Deep in the woods of Arizona at an undisclosed lodge, the hostesses are government agents working undercover at a barbeque in a mission to save the world from viral contamination.
Winking at his spies, Oliver mans the grill, humming away to Secret Agent Man while flipping burgers, hot dogs and chicken. Smoke billows upward from the charcoal in a tantalizing swirl.
A bonfire sizzles, S’mores on a stick bubbling hot. Potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, fruit salad, tortilla chips and corn on the cob are ready to be served, along with buns and all the condiments. Coolers brimming with cold beer and Diet Coke flank the table.
In the cool picnic area beneath umbrella tables and undulating shade trees, the agents set things up, bickering amongst themselves.
Bing bang bong, Mary whips out a BB gun from her Triple D bra, liberating several cherries from a tree. They plop on Patsy’s head. Squinting through her sunglasses, Patsy glares up through the brilliant sunshine and shrieks with alarm.
“Oh no,” the tree’s been struck with the lethal virus! Look how many cherries have been mutilated!! It’s the
Cherry Bomb Virus. Prepare for battle. Just do it!”
Grinning, Mary fires her bee bee gun, dropping several more ripe cherries on Patsy’s head.
Bing bang bong.
Wanting to save the world, Patsy whips out her stun gun, biceps the size of melon balls wildly twitching. “The virus is in the tree. It’s the feared Cherry Bomb Virus. Beware.”
Mary just grins and winks at Oliver.
Lyn appears out of the clearing in the woods, sees Patsy with her stun gun at the ready, the one they were instructed to use only during an attack. Horrified, she steps it up, squishing several fallen cherries with her gigantic feet the size of skate boards. Cherries are falling from the sky like comets.
“No worries, my sisters,” Lyn assures. “We can wipe out the cherry bomb virus before it’s a world-wide epidemic! We’re on it, sisters.”
“What!”
“Holy heck, who knew the cherry bomb virus would strike our little barbeque. Line up, girls. Ready Aim Fire! It’s our mission to save the world from the Cherry Bomb Virus. Move it move it move it!”
“About face,” Lyn bellows. “On the count of three. We will save
the world from the Cherry Bomb Virus. Move in, my sisters.”
Patsy falls in line with Sharon and Lyn. “Because of my nicely endowed biceps, the government issued me two stun guns.”
No time to wait for Mary, four stun guns unload at rapid fire, zapping every cherry falling from the sky into smithereens. Wanting to make certain the bug is eliminated from the earth, they strip off their sandals and stomp on the cherries.
Laughter explodes from the woods. Mary stands there, putting her bee bee gun away. In unison, Sharon, Lyn and Patsy fire at Mary, blowing her into the cherry slush.
Welcome to The Author Roast and Toast! Please welcome our guest
BRINDA
We are celebrating her book
THE WAITING BOOTH
BLURB for The Waiting Booth :
A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal... Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High—find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia’s drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it’s no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia’s secrets, she begins to wonder if there’s more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...
BIO:
Brinda Berry is the author of The Waiting Booth, a YA fantasy published by Etopia Press. Currently working in higher education administration, she spends her days thinking of ways to improve education for college students. Brinda spends her nights devising exciting tales that involve teens who might be saving the world. She’s terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality.
***GIVEAWAY***
To win a copy of Brinda's book, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends tomorrow and everyone who comments is elligible.
64 comments:
Thanks ladies for saving us! Oliver has done such a terrific job with the food. YUM. *stepping out of convertible and ready to eat*
Good morning Brinda, you look fantastic, yes the food's all ready, let's get ready to party and hear more about your book 'The Waiting Booth, it sounds a wonderful read."
Greetings, Brinda, welcome to your celebration. You look cool and comfortable and ready for a barbeque. Congratulations on The Waiting Booth, sounds great!
Hello dear sister hostess - Lyn hugs Sharon. That certainly sounds like one of the most original ideas for a story I've heard in a long time! The video is so intriguing too!
Hugs, Lyn dear, good thing we had extra tanks. Oh, Patsy and Mary are still changing. No worries, they'll be along.
Sorry I was late - couldn't find my way here. Brinda - now this is MY kind of party! Oh the food YUM! ACCKKK - there's a cherry on my barbeque! Waiting Booth sounds really interesting and congratulations on the release. *She flexes her massive arms." I'm off to save the world!
Brinda my pretty. you look so lovely. Have a S'more to go with your DC.
My sweet agents, something cool to drink perhaps? I hear we have cherry soda!
Oliver - I love cherry soda - I'll wait to save the world while I guzzle this down. YUM
Hi Patsy, sister hostess (Hugs)
I'd love a cherry soda Oliver dear (Blows kisses) and I'm dying to try a s'moe, do you know I've never had one!
Cherry sodas all around, my beauties, and hot off the stick S'mores!
Hi Hywela, Sharon, PL, and Oliver! Oh, Hywela...if you've never had a s'more, you must. They are delicious.
They don't have them over here in the UK for some reason, Brinda, but I'm planning to the US next spring, so hopefully I'll be introduced to them!
Love your battle with the Cherry Bomb virus, ladies! The Waiting Booth sounds intriguing, Brinda - hope you have lots of sales!
Hi Paula, lovely to see you, so glad you could join us to celebrate Brinda's book.
Wow! Good work girls! We solved another case.
I'm so proud of us! Mary hugs everyone. Brinda! My this is a great party. And look how well I've been behaving so far!
Smores, yummy! Mary standing by the fire, waiting for her smore when a very handsome guest walks by. Yummy! Mary drops her Smore right on Lyns foot. Hot, watch out Lyn!!!
Where's Brinda, The line for signing books is so long. Is that her? Or should I say Is that she? She's opened up a kissing booth. Now look at that line. Is that her???
Wow!
Grape Nehi! Wow!
You could make them at home it's very simple. Want me to give you the recipe? Sharon, Patsy, should we give it up?
Hello Paula, my sweet, have a soda and a s'more.
Mary, here's another, try and hold on. Poor Lyn needs an ice cube. Look at that blister!
Ow-oooch! Mary, sweet sister hostess, I love you but sometimes ...!
I think you owe me a s'more for tat!
Oooh, thank you OLiver, dear, I feel better already.
LOl Mary, you've got me dropping my 'h's now! I meant 'that'' not 'tat'.
When Mary's not looking Lyn bends down and grabs a handful of slushy cherries which she slips down the back of Mary's neck.
Well if that's how you're gonna be you can eat the smore off your foot!
I didn't do it on purpose.
Oh, my, thank you, a very good looking hunk reaches down Mary's back and removes the offending Cherries. He then kisses her hand and Mary blushes!
I dunno, some sisters get all the luck!
I know Mary dear, you can't help being clumsy, but look my foot's twice it's normal size now!
Oh Grape Soda! Another favorite - yes, let's spread it around.
Lyn - never had a s'mores! Omygosh! Get me a marshmallow, some chocolate, a graham cracker and we'll fix this right now!
Patsy hands a warm smore to Lyn, who forgets about her gigantic foot. I don't know Lyn, something else is happening. A smore wouldn't make those clodhoppers grow any larger. Somethings afoot. Get it. Afoot!
Girls, girls, settle my sisters. No man is worth getting a swollen foot over. Oh dear, look at that barge in 3-D, holy moly!
Mary, what was Oliver thinking giving you a bee bee gun!
Brinda, do dish up some inside scoop about your characters.
And another excerpt please!!! Brinda, has she been kidnapped!!! I'll need that bee bee gun for sure.
Patsy - thank you, I knew I could rely on you. You know I've never seen any Graham Crackers over here, but I'm going to have to do some searching. The melted chocolate/marshmallow combo sounds fantastic!
Mary dear, your puns are something to punder - I mean - ponder - upon!
You have a point about the BB gun, Sharon. It's like putting Dracula in charge of a blood bank! :)
LOL Lyn, oh what about graham cracker pie crust? It's real big here for cheese cake. Mash them with melted butter and bake until crisp, yum!
Oooh that sounds delicious, Sharon. I have to confess I'm not even sure what a Graham Cracker actually is!
No graham crackers in England! Unbelievable! What's wrong with those grocers over there. There has to be something like it? Yes, the pie crust thingee, do you have those???
Oh where, oh where is our little Brin gone, oh where oh where can she beeeee!!! Mary sings, not too well...
Lyn claps her hands to her ears!
Oooh, Mary sweetie, don't give up the day job will you!
What exactly are Graham Crackers? I make shortcrust pastry for pie crusts - and for cheesecake, we usually use crumbled Digestive biscuits.
*ahem*..I've been a little busy in the kissing booth. I've been hoping that Oliver would get in line, but I suppose he's been busy with you gals. Sharon- There are some guys in The Waiting Booth who are as "hunky" as Oliver. Regulus is the quiet type with thick dark hair and eyes like the deep ocean. *sigh* Mia has a crush on him. It's really the first time she's noticed a guy as more than somebody to play video games with on a weekend.
LOL Brinda, it's not like Oliver to miss an opportunity like that - unless the boss lady Sharon put her foot down of course! :)
Anyway, sounds like you had a good time. Oooh Regulus sounds gorgeous. I have a weakness for dark haired men with eyes like the ocean myself! :)
Kissing Booth! Wow! Are there any guys selling kisses. I was worried about you. Thought you might have been kidnapped, but man look at that jar chock full of dollar bills. WOWEEE!
Okay, where is the kissing booth and where is this Regulus guy. Do you think he'll mind kissing a grandma! Hee hee!
Ahem...here I am Regulus...pucker up my good man!
Too hard to explain Lyn, cross between a cookie and cracker. We'll make sure you try some during your US visit.
Pucker up, Brinda my pretty!
Pucker up again Regulus@ I have a ticket for two kisses, so let's just make it one long one!
I hear something moving around in the bushes - Ladies, get into your secret agent mode! We've got work to do. Saving the world can be really tense at times - this is beginning to look like one of them!
I'll look forward to Graham crackers and to making some s'mores!
OK, move over sisters, where's my kiss, I've got a was of tickets here!
Oh no Patsy - surely not, jut as I managed to push past Mary and Sharon and get to the head of the queue!
I'm on it sisters, stun gun at the ready
I'll be right behind you, I'll watch out for an attack from the rear. Wait Patsy, where's Patsy. Have they taken her already?? Is this the same villain? I hear snickering???
Ooh! Food & fun. Sorry I'm late :)
I really enjoyed Brinda's The Waiting Booth. Do I get a gun?
All of that food just makes me hungry.
Hi Shelley
No, you're not too late, there's plenty of food left and I'm sure we have a spare gun you can have!
Hi Michael, dig in, Oliver's still slaving over the barbeque, as you see!
Welcome Michael and Shelley, plenty of burgers left. Dig in.
This is an all nighter. Someone will be up talking, swimming or having fun at something else! So the party is just starting! Welcome, sleep, where you are when you get exhausted!!! Great day Brinda! Can I borrow that red convertible, how about one last excerpt??? Have fun!
Mary- You certainly have some energy! Take the car for a spin. I don't mind. :) An excerpt? Here's a small scene with Mia from The Waiting Booth. Please forgive the formatting as Blogger didn't like paragraph indentions.
"Once, my dad had taken my brother and me to a magic show in Branson, Missouri. The magician had walked on the stage and amazed us with a variety of tricks relying on sleight of hand and faith of audience. As a finale, he had made a helicopter disappear from the stage. We were thoroughly impressed.
This was another déjà vu moment.
What had happened? It had to be a trick, of course. Not magic. You don’t just step onto a spot and disappear. But just as my imagination could not devise a place for the helicopter to be hidden from view, I couldn’t imagine a hiding place for Regulus and Arizona. I walked over to examine the spot where they both had stood momentarily. I circled it and looked around to make sure that I was still alone. No abracadabra. Only me and the birds.
And the buzzing sound that seemed to engulf me. I flashed back to the moment that Regulus had disappeared.
I scooted my foot forward to the edge of the circle of flattened grass. I inched my toe into the circle. I don’t know if I thought I would disappear to the mystical hiding place where Regulus and Arizona were surely waiting for me, but nothing happened. Nothing except for the vibration that buzzed through my head and traversed down my body like silver mercury trying to converge but instead, wiggling aimlessly.
I planted both feet in the circle and waited again. I closed my eyes expectantly."
Oh. what a great excerpt Brinda, I love it!
Sadly it's well past midnight in my current dimension, so I'll have to curl up in the lodge and get some sleep. Have fun and I'' catch you all tomorrow.
Loved the excerpt Brinda! Got caught back in the woods and couldn't find my way back. I'm a city secret agent! It was fun visiting with you and much luck with sales.
Thank you for being a delightful guest, Brinda. We enjoyed roasting you. Best of luck.
Ladies ladies breakfast is served with a wink and a smile. Bacon and eggs, pancakes, blueberry muffins, croissants, cherry tarts, coffee and tea. Here we go, Brinda my pretty.
Ooh, thank you Oliver, breakfast, sounds wonderful!
Yes, we've loved having you here, Brinda, you've been a lovely guest of honour and I join with the others in wishing you much success with 'The Waiting Booth' and your future releases.
We'll keep the party open for a while, in case any latecomers drop in.
Ah thank you ladies. You've been terrific hostesses. I'd love to take Oliver with me when I leave. Do you think my husband would notice him?
LOL Brinda, I suppose you could always say he was your new household chef, although I have a feeling his boss lady Sharon wouldn't let him go! :)
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