Publication date: September 14th 2015
Genres: Historical, Romance, Young Adult
Theodora “Teddi” Donovan and Calvin Wynne have always hated each other. They didn’t have a choice after Teddi’s bootlegger father killed Calvin’s and left them both orphaned. The scandal has fueled gossip in quiet, quaint Brookhurst, New York, for over a decade. When a friendship develops between them as teenagers, they are ridiculed and shunned by the strict society that dictates life in their town. As they grow older, friendship turns into love, and Teddi and Calvin have to choose between their future and the scepter of their past. Spanning continents and decades, Forget Me Not is a coming-of-age story about truth, self-reliance, and the freeing power of love.
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Excerpt
As they walked down Main Street together, Teddi and Calvin talked about the things they loved.
“You have to be off your nut. ‘Sing Sing Sing’ is by far Benny Goodman’s best.”
“Maybe you’re right. My sister likes Duke Ellington.”
“Yeah, he’s aces.”
“She’s seen him in person,” said Teddi.
“Really?” Calvin could tell she missed her sister. Her tone shifted whenever Liza’s name came up. “You’re lucky. My brother doesn’t jive to music like that. It’s nice you have someone to talk to about it—I mean, you write to her, don’t you?”
Teddi shrugged as they continued down the road. “Yes, I write to her. She’s my sister, isn’t she?”
“Sheesh, it was only a question.”
“What about your brother? I remember him. He was a lot older than you. Riley, right?”
“Yep. I think he’s just a year or two older than your sister maybe. He’s twenty-four. Out on the road, working. Can’t afford to keep me, but he would if he could.” It was Calvin’s turn to change his tone. He missed his brother, too. “Not that I’m not old enough to take care of myself now, but Miss Pinchley couldn’t get along without me.”
“Did Riley ever tell you about, you know? That night with our parents?”
Calvin tensed up. He didn’t want to talk about it. They passed the edge of Main Street and came to Teddi’s side of town. He didn’t reply for a long time. Instead, he just watched her, wondering how she must feel about a time he wanted to erase from history. It haunted them both, that was obvious.
“My brother doesn’t like to talk about it, and I kind of don’t either. We said enough earlier, didn’t we?”
Teddi looked at her shoes. “I guess so.” He didn’t want her to feel badly about it, but it was the past. He wanted to let it go. Then just as he thought she was going to say goodbye, she took his hand for a moment and pulled him with her. “Even if this isn’t a date, you can be a gentleman and walk me home, can’t you?”
Calvin’s lips tilted into a grin. “Sure, sure.”
They’d had such a good time together; Calvin didn’t want it to end, which didn’t make sense to him at all. He’d spent the past few years being certain of very few things, but one of them was that he did not like and resented Teddi Donovan for getting to live the sweet life while he’d been abandoned. But he was learning that life was never that certain and hardly ever that simple. He walked Teddi home as the thick summer day turned into a misty evening. He worried for her what people might say if they saw her with him. No matter what her father had done, he was still several stations beneath her in the land of Brookhurst. Most people would agree that it wouldn’t do for Teddi to be seen with him. Not only was he an orphan, he was the biggest reminder in town of just how imperfect the Donovan family was.
“Inside, Theodora. Now!” Mrs. Donovan commanded the instant the two of them began up the walk of the house.
Teddi started to protest, but one look from her grandmother caused her to press her lips together and do as she was told. Calvin stood there, conflicted.
After going coolly through a list of reasons why he was never to darken the Donovan family’s doorstep, Elizabeth Donovan looked down her upturned nose at him and spoke in a clipped, highly refined tone, “Goodbye, Mr. Wynne.” That goodbye was one Elizabeth Donovan obviously did not want to repeat.
Stung, angry, and, most of all, unable to believe he’d allowed himself to be so stupid, Calvin left the Donovan home and headed back to where the world told him he belonged.
Allison Whitmore started her first novel, Forget Me Not, one icy morning in her dorm room in Southampton, NY. After many years of teaching high school English, she came back to the novel to rewrite it. Allison comes from a family who loves history and enjoyed immersing herself in the research that brought Teddi and Calvin’s world to life. She lives in her hometown, Los Angeles, California. You can find her on Twitter @alli_whitmore and her website.
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“You have to be off your nut. ‘Sing Sing Sing’ is by far Benny Goodman’s best.”
“Maybe you’re right. My sister likes Duke Ellington.”
“Yeah, he’s aces.”
“She’s seen him in person,” said Teddi.
“Really?” Calvin could tell she missed her sister. Her tone shifted whenever Liza’s name came up. “You’re lucky. My brother doesn’t jive to music like that. It’s nice you have someone to talk to about it—I mean, you write to her, don’t you?”
Teddi shrugged as they continued down the road. “Yes, I write to her. She’s my sister, isn’t she?”
“Sheesh, it was only a question.”
“What about your brother? I remember him. He was a lot older than you. Riley, right?”
“Yep. I think he’s just a year or two older than your sister maybe. He’s twenty-four. Out on the road, working. Can’t afford to keep me, but he would if he could.” It was Calvin’s turn to change his tone. He missed his brother, too. “Not that I’m not old enough to take care of myself now, but Miss Pinchley couldn’t get along without me.”
“Did Riley ever tell you about, you know? That night with our parents?”
Calvin tensed up. He didn’t want to talk about it. They passed the edge of Main Street and came to Teddi’s side of town. He didn’t reply for a long time. Instead, he just watched her, wondering how she must feel about a time he wanted to erase from history. It haunted them both, that was obvious.
“My brother doesn’t like to talk about it, and I kind of don’t either. We said enough earlier, didn’t we?”
Teddi looked at her shoes. “I guess so.” He didn’t want her to feel badly about it, but it was the past. He wanted to let it go. Then just as he thought she was going to say goodbye, she took his hand for a moment and pulled him with her. “Even if this isn’t a date, you can be a gentleman and walk me home, can’t you?”
Calvin’s lips tilted into a grin. “Sure, sure.”
They’d had such a good time together; Calvin didn’t want it to end, which didn’t make sense to him at all. He’d spent the past few years being certain of very few things, but one of them was that he did not like and resented Teddi Donovan for getting to live the sweet life while he’d been abandoned. But he was learning that life was never that certain and hardly ever that simple. He walked Teddi home as the thick summer day turned into a misty evening. He worried for her what people might say if they saw her with him. No matter what her father had done, he was still several stations beneath her in the land of Brookhurst. Most people would agree that it wouldn’t do for Teddi to be seen with him. Not only was he an orphan, he was the biggest reminder in town of just how imperfect the Donovan family was.
“Inside, Theodora. Now!” Mrs. Donovan commanded the instant the two of them began up the walk of the house.
Teddi started to protest, but one look from her grandmother caused her to press her lips together and do as she was told. Calvin stood there, conflicted.
After going coolly through a list of reasons why he was never to darken the Donovan family’s doorstep, Elizabeth Donovan looked down her upturned nose at him and spoke in a clipped, highly refined tone, “Goodbye, Mr. Wynne.” That goodbye was one Elizabeth Donovan obviously did not want to repeat.
Stung, angry, and, most of all, unable to believe he’d allowed himself to be so stupid, Calvin left the Donovan home and headed back to where the world told him he belonged.
Absolutely LOVE your cover Allison!
ReplyDeleteSuzy @ Fiction Dreams x
Thank you, Suzy! And thank you for having me on your blog!
DeleteThanks for sharing, Suzy! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a must-read!! Thank you for the reveal!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance . Can't wait to read this :)
ReplyDelete