Guest Blog: Debra Kristi

You may have noticed a trend around here lately . . . or maybe you don't pay attention, but either way, I'm highlighting YA Authors. We just don't get enough love, do we?

Debra Kristi has been a great supporter of mine. I think I may have been her inspiration (or butt kicker) to start her blog. Maybe I'm giving myself too much credit?

She's a great writer, and friend, and I'm happy to have her share a taste of her writing style with us today.

Make sure you leave her lots of comment love, and thanks for stopping by!

Debra: Hello, everyone! It is a pleasure to be here! I know most of you don’t know me from a jar of peanut butter, so let me introduce myself. I’m that girl who writes because the dead girl told her to. Have you heard of her? Well, that crazy one is me. In reality, that dead girl is the inspiration behind a story that has changed my life in more ways than one, and part of the reason I am here before you today.

I have been visiting Krystal’s blog since I took my first little steps onto the writing scene. It’s surreal to be on the other end of it now. When Krystal asked if I would share with her readers a sample of my work, I was delighted! I’ve admired her cozy niche in the blogging community for some time now. Because I absolutely adore Krystal, I have a special treat for everyone. On my blog I have rarely talked about any specifics regarding my book. One exception was back on November 17th when I made mention of a character by the name of Crystia, the sister of my protagonist. This was in a post about my own sister, citing her as a source of inspiration. Today Crystia will stretch her vocal cords and speak for the very first time in her own piece.

Although Crystia is usually a light-hearted, spirited individual, we are catching her at a rather heavy moment in a teen’s life. One that most will relate to. Now, without further ado, I give to you Crystia.

“Should I stay?” He lingers in the doorway unsure of what to do next. It’s obvious he wants to bolt. I don’t blame him. Things didn’t turn out as expected. Yet he hovers out of fear of what I might say at school tomorrow.

“No. Just go. I’ll catch you later. You can see yourself out, can’t you?” I wiggle into a more comfortable sitting position on the bed, pulling the covers tighter around me as he tugs his gray Henley t-shirt over his head.

“Yeah, sure.” He disappears down the hall only to reappear a second later. “Crystia?”

“What is it, Chris?” I try not to sound exasperated. He should already be out the front door.

“Was that okay? Are we okay?” He looks at me from across the room with worry set deep in his dark brown eyes.

I watch as he nervously runs his hand through his dirty blond hair and studies the scene of the crime – my bed. The place where he just stole my virginity.

“It’s fine, Chris. I’ll see you tomorrow. At school.” I wait for him to go, but he continues to linger. “Goodbye, Chris.”

“Yeah. Later.”

His footsteps retreat down the hall, across the house and out the door. Relief. He’s gone. That wasn’t what I thought it would be. I mean, yeah, they say the first time never is. But it was more than that. I wasn’t into him like I thought I would be - should be. I felt no desire. It was more like I owed it to him after tying him up in a relationship for so long. Now I question if I even like him. Worse yet, if I even like boys. Sigh. I feel so contaminated – grossed out.

Grabbing my robe from the hook on my bedroom door, I head straight for a hot shower. I feel a serious need to wash away all man stank. I could stay in the shower forever, letting the hot water turn me into flimsy noodle, but eventually my sister, Ana, will return home with family friend, Ryland, in tow. I smile inwardly. She should totally jump on him and stop fooling herself. He is HOT. And apparently into all the same over-the-top stuff she’s into. Maybe I should play matchmaker. Ha!

Stepping out of the tub, I stand in the steam of the bathroom and stare at myself in the mirror. Do I look older now that I am a woman? Tilting my head from side to side, my bleached blonde hair still mats in a wet mess as usual, my skin and body – well – I can’t see any changes. Still too skinny and lacking in curve. Wait. Leaning closer to the mirror, I examine my eyes more closely. Nah, false alarm. For a second I thought they were favoring one color more than another. Oh well. Pulling open the medicine cabinet I grab my contact lenses from the top shelf. Now they’ll be one color.

Back in my room I throw on some clothes and snap my crystal wristband in place as the phone begins to ring. Odd, was it my imagination or did the crystal just glow? I’ll have to ask Ana about that since that’s her thing. Speaking of… Ana’s name displays on the caller ID. My chest weighs heavily as I consider confiding in her about Chris and everything I’m feeling. But before I pick up the phone I know I’ll chicken out. How can she relate? All she ever does is make-out and who knows what else with some guy in her dreams. She hasn’t had a successful real date in ages. If anything, she hides behind Ry. Aren’t we a great pair of sisters? Clearly we have issues. I’ll probably just talk to Caesar about it tonight.

“Hey,” I say into the phone, trying to sound completely cool. “What’s up?”

I’m greeted by the sounds of crackles and static when Ana’s voice pops through the low noise. “Sorry. We are just getting back into town now. You know how it is along the desert roads - reception sucks.”

“Yep,” I answer shortly.

“Ry and I are swinging by the flower shop to take mom some grub. Would you like anything?”

“No, but thanks for asking. I have to work tonight.” I glance at the clock and a mild wave of panic runs through me. “I really need to get going actually. I’m running late.”

“For the cat house? What are they going to do, fire you?” she says half seriously. “You’re a volunteer.”

“I know. But I like working with the cats and I don’t want to be late.”

“Won’t it be dark while you’re working if you go in this late? Not sure I like that. We’re not talking about sweet kittens. They have some seriously big cats. Dangerous ones!” Ana is talking, but all I hear is buzzing. I know she means well, but she just doesn’t get it. Doesn’t want to get it. Not yet anyway. She’s resisting the truth.

“I’m perfectly aware of how big the cats are at the conservatory. Don’t worry about me, sis. I know how to handle them.” I shut off the phone before Ana has a chance to respond. I need to get going. I have a date with a Caesar, a beautiful white Siberian tiger. We have a lot to talk about.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Crystia and a glimpse at her rather personal backstory. You even got a tiny glimpse at my protagonist through Crystia’s eyes. I want to thank you all for allowing me to share this special moment with you. And a very special thank you to Krystal for the invitation.

~

I definitely thank you, Debra. I'm honored you chose to share something so wonderful with me and my readers. With writing like that, your book is SURE to be a hit. I can't wait to read more! Especially about those tigers.

Debra Kristi lives with her husband, two kids and a frog named Darth. She is currently working on her first YA fantasy. It’s a trilogy (currently unnamed) about a young girl coming into her own while trying to find herself and overcome a great personal loss. To get to know more about the author, stop in and visit her blog .