Reality is just a dream

~~~FALL BOOK BASH ~~~ FALL BOOK BASH ~~~ FALL BOOK BASH~~~

So many terrific authors have dropped by this fall to share excerpts from their books in The Fall Book Bash. I love reading bits from so many different genres and finding things I probably would never have picked up otherwise. My to-be-read list has definitely grown in the past two months, but I’m planning to take care of that over the holidays by reading as much as I can. I hope you have been able to find some great holiday reads and gifts as well.

Today, Beth Honeycutt is sharing an excerpt from her young adult novel, What Dreams May Come. So if you love young adult novels or if you know someone who does, check out the excerpt below and find your next great book.

~He knows her darkest secrets, sees into her dreams. Math class will never be the same.

Reality is overrated. Or so Ellie Cross believes. She greatly prefers the dreams she shares with her imaginary friend and lifelong BFF, Gabe, to the nightmare of her real life. And okay, so yeah, lately Ellie’s noticed that Gabe’s kinda hot. Make that incredibly hot. But that doesn’t mean she’s crazy or anything. So what if she happens to have an itsy-bitsy crush on her reality-challenged friend? Who’s it hurting, really?

But when the hot new guy at school walks into her math class, Ellie finds herself staring into eyes remarkably like the ones she’s been dreaming of all her life. To make matters worse, the new guy seems to know things about Ellie that he shouldn’t have any way of knowing. Has Ellie finally lost it, started confusing dreams with reality? Or is there something else going on, something she never could’ve imagined, even in her wildest dreams?~

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME (excerpt)

Ellie handed a menu over to Gabriel. “You have to try a piece of pie,” she instructed. “You can’t miss it—their pie is the best. And I bet I can find just the kind you’d like,” she said, pointing to a small blurb on the back of the menu entitled, The Psychology of Pie. “You can learn a lot about a person from the type of pie they like,” she teased.

“Oh really?” Gabriel returned, joining in the lighthearted fun. “I’ll take that challenge. I bet I can pick out the kind of pie you like best, too.”

“You’re on,” Ellie challenged. “You order the pie you think I’d want and I’ll do the same for you. Then we’ll see who knows the other best,” she finished smugly, sure she was going to win. She’d been thinking about this for a while now.

They both studied the menu until the waitress came over to take their order. She was a middle-aged woman who looked tired from the long day and, no doubt, the long evening of dealing with teenagers.

She was quick and efficient taking their order and returned in just a couple of minutes with the pie and their drinks. She placed their respective refreshments in front of them and laid the bill to the side, then went back to the front.

Gabriel pushed the plate that was in front of him toward Ellie. It held a single slice of cream-colored pie with a slightly darker, golden-yellow top, all supported by a delicate crust with fluted edges. He took his fork and cut off the tip of the pie, putting it into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed and nodded to himself, satisfied. “Sugar cream pie,” he said, supremely confident that he’d pegged her favorite.

“Interesting,” she responded, refusing to give anything away just yet. She wanted to hear his reasoning first. “Why that one?”

“It just seems like you.” Gabriel shrugged. “Light, unpretentious, with a delicate crust that’s not too thick or too thin. There’s hidden depth to the flavor that you aren’t expecting. It’s sweet, but not so rich that you can only take it in small doses. You could eat a whole pie and still want more. And it’s a classic—good for any occasion, any time. The perfect pie.” He held her gaze as he listed the attributes and she found herself blushing again at the message in his eyes.

It was probably ridiculous to feel so complimented, being compared to a piece of pie, but she did. He forked up another bite and held it out to her, waiting for her to take a taste. She did, closing her eyes at the creamy texture and light sweetness nestled within the flaky crust. It was the perfect piece of pie.

When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her closely. His eyes were dark and kept straying to her lips, making them tingle. She decided a change of topic was in order, so she pushed the piece of pie she’d chosen out to the middle of the table. It had a thick coating of nuts on top, with golden-brown, gooey filling hidden beneath. Its crust was thick and firm. Like he had done, she forked up a bite and ate it slowly, testing it on her tongue, thinking through what she wanted to say. She swallowed and took a drink of her water. “Pecan,” she declared decisively, pleased with her choice.

“Oh, really?” he asked, one brow raised. “And why is that?”

She smiled impishly. “Tough and strong on the outside, gooey and sweet on the inside. Oh, and a sturdy, dependable crust. And maybe just a little nuts,” she added with a smirk. She forked up a bite for him and held it out, her eyes alight with good humor.

He rolled his eyes, but leaned forward to take the proffered bite. He chewed carefully and swallowed. “Not bad,” he conceded.

“Oh, come on!” Ellie protested. “You know you loved it!”

“What about you?” he challenged. “How was the sugar cream?”

“You’re right, it is my favorite,” Ellie admitted. Though she put on a good show, she was secretly thrilled that he knew her so well. “How’d I do with yours?”

“Truthfully, I’ve never really had a favorite kind of pie,” Gabriel said, sounding almost apologetic.

“Pie’s not something I’ve had a lot of.” Ellie felt her heart squeeze at this reminder of how very different his upbringing had been from hers. But then he grinned, face alight with happiness. “I gotta say, though, I think pecan is my favorite now.” His gaze on her was warm. “Though let’s not let that ‘gooey and sweet on the inside’ stuff get around, all right? I mean, pecan pie has a reputation to protect, yeah?”

Ellie burst out laughing. “I’ll do my best to keep a lid on it,” she promised, eyes twinkling.

A professional writer and editor, Beth has written everything from poetry and short stories to proposals for government contracts, science textbooks, and standardized tests (yes, you have her to thank for those!). Her real love is writing fiction, though, especially YA. She loves to travel and has been to nine different countries (more if you count layovers!). At home or abroad, she can usually be found with her head in a book or madly scribbling down ideas for a book of her own. She loves spending time with family, stories of all kinds, and happy endings. She firmly believes in the enduring power of love.

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Hope you enjoyed this excerpt. Please leave a comment or question for Beth below!

Barbara