Please welcome a Play list for Fifty Acts of Kindness
by Ellyn Oaksmith
Much
of my writing and music listening is done in cars. Don’t worry, I’m not typing
as I drive, I’m composing scenes, coming up with dialogue and fixing plot
problems.
Coldplay is a
constant for me. Ghost Stories came out last spring and although there’s
nothing overly happy about most of the songs because they are about a
separation (oh wait, excuse me, Conscious Uncoupling) Sky Full of Stars certainly captures how Chet feels about Kylie. To
him, Kylie is larger than life, full of energy and intelligence and mostly, she
surprises him with her love. Also,
Evergreen by Ed Sheeran
perfectly captures what Chet and Kylie are looking for. They both want the real
deal, until they’re seventy. Which is why Chet isn’t willing to have a fling
with Kylie while she’s visiting from New York. He wants all or nothing, which
truly annoys her. She’s not used to men who want more. Also, Thinking Out Loud is another of his
songs I love. It’s about finding lasting love.
You and I Forever,
by
Jesse Ware is another great song that inspired me.
It’s a Beautiful Day by U2 sums up how
Kylie’s mom wants her daughter to see the world. It’s not about success or money
and it’s not about where you are at the top or bottom of the heap. It’s about
this moment, right now and how you treat people.
Let’s Dance by Benny Goodman
is Margaret’s groove. She’s an old lady and the best time of her life, when she
was falling in love as a young girl, was accompanied by Benny Goodman’s band.
Of course much has happened that could make her feel bitter about this memory
but I like to think of Margaret hearing Benny Goodman on an oldies station and
reliving some nice memories.
I Need You by Tim McGraw
(and Faith Hill) would be Chet’s jam. He’s a country boy with his pick up and
dog so this is the kind of song and singer he’d love. Also, he really needs a
woman who is comfortable in her own skin, unafraid to show her emotions and
will appreciate him without wanting change. After his first marriage he feels
vulnerable. This is why he holds Kylie
at a distance and demands so much right off the bat. He’s ready for love. And
he’s knows with Kylie, it’s going to be all or nothing.
Sugar by Maroon Five, after I saw the video,
captured what I love about comedic romances. That unexpected twist in the video
– a huge name band shows up at LA weddings to surprise the couples
Pompeii by Bastille is
what Kylie thinks about at night, after she’s been fired. The lyrics “How am I
gonna to be an optimist about this?” is
exactly the way she would think because she’s used to turning anything bad into
something else – spinning it to make herself look good.
Boom Clap by Charlie XCX is
how Chet and Kylie feel at the end of the book. “You take me over, you’re magic
in my veins,” pretty much sums everything up quite nicely.
Enjoy
your summer. I hope you have lots of time for music and reading.
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50 Acts of Kindness
Ellyn Oaksmith
Romantic Comedy/90k
Being overly kind isn't in
Kylie Harrow's nature. This has never been more evident than when Kylie vents
her frustrations to an innocent employee—and the whole scene is posted online,
tanking her career and earning her the dubious distinction of "World's
Worst Boss." But when she flees home to the South, Kylie finds her
childhood home has changed. The high school quarterback is now the hot and
handsome sheriff. Her mother has turned her home into a nudist colony. And
worst of all, having heard about her daughter's exploits, her mother won't let
her in the door until Kylie completes fifty kind acts in fifty days.
The task seems easy enough at first—and may even help repair her media image—but it quickly turns into a hilarious quest that leads Kylie down a bumpy road filled with new challenges. What started as a gimmick to save her career evolves into a mission to save a spunky old woman and her little dog from homelessness. As Kylie learns about the nature of kindness, she finds the path to happiness and, for the first time ever, maybe even love.
The task seems easy enough at first—and may even help repair her media image—but it quickly turns into a hilarious quest that leads Kylie down a bumpy road filled with new challenges. What started as a gimmick to save her career evolves into a mission to save a spunky old woman and her little dog from homelessness. As Kylie learns about the nature of kindness, she finds the path to happiness and, for the first time ever, maybe even love.
Excerpt:
"We are a technology
marketing company. People don't want to see our underwear or ultrasounds or try
to run a meeting while you jump up to pee."
"I'm due in two
weeks."
Her whine was still grating
on my nerves, but my recorded words sliced like knives. Was I the equivalent of
that rooster my mom had that pecked at the hens? One morning mom found him
dead, pecked to death. I thought, "Please do not let this be my barnyard
reckoning," even though things were clearly sliding in that direction.
On screen I plowed forward.
"I cannot do your job and mine. It's killing me. I need you on the
ground running. Oh no wait, you can't run. Which is why you missed the flight
to Miami where
you got 'dehydrated.'" I did air quotes around "dehydrated."
Holy
cow. I was so angry it blinded me to very fact she was recording.
"I was dehydrated."
We were both so very tired.
"Which is why you ended up lounging in Miami while I ran yet another meeting solo. I
stayed up until three a.m. doing the PowerPoint you'd forgotten."
"I ended up in the
hospital."
"And missed the flight back
to New York
and yet another day of work. If you are dehydrated, drink water. It's not
rocket science!"
I remembered this day
clearly. Sleep-deprived from a red eye, I'd left Betsy in New York, begging her to prep for a meeting
the following day. When I got back, the slides weren't ready. She'd gone home.
I'd miss another night's sleep to finish them.
It was the perfect storm, and
she'd caught it.
I leaned forward to downsize
the screen. "2.7 million views?" She'd titled it "World's Worst Boss?!" There were lots of comments, many
expletives, and a passionate, nine exclamation points in a row.
Bob dug a crust from his eye.
"It's not something to be proud of."
My mind raced. How to spin
this before he threw something out? I managed a casual shrug. "I'm in marketing.
I can't help it."
"This makes us look so bad."
It was crunch time. There was
no room for complaints or excuses. "Does it though? Does it? What I see is
that we expect a certain professionalism and energy from our employees, a
requirement that, pregnant or not, they perform to the best of their
abilities." My delivery was very rough, but it was a message she needed to
hear." He wasn't buying. I grabbed for a straw. "Isn't posting this
on YouTube a violation of my privacy?"
"I don't know," Bob
said wearily. "That's 2.7 million negative hits with MLJK's name
attached."
My heart clenched. I needed a
cigarette. Now. "Whatever happened to 'any publicity is good
publicity'?"
He ignored my lame joke.
"She's threatening to file suit. I checked with legal. We can tie her up
in court, but the claim is legit."
I inhaled sharply,
forgetting, in my growing panic, to exhale.
"Breathe, Kylie."
"S-s-suing us?"
Great, now I was stuttering.
"You called her fat. She
says you created an unhealthy work environment."
My jaw dropped. This was not
the time to point out that, as a former chubette, I never, ever use the F-word.
"The operative word here is work.
I was running on vapors."
Bob got up and looked out the
window at his fabulous view. "Stella, by the way, corroborates everything
you've said." My eyebrows shot up in alarm. "Yes, I've talked to her.
I've talked to a few people, but the point is that sooner or later we all have
to deal with this. Pregnant women deserve…" He stared off into the silver
buildings and cloudless sky. When I'd entered, the view had felt empowering.
Now it was an invitation to jump. "Latitude. We are a family-friendly
company."
I snickered bitterly. MLJK
years were dog years. Most of the senior partners were divorced. "And what
about women who aren't ever going to have children? We just put up and shut
up?" I knew this sounded whiney, but I couldn't help myself. I felt like a
tightrope walker studying the tiny figures below, waiting for me to fall. Then
it struck me. I felt like this most of the time.
He gazed at me, his eyes
weary. "Come on. You're what, not even thirty? You don't know that."
Bob was still in his marriage of origin.
"Look at me Bob. My
relationships have the longevity of a fruit fly. I have nothing left at the end
of the day." I have nothing left
right now.
"Maybe it's time to
branch out."
Clearly he pitied Betsy. It
was time to grab the controls. "I can fix this. I can smooth things out.
Get my assistant her own assistant. At least until she's had it."
"Her baby is not an it," he snapped.
"Did I say 'it'?"
I'd been talking so quickly. It? Good
move Kylie.
"Yes," Bob said
quietly, losing his starch. Crossing his arms he glanced at a framed photo: a
gap-toothed, pig-tailed toddler on a swing, pushed by his beaming, very
pregnant wife. "You're going to have to leave until this dies down."
For a second I felt nothing
but a weight pressing on the top of my head, a dull ringing in my ears.
"This isn't Survivor. You can't let random strangers on YouTube vote me
off because I lost my temper."
"They're not. Lance
is."
The CEO? I was in a tippy canoe, and by golly, there went my
paddle.
I made a tiny bubble of an
objection as I sank. "She wasn't doing her job."
"Effective
immediately," he said. I knew what preceded those two words. Terminated.
This wasn't a break.
This was permanent.
About the Author:
Ellyn Oaksmith is an award-winning writer who
began her career as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. Her first book, Adventures
with Max and Louise, was published in 2012. Fifty Acts of Kindness is her third
book. She's currently at work on her first YA novel, Chasing Nirvana. The best
part of her work day is spent watching vintage YouTube footage of Nirvana
concerts and calling it research.Ellyn is part of the Girlfriends Book Club which has been featured in The New York Times and USA Today. She lives in Seattle with her family, a rescue dog and a rather rotund cat.
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