| “I AM JANIE” A preview © 2011 Bob Holt Breaking free from a highly disruptive childhood that she alone created; pregnant, at fifteen; Janie fled her home and familiar surroundings spending the next three years with her aunt in Reidsville, NC. She carried her daughter full term never seeing or holding her. The adoption agency whisked her away moments after her birth. Arriving in Myrtle Beach on the day of her high school graduation she didn’t attend; Janie quickly found a job waitressing at Captain John’s on Ocean Blvd. and a place to live in a 50’s cottage with three other girls’ only blocks away. Two worked at “Captain John’s; Linda and Jasmine. Sani and Angel would join them over the next few months. Still high-strung with a Lori Morgan look and eyes that seemed to say; “Yes you can darling,” along with a hair- trigger temper she promptly outshined the other girls at times being warned by Linda that she was playing with fire. Janie snapped back saying she knew what she was doing; flirting was part of the game and she knew the rules. About a year later; her Robert Redford pulled into the restaurant parking lot in his white 325i BMW convertible. She told the other’s “hands off. He’s mine!” A short time later Jerry Lambert helped her get her first car and they began dating a week later. His family was wealthy and she was sure he’d disappear quickly into her dreams after he’s made his attempt to seduce her. His sister; Anna, and friend; Tiffany, added to that surety but Janie was determined to give it her all endearing herself to Jerry and his parents. A month later their relationship became intimate during her first outing on the family’s 38 foot Catamaran, “Happiness Is.” Their relationship intensified overcoming all obstacles; especially his sister and her friend. Anna was younger but very headstrong wanting to run the family’s sporting goods store in North Myrtle Beach but more than that; she was determined to make Jerry walk down the isle with her friend, Tiffany. That wasn’t going to happen; Jerry knew too much about the rich spoiled brat to even date her. Jerry knew all about Janie’s history including the unwanted pregnancy and admired her ability to control her “hot temper.’ He was also falling more deeply in love with her as the days and weeks went by finding more and more time for their “special dessert.” He strongly suggested she take the state real estate license courses saying his family would be opening an agency soon and he’d hire her the minute she was licensed. Janie jumped at the opportunity to better herself quickly agreeing. Jerry enrolled her when she returned home to eastern North Carolina for the first time in four years. She found her family waiting with open arms and all her horrible past seemed to evaporate during the visit. She and her younger brother; Donnie, quickly bonded. Returning to Myrtle Beach; she was surprised and ‘madder than hell” when she found her arch rival; Tiffany answering the phone at “Lambert’s Sporting Goods plus she was also enrolled in the same real estate class. Her instructor, Walter LaRoque was friends with Jerry and unknowing to Janie, they had been discussing going into real estate business together. He and his girlfriend, Holly Berry, became best friends with Jerry and Janie. An unwanted call from Donnie came crashing down on Janie; her Daddy had unexpectedly passed away. Jerry insisted on accompanying her to the funeral endearing himself to Mama Harper and Donnie. Her Myrtle Beach family went to the funeral giving Janie the strength needed to overcome her almost insurmountable grief. After a huge argument between Jerry and Anna; she stomped out of the Sporting Goods Store taking Tiffany with her. Jerry immediately hired Janie as his assistant. She quickly found holes in the store’s accounting procedures and made suggestions to improve them. Mother and Father Lambert monitored Janie’s progress hoping one day soon they’d have a daughter-in-law and finally; a grandchild. They too were already aware of Janie’s past. “Intercoastal Properties” opened that fall with four principals in the corporation; Jerry, Janie, Walter, and Holly. The Lambert’s gave the budding corporation millions of dollars in listings. Anna did not and would not have any part in it. Janie quickly became a member of the “Million Dollar Club.” A holiday trip to Key West on Thanksgiving weekend produced a ring and a proposal from Jerry. Janie was on top of the world believing she could rise no higher. A wedding date was set for March with Jerry’s parent’s insisting on incurring all expenses. All the events excepting the wedding would take place at Twin Lakes Country Club; Mother Lambert insisting on overseeing the entire event. The wedding would be at Cherry Grove Baptist Church with Rev. Willis Wilson officiating. Janie was out of her league and made no bones about it. Jerry smiled saying; “Just tell everyone you’re my fiancée.” Anna called Janie saying it was time for the wedding plans to come to a halt. Meet her at the “Surf and Pines Restaurant” in Surfside. “Pack your bags 'County Bitch' It’s time you left town……. |
"I AM Janie" Published in November 2011. Many readers have commented on the storyline and how portions touched their lives. Janie began her professional career with a grudge against the world but was determined to overcome the poverty of her youth and maintain a firm grip on her explosive personality. Her fuse was still short but she refused to let it interfere with her growing romantic relationship with the man of her dreams and the visions he had for them. |
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| This review is from: I Am Janie (Paperback) The author did an excellent job detailing the time period as seen through the eyes of the characters. The author was able to capture "the past" by the continuous descriptions of meals, locations, roadways, and interactions among characters. The explicit use of adjectives and narratives "shaped" those interactions thus allowing the reader to gain an understanding of how space (food, restaurants, buildings, roads, scenery) creates both pleasant and unpleasant memories. |
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