HooRah!

Mag: What the fuck are you doing here?

Emily: I’m taking a break with Heather

Mag: A break! Why do you need a break?

Emily: Why do you think I need a break? It’s been a rough couple months. I think you can agree with that.

Mag: I guess.

Emily: You GUESS!

Mag: Fuck, I don’t know. It just another day for me.

Emily:  You…you…you’re such a Marine!

Mag: You love it.

Emily: *smiles* Maybe a little.

Heather: You two want a room now?

Mag: Shouldn’t you be writing?

Heather: I needed a break. You two are enough to wear a woman down! Why don’t you go play at the Playground? It’s WIP day over there.

Emily: WIP day?

Heather: It’s a day where authors can show what they’ve been working on.

Mag: Will Jambrea be there?

Heather: I don’t know. You guys have been keeping her up trying to get your story finished. She hasn’t had time to work on anything else.

Emily: I’ll bet she’ll be happy to get rid of us.

Heather: Oh, I don’t know about that. *giggle*

Mag: Let’s go take a peek Em and then head home. *looks at Heather and winks*

Heather: Be good you two.

Emily: I don’t know if we can. *laugh* Jambrea just wrote a VERY steamy scene and I think Joe and I might need to have a reinactment.

*Mag walks to Heather and kisses her on the cheek*

Mag: Try not to work too hard.

Heather: *giggle* You either. Buy guys!

*Mag and Emily leave*

Heather: They are so dreamy.  Hmmm…I wonder how Ross and Jayme are doing?

*Heather walks off with a thoughtful look on her face*

Bad Girl

Heather:  You’re a bad girl.

Jambrea:  Why do you say that?

Heather:  Because you’ve been away from the Playground for a while.  Your characters are getting nervous.

Jambrea:  Did you tell them I’ve been working away?  Magnus has been talking and I’m trying to get his story down so I can work on some other stuff.

Heather:  *pout* I told them. But…I don’t think you’ve even shared your new cover with everyone either.  Molli and Dev want to show off and you’ve been ignoring them.  And poor Matt.  He just wants his story told and you’ve left him hanging.  Also Zeke is a little worried. He said something about an overhaul.  I’m doing what I can to keep them calm, but YOU should say something to them.

Jambrea:  How about this.  I’ll show off Molli and Dev’s cover.  Unseen Path.

 

Jambrea: Does this help a little?  Also…I talked to Matt a little this morning. He should be fine.  As for Zeke…um…well, he might not like who I was talking to, but someone is talking and I think Zeke will be happy with his story once I finish up Magnus.

Heather: I hope it’s soon because I don’t know how much longer I can hold this bunch in.  I’m just warning you that you could have a headache coming on soon from all the talking. You have to know it’s bad when SUNIE starts trying to get to the front of the line.

Jambrea:  Oh no!  If I can get my words in on Magnus, let them know I’ll try working a little with them as well.  Okay?

Heather:  Okay.  Could you give them a hint on what’s going on.

Jambrea: Well…let me tell you about Zeke’s story Love by Design. I short changed the poor guy and now I get the change to really give him the story he should have. I’ve been reading a certain Doctor’s journal and let me tell you…she has a lot of explaining to do. 

Heather:  That’s it?

Jambrea:  I can’t give too much away.  Plus…um..*blushes* I didn’t write anything down yet.  It’s there, I just had to get ready for work and I wanted to stop here as well because it’s been a while, like you said.

Heather:  Okay.  Go relax.  They can hold for a little bit longer.  Maybe you should post a couple excerpts over at the yahoo group. It is WIP Wednesday. That might tide them over.

Jambrea:  I won’t promise anything, but I’ll see what I can do.

Heather:  Thanks!  I’ll go tell everybody.  *waves bye*

Jambrea: Bye Heather.

I hope she can keep them silent for just a little bit longer. Jambrea bites her lip and looks off into the distance.

Jambrea: Stop glaring at me Magnus, I’m coming. Keep your cover on! *mumbles as she leaves the playground*

 

Meet Nikhil

Brighid

With the latest Point of Distraction release coming up in a week, I thought we could get to know some of the characters a little better here on Playground Mystique. Welcome my guest today, the sexy psychologist, Dr. Nikhil Khan!

 

 

 

 

 

Brighid: It’s wonderful to have you here Niki—may I call you Niki?

 

Nikhil: Of course, Brighid. And thank you for having me at Playground Mystique.

 

Brighid: It’s my pleasure. Let’s start with a quick intro. Tell is a little bit about yourself.

 

Nikhil: Well, I’m thirty-nine years old. I’m a licensed psychotherapist. Since college, I’ve also studied Tantric Buddhism and yoga. I’m of Asian Indian descent, but I was born in McClean Virginia…hmmm what else. Oh! I love apple pie.

 

Brighid: [grins] also hear that you’re a vegetarian. Ana loves to tease you about that, doesn’t she?

 

Nikhil: Indeed she does. In fact, we have a ritual, every Thursday I take her to a new vegetarian restaurant. She moans and complains through dinner, but since she continues to show up each week, I think she secretly loves it.

 

Brighid: You and Ana are pretty different, but you seem to complement each other. How did you two meet in book two, The Second Collection?

 

Nikhil: We literally ran into each other. A mutual acquaintance had a cocktail party, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking and barreled into me. I had to catch her, which neither of us seemed to mind. [grin]

 

Brighid: That sounds about right for Ana. And speaking of right for Ana, how do you feel about the platonic relationship you two have formed?

 

Nikhil: [chuckles] Ahhh, well, given my choice it wouldn’t be so platonic, but I do respect Ana’s decision very much. She has a specific way of interacting with men: either as adversaries in the boardroom or as lovers. I’m honored to be her first platonic heterosexual male friend, though it’s tough to maintain at times.

 

Brighid: Ana’s confessed a time or two that she finds you attractive, too. Do you ever see the two of you casting aside the ‘just friends’ attitude and giving in to that attraction?

 

Nikhil: [clears his throat] I plead the fifth.

 

Brighid: [leans closer] Really? Does that mean in the third book you two consummate your relationship? C’mon you can tell me, just whisper it to me.

 

Cindy: [popping into the Champagne Room at Playground Mystique] AHEM! You know better than to give out a spoiler in one of these interviews, Brig.

 

Brighid: Party pooper.

 

Cindy: [hugs Nikhil] Nice to see you again, Nik. Sorry to interrupt. I’ll be on my way. But no more spoilers you two! [Cindy exits]

 

Brighid: I suppose we have to wait until the Point of Distraction the Third Collection comes out to find out. Sheesh. So, along that same line of questioning, how do you feel about Dr. Jordan Christiansen?

 

Nikhil: I’ve never met him, but from what Ana’s told me about him, he seems like a good guy. I give him props for the charity work he’s doing with Doctor’s International. Very commendable.

 

Brighid: Always the diplomat, aren’t you?

 

Nikhil: [laughs] I try to stay positive. If he’s meant to be with her, so be it. I only want to see her happy. I guess we’ll have to wait until he returns from his sabbatical to find out.

 

Brighid: And that happens in book four, The Final Collection?

 

Nikhil: Yes, it does.

 

Brighid: So La Jacks won’t flip out again, I won’t even ask how that turns out. Back to book three, I have an excerpt here from ‘Friends with Benefits.’ You go to extraordinary lengths in this story to help Ana out with a personal crisis. Let’s take a look.

 

Excerpt:

I left the hospital around four in the afternoon. Dad volunteered to take Mom to her various

tests and exams around the hospital, so I headed to the house with a list of errands.

 

By six, I’d packed some toiletries, underwear, and a change of clothes in Mom’s overnight

bag and started a pot of spaghetti sauce, the only dish I knew how to make. I left the sauce on

low while I delivered the bag to the hospital. Unable to convince my father to leave Mom for the

evening, I made another round trip with a plate of spaghetti for Dad and his toothbrush.

 

Finally at seven-thirty, I was back at the homestead for good. Just as I’d closed the garage

door, my phone sounded. Without checking the caller ID I answered.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Ana? Hi—Can you hear me. I’ve awful reception here.”

 

“Niki? I can hear you.”

 

“Good. I’m here in Tampa.”

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah, I have a bag of clothes for you and well, I’m here for moral support. Whatever you

need.”

 

“I’m stunned. I don’t know what to say.”

 

“How about directions from the airport?”

 

“Of course.” I proceeded to fill him in on the route from Tampa International. Twenty

minutes later he was at the front door.

 

“Your parent’s home is beautiful,” he said when he entered the foyer.

 

“Thanks. Dad does a lot of gardening—excuse me, landscaping. He’d kill me if he heard

me call it gardening.”

 

“Got it. Is he here? I’d love to meet your father, though I wish it were under different

circumstances.”

 

“No, he wanted to stay with Mom at the hospital. She’ll be there until the end of the week.

I’m going to relieve him tomorrow morning.”

 

“How are you holding up?”

 

My bottom lip quivered. “Okay. Under the circumstances.”

 

He engulfed me in a hug.

 

“Stop, you’re going to make me break down,” I said.

 

“I think perhaps you should.”

 

My eyes welled up, but I fought to retain my composure. Nikhil stayed quiet, stroking my

hair.

 

“I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be this person,” I said, sinking into his hug.

 

“Yes, you do. You’re doing it.”

 

“What if she…”

 

“Don’t think that way. Only good thoughts, positive thoughts, okay?” He placed a kiss on

the top of my head and wiped away my tears with his thumbs.

 

“I’m scared,” I said.

 

“I know. That’s why I’m here.”

 *

 

 

Brighid: Wow! You flew all the way from Washington, DC to Tampa just to provide her with emotional support?

 

Nikhil: She would do the same for me. Her mother had a heart attack. Thank goodness Mrs. Welsh was okay, we were all worried about her. And Ana is very much used to being in control. In that situation, she had no control over the outcome so I knew she’d need someone to lean on.

 

Brighid: She’s lucky to have a friend like you, Niki. I must say, I’ve got the biggest crush on you, so you know if things with Ana don’t work out, keep me in mind.

 

Nikhil: [smiles] I think you’re too much goddess for me, Brig, but thank you.

 

Brighid: Sigh. I just can’t get enough you and that silver tongue. Well, that wraps up our time together. Thanks again for visiting with us.

 

Nikhil: You’re most welcome.

 

Read more about Nikhil in Point of Distraction the Third Collection coming to Lyrical Press March 16^th