IMPERFECTIONS

May 29, 2024

IMPERFECTIONS

Ann Chiappetta

GENRE: YA Contemporary Fiction

For Lainie, feeling unwelcome is only the beginning of her struggles. Her mom is addicted to painkillers, her stepfather is a felon, and her dad traded her in for a new family.

So what if she’s kicked out of high school? Determined and attractive, Lainie sets out to make her own path.

Shane, the young man she begins dating and believes is trustworthy, transforms into a possessive and cruel boyfriend. When Efren, Shane’s older cousin, enters her life, Lainie grasps onto a shred of hope, falling in love. Shane’s obsessive and abusive treatment of her, however, casts a deep shadow over Efren and Lainie’s chance to find safety and a future free of the fear of Shane’s sadistic retribution.

Will their love persevere, or will Shane’s pervasive and negative influence push Lainie and Efren apart, forcing them to love secretly?

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Shane wasn’t who he once was, and I needed to do whatever I could to help her feel safe. Witnessing the abuse and shame she’d endured because of his sick obsession twisted me, and I wanted nothing more than to pummel his snotty little face until he begged for mercy. How could anyone abuse someone like Elaina?

She strode past Shane and into my suite with the final armful , ignoring him.

“I’m done,” she said.

“I hope she doesn’t disappoint you in bed,” said Shane.

The anger boiled, but I kept myself in control. “Enough of that. This isn’t the time to rearrange your face, you snotty wanker,” I said, my voice thick with anger.

I waited until Shane dropped his gaze, then I said, “I hope that day comes soon, cousin. I hope you step over the line so I can make some improvements to your complexion.”

He retreated to his room. I heard the lock engage, and I permitted myself to feel a little regret at not defending Elaina’s character with direct contact of my fist against that arse’s face.

I entered the room. Elaina had stacked her belongings, her life, into a corner of the sitting area. It saddened me to know that a few cases and boxes were all that remained after Shane had stolen and sold the rest to get high.

There was so much about her that I wanted to know. Why her father never helped her. Why she didn’t ask for help from her relatives in New York. I knew her mother was an addict and that she and Elaina did not speak. She was enrolled in East Bay Community College and was close to earning an associate’s degree. She wanted to obtain a bachelor’s degree in kennel and stable management. So focused, and yet she seemed sad.

The fair gowns hung on a hook in the closet. Her fingers caressed the pewter and black one.

The gesture brought me a sense of gloom, as if she were saying goodbye. After I had crept into Rita’s box and listened to her sobbing, the moderate measure of guilt I felt for punching Shane, the wanker, then asking Rick to assist in throwing him over the fair gate, had been assuaged. Shane should have gotten a sounder beating, but he was still blood kin. That was the only thing that had saved him from my rearranging his mug.

Listening to Lainie’s sobs, I realized I wanted to pick her up off Rita’s back and be the one to absorb those tears. I needed her to trust me. She was so vulnerable and isolated that I wondered if she would ever take a chance on sharing the abuse I knew she had endured during her time living with Shane. I hoped when she finally decided to trust me, I would be able to handle it.

About the Author:

Ann Chiappetta, M.S. Poet and author

Ann’s award-winning poems, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared internationally in literary journals, popular online blogs, and print anthologies. Her poems have been featured in The Avocet, the Pangolin Review, Plum Tree Tavern, Magnets and Ladders, Oprelle, Western PA Poetry Review 2024and Breath and Shadow. Ann’s short story, The Misty Torrent appeared in the Artificial Divide anthology published by Renaissance Press (2021).

Ann is the recipient of the 2019 GDUI Excellence in Writing award and the WDOMI 2016 Spirit of Independence award.

Independently published since 2016, the author’s seven volume collection includes poetry, creative nonfiction essays, short stories and contemporary fiction.

Diagnosed in 1993 with a rare form of progressive retinal disease, Ann accepts vision loss as part of her life but doesn’t let it define her as a whole person.

The author resides in western Pennsylvania with her husband, retired guide dog pet dog and cats, striving to develop a mutually-beneficial relationship with her assistive technology.

Q&A With the Author:

What was your inspiration for writing this book?
Each of my fiction books, starting with Hope For the Tarnished © 2020, is loosly based on many of biographical experiences in my life. Imperfections is the second novel utilizaing my life experiences. The names and circumstances are changed but the emotional thrust of the story is similar to my own.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I liked the multi-character impact of the book, the reader becoming familiar with each character on a first-person basis revealed in each chapter.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?
Yes, the third novel is the final book of the collection. It also takes place in California, the female main character is older, in her late twenties and it threads between a romance and mystery. I haven’t written the ending yet and the title is Relationships and Road Trips.

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?
I am writing a nonfiction book on service animals and their people and a poetry collection that is at least two years from completion.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Indie authors are pretty much starving artists. We need your support and reviews. Let’s support one another and continue to prove we are the undiscovered brilliance of literature and we aren’t going to fade into the background.