Mar 22, 2013

Guest Post & Giveaway: Liz Coley

Today I have the honor of having Liz Coley on the blog. Liz is the author of Pretty Girl-13, the emotionally turbulent book of a girl who is kidnapped at age 13 and one of my favorite books to come out this year. 


Scenes from a Life – First Kiss
By Liz Coley

“A kiss is just a kiss” the song goes, unless it’s that memorable First Kiss. I can only speak from the girl’s perspective. I don’t know whether boys whisper about whether they are ready, when it will happen, or whether they’re nervous.

Confession time. I was sweet fourteen and never been kissed when I decided to try out for the part of Liat in South Pacific. Liat’s mom, Bloody Mary, “gives” her virginal teenaged daughter to an American soldier for the night in hopes that he’ll like her and marry her and take her away to a better life. The part of Lt. Cable had already been cast—a super-cute, super-athletic junior with flowing seventies hair and a sweet tenor voice. Be still my teenaged heart. The audition was to play the arranged-seduction scene with him. Fortunately I only had to learn one line--in French, at that--because all I could think about was the part where he would tenderly lower me to the floor and kiss me.

Since the music room was being used by lower school classes, our director had reserved a large supply closet for auditions--large meaning, maybe six by eight feet, which was kind of cozy for four. Four? Yes, four. Did I mention Lt. Cable had a senior girl friend who was playing the Nellie, the star of the show, and helping our music teacher evaluate all the auditions?

For a week I popped breath mints and played the scene in my head, especially in Algebra II where he sat a couple desks away. The dreaded, longed-for day came. And then it happened. My first kiss, in the arms of the high school basketball star, on the floor of a supply closet, under the supervision of his girlfriend and the music director. It was warm and soft and strangely thoughtful, like he understood how awkward this whole set up was. And curiously, it was far more memorable in the long run than my first “real” kiss with a boyfriend a year later.

There are a lot of “first” kisses over a lifetime, but only one First Kiss, which holds a special place in the way we measure our growing up.


Thanks, Liz! Be sure to check out my review of Pretty Girl-13: Review Link

I also have a shiny new copy of Pretty Girl-13 to give away to one lucky reader from the US/Canada. Just fill out the Rafflecopter and good luck!

8 comments:

  1. Oh man, I got all nervous just reading this! My palms literally started sweating at the thought of having to kiss an older, super athletic popular boy under the watchful eye of several other people. Please hold while I hyperventilate :) *takes deep breaths* So glad Lt. Cable made that first kiss memorable!

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  2. I actually don't remember my first kiss. I was young, I know that, but other than that I have no clue. It may have been in 6th grade at camp, but it may have been earlier/later.

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  3. Christina K. in the rafflecopter

    Definitely an awkward story! Neither one of us had kissed anyone before, and we had to make sure no teachers saw us, and it was open mouthed which was stupid for the first time and icky, but it was really awkward!!

    Lovely post!!

    Thank you:)

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  4. I remember playing spin-the-bottle as a young kid in which kissing cootie-riddled neighbor boys was the awkward norm.
    However, my first proper kiss came at 16 with a boy (friend of a friend) whom I had talked on the telephone with every night for four years and saw in person only rarely since we lived in different cities and neither of us had a drivers license yet.
    I remember us 'clinking teeth' on the very first attempt LOL our subsequent second and third kisses were hardly an improvement - which may or may not have had anything to do with the fact we didn't stay together very long after those first few kisses.

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  5. haha I don't have a story since my religion forbids anything like that before marriage.
    As for this book, I am dying to read this because I have heard the best things about it!!

    - Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf

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  6. I don't have one yet.
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  7. Also really young that I can't remember much. I think it was pretty spontaneous and a little wet! :)

    Thanks,
    Leanne

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  8. I was really young and don't remember much. I do know that I ran away after lol.

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