Friday 19 August 2011

Romantic Friday Writers - New Horizons

Hello readers, welcome back to Romantic Friday Writers. You will have to forgive me as I've been bogged down with writing and editing I've been unable to post regularly for RFW. It's redlines and deadlines for me at the moment.
This week's theme is New Horizons and I've chosen a snippet from one of my completed novels title The Tycoon's Spurned Bride. It is set in Lagos, Nigeria. In this scene, the heroine Ebony meets the hero Felix for the first time. Or so she thinks. I hope you enjoy it. Of course let me know what you think at the end.

Word count: 393

Ebony was exhausted. Mind, body and surely somewhere in her soul, she was weary too. With her tired state of mind came irritability and the penchant for annoyance at the slightest aggravation. She stepped off the plane from a long-haul flight from the USA. For the first time in ten years, she was back in Nigeria ready to confront her past. By the time the trip was over, she hoped to start a new life too.

The regulated cool air of the plane hadn’t prepared her for the humid wall of heat that hit her as soon as she disembarked and started the walk towards passport control. The air in the terminal was controlled, but still not cool enough for her non-acclimatized body.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, her irritation heightened with the long wait to clear immigration and then another long wait to pick up her luggage. It seemed several flights had disembarked about the same time increasing the human traffic in the airport. With her luggage finally in hand she went through customs and was finally out hurrying out to meet with the family driver picking her up.

As soon as she stepped into the busy lobby, a man approached her. It was probably unfair describing him as a mere man. Tall, he stood head and shoulders above everyone in the lobby except for one other man standing next to him; broad shouldered she guessed that underneath his well-cut gray pinstripe suit was a lean muscular body; his complexion was like polished brown teak wood and his facial features were rugged warrior-like. She couldn’t help picturing him as a descendant of famous African warriors.

He smiled at her and she wondered where she recognized his face from. She squeezed her face into a frown as her brain worked to figure out who he was. Then it hit her. She pulled out the magazine in her bag and looked at the image on the front cover.

Gosh! It was him. Felix Essien - the oldest of the Essien brothers, the kings of African finance, and one of Africa’s most eligible bachelors according to Time magazine. 

He was here, in the airport terminal, striding towards her with powerful purposeful steps and looking straight at her. She bit down the urge to glance behind her and check if there was someone else there.

***
Share your thoughts as usual. Do you like the snippet? Does it fit the theme? Also do remember to check out other entries for this week by using the above link. Have a great weekend.

20 comments:

  1. There's something poignant about that first meeting of hero and heroine and you've captured it here so well, Kiru.

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  2. Thank you, thewordsmythe. I'm glad that comes across well.

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  3. Oh, this is very intriguing. Definitely makes me want to get into the story. I like the hint of a past that needs healing and the description of the man is fantastic. He is so vivid and clear and larger than life.

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  4. I like the snippet. It got me wondering what the heroine is running away from and what she's going to encounter with the handsome warrior :)

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  5. Oh, yeah. This sounds like the start of something new. This makes me wonder why he's be there to collect her, since she doesn't know him. I like that she equates him with being a warrior, which he is, just in another way.

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  6. Very interesting characters. Strong descriptions of both them and their surroudnings, too.
    Enjoyable read, thank you.

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  7. Hi,

    Hint of romance to come, perhaps, and definitely something in her past driving her home! ;)

    Nicely written, and intriguing snippet.

    best
    F

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  8. It definitely suits the theme, and the story feels fresh each time I read it...

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  9. Intriguing first meeting, Kiru. Those ones are usually very tricky but you handled it well!

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  10. Loved it, and especially the humorous vulnerable touch at the end, where she almost looks behind her to see who he's headed to meet.

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  11. Kiru, you have intrigued us all with your snippet. Sounds like it could be a sizzling story to come and set in such an exotic place. I hope we get to read more...

    Denise

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  12. Excellent snippet, an excellent description of arriving at the airport (been there, done that!) plus the bonus of an intriguing stranger!

    BTW If you visit my blog, you'll see that I'm offering you an interview or guest blog (on either or both of my blogs). Please leave me your email address so that we can arrange this :-)

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  13. Hi All, thank you for your lovely comments. I really appreciate it. This story is dear to me as it is one of my first full-length novels.

    Ebony and Felix are so special and so vivid for me, sometimes they feel like close friends.

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  14. Wow, Paula. I won a prize. I'm popping over straight away. Thank you. :o))

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  15. Dear Kiru,
    Thank you for your kind words about my story about Cissi and Selma!

    Your text for 'New Horizons' is very well-written. I agree with Paula Martin about how you make the reader feel the long wait at the airport with Ebony. We feel the change in climate and her anticipation about the person (Felix) whom she is to meet.

    I'm curious about what happens next to Ebony and Felix.

    Best wishes,
    Anna

    For the benefit of other readers:
    Anna's RFW No.15-'New Horizons: Cissi tells Selma...'

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  16. Anna, thank you so much. I appreciate you stopping by.

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  17. Loving it ( but then you probably know that I love everything you write, right)?

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  18. Congrats KT, so happy for you!

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  19. The opening lines are vividly descriptive.The first meeting between the hero and the heroine is well told.

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  20. LD, Uche and SS, thank you. I'm glad you like it.

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