Isabelle and Samuel - Frontier First Encounter!
It's here! The big contest where you could win a $150 gift certificate for a dress like this one from www.edressme.com (you get to pick the dress) and a signed copy of Wind Dancer! All you have to do is tell me how/where you think Samuel and Isabelle would meet if they had their first encounter today.
In my version, Isabelle, her brother Julian, and their guide are taking cover from a nasty thunderstorm under a tree in the forest. Lightning strikes a tree close by causing Isabelle to scream. Samuel is walking through a nearby clearing when he hears the scream and heads toward them to investigate. He circles around to the back of the threesome and then Isabelle suddenly turns and points her long rifle straight at his heart. Isabelle demands he come forward and interrogates him. Samuel finds himself both repelled and fascinated by her fierce boldness. There is some heated banter between them and then Julian steps in to rescue Samuel from his sister's brazen manners. Instant chemistry!
Now it's your turn. How and where might they meet today?
The judges:
Julie Gwinn - B&H Publishing's Marketing Maven (I just call her Supergirl!!)
This contest will be up until Sunday, February 1st. The winner of last week's contest will be announced sometime this week, so keep checking back.
God bless and have fun!!
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10 comments:
The Canadian Rockies in British Columbia, Canada! Preferably somewhere between Banff, Alberta and Fernie, B.C. The tall trees, hidden rivers and lakes everywhere, waiting to be discovered, the bright green moss, and snow tipped mountains....yeah, it's got to be British Columbia. Besides, they grow the girls tough out there......so i hear! :)
TODAY: The Great Smoky Mountains, Charlie’s Bunion.
To celebrate her graduation from college, Isabelle and her brother Julian are backpacking along the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains. They reach Charlie’s Bunion, which is on their way up to Mount LeConte where they have reservations to stay the night at the Mount LeConte Lodge. Just as they get to the huge rocky cliff, the sun comes over the mountains and the fog clears out of the valley to show them a truly magnificent view. They sit there for an hour enjoying God’s handiwork and giving thanks for such a wonderful morning.
As they are getting ready to travel on, Julian, being a bit too daring, loses his footing on the edge of the cliff and slips a little. Isabelle, responding out of fear of seeing her brother tumble to his death – reaches out and grabs his hand and ultimately puts herself in even more danger. It is now Isabelle dangling from the cliff with her brother barely being able to hang onto her.
Just as she thinks her life is going to end, something large shadows the sun from her eyes… and strong hands take hold of hers, pulling her quickly to safety with hardly any effort.
Samuel is a very experienced hiker and hates it when he sees people putting themselves in danger… as this girl had. After assuring himself she was not hurt, he ripped into her about the dangers of hiking along the ridges and cliffs of mountains.
“Did you not see the sign?”
“What sign?”
“The one that says, CLOSELY CONTROL CHILDREN.”
He obviously thinks her much younger than her ___ years… and she lashes back at him – She is embarrassed and angry… and still shaky. Julian comes between them and confesses that it was his fault she had found herself in such a dangerous position.
Samuel doesn’t really care whose fault it was… just so long as both of them learned their lesson today.
Having seen Charlie’s Bunion numerous times before, Samuel is merely passing through. He starts to load up to be on his way and they discover they are all headed to the Mount LeConte Lodge.
While hiking down the Appalachian trail to where the Boulevard Trail starts, Samuel tries to convince Isabelle and Julian to take a different route. The Boulevard Trail is the most difficult way up to Mount LeConte.
Isabelle thinks that Samuel is just trying to get rid of them and makes a point to stay close at his heels… just to irritate him. Once they are all headed up the Boulevard Trail, Isabelle realizes that he was right. It was difficult. And then it began to storm, making the path a muddy mess. They all took shelter under a giant rock jutting out from the mountain…
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Wow – Thanks for such a fun contest! I had fun doing this!
It was tricky with gun laws the way they are nowadays compared to the time your story was written… Today she would most likely be arrested if she aimed a gun at someone! And then where would the story go?
Why not at a paleontological field site in the middle of South Dakota?
Isabelle and Julian could be working on a dig, out by a river. No one visible for miles, with the sun high in the sky, reflecting off a fossil. Even the rattlesnakes are hiding from the sun. Isabelle's by the river, walking the shore for fossil fragments, and Julian's up a shale covered hill.
As Julian shifts to get a better seat, he slips, shoving shale down the hill, tinkling like a xylophone that echoes as they fall. Samuel's wandering around, as the site's on the edge of his family's land, and walks over to investigate. Samuel meets the two by reaching the hill top Julian's on, crashing more rocks on Julian and his work.
That would only end in screaming.
Isa belle has just been picked up at the San Francisco airport by her brother Julian and his best friend and world-wide traveler. They have set out for a road trip across country in Julian's friends' ancient VW van.
Throwing Isabelle's bags in the back, they begin on their way, when unexpectantly the van stalls (as all VW vans are quite apt to do), and they pull off the interstate into a dimly lit rest stop where only one other lone car is parked.
While the men try to pinpoint the trouble, Isabelle gets out to use the restroom and notices the other car is empty. She walks to the restroom, keeping a watch of where she is and who may be lurking in the shadows.
Coming out, she turns to walk around the brick wall, heading back to the van, hoping they have fixed the problem and can be on their way.
Using peripheral vision, she glances around her and towards the shadows that surround her when she immediately runs into her brother. With darkness encircling her and fear in her mind, she screams loud.
Samuel comes running around the building with a determined look to protect, what may well be, a damsel in distress.
Isabelle's face is white and her eyes are large, round circles.
Samuel grabs Julian's shoulder to turn him and face him when Isabelle reaches into her pocket and pulls out a bottle of pepper spray and aims it directly at Samuel's face.
Annoyed at her for not accepting his attempt to save her and yet also curious about her strength of will, Samuel releases his grip on Julian as emotions are calmed when Julian explains he's Isabelle's brother and not some rest stop maniac attempting to attack a young woman in the middle of nowhere.
They meet at Starbucks. Doesn't everyone?
Isabelle and Samuel
Isabelle looked down from a hill overlooking Gaza. Her face dirty and her uniform blood stained with a putrid smell about her. It was the smell of war, of death. She wondered when the day would end. She wanted to join the army ever since she was a child. She always felt the Father had given her a deep passion to fight for right and justice. After joining the army she was placed as a medic in the regime of the 144th infantry battalion. It was a challenging call on her life, but she loved being here in Israel with the American troops sent to help the Jewish effort. Soldiers were dying all around. Isabelle’s Lieutenant had also died in battle. They were meeting their replacement today. She shoved her hair back behind her ears and decided she had better get back to the camp and at least wash her face and change into a clean uniform. When she returned to the camp the Lieutenant had already arrived. She moved quickly to her tent as Lieutenant Samuel Holt was likewise in a hurry for an early briefing.
Their chance meeting happened as they slammed into each other. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” Isabelle said with a tone of impatience. Samuel looked down at a beautiful dirty face masking a kindred spirit that washed over him. “Pardon me PRIVATE, I’m afraid I’ve been in too big a hurry all day.” Isabelle recognizing that he was the replacement, and now her Lieutenant, composed herself and saluted, saying, “My fault Lieutenant!” He looked at her appearance and said, “What is your name private?” “My name is Isabelle Renoir.” By her uniform he could tell that she was a medic. There was something so strong about this one. She was tired and bloody like the rest of them, but she had a calm strength in her eyes. Isabelle was drawn to a depth she had never seen in a man’s eyes that shook her very being. He smiled slightly and said, “You’re excused.” He watched her as she turned and walked away. Isabelle with noble purpose saluted once more and walked away… thinking “Okay Lord you can calm my heart anytime now…
Donna Jean
Aw, bummer, I missed the deadline. Oh well, I'll play anyway.
Isabelle is shopping an unbelievable shoe sale at Nordstrom when there it is(!) the pair of red stilettos she's been dreaming of to go with her new dress she's determined to wear to church. When out of nowhere swoops a formidable enemy: a brunette on a similar quest.
The brunette snags the lovely crimson shoes right out of Isabelle's hands while benignly chatting on her cell phone.
Isabelle's screech of dismay/unbelief at another's rudeness (as well as her own loss) brings the daring Samuel into the one place he would rather never be: a man in the shoe department during a sale. He's afraid of the wildness in Isabelle eyes, but is drawn to her obvious passion.
And that's my I-wish-I-was-at-a-shoe-sale-right-now plotline.
;)
Your not too late! I've decided to run the contest a bit longer - Feb. 19th - so I can announce the winner at a book signing that is coming up!
LOL about the shoes! Thanks for writing!!
Hi Jamie
I met your aunt Pat last week and as we were talking I mentioned that a friend and I had written a book. She asked if we were published and I told we just finished the book, and were beginning to research agents. That is when she told me of you and graciously extended your web site to cantact you. If there is any help or guidance you can give as at this time we would greatly appreciate it.
Hope to be hearing from you soon
ANASTASIA RAPTIS
sr1stylist@aol.com
CYNTHIA LONERGAN
calonergan@yahoo.com
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