Imperfections
by Ann Chiappetta
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GENRE: YA Contemporary Fiction
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BOOK BLURB:
For Lainie, feeling unwelcome is only the beginning of her struggles. Her mom is addicted to painkillers, her stepfather is a felon, and her dad traded her in for a new family.
So what if she’s kicked out of high school? Determined and attractive, Lainie sets out to make her own path.
Shane, the young man she begins dating and believes is trustworthy, transforms into a possessive and cruel boyfriend. When Efren, Shane’s older cousin, enters her life, Lainie grasps onto a shred of hope, falling in love. Shane’s obsessive and abusive treatment of her, however, casts a deep shadow over Efren and Lainie’s chance to find safety and a future free of the fear of Shane’s sadistic retribution.
Will their love persevere, or will Shane’s pervasive and negative influence push Lainie and Efren apart, forcing them to love secretly?
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EXCERPT THREE:
Shane wasn’t who he once was, and I needed to do whatever I could to help her feel safe. Witnessing the abuse and shame she’d endured because of his sick obsession twisted me, and I wanted nothing more than to pummel his snotty little face until he begged for mercy. How could anyone abuse someone like Elaina?
She strode past Shane and into my suite with the final armful, ignoring him.
“I’m done,” she said.
“I hope she doesn’t disappoint you in bed,” said Shane.
The anger boiled, but I kept myself in control. “Enough of that. This isn’t the time to rearrange your face, you snotty wanker,” I said, my voice thick with anger.
I waited until Shane dropped his gaze, then I said, “I hope that day comes soon, cousin. I hope you step over the line so I can make some improvements to your complexion.”
He retreated to his room. I heard the lock engage, and I permitted myself to feel a little regret at not defending Elaina’s character with direct contact of my fist against that arse’s face.
I entered the room. Elaina had stacked her belongings, her life, into a corner of the sitting area. It saddened me to know that a few cases and boxes were all that remained after Shane had stolen and sold the rest to get high.
There was so much about her that I wanted to know. Why her father never helped her. Why she didn’t ask for help from her relatives in New York. I knew her mother was an addict and that she and Elaina did not speak. She was enrolled in East Bay Community College and was close to earning an associate’s degree. She wanted to obtain a bachelor’s degree in kennel and stable management. So focused, and yet she seemed sad.
The fair gowns hung on a hook in the closet. Her fingers caressed the pewter and black one.
The gesture brought me a sense of gloom, as if she were saying goodbye. After I had crept into Rita’s box and listened to her sobbing, the moderate measure of guilt I felt for punching Shane, the wanker, then asking Rick to assist in throwing him over the fair gate, had been assuaged. Shane should have gotten a sounder beating, but he was still blood kin. That was the only thing that had saved him from my rearranging his mug.
Listening to Lainie’s sobs, I realized I wanted to pick her up off Rita’s back and be the one to absorb those tears. I needed her to trust me. She was so vulnerable and isolated that I wondered if she would ever take a chance on sharing the abuse I knew she had endured during her time living with Shane. I hoped when she finally decided to trust me, I would be able to handle it.
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GUEST POST:
World-building can be the most important element of your book. What media outlets, role-models, and real-life inspirations did you draw from while writing this book?
This is a great question. My book’s main location is San Jose and the Santa Clara valley and the towns and cities surrounding it. Towards the end of the book Lainie and Effren make a trip back to New York. I drew upon plenty of my personal knowledge for the chapter written for the trip to New York, having lived in both locations. I grew up in New York but also spent eight years in the Santa Clara valley, bummed around in Santa Cruz and San Francisco.
I used the web for researching professional dog kennels and spoke with a few dog trainers I know. I am a guide dog user, being blind for over thirty years. I know more than the average person about the handling and training of service dogs and am fascinated with Schultz Hund and military working dogs.
As for role models, I create a character layer by layer. I am a retired family therapist. Delving into personalities and crafting memorable characters is challenging. I actually enjoy it. Ray Miller, Lainie’s boss, is modeled after the high school principal I knew and liked. Ray is a combat veteran with a below-the-knee limb loss. I came into contact with men and woman veterans in my profession and creating a positive sketch like Ray -- overcoming a devastating trauma and injury -- solidified Ray’s character on the pages and readers found him engaging.
The Renaissance fair knowledge is both personal and researched. In a weird twist of fate, I experienced both a Renn fair in New York for many years and prior to New York, spent an entire weekend at the one held in Northern California.
I did the most research with the timeline in relation to cellular and mobile phones and computers. Lainie began her journey just prior to Silicon valley exploding with the commercial production of the semiconductor. She didn’t have a cell phone when the book begins and by the end of the book four years transpire, enough for me to insert mobile phones and household computers. I do admit shortening the smart phone and pc revolution in terms of time and I do blur the boundaries a bit to suit the story.
Thanks so much for hosting me and my book, Imperfections. 💖
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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
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Ann Chiappetta, M.S. Poet and author
Ann’s award-winning poems, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared internationally in literary journals, popular online blogs, and print anthologies. Her poems have been featured in The Avocet, the Pangolin Review, Plum Tree Tavern, Magnets and Ladders, Oprelle, Western PA Poetry Review 2024and Breath and Shadow. Ann’s short story, The Misty Torrent appeared in the Artificial Divide anthology published by Renaissance Press (2021).
Ann is the recipient of the 2019 GDUI Excellence in Writing award and the WDOMI 2016 Spirit of Independence award.
Independently published since 2016, the author’s seven volume collection includes poetry, creative nonfiction essays, short stories and contemporary fiction.
Diagnosed in 1993 with a rare form of progressive retinal disease, Ann accepts vision loss as part of her life but doesn’t let it define her as a whole person.
The author resides in western Pennsylvania with her husband, retired guide dog pet dog and cats, striving to develop a mutually-beneficial relationship with her assistive technology.
Contact Ann by visiting her Website:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Ann will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
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