Designs on You
by Carrie
Pack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Guest Blog: DESIGNS ON YOU
Designs on You is based on my early career
as a graphic designer, but parts of my other jobs have made their way into my
writing as well. I’m currently an adjunct professor at a small college in
Florida, and even though none of my characters is a college student, I still
drew some inspiration from that as well. When we meet Scott at the beginning of
Designs on You, the project he is
working on—a logo for a cupcake shop—was inspired by a conversation I had with
a fellow professor. She teaches graphic design and was lamenting how many
assignments she received that were some variation of “I designed a logo for a
cupcake shop.”
Graphic
design is a very trend-driven field, and students are not immune to that.
Everything they were submitting was pink and white and “whimsical.” As a
teacher, it gets old really fast to see the same thing over and over again, and
I realized that was no different than when I worked as a graphic designer:
everything becomes monotonous and repetitive. So Scott is haunted by cupcake
logos because that was the trend when I was writing this.
Teaching
can also be repetitive, but it is probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever
done. I think there’s a special opportunity when you teach young adults that
you don’t get when you teach children. You’re not bound by the constraints of
what’s “acceptable” to teach. You can open up their minds to new ideas and help
them discover their passions.
That
said, being a teacher who critiques her students’ writing makes me hyper-aware
of my own writing in a way that can inhibit my ability to get words out. I
second-guess every sentence and cringe at every typo.
But
I also think it gives me a great connection to a demographic I’m no longer a
part of: college students. They are the trendsetters in a lot of ways, so it’s
great to be able to know what’s hot in their world. I’ve noticed they are more
accepting of LGBT relationships than the generation before them, and that’s
part of why I enjoy writing in this genre. Overall though, I’m trying to keep
my students out of my writing because there’s a special relationship between
and teacher and student that, in my opinion, should have some level of
privilege in the same way you would have with a lawyer or therapist.
School
starts back up next week, though, and I’m excited to meet a new crop of
students. I’m sure there will be some characters
in there who may one day see parts of themselves in my writing, but I don’t
think I’d ever use their lives as basis for a a plot.
The
stifling Florida humidity, however, well that’s fair game. I plan on exploiting
that in at least one novel before my writing career is finished because one
thing I’m not looking forward to when classes start next week is sweating my
face off during the walk from my car to the classroom.
BLURB:
If
graphic designer Scott Parker has to design one more cupcake company logo, he
might lose it. So when he is tasked with retouching photos for a big fashion
client, a stunning, lanky model mesmerizes Scott and occupies his fantasies
long after the assignment is finished.
When
the model is assigned to one of Scott’s projects, Scott discovers that the
object of his desire is nothing like what he imagined. Despite Jamie Donovan’s
aloof and dismissive behavior, Scott struggles to forge a friendship with him,
all the while trying to keep his attraction at bay.
Will
Jamie follow through on signals that he may be interested, or will he forever
be the beautiful man in the photograph, an untouchable fantasy?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
“Jamie, just make sure you maintain eye contact with the
camera,” Scott says. “Direct it all at the lens.” What he means is, take all
that anger, desire, passion, frustration, whatever it is that is holding him
back, whatever he’s feeling, and channel it into his work. Let it go. He lowers
his voice and leans in so only Jamie can hear him. “Direct it all at me if you
have to.”
Jamie seems to understand because he nods, his eyes fixed on
Scott’s as his breathing picks up, and if it weren’t for the camera and all the
lights between them, Scott would swear they’re back outside that bathroom,
suspended in the second before Jamie kissed him. Then Jamie locks his gaze on
the camera lens three feet from his face, determination apparent in the set of
his jaw, and a hushed anticipation settles over them. Jamie blinks twice and
relaxes into the posture that Scott instantly recognizes as his model’s stance;
he’s ready to go.
Scott smiles and ducks behind the camera, using the
viewfinder rather than the digital display. There’s an intimacy in it, seeing
Jamie through the focused view of the lens, and Scott is awestruck. It’s like
seeing Jamie for the first time, all of his emotions raw and his soul laid
bare—and it’s nothing like the pictures Scott used to get off to. This is Jamie
the person, the one who is Scott’s friend, not Jamie the model or the insane
erotic fantasy that Scott had created around him. In that moment of
realization, the shock of Jamie’s beauty shoots through Scott like fireworks—a
sharp point of light that erupts into a shower of sparks in his chest. He holds
his breath and snaps the shutter. Zach had left it on a rapid-fire setting, so
he shoots about ten frames at once, catching the subtle changes in Jamie’s
expression.
He glances down at the display; even at only three inches
wide, he can tell the shots are what they’re looking for. Scott lifts the
camera back up and smiles. “All right, Jamie, let’s try that again, and this
time I want you to really take a risk. Try something new and don’t hold back.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A former
graphic artist, Carrie Pack turned to her early career experience as the
backdrop for her first novel. She lives in Florida with her husband, where she
teaches advertising writing at a local college.
http://www.carriepackchowske.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mscarriepack
https://twitter.com/carriepack
CONTEST:
Carrie
will be awarding a $25 Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Barnes and Noble GC and a print edition
of Designs on You (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host. A free download of an
Interlude Press eBook title or an author/book swag pack (US ONLY) will be
awarded to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at each stop during the
tour.
Posts
5 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you so much for having me as a guest!
I love the cover of the book, it's so pretty and it sounds great!
Nice cover and blurb
Enjoyed reading the authors post & reasons for writing and teaching. I also teach adult learners and I think the major difference is that most of them want to be there and learn, unlike the younger students I used to teach, who often felt it was a waste of their time and they did not need it to get on in the world.
Thank you for a chance to win a copy of your book
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