Writing – Page 23 – Britt Skrabanek

ReBlog: Book review – Everything’s Not Bigger, Britt Skrabanek

A magnanimous thank you to Roy McCarthy over at “Back on the Rock” for taking the time to review my humble book, “Everything’s Not Bigger”. This is beyond exciting for me as an emerging author and I am truly grateful for this amazing support.

Please stop by Roy’s blog and check the whole piece out. It is portrayed beautifully and honestly, just the way I like the written word to be.

Thanks again, Roy.

Back On The Rock

Sigourney Dujka runs with a bad crowd in urban Arizona. As with too many young people she is attracted by the excitement and becomes a part of city underlife and dependant on drugs and those that rob for it. She is offered an escape route – the unpalatable one of turning in her buddies in exchange for her freedom and full witness protection. It is one she takes.

Author Britt Skrabanek’s first twist is to introduce her main and always likeable character in her new life before regressing to her earlier days. Now we find her several years on in the retail trade, battling it out on the sales floor of a high-class Dallas fashion emporium for the custom of the oil-financed clientele, money no object. Skrabanek’s portrayal of life in the store and her fellow employees is priceless. Like it or not the women are part of the show…

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For My Apple Lovers

Not that kind of apple, silly! The other kind.

In addition to Amazon and Smashwords, my latest book, Everything’s Not Bigger, is now available for your delicious Apple products as well. I realize $4.99 is a little pricier than a normal apple, but it sure is a yummy bargain for a book!

In the heartland of oil money, Jaye Davis spends her whirlwind existence trapped in the battle fields of high fashion. Surrounded by sparkling ambition and plastic perfection, she reluctantly masquerades as a sales drone at Lyman’s, a luxury store in Dallas. After escaping a turbulent past and leaving everything behind, Jaye struggles to find her place in the world. Armed with a quiet determination, she embarks on a solitary quest, searching for certainty in an uncertain future.

But Jaye Davis isn’t her real name–only a byproduct of the witness protection program. Once her fabricated identity is thrown into jeopardy, she flees to the haunting allure of Prague. Unearthing her roots in an important step toward self-discovery, she learns to surrender to the life she truly deserves.

Ooh, that sounds crisp and delightful, Britt! I’d love a bite.

Everything’s Not Bigger is Now Available

This book is the very core of my soul, the essence of my being, the minefields of my imagination bundled haphazardly in an e-book by an unknown author…me.

Much like our own lives, this is a feel-good thriller. We never know what each day will bring so we live with abandonment, spending what precious time we have laughing, crying, loving, and sometimes hurting.

Many of my personal experiences and connections grace the pages of Everything’s Not Bigger, instilling an organic touch only real life can exude.

I feel vulnerable releasing this particular story, because truthfully, much of it is my own. But alas, it is also fiction, and there are embellishments for entertainment purposes.

I’d like to thank all of you out there who have supported and encouraged me…my family, my friends, my blogger buddies. Your necessary beauty helps me continue to put my fingers to the keyboard, to tell what I have to tell in my kooky little way.

If you happen to take a chance on me and read this humble book, I would be greatly appreciative of an honest review at your avenue of purchase so that I can continue making a name for myself as one of a zillion indie authors doing the same thing.

Really…it would mean the world to me.

THANK YOU for supporting the indie author movement.

Discover Everything’s Not Bigger on Amazon and Smashwords for $4.99.

A Seasonal Perspective

Fall…is there anything more enchanting? The colors and scents are a charismatic feast for the senses, captivating every age with equal magnitude.

I never had seasons growing up, I had perfect Southern California weather. I know what you’re thinking. Oh, poor Britt! That must have been unbearable.

Honestly, in many ways…without seasons I missed out.

I didn’t get to crash into a pile of leaves, fashion snow angels, or smell flowers come back to life. My wardrobe was the same year-round–no fun boots, coats, or other toasty accessories.

Profoundly in tune with the seasons, our bodies are cyclical. Even if the climate reflects idyllic conditions in the form of sunshine and clear skies, the absence of seasons can be strangely unsettling. Year after year, the comfort of the holidays is muted and the excitement for summer is ho-hum.

Post-Cali I spent seven cranky years in the sweltering heat of Texas. I’m a hot-natured person—big surprise—so boiling temps are definitely not my bag, baby.

Since moving to Wisconsin a few years ago, I have participated in all of the previously mentioned seasonal activities, fulfilling my childish wishes at long last.

Now that the seasons are mine to cherish, I could never live without them. By and large, fall is my favorite and I used my newly discovered infatuation to enhance the setting in Everything’s Not Bigger.

The main character, Jaye Davis, spends her childhood in Arizona and early adulthood in Texas, making her the catalyst for unearthing this overlooked notion, a missing link in her life. Upon traveling to Prague in October, she marvels at the basic nature she has always been denied.

An excerpt from Everything’s Not Bigger…

She halted on the sidewalk to soak in the beautiful tree-lined street. Prague in autumn was a breathtaking sight: striking mothers pushed strollers across gold, leaf-littered sidewalks; fat, daredevil squirrels darted between cars stockpiling nuts for winter; picturesque schoolchildren in plaid uniforms played hopscotch after school.

Every crunchy step she took over the brilliant leaves was a relishing moment. A stealthy breeze lifted the bottom of her coat, sending a tiny chill up her body. Everywhere it smelled like crisp foliage with the slightest hint of cinnamon.

Disrupting the magic, her stomach rudely reminded her of its incessant need for nourishment. Jaye opted to grab a bite at a street vendor, so she could spend the remaining daylight wisely, taking in the magical city at a snail’s pace.

And there at the street vendor, her exquisite autumn fantasy came to a bitter end. The mobile shed housed an impatient college kid, decorated with multiple facial piercings. Jaye investigated the menu bordering the top of the little window, and fidgeted with the strap of her handbag.

Jaye regarded the numbered images skeptically, head moving left to right, then right to left. Each bowl of goulash looked the same as its neighbor, and there were five choices. None looked edible.

After only one day, she felt homesick. Food had been the trigger.

Just as her grandmother and aunt had in their kitchen, Texas had one redeeming quality—the food was to die for. Tex-Mex, barbeque, and spicy brunches were available on every corner of Dallas. Due to deliciously fond memories of her grandmother’s cooking, she hadn’t thought much about Czech cuisine. Now that she discovered this goulash street buffet, Jaye realized her childhood menu was a Tex-Czech fusion—unfairly savory, and unavailable elsewhere.

Customers ignored her as she stood dumbly on the sidewalk. She crept away.

Out of nowhere she saw a godsend—Weasel Wich, a familiar American sandwich chain, its boring facade standing out like a hooker in a fancy museum. Surrounded on all sides by historic architectural gems, the cheesy signage was a little piece of home. She made a beeline for the doors, licking her lips at the thought of mediocre sandwich fare.

I promise this is the last book snippet I will bombard you all with. Thank you for obliging me and sharing your comments and feedback.

Everything’s Not Bigger releases this Saturday the 10th!

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Imagine signing a foreign name. Imagine severing contact with your loved ones. Imagine lying to every person you meet for the rest of your life.

Welcome to the witness protection program.

After much debate, I decided to coin my upcoming novel, Everything’s Not Bigger, a feel-good thriller. Catchy, right?

It was the only way to encompass a lost woman rediscovering herself after escaping a dark past, while relaying undertones of humor, romance, and inspiration.

Jaye Davis appears as a typical young adult, trapped in a materialistic world, working a job she despises, and hiding her insecurities. But there is more than meets the eye.

Her real name is Sigourney—Sig for short—a player in the witness protection program after a risky set-up gone wrong.

An excerpt from Everything’s Not Bigger…

Something was off. Birds chirped and the freeway hummed steadily; otherwise, it was too quiet at dusk, almost vacant.

Pick-ups were transacted in the garage, often through a cat door on the side of the building. Each customer had an assigned knock, orchestrated in a specific pattern for identification. If the rhythm was botched in any way, the sale was cancelled.

Sig worried muscle memory would break down in her moment of need, and she would be met with silence outside the garage.

She was unclear whether a failed mission meant she was free to go or not. She only wanted to do this once. Another attempt would surely cause her heart to rip through her chest.

“We’re right here with you, Sig,” Detective Garcia’s voice came through the earpiece.

She had almost forgotten they were there, and relished in a bit of comfort knowing the area was surrounded by Garcia’s team, ready for action. Although they were hidden with care, their presence explained the offbeat buzz. Call it instinct, but she could feel them everywhere, binoculars pointed and guns blazing.

She performed her assigned knock only to be met by a hushed audience. A fierce sweat dripped down her forehead and back. She could not repeat the knock. Once it was done, it was done. Sig was certain she had it right.

Noah wasn’t a big fish, because he was stupid. He was clever, evading police sharks at every turn, taking his school along with him.

In case she was being watched, she avoided conversation. She turned casually and headed back down the row of garages. She heard Garcia’s frustrated sigh on the other end of the earpiece as she strolled.

A gun shot reverberated through the garage corridor, bouncing off the doors like a pinball machine. She froze.

“Find some cover, Sig!”

She looked around desperately. There was no cover.

I wanted to reveal the permanent repercussions of a person who was forced to choose between prison and freedom at a price. She is flawed and torn, but a person with depth and purpose. She craves stability and assurance after having everything she knew—that which was comforting and familiar—taken away.

I was intrigued by the idea of someone destroying their own world by making a catastrophic, self-induced mistake, and dealing forever with those consequences.

A new identity would give birth to an impostor—no childhood, no connections, no memories. Relationships would be tainted by a fabricated truth, instilling a suffocating emptiness with no expiration.

Perhaps she would purposely get lost, pretending to lead an imaginary life in order to forget the pain. Because giving in would be easier than putting up a fight.

But, what if that someone decided to return to themselves instead of succumbing to a hopeless fate? What if she had the courage to forgive herself, to find herself, to surrender to the life that she deserves?

That to me is a brave soul, a hero of sorts, one with the potential for absolute integrity.

The one week countdown has begun! Everything’s Not Bigger releases November 10 to e-readers everywhere.

A big thank you to all of my wonderful friends in the blogging community who continually offer their beautiful support and encouragement.

As always, your comments and feedback are very much appreciated.