Buried beneath the exhaustion of an emotional Christmas hangover is a teensy bit of excitement. Hey, I have another book out in January :)
Actually it's the second in the ALPHA SQUAD trilogy, TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT. Here's the back cover blurb:
Everything about her was a lie...except her desire for one man. Her role in defusing a hostage crisis had blown her cover and "Lindsay Bradford" knew she had to flee again. But there was one obstacle. Jack Langley. Whoever she really was, Jack knew that Lindsay couldn't run forever. And she couldn't fight a vengeful killer all alone. Wherever she went, the SWAT cop would be there to protect her. Nothing would stop him--not even the desire that blindsided them, making them vulnerable to a bullet that now had both their names on it.
Plenty of action and romance in this one. But I sort of have a soft spot for the hero, too. Jack Langley is a tactical officer on a SWAT squad. He's also irreverent, charming and sexy. The first time the heroine meets him he's at a cop Christmas party wearing half a Santa outfit, inviting the naughty women to come up and sit on his lap. Needless to say, the heroine's doesn't form a particularly positive first impression.
But of course she's pretending to be someone she's not, so the first impression she gives is purposefully misleading. She's dressed, as a matter of fact, like a constipated librarian. Certainly not like a woman who's been on the run from a killer for three years. So, yeah. Neither of them is exactly what they seem.
And that's often the case in real life, isn't it? I've been guilty of making hasty/wrong impressions a time or two. I actually had a negative opinion of the man who's now my boss, when he was in charge of another school; all based on what those teachers had to say about him. And since working with him I've come to believe he's one of the most outstanding principals in the state. Boy, was I wrong!
And then there's the first impression I had upon meeting my dh:) Let's just say, that one took years to shake! (In my defense, I was in ninth grade and very naive, LOL!)
What about you? Have you ever formed a mistaken first impression about someone or something? Has it ever come back to haunt you? Or did you manage to re-form your impression with aplomb? I'm giving away a signed copy of TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT to one lucky commenter today so go ahead and spill!
45 comments:
Everybody had terrible things to say about my pediatrician. My ob, who's a woman and has young kids, highly recommended him as the best in our town and her kids just adore him. That was good enough for me, so that's the ped I went with.
You should have seen the faces people made when I'd tell them who I'd be taking my baby to. They all said he was terrible, didn't talk, awful bedside manner, ect...
The hubby and I didn't care. The ped wasn't treating us, so he could talk/or not talk to us however he wanted. As long as my baby was happy.
I'm SOOO glad we went with him. We both just love him. He's funny and has answered any questions. It's never a long wait in the office. He's worked me in at the drop of a hat when I showed up at the office because my kid banged his head on the floor.
How does my kid like him? Not so much, but he doesn't like strangers.
Hey Kylie, the book sounds really great. All suspensy and complex. When does it hit the shelves?
Years ago there was a new woman hired where I worked and I didn't like her at all. She was loud and opinionated but we had to work together on a project and we ended up getting along very well and became a good friend.
Keri, I'm so glad you're happy with your pediatrician! That's a very important relationship. I've always been pleased with recommendations from other doctors--when they're real recommendations and not just, oh this is our guy here at the hospital. And it goes to figure--doctors know who are the best among them!
Lois, the book is a January release but in true Silhouette fashion it's on the shelves now. Has been for about a week, I hear.
Maureen, I had an experience similar to yours at my previous school. I was sort of put off by another teacher who had been hired at the same time as me. We ended up becoming great friends and I was even in her wedding.
Those are the kinds of initial mistakes that make it fun to be wrong!
My DH is prone to making snap judgements about people and situations. I remember being on vacation in Valdez, Alaska and going to a local diner for breakfast. A black woman came in and sat at a booth in the corner. The waitress brought her a glass of water and then left. Fifteen minutes later, the woman was still sitting by herself with just that glass of water, and you could tell she was upset.
My husband told me he thought the woman was mad because they weren't waiting on her -- possibly because she was black.
No, no, no, I told him. She's a local resident and she's just waiting for someone and they're late. That's why she seems upset. He asked me how I knew she was local. I told him to look at her clothing. She had on capri pants, a short-sleeved shirt and sandals. We, like all the other vacationers from the RV park where we'd stayed the night before, were dressed in jeans and fleece pullovers.
Sure enough, a few minutes later a woman came in and sat with her -- also dressed in summer attire. I don't know how they did it cause I was freezing my fanny off.
The book sounds great. I especially love the part about Jack sitting in half a Santa suit and inviting women to sit on his lap. Sounds like quite a guy.
Marilyn
Marilyn, it sounds like you are pretty good with observations! Sometimes my husband and I will pass the time trying to figure out the story of people nearby. What always strikes me is that we bring our own experiences and perceptions to the impressions the two of us form!
I'd make a terrible cop. I'm the least observant person in the world. I can put the car in the garage and head for the house and not recall if my husband's car was in the garage or not! Scary.
Jack was definitely fun to write. But *this* Santa keeps at least half his outfit on. For a while anyway!
Oh, my gosh, Kylie!! I am bad about first impressions. I'm trying to break the habit. And give people more of a chance. And I so bond with and understand the fictional character who makes a miscalculation, especially when I know it's going to lead to a great deal of fun for me as the reader. :)
Kylie, sounds like another terrific book!
A few years ago I took my dog to the specialty clinic for her chemo treatment and was surprised, and a little uneasy, when a new tech walked into the room. He had punk hair, tattoos, weird ear piercings and looked like a refugee from a meth lab. I'd always thought that I hadn't judged people by appearance but, clearly, I was wrong for all I wanted to do was pick up my dog and run for the door. He said hello to me then sat on the floor and gave all his attention to my dog. She walked right to him, cuddled in his lap and started licking his chin. Unlike me, she had looked beyond the surface and sensed the kindness of the person inside. When I returned later to pick up my dog I asked the Vet how things had gone. She took me to an area where I could observe the treatment without being seen. There sat the tech, holding my dog and rubbing her tummy while the chemo IV dripped away. The vet told me he had sat there, holding and comforting her during the entire treatment. As time went on, that young man become our favorite employee at the clinic and both of us looked forward to seeing him each time we visited. When the cancer returned and my beloved dog lost her battle to live, he grieved as deeply as I did and hugged me while I cried. Had I let my first impression of him be the lasting one I would have missed out on knowing a remarkably talented, kind and caring person and the loss would have been mine.
You and me both, Deb. I've gotten better just by the sheer number of people I come into contact with through school. And my eyes have been opened over the years about the way some people live. I like to think I've developed more empathy. But jumping to a first impression is still a bad habit of mine.
I love to read about characters who don't necessarily take each other at face value--who *think* there's something beneath the surface and then go along for the ride as a reader as the real people are revealed. Life is a lot like that, I think.
PJ your story brought tears to my eyes. What a sweetheart your tech was!
And there is definitely something about meeting up with someone who outwardly looks so different. Takes a wee bit more to look beneath the piercings and green hair, LOL. Of course I got better at that after one of my sons went through the dying the hair, piercings and--over my strenuous objection--a tattoo. When it all came to live at my house I developed more tolerance! Even bought him a diamond stud for Christmas one year, although I joked I'd always thought the first diamonds I bought would be for my daughter.
When I was growing up, I judged people on how they looked and not rheir personality. I often made mistakes with that way of thinking. Now I judge people on their speaking-what they say and how they say it. You know, I have noticed there are alot of unhappy peeps out there.
JWIsley AT aol.com
I made a snap judgement about Surfer Guy (my dh). After the night we first met, he'd call me "Princess" when he ran into me on our college campus. I'd always wanted to be called Princess. I thought he was wonderful for thinking I was so...royal or whatever.
Years later (after we were married) he told me he called me that because he couldn't remember my name.
Anonymous, you are so right. There are lots of desperately unhappy people out there. And meeting up with them often has me counting my blessings.
LOL, Christie! But of course since he's treated you like a princess ever since, the name still fits, right?
Congratulations on your new book... It sounds wonderful! What is the name of the 1st in the trilogy? I'll have to start looking for that one.
There was a girl in one of my college classes many years ago that I took an immediate dislike to. She was very outspoken and answered all questions posed to the class. She was smart... and seemed to want us all to know it. Turns out she wasn't "that person" at all. She is a very intelligent, self-confident and outgoing person. I'm glad I didn't let my initial impression keep me from getting to know her. We wound up being very, very good friends!
Have you ever met someone that you thought was the most gorgeous person you'd ever seen only to decide that they aren't really all that pretty after getting to know them? Or just the opposite? Meet someone that seems rather plain jane and then realize how pretty they really are after you've gotten to know them? It seems much like a physical change to the person, although it's just a mental perception of your own. Does that make any sense? Has it ever happened to anyone... or is it just me :(
Where I work I often get the wrong impression about new people I work with. This often changes once I get to know them. Looking forward to your latest release!
D Twomey, I've had similar experiences. A few guys that were very very good looking seemed less so once I got to know them and learned of their less than endearing qualities.
The first in the series, Terms of Surrender, came out in October and features a pair of hostage negotiators on the Alpha Squad. I really loved the research that went into this series! Had a very helpful SWAT guy in Washington feed me lots of great information.
As a teacher I had to try and keep from forming first impressions about students but it was hard and sometimes happened anyway. I remember one young man I had in class and he was known to be a trouble maker and that was the impression he gave me in the first month or so of school. Turns out his life was such that he gave that impression deliberately to keep people from getting too close. I managed (how I'll never know) to get through to him and he turned out to be one of the best students I ever had.
Congrats on the new book, Kylie - sounds like it was fun to write and will be even more fun to read!
I remember having the biggest crush on a guy when I was fairly young. But once I got to know him a bit years later, I found out he was sooo boring. One of those great looking guys without much for brain activity. Still get a kick out of that. lol
Tetewa, it's so great when people turn out to be more than your initial impression, isn't it? Especially if you work with them everyday...!
Ellentoo, yes, the student with ready made defenses. They almost dare you to look deeper, don't they? Your student was lucky you saw him for who he really is.
Helen, we must know some of the same guys, LOL! Often all it took was engaging them in a discussion about politics or what was happening in the world to decide that looks alone couldn't make up for having nothing upstairs!
Congrats on the new release, Kylie. I have been guilty of making a hasty impression about another person. It used to happen a lot in school. I used to assume that a classmate who keeps to herself and doesn't seem friendly is mean, but in reality she might just be shy. Sometimes I would eventually get to know the person and find out that she's nice and is funny. Wrong impressions also happen in the workplace often. You might consider a boss or a coworker of brusque and rude, but when you get to know them that's not their personality at all.
Jane, I think you're right. I know as a high schooler I was often guilty of thinking shy people were unfriendly or standoffish until I got to know them better. Sometimes I think it would be nice to get a do-over for high school--to go back with the knowledge we have now.
And then I think--be a teenager again? No way, ever!
Sounds like a great story, Kylie!
I'm pretty sure I make more bad first impressions than I form, but every once in a while I read someone all wrong. I'm not very good at chatting people up. Either I talk too much or not at all. When I meet someone like me--especially when they're in can't-shut-up mode--I tend to think they're full of themselves. Sometimes they're just uncomfortable. When you meet a person like that again under different circumstances, she can seem like a totally different person. Basically she's probably shy. I don't know whether I'm shy. I do know that I don't do well in situations like the Christmas party, so I figure first impressions are very often off the mark. Makes for good story fodder.
Mine usually goes the opposite way. I usually give everyone the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise and am very disappointed when they aren't as nice as I had hoped.
LOL Christie!
PJ - Loved your pet story. So sweet. Dogs are like that, you know? They can "see" things that we humans can't or don't.
Keri - When you're a first time mother, it's important (IMHO) to have a peds you trust, can talk to, and get in to see! So sound like you did good.
I have a chapter member that (upon first impression) believed that she would be sweet, soft-spoken, etc. However, she cusses like a sailor, has a temper, and writes erotica! LOL
Marilyn - Loved your story about the waiting lady. My hubs and I do that...try to figure out what is going on at another table. Truth be told, it's more me than him and (true confession) I'll eavesdrop on others. If you're sitting by me and confessing to a friend, I'm probably listening!
My mom had a nurse during her cancer treatments that initially we all took an immediate disliking too, but we quickly learned that our first impression was incorrect. She turned out to be an excellent nurse and all around compassionate and sympathetic lady.
Deidre
Kathleen, food for thought! I tend to be reserved, but when I'm in a social setting it depends on my mood whether I'm talkative or not. So definitely, people could form different impressions, depending on what mood I'm in!
My husband is the gregarious, travel around the room, chat everyone up type, while I'm more prone to plop down with some friends and stay in one spot all night. That could make me look standoffish I suppose, but really I'm just lazy, LOL.
Catslady, that has happened to me before to. My aide kept telling me things one of the teachers would say to her, and I just couldn't believe it because she didn't seem that way at all. Then one day I saw the woman in action and thought, wow! She's not who I thought she was at all!
Cyndi, I do the same thing--eavesdropping at others at nearby tables. My husband and I get such a kick out of the snippets of conversation that float our way!
My very first RWA conference was in NY and since I didn't know anyone, he accompanied. We spent several hours in the hotel bar listening to people talk and that was a real eye opener, I can tell you!
Deidre, that was a nice turn of events for you. At a time like that,
I'm sure you appreciated the nurse's knowledge and empathy.
Great cover, Kylie! Yummy!
And I love the idea of him playing a naughty Santa!
I have formed first impressions that were negative and later changed my notion of a person and become friends with them. A social work supervisor in our mental health center came across as brazen and arrogant. . . not very likeable. But when I got to know her, she was funny and warm and caring-- as well as arrogant! LOL. Most of my negative first impressions have had a basis in fact. When people are doing dumb things or behaving in ways that are unpleasant, they call down bad first impressions on themselves. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't allow them room for growth and change as time goes on.
After all, even really nice people can be a**holes sometimes. Heck, even me. And I sure wouldn't want someone to actively hate me just because they caught me at my worst. So I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. . . even if I don't like what I see at first.
Your book sounds great.
Thirty eight years ago I met a man I couldn't stand. An arrogant know it all. Thirteen years later I married him.
I think I learned the hard way about first impressions. Years ago, right after high school, I started dating a friend from the group I ran with. I didn't care for him at first but my friends assured me that he was a nice guy. My impression was that he was really intense but I thought it might be my imagination. So I ignored that inner voice. He turned out to be a complete psycho, sort of like Sleeping With The Enemy. It took 3 years to escape that guy, but the lesson was to trust my gut. On the flip side, I met my husband during those dark times and we have been together for about 15 years now.
I try not to judge people anymore until I have a chance to know them but for those casual observations... snap judgments are hard to avoid sometimes. The key is to keep those thoughts in your head so that you aren't embarrassed later:)
You raise a good point, Betina! When we're out with our friends we just concentrate on having a good time. And strangers in the vicinity listening to our conversation might have rather interesting impressions of the lot of us!
Estella, that sounds like a story in itself! Care to share more???
Chiming in late here because I was out most of the day so I could pick up my grand babies for the weekend YEA!!
But yeah. I've had that experience. For instance, the first time I met you, Kylie, I thought you were this sweet, quiet and reserved type. Boy oh boy was I wrong!!!
But in a good way :o) Congrats on the new release!! Can't wait to get my mitts on it!!
But Cindy, I *am* sweet shy and reserved!
Well, okay no one has really mistaken me for sweet, LOL!
Lunaticcafe, I think sometimes we have a sixth sense about people, some sort of warning instinct that it pays to follow. It sounds like you had a narrow escape!
I wish I'd followed mine when I was creeped out by a doctor who eventually screwed up my surgery, leading to having to redo it.
I'm guilty of forming a hasty first impression of someone I met at work. She seemed rude, arrogant and overbearing but it turns out she was just a very outgoing and confident person. In fact, she turned out to be a good friend!
Congratulations on your new release! It sounds wonderful. I can't wait to pick it up.
Have a safe and happy New Year!
I tend to give someone the benefit of doubt at first and don't say something until I know further. Often times people will seem stuck up to me and I later find out that they are shy and quiet types.
I misjudged my sister-in-law to some degree at first.
Well, I have had mistaken first impression about someone or something every so often, but most clearly I remember that one time when my first -bad- impression turned out to be more than right. And I hadn't even talked with this person when something told me she was was going to be trouble. And oh boy, she sure caused me problems for years.
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