Hate at first sight – And The Winners Are…
Posted by Sarah Mayberry in Sarah Mayberry, Uncategorized
Thanks to everyone for coming along to chat. The winners for this month’s give away are:
Alina Duffer
Moth
Could both ladies email me on sarah@sarahmayberry.com ASAP with their snail mail addys and I will get those books in the mail pronto.
Merry Christmas to everyone! Speak again in the New Year!
In my very first Blaze, Can’t Get Enough, I wrote about two characters who thought they hated each other, but who wound up falling in love. They worked in the same office and had tons of pre-conceived ideas about each other. And then they got trapped in an elevator for several hours on a hot and steamy day…
My latest Blaze, Her Secret Fling (Jan 2010, available now at eharlequin.com) revisits the idea of two people who think they can’t stand each other but who are forced to reconsider when circumstances force them together. Poppy is a new recruit to a big Melbourne newspaper, a former Olympic-medal winning swimmer who has been forced into retirement by a shoulder injury. She’s been brought in by the paper to write a “celebrity” column in the sports section, and she’s excited about the job since she wants to move on now that swimming is no longer an option for her – and because she gets to work with Jake Stevens, one of her all time favorite writers.
Jake wrote a book a few years ago that marked him as a novelist to watch in Australian literature – and since then he’s written nothing except his weekly pieces for the Melbourne Herald. There are reasons for this – there are always reasons, right? – and there are reasons for why he isn’t exactly thrilled to learn Poppy will be joining the sports writing team. Which is why he’s pretty mean to her on her first day at work, and why Poppy’s hero worship quickly sours into dislike and leads to her christening her new colleague “Jake the Snake”.
Then they both get stranded thanks to an airline strike and the only way they can get home is to drive – and Poppy happens to score the last rental car in the whole city. Guess who’s going to have to do some serious sucking up if he wants to get home any time soon?
I had a lot of fun writing the banter between Poppy and Jake. Poppy’s really open and honest but she’s not afraid to stick up for herself, while Jake has definitely got a smart ass, dark side. There’s also a scene up early that I giggled all the way through writing – I call it “man versus machine”. I’ll be interested to hear what readers think of it….
So, my question for you today is this: when have your first impressions ever been horribly wrong? I have a couple of examples to throw on the table – when I first met one of my best friends, I did not like her at all. For some reason, she drove me nuts. And then I got to know her and fell in friend-love with her. The other example is my man. When I first met him at a mutual friend’s party, I thought he was funny and smart but for some reason his good looks just didn’t register with me. I don’t know why. Perhaps I simply wasn’t on the prowl for a hot guy at the time (I know what you’re thinking – did I have a pulse? Possibly not!). It wasn’t until I caught up with him again that I kind of blinked and went “Holy Cow, Batman, you’re HOT!!!” So. Over to you. I’ll be giving away two – 2!!! – copies of Her Secret Fling to posters today. Looking forward to sharing your stories.
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Looks like I have some glomming to do – I haven’t read ‘Can’t Get Enough’ and it sounds right up my alley! Lurve a good road-trip story!
Anyway my hate at first site is with my first love!! He was younger, arrogant and in a drama team with me. He thought he was all that and I thought nothing of the sort… We ended up playing modern day Romeo and Juliet’s and fiction turned to reality! Except the tragic ending bit!!
Hi Rachael. You know, I have worked on a couple of soap operas, one in Oz and another in New Zealand, and the amateur theatre story where two people who don’t like each other are forced into the leads in Romeo and Juliet and subsequently fall in love is a staple. In fact, I believe one of the shows i used to work on is about to do it again this month. There’s a reason why these stories keep coming back up – they obviously represent something true in the world. Thanks for sharing!
Really? It’s used that often!? Guess I can’t do it for my next wip then?
Wow, sounds like a fun read! I’m pretty dead on when it comes to first impressions. I can’t remember a time when I’ve been wrong. Though my husband would say he can’t remember a time when I thought I wasn’t right (in anything)
Ha ha, Liz! There’s nothing wrong with being right – it’s one of my favorite things in the world!!! I usually have a gut-level first impression with most people that tends to be fairly accurate. But there have definitely been a few times when my compass has been waaaay off.
I have to say my first impressions are usually spot on. I must have inherited this from my mom. She could always tell if someone was trouble. Maybe it’s mother’s intuition.
There have definitely been a few times in my life when your talent for spotting trouble could have come in handy. Sometimes it’s only after the disaster that I remember that there was a little niggle in the back of my brain telling me that this person was not so nice. Maybe I should listen to it more!
I have had a couple of friends that i didn’t like much when I first met them and a couple of my kids friends I wasn’t too sure of but they turned out to be great kids.
Hi Maureen. It’s a weird thing, isn’t it? I think there are some people who send danger signals – and they’re the ones I wish I listened to more! – and then there are others who are just kind of annoying or something when you first meet them. The latter are the ones that I usually end up adoring. When I meet new people now and get that annoyed feeling I remind myself that it might not necessarily be a bad thing…
The only example I can recall is that I used to think someone might be “full of himself” when he didn’t talk to others. He was military and I figured he might not like being associated with the “little people”. I made an effort to get to know him, and he (and his wife) has since become one of my best friends. He’s just shy at first!
Hi Laney. Oh, the shy thing is so tough. I have a friend who is incredibly self conscious and she always hovers on the edge of things. I think it’s obvious to most people that she’s shy, but I bet there are some cases where people think she’s rude or full of herself. I think when the shyness is in someone who otherwise seems to have it all going on – good looks, success etc – it definitely comes across as “I’m better than you”. Thank you for mentioning this….you’ve given me an idea for a story!
Sarah the book sounds amazing! I cant wait to read it! As for first impressions I have two stories. First was my brothers old girlfriend. When I first met her I thought she was a little weird, lol! I really didnt want to have anything to do with her. Then she came up to our house and got snowed in there for like a week. Well being stuck together made us have to talk, and it turned out that we really did have alot in common. Well they dated for 4 years then went their seperate ways, but she is still one of my best friends 11 years later and my kids call her Aunt Sandi. The second was my husband. The first time I met him I thought he was just to shy and to quiet. Sure he was cute, but not my type. Then we went on a double date with my best friend and his best friend and I got to know him. He is the funniest guy I know. He can always make me laugh and we fell in love that weekend. And now here we are 10 years later and more in love then ever. So yes I have diffently learned to never judge a book by its cover, even though Blaze covers are always HOT!! LOL!!
I love both these stories. Getting snowed in together is awesome!!! We don’t have that kind of snow in Australia – it’s limited to mountain tops, and the way global warming is going, not much longer there, either! But your story is exactly what happens in my first book, Can’t Get Enough – two people get stuck together and are forced to re-evaulate their first impressions. And there’s a bit of that going on in my Jan release, too! As for your hubby, my sister in law’s husband is also very quiet and self contained. He hardly said anything the first few times we met him. But I know now that he is very smart and incredibly funny. When he says something, it’s usually so dry and hilarious. Lovely to see you over here!
I found that I have had the wrong impression about almost all of the people who are important to me in life. In fact, I’m always a little suspicious if I ‘friend-love’ someone off the bat. LOL. I’m not a hard, cynical bitch, promise.
Just finished Her Secret Fling and I just had to pop in and *standing ovation*
Man, but it was good. That’s seems such an innocous word but I literally put it down ten minutes ago and I’m still a little lost for words. I know I always gush about your books Sarah and it makes me completely bias but bravo! I think I may have to give Poppy (and Jake) another gold medal. It’s knocked Anything For You off the top spot.
Off to go on a Mayberry reading binge…
Awww,thanks. Glad you enjoyed the read. It’s a pretty simple little book – not a lot of big twists and turns or anything, but I really like how “normal” the problems between the two of them are.
On the friend front, while I am not necessarily suspicious of instant friend-love all the time, I am definitely suspicious of instant friend-love when others exhibit it toward me! People who want to be my best friend within five minutes of meeting me, who have a nick name for me within the same time limit, and who rush toward inappropriate intimacy are always a bit of a red alert for me. And I haven’t been wrong yet. Awesome to see you here. Sayuri!
I do not recall if there has been a positive change of impression… I have a few times thought I knew someone and then they proved me wrong in the friends dept…. but I do love Happy endings so bring them on!
I’m so all about happy endings, it’s ridiculous. I read The Lovely Bones recently, the book Peter Jackson has adapted into a movie, and I was talking to my friend about how I wanted the ending to be different – ie wrapped up in a red ribbon, nice and neat. She argued that real life is not like that – nice and neat, I mean – and I was forced to admit that there is probably a very solid reason why I write romance novels. I love happy endings. Cannot get enough of them. When a book drags me through ups and downs and then spits me out the other end without delivering a happy ending, I can definitely get a bit sulky. Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Sarah – love your Blazes! I don’t have a good story for me (love at first sight with my hubby) but my sister first met her husband at a work-organized sports outing. He was drunk and throwing up in a trash can. She met him again at week later at a party where he was sober, very funny, very kind. They started dating and six weeks after that she needed emergency surgery. I drove from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m to be by her side for the surgery and found her then-boyfriend of just six weeks in the waiting room at 5 a.m. He didn’t leave all day. Just goes to show that first impressions aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be!
Wow! What a great story. And what a huge turn around – talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous! Or maybe the other way around – ridiculous to the sublime! Thanks for sharing. I’m getting lots of ideas from these stories everyone is offering up…. Not my ulterior motive, I promise, but I can’t resist a good story starter…
I know I’ve had moments where my first impressions have been waaaay off, but for some reason they just aren’t coming to me this morning!! The one instance that does come to mind actually has to do with my college roommate. I had started dating a guy, who had a pretty cool roommate and another good friend, both of whom I got to be good friends with as well. My roommate *hated* the both of them. (Though she liked my BF, for some reason, LOL!) She could not understand what I saw in them. Fast forward 10 (or so) years…BF and I are each very happily married to other people, my roommate *married* BFs roommate and they see more of that other good friend than BF or I do. All three of those guys have unique personalities…I guess it just took her a while to see inside! I still shake my head and smile when I think about it.
Looking forward to reading your new book, Sarah!
Someone else’s wrong first impression – I love it. This has all the makings of the plot for a romance story, by the way! Thanks for sharing, Cathy, and I hope you enjoy Her Secret Fling.
I had a similiar experiance with one of my now-best friends. I met her in middle school during a PE class and I thought she was annoying. Then our first day of drama class the next year (without really knowing each other) we sat next to each other and were magically finishing each other’s sentences. We’ve been good friends ever since.
This is why the whole first impressions things is both good and bad, huh? Because sometimes your first, gut level impression is spot on – ie this person is trouble – and sometimes it’s just wayyyy off beam. I try to give everyone – including myself – the space to prove who they are now. But sometimes it’s hard to stop those knee jerk reactions….
My mom wasn’t impressed with my dad when they first went out. It was a blind double date because he was the one with the car. It wasn’t until he kissed her that she thought, “Hmm. There might be something here.”
Thank goodness for that kiss! Imagine if he’d never been so bold! Great story, Heather. It just goes to show that you never can tell. I guess the converse must also true – sometimes really hot guys are duds in the kissing department. Fortunately, I haven’t met any of them!!
When I first met this lady she absolutely annoyed the crap out of me. I had to be around her week after week and gradually I started realizing that a lot of her talk was just that, talk. She was kind of socially inept so I started hanging around with her and we became very good friends.
My mum is a big talker. She does it to be be entertaining, I think, and perhaps because she’s nervous. Most people find her fun, but I’m sure there are some people who steer clear because she’s so chatty. Great that time helped you to discover a good friend, Linda – and this just proves my theory that it’s hard to dislike most people when you start to understand what makes them tick.
When I first met one of my best friends I thought she was conceited. We met in college and she was never said a word to anyone and one day I sat next to her because it was the only seat available. Eventually we started up a conversation and I realized that she was just shy and that’s why she didn’t interact with the other classmates. She was a fun and friendly person and I’m so happy to her have as my friend.
Like I said above, shyness is such a curse. I think some people are clearly obviously shy, and others come across as aloof or hoity tooty for some reason. I worked with someone once who had absolutely no patience with the shy. She said something like “they need to just get over themselves”. Well, easy for her to say, since she was a big loud mouth and very much larger than life. I think the world is full of all types, and thank God because it would be damned boring if we were all the same flavor. Thanks for dropping by!
If it’s not too late to add my story. It has a sad ending. I was in college and away from home for the first time. I met a guy who appeared to be a fun person, outgoing, honest and had lots of friends. Unfortunately he while he was fun and outgoing he was not honest and most of his friends were taken in as was I. We became pretty close and at one time marriage was actually mentioned but I was not ready for that. As it turned out he was not the person he appeared to be. In fact he was older than any of us and was involved in illegal activities. And just for information this was back in the late 60s not recently. But I did learn a lesson not soon forgotten.
Hi Ellen – your story IS sad. How disappointing for you to be let down by someone you cared for. I don’t know if it’s been released yet in the US but the British film “An Education” has similar themes. It’s treated quite lightly, really, but I think that having your trust betrayed like that really rattles your confidence. I hope you went on to find lots of trustworthy people to befriend! Thanks for sharing.
I can’t think of any situations where my first impression has been wrong, but even though my gut instinct is usually accurate I’m sure there’s been times I was wrong.
It’s been interesting to read others stories though. Her Secret Fling has just been added to my to buy list (even though its already way too long.
Hi Lyn – I happen to think a big To Buy list is awesome. There is nothing worse than looking at my bedside table and seeing only one or two books left there. And I hate going to the book store and not having some new titles/authors to seek out. So I’m honored to be on your To Buy list! And may it always be fruitful and full of delicious surprises.
Hi Sarah,
You are so right about people often seeming to be so wrong, when they can actually be so right. I met my man when I was only 17, in my senior year. On first sight he seemed to so not be my type, I often read about tall, dark and handsome. And he was not tall but only later I discovered very handsome, and tall in so many other ways. He truly became my prince charming, and everything about him that on first impression said he was not for me, actually later pointed out to make him exactly right for me. Well 22 years later of being happily married, obviously my first impression was so wrong, I found my prince charming!
Congrats Alina Duffer & Moth!