I’ve been writing all my life and it was my second hobby. The first was and is reading.
My brother was an excellent artist so I wanted to draw but had no talent for it whatsoever. So I looked for something else to make ‘pretty pictures’. I found cross stitching and it has been one of my passions ever since.
I’ve made many birth and wedding samplers over the years. In August 2020 my niece gave birth to a little girl and naturally I stitched a birth sampler for her.
I sent her a photo and she loved it until her boyfriend pointed out the time was wrong. It was her mistake, and said it didn’t matter, but of course it did. Her eyes would always go to the time. When ever anyone looked at for the first time, she would always be compelled to tell them.
I took it apart, unstuck it and restitched it.
This has happened twice before, both my fault. When a girl at work got married I stitched the trusted sampler I had done several times already.
It was done and ready to give to the happy couple when we were all chatting one day. She just happened to mention the 4th, I had stitched the 5th.
I took it apart, unweaved it, and restitched the correct date.
In 2014, my son got married. I used my trusty sampler once more, The night before the wedding I was about to give it to him when my husband pointed something out. It said Decemember. How could I have not noticed that?
So, I took it apart, I unweaved, and restitched it.
In 2015, I wrote a book called Behind Closed Doors. There was a scene where Kerry, my main character goes to her boyfriend’s workshop and he wants to draw her. This is an excerpt.
Come over here.” He was standing next to a dining table.
She imagined all the joiners sitting around it, drinking tea and telling dirty jokes.
“Why?” she asked a little dubiously. He was up to something.
“I want you to lie on it,” he said, eyes mischievous.
Her pulse quickened. “What?”
“I want to draw you.”
Draw me? Was that disappointment she felt? Had she expected him to
make love to her right there on the table top? She laughed at her imagination.
“Really?”
“Yes, really, come on.”
Giggling, Kerry stood on a chair, then lay down, feeling a bit silly.
Tommy manoeuvred her into a position he wanted, and she felt even sillier. Was she a model now?
“Relax, Kerry,” he said, moving away. He picked up a pad and pencil she
hadn’t noticed before.
“Do you know how hard this table is?” she replied.
He pulled out a chair and sat down and began to draw.
“Well, this is nice,” Kerry said with a sigh. She could feel the curved
edge of the table under her elbow. She peered towards the dirty window above Tommy’s head, aware of her hair hanging over the edge towards the floor, exactly where he had pushed it.
“You’ve no idea,” he replied, glancing at her, then down to the pad as the pencil moved quickly.
“Hmm, I wonder what’s for dinner tonight? Wood chips? Or wardrobe sausage?” she pondered.
“Keep still.”
“I am still. In fact, I’m so still you can hardly tell I’m breathing.”
“Your mouth is moving,” he pointed out.
She ran her tongue over her lips. “Can you draw an open mouth?” She
puckered it in a kiss and giggled.
“Kerry! Shut up a minute.”
Mentally, she counted to sixty. “My back is aching.”
“Okay,” he said, standing up and snapping the pad closed. “Finished.”
“Can I see it?”
“No, you can’t. I need to finish it first.”
“I thought you just said it was finished,” she insisted.
“Hmm…” She loved the rumbling sound his voice made. “These are just
the bare bones,” he told her. “I’ve got to fill it in yet.”
“God!” she huffed, feigning annoyance. “I’ve been called many things,
but bare bones!”
Tommy laughed and swatted her bum with the palm of his hand. “You’ll
see it, eventually.”
They were laughing as they made their way back outside to his bike.
Do you remember the scene in a Titanic where Jack draws Rose? This is where the inspiration for Tommy drawing Kerry came from. I had this idea of reproducing the drawing. I asked two authors who I knew did illustrations. One came out as cartoon characters. The other didn’t have the sexy almost erotica look that I had envisioned from that excerpt. I couldn’t seem to convey it to them, either.
Maybe, one day in the future I will be able to draw it myself. Unless, someone reading this is tempted to give it a go?
Behind Closed is available as an ebook, paperback and on Kindle Unlimited and so far the reviews have been really good.
