into their home

and steals their X-Box, who will they call? That stuff rolls off your back,

but it’s really thankless, Marina. And you know what? I can’t see myself

doing anything else, ever. It’s all I ever wanted to do, since I was little I

knew that this was where I belonged.”

I replied, "Tell me why this struck you." She said, "It’s how I feel about the job my parents do and that I once did. It explains it to a T. The way you’re taught not to care about anything except protecting, serving and solving the case. But no human can go into a home where a baby has died and not feel emotion. No person likes being ridiculed only to have to help the backstabber in their time of need."

I love writing things that people can relate to so strongly. And it makes me happy to see that she completely got the point. It made my day.

Also there is an interview posted over here that you should really look at. I discuss both books and my writing process and such, it's pretty interesting. Have a look!

Happy Valentines Day!

Hey, whatever this holiday means to you, the signs of love are everywhere. Literally. The Wal Marts are filled with puffy pink heart balloons and little old men wander around the flower displays confused and frightened because the selection has been picked dry, while younger gents seem to head for the largest stuffed teddy bear they can find. Oh what a day to be alive.

My husband and I aren't doing much, in fact we never really do anything for this "holiday." I used to go all out with my ex boyfriend in high school and even made him a realistic message in a bottle, which was a poem written on some paper that I crumbled up and rubbed in the dirt, I even singed the edges for added effect and filled the bottle with dried rose petals. He didn't appreciate it.

David and I are giving the gift of ukulele's to each other and we will be dining on filet mignon that I got for $7.99 a pound. Then there's some stuff that I can't tell you about here that will happen later.

Of course I don't always leave out the good parts. If you want sex scenes Bombshell's got them, so grab a copy and get your fix there. The best one I think starts on page 137. ;)

So happy love day, let me know in the comments section what you're doing! And if it stays blank, I know exactly what you all are doing and why you're too busy to come by and comment!

Q and A With Jessie Terwilliger

There's now a Goodreads discussion group where I am answering any and all questions about both Bombshell and Golden Dawn.

If you have not yet joined Goodreads.com I highly suggest that you do. It is a wonderful site for finding new things to read and organizing your books. This is my new Myspace.

Also, if you haven't gotten a copy of Bombshell yet, look in the sidebar here for the Buy It Now from Lulu button. Furthermore, both Bombshell and Golden Dawn are being offered directly from me autographed and signed with free shipping. It's all in the sidebar.

I'm trying to figure out some kind of gathering that can happen soon, I don't know when, I don't know where, but we will gather.

Thanks to everyone who came by and left nice comments or dropped me nice emails, they help me to keep going.