{"id":223,"date":"2008-06-21T10:06:12","date_gmt":"2008-06-21T15:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/\/?p=223"},"modified":"2008-06-21T10:06:12","modified_gmt":"2008-06-21T15:06:12","slug":"mixed-bags-by-melody-carlson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=223","title":{"rendered":"Mixed Bags by Melody Carlson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s June 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his\/her latest Teen fiction book’s FIRST chapter!<\/p>\n

\n

Melody Carlson<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

and her book:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Mixed Bags (Carter House Girls, Book 1) <\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Zondervan (May 1, 2008)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

<\/span><\/strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/h3>\n

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>In sixth grade, Melody Carlson helped start a school newspaper called The BuccaNews (her school\u2019s mascot was a Buccaneer…arrr!). As editor of this paper, she wrote most of the material herself, creating goofy phony bylines to hide the fact that the school newspaper was mostly a “one man” show.<\/p>\n

Visit the Melody’s website<\/a> to see all of her wonderful and various book titles.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss the second book in this series: Stealing Bradford (Carter House Girls, Book 2)<\/a><\/p>\n

And one of her latest, A Mile in My Flip-Flops<\/a> will be featured on FIRST Blog Alliance <\/a>on July 1st!<\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $9.99
\nPaperback: 224 pages
\nPublisher: Zondervan (May 1, 2008)
\nLanguage: English
\nISBN-10: 0310714885
\nISBN-13: 978-0310714880<\/p>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER: <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n\u201cDesiree,\u201d called Inez as she knocked on the other side of the closed bedroom door. \u201cMrs. Carter wants to see you downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe name is DJ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but your grandmother has instructed me to call you Desiree.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ opened the door and looked down on the short and slightly overweight middle-aged housekeeper. \u201cAnd I have instructed you to call me DJ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inez\u2019s dark eyes twinkled as she gave her a sly grin. \u201cYes, but it\u2019s your grandmother who pays my salary, Desiree. I take orders from Mrs. Carter. And she wants to see you downstairs in her office, pronto.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ grabbed her favorite Yankees ball cap and shoved it onto her head, pulling her scraggly looking blonde ponytail through the hole in the back of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re wearing that?\u201d asked Inez with a frown. \u201cYou know what your grandmother says about?\u2014?-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook,\u201d said DJ. \u201cMy grandmother might pay you to take orders from her, but I\u2019m a free agent. Got that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Inez chuckled. \u201cI got that. But you\u2019re the one who\u2019ll be getting it before too long, Desiree.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDJ,\u201d she growled as she tromped loudly down the curving staircase. Why had she let Dad talk her into living with her grandmother for her last two years of high school? She\u2019d only been here since last spring, late into the school year, but long enough to know that it was nearly unbearable. Boarding school would be better than this. At least she\u2019d have a little privacy there and no one constantly riding her?\u2014?-telling her how to act, walk, look, and think. She wished there were some way, short of running away (which would be totally stupid), out of this uncomfortable arrangement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are,\u201d said Grandmother when DJ walked into the office. Her grandmother frowned at her ball cap and then pasted what appeared to be a very forced smile onto her collagen-injected lips. \u201cI want you to meet a new resident.\u201d She made a graceful hand movement, motioning to where an attractive and somewhat familiar-looking Latina woman was sitting next to a fashionably dressed girl who seemed to be about DJ\u2019s age, but could probably pass for older. The girl was beautiful. Even with the scowl creasing her forehead, it was obvious that this girl was stunning. Her skin was darker than her mother\u2019s, latte-colored and creamy. Her long black hair curled softly around her face. She had high cheekbones and dramatic eyes.<\/p>\n

DJ noticed her grandmother smiling her approval on this unhappy-looking girl. But the girl looked oblivious as she fiddled with the gold chain of what looked like an expensive designer bag. Not that DJ was an expert when it came to fashion. The woman stood politely, extending her hand to DJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to present my granddaughter, Desiree Lane.\u201d Grandmother turned back to DJ now, the approval evaporating from her expression. \u201cDesiree, this is Ms. Perez and her daughter Taylor.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ shook the woman\u2019s hand and mumbled, \u201cNice to meet you.\u201d But the unfriendly daughter just sat in the leather chair, one long leg elegantly crossed over the other, as she totally ignored everyone in the room.<\/p>\n

Grandmother continued speaking to DJ, although DJ suspected this little speech was for Taylor\u2019s mother. \u201cMs. Perez and I first met when my magazine featured her for her illustrious music career. Her face graced our cover numerous times over the years. Perhaps you\u2019ve heard of Eva Perez.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman smiled. \u201cOr perhaps not,\u201d she said in a voice that was as smooth as honey. \u201cAccording to my daughter, kids in your age group don\u2019t comprise even a minuscule part of my fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ smiled at the woman now. \u201cActually, I have heard of you, Ms. Perez. My mom used to play your CDs. She was a serious Latin jazz fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas?\u201d She frowned. \u201cI hope her taste in music hasn\u2019t changed. I need all the fans I can get these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grandmother cleared her throat. \u201cDesiree\u2019s mother?\u2014?-my daughter?\u2014?-was killed in a car accident about a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ sort of nodded. She never knew how to react when -people said they were sorry about the loss of her mother. It wasn\u2019t as if it were their fault.<\/p>\n

\u201cDesiree,\u201d said Grandmother, \u201cWould you mind giving Taylor a tour of the house while I go over some business details with her mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grandmother\u2019s recently Botoxed forehead creased ever so slightly, and DJ knew that, once again, she had either said the wrong thing, used bad grammar, or was slumping like a \u201cbag of potatoes.\u201d Nothing she did ever seemed right when it came to her grandmother. \u201cAnd after the tour, perhaps you could show Taylor to her room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich room?\u201d asked DJ, feeling concerned. Sure, Taylor might be a perfectly nice person, even if a little snobbish, but DJ was not ready for a roommate just yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe blue room, please. Inez has already taken some of Taylor\u2019s bags up for her. Thank you, Desiree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feeling dismissed as well as disapproved of, DJ led their reluctant new resident out to the foyer. \u201cWell, you\u2019ve probably already seen this.\u201d DJ waved her arm toward the elegant front entrance with its carved double doors and shining marble floor and Persian rug. She motioned toward the ornate oak staircase. \u201cAnd that\u2019s where the bedrooms are, but we can see that later.\u201d She walked through to the dining room. \u201cThis is where we chow down.\u201d She pointed to the swinging doors. \u201cThe kitchen\u2019s back there, but the cook, Clara, can be a little witchy about trespassers.\u201d DJ snickered. \u201cBesides, my grandmother does not want her girls to spend much time in the kitchen anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike that\u2019s going to be a problem,\u201d said Taylor, the first words she\u2019d spoken since meeting DJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d said DJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t imagine anyone is going to be exactly pigging out around here. I mean aren\u2019t we all supposed to become famous models or something?\u201d asked Taylor as she examined a perfectly manicured thumbnail.<\/p>\n

DJ frowned. \u201cWell, my grandmother did edit one of the biggest fashion magazines in the world, but I don\u2019t think that means we\u2019re all going to become famous models. I know I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor peered curiously at her. \u201cWhy not? You\u2019ve got the height, the build, and you\u2019re not half bad looking .?.?. well, other than the fact that you obviously have absolutely no style.\u201d She sort of laughed, but not with genuine humor. \u201cBut then you\u2019ve got your grandmother to straighten that out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ just shook her head. \u201cI think my grandmother will give up on me pretty soon. Especially when the others get here. She\u2019ll have girls with more promise to set her sights on.\u201d At least that was what DJ was hoping.<\/p>\n

\u201cHas anyone else arrived?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d DJ continued the tour. \u201cThis is the library.\u201d She paused to allow Taylor to look inside the room and then moved on. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the sunroom, or observatory, as Grandmother calls it.\u201d She laughed. \u201cHearing her talk about this house sometimes reminds me of playing Clue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, the murder game, like where Colonel Mustard kills Mrs. Peacock with a wrench in the observatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I never played that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight .?.?.\u201d Then DJ showed Taylor the large living room, the most modern space in the house. Grandmother had put this room together shortly after deciding to take on her crazy venture. Above the fireplace hung a large flat-screen TV, which was connected to a state-of-the-art DVD and sound system. This was encircled by some comfortable pieces of leather furniture, pillows, and throws.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot bad,\u201d admitted Taylor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome back to the twenty-first century.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have wireless here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. I told Grandmother it was a necessity for school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis house has been in our family for a long time,\u201d said DJ as she led Taylor up the stairs. \u201cBut no one has lived here for the past twenty years. My grandmother had it restored after she retired a -couple of years ago.\u201d DJ didn\u2019t add that her grandmother had been forced to retire due to her age (a carefully guarded and mysterious number) or that this new business venture, boarding teen \u201cdebutantes,\u201d was to help supplement her retirement income. Those were strict family secrets and, despite DJ\u2019s angst in living here, she did have a sense of family loyalty?\u2014?-at least for the time being. She wasn\u2019t sure if she could control herself indefinitely.<\/p>\n

DJ stopped at the second-floor landing. \u201cThe bedrooms are on this floor, and the third floor has a ballroom that would be perfect for volleyball, although Grandmother has made it clear that it\u2019s not that kind of ballroom.\u201d She led Taylor down the hall. \u201cMy bedroom is here,\u201d she pointed to the closed door. \u201cAnd yours is right next door.\u201d She opened the door. \u201cThe blue room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor looked into the pale blue room and shook her head in a dismal way. \u201cAnd is it true that I have to share this room with a perfect stranger?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t know how perfect she\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFunny.\u201d Taylor rolled her eyes as she opened a door to one of the walk-in closets opposite the beds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not as big as I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s bigger than it looks,\u201d said DJ as she walked into the room and then pointed to a small alcove that led to the bathroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I get any say in who becomes my roommate?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you can take that up with my grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor tossed her purse onto the bed closest to the bathroom and then kicked off her metallic-toned sandals. \u201cThese shoes might be Marc Jacobs, but they\u2019re killing me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re really into this?\u201d asked DJ. \u201cThe whole fashion thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor sat down on the bed, rubbing a foot. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with wanting to look good.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ felt the need to bite her tongue. Taylor was her grandmother\u2019s first official paying customer to arrive and participate in this crazy scheme. Far be it from DJ to rock Grandmother\u2019s boat. At least not just yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, thanks for the tour,\u201d said Taylor in a bored voice. Then she went over to where a set of expensive-looking luggage was stacked in a corner. \u201cDon\u2019t the servants around here know how to put things away properly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProperly?\u201d DJ shrugged.<\/p>\n

Taylor picked up the top bag and laid it down on the bench at the foot of one of the beds and opened it.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you want to go down and tell your mom good-bye?\u201d asked DJ as she moved toward the door.<\/p>\n

Taylor laughed in a mean way. \u201cAnd make her think she\u2019s doing me a favor by dumping me here? Not on your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere are some more bags for Miss Mitchell,\u201d said Inez as she lugged two large suitcases into the room, setting them by the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut them over there,\u201d commanded Taylor, pointing to the bench at the foot of the other bed. \u201cAnd don\u2019t pile them on top of each other. This happens to be Louis Vuitton, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ saw Inez make a face behind Taylor\u2019s back. But the truth was DJ didn\u2019t blame her. Inez might be a housekeeper, but she didn\u2019t deserve to be treated like a slave. Suddenly, DJ felt guilty for snapping at Inez earlier today. She smiled now, and Inez looked surprised and a little suspicious. Then DJ grabbed the largest bag, hoisted it onto the bench with a loud grunt, and Taylor turned around and gave her a dark scowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cLater,\u201d said DJ as she exited the room with Inez on her heels.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Carter wants to see you downstairs, Desiree,\u201d announced Inez when they were out on the landing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain?\u201d complained DJ. \u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother girl just arrived. Your grandmother wants you to give her a tour too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat am I now?\u201d asked DJ. \u201cThe official tour guide?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds about right.\u201d Inez gave her a smirk.<\/p>\n

DJ wasn\u2019t sure if she could stomach another fashion diva with an attitude problem, but on the other hand, she didn\u2019t want to risk another etiquette lecture from her grandmother either. Once again, she clomped down the stairs and made her appearance in the office, suppressing the urge to bow and say, \u201cAt your ser-vice, Madam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEliza,\u201d gushed Grandmother, \u201cThis is my granddaughter, Desiree Lane. And Desiree, I\u2019d like you to meet Eliza Wilton.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pleasure to meet you, Desiree.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ nodded. She could tell by how formal her grandmother was acting that Eliza Wilton must be someone really important?\u2014?-meaning extraordinarily wealthy?\u2014?-even more so than the Mitchells. And that\u2019s when she remembered her grandmother going on about \u201cthe Wilton fortune\u201d this morning at breakfast. Of course, that must be Eliza\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice to meet ya, Eliza,\u201d DJ said in a purposely casual tone. This girl was pretty too, but not like Taylor\u2019s dark and dramatic beauty. Eliza was a tall, slender, impeccably dressed, blue-eyed blonde. She wasn\u2019t exactly a Paris Hilton clone?\u2014?-and she didn\u2019t have a little dog as far as DJ could see?\u2014?-but there was a similarity, except that Eliza\u2019s face was a little softer looking, a little sweeter, but then looks could be deceiving.<\/p>\n

DJ wondered if the Botox was starting to wear off, as her grandmother studied her with a furrowed brow, probably comparing her to Miss Perfect Eliza. Naturally, DJ would not measure up.<\/p>\n

\u201cEliza is from Louisville,\u201d said Grandmother. \u201cHer parents are presently residing in France, where her father just purchased a vineyard. But Eliza\u2019s grandmother and I are old friends. We went to college together. When she heard about what I was doing up here in Connecticut, she encouraged her daughter to send dear Eliza our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLucky Eliza,\u201d said DJ in a droll tone.<\/p>\n

Eliza actually giggled. Then Grandmother cleared her throat. \u201cDesiree will give you a tour of the house,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd she\u2019ll show you to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is .?.?.??\u201d asked DJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rose room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, thought DJ as she led Eliza from the office. Next to her grandmother\u2019s suite, the rose room was probably the best room in the house. Naturally, someone as important as Eliza would be entitled to that. Not that DJ had wanted it. And perhaps her grandmother had actually offered it to her last month. DJ couldn\u2019t remember. But she had never been a flowery sort of girl, and she knew the rose wallpaper in there would\u2019ve been giving her a serious migraine by now. Besides she liked her sunny yellow bedroom and, in her opinion, it had the best view in the house. On a clear day, you could actually glimpse a sliver of the Atlantic Ocean from her small bathroom window.<\/p>\n

DJ started to do a repeat of her earlier tour, even using the same lines, until she realized that Eliza was actually interested.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow old is this house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust over a hundred years,\u201d DJ told her. \u201cIt was built in 1891.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has a nice feel to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ considered this. \u201cYeah, I kinda thought that too, after I got used to it. To be honest, it seemed pretty big to me at first. But then you\u2019re probably used to big houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose. Not that I\u2019m particularly fond of mansions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy aren\u2019t you with your parents?\u201d asked DJ. \u201cIn France?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re concerned about things like politics and security,\u201d said Eliza as they exited the library. \u201cIn fact, they almost refused to let me come here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I think they felt I was safer in boarding school. If our grandmothers hadn\u2019t been such good friends, I\u2019m sure they never would\u2019ve agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re happy to be here?\u201d DJ studied Eliza\u2019s expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t know .?.?. I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019ll be fun to go to a real high school, to just live like a normal girl, with other normal girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ tried not to look too shocked. \u201cYou think this is normal?\u201d<\/p>\n

Eliza laughed. \u201cI guess I don\u2019t really know what normal is, but it\u2019s more normal that what I\u2019m used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what about the whole fashion thing?\u201d asked DJ. \u201cI mean you must know about my grandmother\u2019s plans to turn us all into little debutantes. Are you into all that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s nothing new. Remember, I\u2019m from the south. My family is obsessed with turning me into a lady. That was one of the other reasons my parents agreed to this. I think they see the Carter House as some sort of finishing school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or some sort of reformatory school, thought DJ. Although she didn\u2019t say it out loud. Not yet, anyway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s June 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his\/her latest Teen fiction book’s FIRST chapter! Melody Carlson and her book: Mixed Bags (Carter House Girls, Book 1) Zondervan (May 1, 2008) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: In sixth grade, Melody Carlson helped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}