August Fog
A.L. Goulden
(August Fog, #1)
Publication date: August 1st 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Monica Waters has 31 days to choose between the love of her life or her soulmate. Juggling an unglamorous Hollywood career and a clumsy injury with an endless cocktail of antidepressants and dull daily routines, Monica moves through her thirties in a fog, avoiding the pain of her damaged marriage, broken body, and fragile mind.
Until he comes along.
When emerging artist Quinn Matthews moves next door, just coping with the downward spiral of life is no longer feasible. Their powerful connection ignites a relationship that will tip the boundaries of their perfectly balanced lives, sparking a mutual obsession and life-altering affair.
Monica tosses her prescriptions, striving to be free of their control, but with each passing summer day, dangerous secrets seep into their quiet suburban life, inching toward disaster. Sometimes the truth is hidden for a reason.
“This is a contemporary tale of a woman’s struggle to navigate love and mental illness, while defining where and how she will land on her own feet.” –Independent Reader“A raw and honest look at the ugly secrets behind a flawed marriage and the stigmas of depression.”
—
EXCERPT:
They meet
Fusion can happen when two objects reach an extreme heat. When the blood boils, the same can be said of hearts. The connection can excite and ache and torment, yet the demise of will goes unnoticed when the thrill renders an addictive high. Monica Waters once loved getting high, both literally and figuratively, but outgrew the juvenile practice of artistic inspiration. She had responsibilities now, like a mortgage and an admirable career… and a husband.
Antidepressants helped too.
When Los Angeles soared past eighty-five degrees in April the unsettling promise of perpetual summer ignited tension across freeways. Monica shielded anxiety with music and a fun car. Bob Marley had eased an hour-long commute, also known as Thursday, delivering her to the sanctuary of home until she slammed the brakes.
A yellow Nissan blocked the driveway with no owner in sight. Her best friend owned the same vehicle but not with New York plates so she glared next door. Sharing a driveway with Rebecca’s bohemian flophouse had reached its limit.
Monica wedged her BMW into an ivy-covered carport at an awkward angle and pried herself out, trying not to scratch her paint against the fence. She mumbled a few obscenities when she couldn’t get leverage to slam the door but squeezed past the filthy SUV, smoothing her long chestnut hair. The tall Japanese-style gate that led to her bonsai garden greeted with Zen and wafts of jasmine.
That’s when she saw him.
On the wooden staircase that wound up to Rebecca’s converted attic was a man that shifted everything into slow motion. A man, that for a second at least, she would follow anywhere. Her reaction defied rational explanation. The guy wearing jeans and t-shirt carried a box but even his muscular build was common in this town. Still, he had a gentle force of gravity tugging like a current.
The back of his shaved head lacked noticeable character, but his climb was hypnotic. She stopped breathing while her heart pounded at an alarming speed. A beautiful tattoo engulfed his entire right arm with gnarled branches and scattered leaves of an old tree. It rooted around the box and swayed like a breeze as he moved.
When the gate slipped from her fingers, the slam jolted her from the daze and he turned. She inspected her purse and fumbled with her keys even when he paused near the top of the stairs, waiting for attention. She rushed to her back door but couldn’t resist the draw of his stare.
His eyes were crystal blue and pensive under a low-slung heavy brow. He stood confident like carved hardwood left unpolished with ample lips, a strong jaw, and a rugged nose, but didn’t come off as arrogant or boring. Her stomach twisted at his asymmetrical smile.
He was beautiful.
Flushed, she returned a tight grin and nod before barreling into her laundry room. “Who’s the guy next door?” she asked, dropping her stuff on the counter next to the deep sink.
Alex, still sweaty from work, gave her a quick kiss, which was followed by the smacks of a powerful dog tail to her thigh. Her husband’s own shaved head and brawny build still resembled an action hero but his gray eyes lacked the dangerous edge that once made him magnetic.
“You mean the Kelly Slater look-alike?” He laughed. “Rebecca’s renting out the upstairs to some artist. She says he’s bi-coastal… whatever that means. Pretty sure he’s gay.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Did you see what he drives?”
She cocked her head. “So.”
“So? That’s what Robin drives.” He flashed his hands.
“That might be the dumbest thing ever said. Did he look at you too long or something?” “Hey, I’ve got no problem if he’s gay. He can look all he wants. I’m just saying.” Alex flexed his arms and inspected himself.
“Just because Rebecca’s a lesbian doesn’t mean everyone she’s around is gay.” Monica reached to pet their rambunctious Lab Pointer mix, Lacey. “I just hate that she and Julie split. I miss her.”
“Me too. I wish she won the house but Rebecca could afford it.”
“Then why’s she renting out rooms?” Her words had that petulant tone she hated with an unwarranted volume.
“I don’t know,” he said, flicking the counter. “It’s not like we have control over our neighbors.” He shuffled towards the bathroom, stripping for his shower along the way. She watched, remembering when that used to send her running after him, but now he hopped around in his socks and underwear looking more child-like than sexy.
In her ballerina flats, Monica was two inches shy of six feet and two years shy of forty. Her curvy size fourteen worked in Hollywood, the land of size zeros. Sometimes she resented being a giant next to tiny, beautiful people because it equated invisibility, but she faked smiles in the back of every crew photo despite the obscurity of an editing career.
She bent to give Lacey attention and propped the back door open while Mr. Bi-coastal moved from his vehicle to the yard. The redwood fence obscured his face but a childhood crush on Yul Brynner embedded an allure to a nice shaved head. Staring like a lech though erased dignity, so she mustered the nerve to make an introduction.
She stepped outside but an eruption of vicious barking made her yelp. Two enormous Rottweilers flanked the middle landing on the staircase, flinging drool over the fence. Lacey ducked behind Monica in fear.
“No. No barking!” Mr. Bi-coastal bounded up the stairs. “I’m so sorry,” he said, setting another box down. “I promise I’ll keep them quiet. They’re friendly, I swear.” He drew an X over his heart like a seven-year-old but his intense expression was all grown-ass-man.
“It’s alright.” She swallowed hard. “My husband had lovable Rotts growing up.” Spitting out her marital status made her fidget but his shoulders relaxed. “My name’s Monica.”
“I’m Quinn.” He leaned against the railing that hovered above as if to shake her hand. “Did you guys just drive across the country?”
“Yeah.” He squatted to pet them and she noticed his left arm didn’t have visible tattoos.
“This is Sadie and Max. Once they know you, they’ll stop barking.”
She moved closer, pretending to care about this new pet relationship despite growls with
each step. “They’re just protective of you.” “Lucky me.”
She tried not to stare at the unicorn but artists wore gangly and pale with pride, escaping food and sun for months. This man nurtured his body.
“Beautiful dogs.”
Alex stood behind her, wet from the shower in just basketball shorts, but the lack of a Q-tip or something equally inappropriate was boggling.
Quinn straightened. “I was just telling your wife they’re friendly.”
Alex climbed the fence to engage their slobbery faces up-close and flaunt an arm tattoo of a Rott named Bosco. Monica was new to living with dogs but presumed they couldn’t recognize the image of devotion in permanent ink. This king-of-the-castle act was for Quinn.
“Nice tat,” he said, squatting for a closer look.
An immediate tit-for-tat and subtle competition developed between them but Monica found herself comparing odd qualities while they bonded over dogs. The pitch of their voices aligned and laughter became punctuation. Their attributes mimicked one another but Alex’s head was larger while Quinn ate leaner and worked out. They could pass as brothers but something about Quinn upset her.
He was too close.
The two historical homes sat less than seven feet apart, thanks to the lack of building restrictions in the 1920s. That proximity, which had sparked numerous noise complaints, didn’t seem to bother Alex now, tickling those beefy dog faces.
“Rebecca said you’re only here part-time.” Alex stepped off the fence and crossed his arms.
“I’m just starting to show my work here.” He hesitated as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to share more. “My agent thought it was wise, so I’ll be back and forth a lot.”
She hated the two adorable little creases that formed next to his eyes when he smiled. They were marks of experience. Marks of a life lived.
“We should let you get settled,” Alex said, motioning towards the box still sitting on the landing.
Quinn nodded. “It was nice meeting you guys.”
“Absolutely.” She cringed at her valley-girl tone and bizarre wave given to dogs with inherently sad eyes. She beelined for their bedroom hoping to erase that weird encounter from memory.
Advance Praise
“A raw and honest look at the ugly secrets behind a flawed marriage and the stigmas of depression." Kirkus
“Holy page turner!” –Amanda Whitley
“I didn't see the ending coming. A must read. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.” –Samantha Waldow “This was my first book by this author and I am definitely looking forward to book 2.” –Neisha Exeter
“This is a contemporary tale of a woman’s struggle to navigate love and mental illness, while defining where and
how she will land on her own feet.” --Independent Reader
“Wow. Emotionally intense. Monica Waters is written just so flawlessly flawed. I could be her, or her best friend.”
–Gina Martin
“This was one of the best books I've read in a very long time... I can't wait to see what book 2 brings, and how
Monica, Quinn , and Alex deal with this affair.” –Amy Vida
“This is a very heartfelt and heartbreaking at times story that is written so you actually feel everything!! A definite
must read for everyone!!!” –Katrina
“I need more. Crafted, authentic characters written with such depth, like reading a diary of love, affairs, feelings,
sorrows. Amazing story, real depth of emotions with the sexual tensions of a new, sexy affair. An adult exploration
of a marriage, affair, and the life changing decisions made almost reluctantly. Man I really identified with this
book.” –Deborah Lane
Author Bio:
Author of the “most realistic, often hilarious, and wonderfully romantic” (Rosie Malezer, international best- selling author) Chasing Swells returns with another emotionally charged and complicated love story about a Hollywood editor struggling with depression who meets her soulmate while she's married to her high-school sweetheart. This unique trilogy takes you through one woman's mid-life crisis as she stumbles and falls apart before realizing she's the only one who can put her pieces back together.
Question and Answer
1) What does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start? Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)?If you plan it out, how do you do that? Outline, notecards, post-it-notes, etc?
I usually start with a theme or relationship concept then develop the main characters that I think would encounter these issues. For instance, in the August Fog trilogy I wanted to address some very difficult topics that people tend to shy away from like adultery and depression but show them in a way that gained sympathy and understanding. My goal wasn’t to sway people to accept or condone the behavior but to feel enough connection to the characters to empathize for their situation. We have a tendency to avoid things that make us uncomfortable, yet those moments of understanding are opportunities to grow.
I’m a plotter but I allow myself wiggle room to change directions. Sometimes you get into a conversation or scene and you think, “that’s not what that character would do,” and you realize the plan needs to be adjusted. Overall, I have an end-goal and a structured pace I try to nail, but it’s all fluid. I use Scrivener to write and organize my scenes but I always have a separate composition book dedicated to each novel or series. Writing ideas out by hand is cructial to me. It stimulates the creative part of my brain that brainstorms some crazy ideas! I definitely have post-its all over my office but they never involve story ideas, they’re reminders for me to mail something or post something. I love taking them down and feeling like I accomplished something.
2. How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first book in 2014 when I was laid up on a couch with a broken ankle that wouldn’t heal. Yes, that is the opening predicament Monica Waters finds herself in at the beginning of August Fog. That series has more of me and my life in it than any other but no, I have not cheated on my husband and no, I am not clinically depressed. I do however have intimate knowledge of numerous people who’ve dealt with both issues and I found their path fascinating.
3. What common thread runs through all of your books?
I love exploring the moment in a women’s life when there is a fork in the road and she’s forced to make a decision that will change her life. Taking a journey through the lens of a woman who’s established in her career and possibly in her relationships with husbands and kids is fascinating to me. I think we all read to escape but we also want to relate and who can’t relate to at least daydreaming of a different life. Even when you’re sublimely happy and it’s all roses, diving into the what-if is fun. I also try to incorporate strong female friendships that show the power of reinforcement because all too often female characters are pitted towards one another as enemies when in reality that is not the case.
4. What tips do you have for aspiring writers?
Write every day. Read every day, even if it’s only 3 pages. Read and learn about writing craft. Pay for professional editing. Meet and collaborate with other authors. Don’t rush to self-publish until you are 100% certain your books are ready. Network. Be kind and participate in the community. It’s not enough to “like” an Instagram post, comment and often. Comment on blogs. Growing a community of writers lifts you up when you have those hard times... they won’t let you quit.
5. Favorite Genres:
I love and read thrillers and women’s fiction the most but I love to throw in a Rom-Com and a few True Crime or
Memoirs in to make sure my reading is mixed.
6. Favorite Authors:
There are too many to list them all but lately my favs have been: Taylor Jenkins Reid, Janelle Brown, Riley Sager, Kiley Reid, Michael Robotham, Chandler Baker, Lyssa Kay Adams, Dennis Lehane, Nick Petrie
7. Top 5 Favorite Films:
1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Shallow Grave
3. Fletch
4. The Big Sleep (a fav book too)
5. Tie between Zodiac (almost anything by Fincher) & Michael Clayton
8. What is or was your “day job” before writing?
I have not left my career as a Production Designer in film and television. I have a designer and art director for over eighteen years and I still love it. I just have to find balance and I do not take as many projects as I used to.
9. Has your “day job” influenced your work as an author?
Definitely. I get inspiration for pacing, lighting, mood, tension, décor, etc. from entertainment all the time. Above all, I love a story. I’m always designing the environment a character will inhabit whether it’s a physical world for an actor or an imaginary one for a reader. I consider both equally important.
10. Dream Cast for August Fog?
In a dream world, Kate Winslet or Christina Hendricks would be the ultimate choice for Monica Waters. Both are curvy and can carry a gloriously flawed character to redemption. As for Alex, you can see on my Pinterest board that I always imagined Jason Statham for that role but there are a lot of actors who can fill his strong, conflicted shoes. And Quinn... well maybe William Levy or Colton Haynes, although there’s a joking reference to Chris Pine in the book and despite his age being a little past the character, he’d be amazing in the role.
11. Has your “day job” influenced your work as an author?
Definitely. I get inspiration for pacing, lighting, mood, tension, décor, etc. from entertainment all the time.
12 5 Things I learned while writing August Fog:
1. I did a lot of research on medications used by chronically depressed people and was intrigued by the side-effects. Those horrible conditions that are blitzed by us in pharmaceutical commercials are so daunting when incorporated into a character’s life. I learned what doses and time frames each medication takes to affect various outlets of a person’s life like sleep and sex drive. It only deepened my sympathy for those who struggle to live with the disease.
2. I went down a Tears for Fears wormhole one day. I remembered the songs on one of their albums was based on a psychologist’s therories but I had no idea even the band’s named was derived from The Primal Scream, psychologist Arthur Janov’s detailed theory of neuroses that adults carry from repressed childhood trauma. To me, even though this was deeper than I planned to go, the nerdy fact fit Monica’s younger personality. I used this knowledge to connect to Quinn’s own intellect and fuse them into a serious conversation about the past.
3. Love really is complicated. I spoke to a few people I knew that went through infidelity and asked them about their feelings looking back on the affair. There was never a cut and dry answer and never one without threads to other problems. I used the idea of those threads in Quinn’s art and in his observation of Monica’s eyes. Little details to show how intricate our connections are and how easy it is to overlook them.
4. I can’t write to what the market wants or expects. The subject of infidelity and love are seldom tackled in a realistic way in mass-market fiction but I’m okay with that. I needed to get this story out of me and create this epic love-story that is never easy. It’s never neat and clean. But it’s so right that all the wrong turns to capture it are worth the risk.
5. Humor is inherently part of my writer’s voice. Even when the story is at its most serious, I instinctually throw in humor or sarcasm. I was raised to laugh even at the bad stuff and when I’ve tried to stifle that part of me, my writing becomes stale and robotic. I usually have at least one character that is a bit of a smartass, but in this one, you’ll get a few who’ll make you smile.
13. If you could travel in a time machine where would you go back to the past or into the future?
As a music lover, I’d have to say the past. I would have loved to have seen Queen at Wimbley or Bob Marley anywhere. Maybe I’d even want to go to Woodstock and feel the love.
14. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?
Books. (Can that be one thing? Like a loaded kindle or a few hundred paperbacks?)
My husband. (Not a thing but he’s amusing and handy.)
A notebook w/pen (again I’m breaking the rules because that’s actually two things but they go together like peas and carrots.)
15. What is one book everyone should read?
Where The Crawdads Sing and mine of course
16. If you could have any superpower what would you choose?
Is peacemaking a superpower? Seems like it these days since we have a void in leadership in so many facets of life.
17. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Smoked salmon on a bagel with all the fixins
18. What books are reading now?
I read a lot so follow my Instagram page and BookBub recommendations to always know what I’m into. I’ve been doing the #StampedFromTheBeginning buddy read and just finished a Riley Sager backlist read before tackling his latest book, Home Before Dark.
19. What’s your favorite season?
Fall. The colors. The flavors. The scares. I love it all.
20. Any pet peeves?
How long do you have? Lately it’s the sound of my dogs licking themselves but I think this pandemic has decreased my threshold of tolerance in a lot of areas. I have an acute sense of smell that people around me either hate or find amusing but it’s a curse. I can smell things, unpleasant things, from so far away. Often my peeves lean into this area.
1 comments:
Thank you for the interview. Enjoyed reading it
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