Running Wide Open (38 page)
Authors: Lisa Nowak
Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Boys & Men, #Social Issues, #Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, #Fiction, #Coming of Age, #Friendship, #Physical & Emotional Abuse, #Values & Virtues, #Sports & Recreation, #Extreme Sports, #Martial Arts, #Young adult fiction
But it sure felt like I had. And it wasn’t just the wreck. It was all the changes—moving in with Kasey, getting used to the subtle things that made Race different, knowing if I ever let my guard down, my world could get knocked out of orbit again. All I wanted was for life to go back to the way it had been last June when it was just me and Race, and I felt like I was in control.
Well, feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to fix anything. What I needed now was a little karate to shake me out of this funk. I slipped into some sweats and went outside.
From low in the west, the sun cast bronze rays over the trees on the hillside behind the house. The birches were beginning to turn gold, and the maple at the north end of the patio flamed scarlet.
Listening to the sounds of nature around me, I concentrated on my breathing. I drew a fresh breath deep into my chest, then exhaled from the belly, forcing out the old, stale air. A few minutes of that left me lightheaded from the surge of oxygen. My fingers and toes tingled, and I felt a rush of anticipation knowing this would be one of those times I entered that magic zone where my workout gave me a high.
I started slowly with a series of kicks, warming up my body, getting it used to the motion. Front kick, roundhouse, side kick, back kick—the moves flowed together, and after a few repetitions I put more force behind them, adding some snap. The world fell away as I focused on the physical. There was no room for my feelings—my anxiety—as perfecting the execution of the moves became the only thing that mattered. For a few brief moments everything came together.
But after I went back inside, as I sat in front of the TV alone with my tuna sandwich, the worries came creeping back. The Galaxie was almost finished. Race wasn’t going to wake up tomorrow magically restored to his old self. And as much as I wanted him and Kasey to be together—as hard as I’d worked to make that happen—I wasn’t sure I could handle not having my uncle to myself.
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Running Wide Open
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Acknowledgments
My heartfelt thanks go out to the members of my critique groups, Chrysalis and Wow, and to my numerous beta readers, including Joel Schmitz, Eddy Kilgore, Barb Froman, Beth Miles, Paula Manley, Karen Champ, Roxie Matthews, Jenny Landis-Steward, Marian Meyer, Kayla Meyer Matsuura, Bob Douglas, Sylvia Potter, Bill and Ruth George, Bobby Shaw, Lois Lane, Gene Bradshaw, June Fezler, Josh Skinner, Mitch Hutchinson, Bill Graham, Susan Landis-Steward, Renee LaChance, Rachele Alpine, Casey McCormick, Roxanne Colyer Clingman, and my mom, Dorothy Hooker. I’d also like to demonstrate my appreciation to my blogging and email buddy, Christine Fletcher, and my goal-setting partner, Laura Marshal. A special thanks goes to Alice Lynn, writing compatriot extraordinaire, with whom I exchange chapters, bemoan disappointments, and celebrate victories.
Additional shout-outs go to my high school best friend Damon Atherly, who patiently plodded through my early attempts at writing; my buddies James Reagh, Kris Harper, and the late Thomas Rubick, who were there when Race and Cody first let me know they had a story to tell; my sister, Angela Moist, who added a mother’s perspective; my dad, Matt Nowak, for his medical expertise: and my awesome husband Bob Earls, who puts up with my obsessive behavior and lets my cats nap on his head.
Last but not least, an extra special thanks to indie author Amy Rose Davis, who lured me over to the Dark Side.
About the Author
In addition to being a YA author, Lisa Nowak is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are. She enjoys dark chocolate and stout beer and constantly works toward employing
wei wu wei
in her life, all the while realizing that the struggle itself is an oxymoron.
Lisa has no spare time, but if she did she’d use it to tend to her expansive perennial garden, watch medical dramas, take long walks after dark, and teach her cats to play poker. For those of you who might be wondering, she is not, and has never been, a diaper-wearing astronaut. She lives in Milwaukie, Oregon, with her husband, four feline companions, and two giant sequoias.
Connect with Lisa online:
Website:
http://www.lisanowak.net/
Blog:
http://lisanowak.wordpress.com/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/LisaNowakAuthor
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