ATHLETE - DANGER ZONE
With the Olympic games in full swing, have you ever wonder what it takes to be an athlete? Look at them. All of them. They are fast, they are accurate, they are synchronized, they are strong, they are skilled. They make their sport look so easy, almost painless, that we forget they have trained for decades—not days, not weeks, not months, but many, many years—to reach that level of performance. Yes, they are talented, but no athlete can climb to the top on talent alone. It takes determination, discipline, commitment, and sacrifices. I invited Hope, star of Cold Sweat, to share her life as a biathlete with us.
JSM: Welcome Hope. I'm glad you could take a break from your busy schedule to talk to me today.
Hope: I just finished a long ski practice in the trails and I'm not due to report for target shooting for another hour. Your timing works for me.
(Hope doesn't know yet that this interview will be the only thing that will work for her in the days to come…)
JSM: I'll try not to take too much of your time. Would you start by telling us about yourself?
Hope: I'm seventeen, and in the weeks to come, I'll compete at the Olympic trials. It's been a long road to get there, a road paved with endless practices at the most ungodly times of the day…or night. When I started, I didn't know I would have to give up my weekends and my summer, or that having a social life meant chatting with my teammates in the weight room or that having a sleepover meant sleeping on a bus on my way to the mountains. My teammates are not only my friends, but they are also my fiercest competitors. If I want to make the American Olympic team, I need to finish in the top three. It'll be tough but I'm ready for the challenge.
(Unlike me, she's just a petite thing, but I suspect there's more muscle and determination hidden underneath her tight yellow suit than meets the eyes.)
JMS: You've been training at Snowy Tip in Montana for the last three months. How has it been so far?
Hope: Hard. (She flashes a cheeky smile in my direction.) Almost as hard as convincing my mother to let me come. She's a wonderful mom and she's always been my rock. Can you believe I was five years old when she showed me how to ski and shoot? Without her support, I would never have made it this far, but she wasn't too keen that I postponed my entrance to Princeton University and she doesn't like that my coach—he's an awesome coach—gave me permission to train alone at dawn without my hearing aid.
(I knew Hope was deaf from birth, but it never occurred to me that she practices alone in silence. While it explains how the kidnappers will be able to sneak up on her in the forest, I still don't understand how come such an awesome coach didn't notice her disappearance right away. Hope's mother is right to be worried.)
JSM: May I ask what your father thinks of your decision to train here?
(When a shadow crosses Hope's face, I suddenly remember what I'd read in the biography her coach posted on the Internet. Her father, a fighter pilot, had crashed before she was born.)
Hope: I don't know much about my dad. My mother doesn't like to talk about him. He's kind of an enigma.
(Someone's stomach growls, prompting me to end this interview before I ask another tactless question.)
JMS: Well, I'm sure every member of your family is very proud of you. I thank you very much for your time and I wish you luck in the weeks to come.
(Hope nods, and as she leaves, I can't help but remind her to be careful alone in the forest. Despite my warning, Hope Craig is kidnapped in Cold Sweat...)
Cold Sweat – Heart & Endurance Series by J.S. Marlo is available at www.BreathlessPress.com
Visit me on my website at www.sites.google.com/site/
Happy reading!
J.S.
With the Olympic games in full swing, have you ever wonder what it takes to be an athlete? Look at them. All of them. They are fast, they are accurate, they are synchronized, they are strong, they are skilled. They make their sport look so easy, almost painless, that we forget they have trained for decades—not days, not weeks, not months, but many, many years—to reach that level of performance. Yes, they are talented, but no athlete can climb to the top on talent alone. It takes determination, discipline, commitment, and sacrifices. I invited Hope, star of Cold Sweat, to share her life as a biathlete with us.
JSM: Welcome Hope. I'm glad you could take a break from your busy schedule to talk to me today.
Hope: I just finished a long ski practice in the trails and I'm not due to report for target shooting for another hour. Your timing works for me.
(Hope doesn't know yet that this interview will be the only thing that will work for her in the days to come…)
JSM: I'll try not to take too much of your time. Would you start by telling us about yourself?
Hope: I'm seventeen, and in the weeks to come, I'll compete at the Olympic trials. It's been a long road to get there, a road paved with endless practices at the most ungodly times of the day…or night. When I started, I didn't know I would have to give up my weekends and my summer, or that having a social life meant chatting with my teammates in the weight room or that having a sleepover meant sleeping on a bus on my way to the mountains. My teammates are not only my friends, but they are also my fiercest competitors. If I want to make the American Olympic team, I need to finish in the top three. It'll be tough but I'm ready for the challenge.
(Unlike me, she's just a petite thing, but I suspect there's more muscle and determination hidden underneath her tight yellow suit than meets the eyes.)
JMS: You've been training at Snowy Tip in Montana for the last three months. How has it been so far?
Hope: Hard. (She flashes a cheeky smile in my direction.) Almost as hard as convincing my mother to let me come. She's a wonderful mom and she's always been my rock. Can you believe I was five years old when she showed me how to ski and shoot? Without her support, I would never have made it this far, but she wasn't too keen that I postponed my entrance to Princeton University and she doesn't like that my coach—he's an awesome coach—gave me permission to train alone at dawn without my hearing aid.
(I knew Hope was deaf from birth, but it never occurred to me that she practices alone in silence. While it explains how the kidnappers will be able to sneak up on her in the forest, I still don't understand how come such an awesome coach didn't notice her disappearance right away. Hope's mother is right to be worried.)
JSM: May I ask what your father thinks of your decision to train here?
(When a shadow crosses Hope's face, I suddenly remember what I'd read in the biography her coach posted on the Internet. Her father, a fighter pilot, had crashed before she was born.)
Hope: I don't know much about my dad. My mother doesn't like to talk about him. He's kind of an enigma.
(Someone's stomach growls, prompting me to end this interview before I ask another tactless question.)
JMS: Well, I'm sure every member of your family is very proud of you. I thank you very much for your time and I wish you luck in the weeks to come.
(Hope nods, and as she leaves, I can't help but remind her to be careful alone in the forest. Despite my warning, Hope Craig is kidnapped in Cold Sweat...)
Cold Sweat – Heart & Endurance Series by J.S. Marlo is available at www.BreathlessPress.com
Visit me on my website at www.sites.google.com/site/
Happy reading!
J.S.
Cold Sweat blurb ~
Can they conquer the mountains and the past in time to save Hope?
***
Seventeen-year-old Hope Craig is deaf and training
hard to make the biathlon Olympic Team. But when she is kidnapped from the
groomed trails and taken into a remote cabin in the mountains, she must battle
more than the elements to survive.
On the hunt for her daughter's abductor, Colonel Amelia Matheson enlists the help of Richmond Morgan, a local Sheriff who once hurt her. To find Hope, Sheriff Morgan and Colonel Matheson must untangle a web of secrets, including their own.
Using her wits and skills, Hope sets out to escape the mountains and save the man her mother had sent to rescue her—a man who is not who he appears to be.
On the hunt for her daughter's abductor, Colonel Amelia Matheson enlists the help of Richmond Morgan, a local Sheriff who once hurt her. To find Hope, Sheriff Morgan and Colonel Matheson must untangle a web of secrets, including their own.
Using her wits and skills, Hope sets out to escape the mountains and save the man her mother had sent to rescue her—a man who is not who he appears to be.
A little about the author :)
J.S. Marlo spent her childhood in a
small French Canadian town, reading and daydreaming stories. One day, she met
her hero, a dashing young officer, and followed him back and forth across the
country.
The "memorable"
adventures she experienced with her young family fueled her imagination and
kindled the dream of one day becoming a published author. It wasn't until after
her three spirited children left the nest in pursuit of their own adventures,
that J.S. finally gave writing a chance.
Her first two dozen stories were
for her friends' eyes only. To her surprise and delight, they enjoyed them and
rewarded her with their encouragement and support. J.S. kept writing, and
learning, and writing…
She finally captured her dream with
her first novel "Salvaged", and then carried on with her first series
"Duty Bound": Unscripted–Book One, Unearthed–Book Two, and
Untamed–Book Three. She's currently working on two new series: "Heart
& Endurance" and "Digging through time". Cold Sweat of the
Heart & Endurance Series is coming up in November 2013.
J.S. lives in northern Alberta with
her wonderful hubby, and when she's not visiting her children and little
granddoggie, she's writing in front of the fireplace.
Thanks for having Hope and I here this morning.
ReplyDeleteHope will shortly be hitting the trails while I'm heading for the airport.
Have a wonderful day!
J.S.