That One Moment by Terese Lorae Smauldon

Check out an excerpt from That One Moment and That One Moment 2 and then read a review of the first book, as well as a Q&A interview done by Radiah Hubbert of Urban-Reviews!

Excerpt from That One Moment

The Scene: Dee Dee is having dinner with her 1st love, Manny...behind her husband's back.

Dee Dee

His fingers come to the one carat diamond I’m wearing on my left hand. We both look at each other and a twinge of guilt shoots through my body. But I’m not sure if I feel guilty about being here with him, or guilty about moving on from him.

“Yeah”, he says as he pulls away. “I really messed up.” He sighs and leans back in his chair. I try to think of a way to change the subject.

“How are your sisters”, I ask.

“Rosa is doing well in high school, about to go to Rutgers in the fall. Eva and Christina are starting a jewelry business. Jessica just got married and Tina is pregnant. She’s due in two months.”

“Wow. I’m glad everyone is doing well.” “Look, Dee Dee. Can we cut the bullshit? We can do this small talk thing all night but that’s not why I’ve been calling you and asked you to meet me.”

“So why did you Manny? I mean, god. I’ve been wracking my brain for the past few weeks trying to figure out why you decide to contact me after all these years. After I’m married with a child and another one on the way.” I never get so dramatic but I feel like I’m losing my mind. Thankfully the server comes back with our food and breaks the momentum. But not for long…

“I’m sorry my timing is so bad. I knew you’d meet someone else. I knew you’d get over me. But I never got over you."

“Dammit, Manny! What do you want me to do with this? You want me to leave my husband? Come running back to you?”

“I want to get the chance to fall in love again, Dee Dee. I love my life. I have all the cash and fame that I thought about having as a kid. And I thought that would be enough. I thought the girls who would do anything just to spend the night with me would be enough. But it’s not. You were the only one who gave me everything. I fucked that up, I know. But I’ll be fucking up even more if I don’t try to make it right.”

“Manny, you can’t do this to me.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to. We deserve another chance. We can take it as slow or as fast as you want but I promise you…now that I have you back I’m holding on.”

“But you don’t have me back. And you can’t hold on to what you don’t have.” He lowers his eyes. The tension in the air is smothering me. Where is that damn server when you need him?

“I’m not giving up”, he says solemnly.

“I’m married, Manny”, I tell him in a way that’s begging him to let go.

“But he doesn’t love you the way I do. He can’t”, he says.

And the sad thing is that he might be right.

Excerpt from That One Moment 2

The Scene: Lia comes face to face with Ty after he betrays her.

Lia

Dried tears stain my face and my eyes are puffy. I’ve been packing my suitcases, in vain maybe, because I don’t even know if I have the strength to leave. I still haven’t spoken to my friends about this whole thing. How do I? This wasn’t supposed to happen to me! My life was going to be different…better.

As I continue to toss random pieces of clothing into my Louis suitcases, I hear the front door open. I stop dead in my tracks…my body suddenly afflicted with paralysis. Just like my emotions.

“Lia, baby?” his voice calls out.

I try to answer but my lips refuse to move.

“Lia, are you here?” he asks, taking heavy steps up the stairs.

When he comes into our bedroom, we both remain silent for a minute. He looks at me surrounded by my bags and clothes and shuts his eyes tightly. “So you’re leaving me?” he asks.

I shake my head.

“You left me, Ty,” I say, almost not recognizing my own voice.

He sighs.

“Maybe after some time passes, we can talk about this.”

“No! Let’s talk about it now. Let’s talk about you having sex with Shannon. Your Shannon. God, why didn’t I believe what I saw, what I knew?” I let myself fall to the bed, hating myself for not trusting my instincts.

“Shannon and I had unfinished business. It wasn’t supposed to turn into what it did, but I guess everything happens for a reason,” he says, avoiding eye contact like the coward he is.

“That’s your explanation, Ty? It was bound to happen? It was fate? Fuck you!” I say, tossing a half-full tote-bag of shoes at him.

He ducks and it hits my mirror instead, sending it crashing into pieces, like my heart. And then I lose it. Tears fall and I cry, not caring that he’s watching. I cry for myself, but mostly I cry for the baby that will never be. And because Shannon may be doing for my husband what I can’t.

Ty looks at me intensely, and I’m not sure what I see in his eyes. He takes a few steps toward me and I remain still. Before I know it his hands are on my shoulders.

I keep still.

He pulls me close and kisses the remaining tears before they can fall.

I let him.

Soon his full, soft lips are on mine, placing gentle pecks on my quivering mouth.

I still don’t move, totally stunned.

“Kiss me,” he says softly, his hands never leaving my body. “Kiss me, Lia. Please.” Thoughts of everything and nothing swirl in my head. What does it mean? What is he doing to me? But none of it matters. I find myself kissing him back. Eagerly, hungrily.

He begins to take off my clothes as his mouth and my neck meet.

I moan in delight while my panties come down and his pants hit the floor.

“I can’t do this,” I say breathily, knowing that I can, but feeling like I need to put up a fight. But it’s as if he doesn’t hear me, and if he does, he doesn’t care. He moves down from my neck to my chest, lingering for a few seconds before he takes my left breast in his mouth. My back arches, forcing him to take in more. His eyes meet mine and all I see is love. Call me crazy but it’s feels like the past twenty-four hours were all in my imagination.

I know that’s a lie. It all happened.

But right now, all I know is this.

This moment.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert for Urban-Reviews.com

4 out of 5 Books for Terese Lorae Smauldon

That One Moment

Lia, Rena, Jasmine, and Dee Dee are four friends that each yearn for something different in their lives. Lia is a young, slightly arrogant, successful attorney for Virgin Records. Lia has always been career driven and marriage is the furthest thing from her mind. But when two different men enter her life and tragedy strikes, Lia may gain a new perspective. Rena has been in a relationship with her boyfriend for four years. Rena has been longing for a walk down the aisle, but now she wonders if she's actually found "Mr. Right" after all. Jasmine has always used her looks to get what she wants out of men. Jasmine's life hits a curve ball when a good man enters her life. Will she feel worthy enough to accept his love? Dee Dee has a loving husband and child. Her life seems perfect until her very wealthy ex-boyfriend comes back into the picture. Will Dee Dee be willing to sacrifice her stable home for an old love?

That One Moment is a though-provoking novel by Terese Lorae Smauldon. Smauldon brings a good story about the very different lives of four long-time friends. You will see the transformation of these women as they go through various trials and tribulations in their lives. Each woman had to do some self-evaluation in order to find out what direction their life was taking. This book is full of realistic yet harsh life lessons that some women will be able to relate to. That One Moment is a wonderful book about the strength and complexities of female friendships.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert for Urban-Reviews.com

Q & A with Terese Lorae Smauldon

Terese Lorae Smauldon has written for various magazines and online publications before publishing her first novel, That One Moment. She is currently residing in Brooklyn, New York where she is working on a sequel and other projects.

Urban Reviews: Tell our readers about That One Moment.

Terese Lorae Smauldon: To me, That One Moment is about self-discovery. All the characters in the book are strong and solid in their own way, but each of them also has a certain level of insecurity and uncertainty that I believe is a common bond we have as women, and as people in general. The book follows four women as they navigate through life and try to be happy. Lia, Jas, Dee Dee and Rena deal with everything from infidelity to racial identity issues to death. I think it's a pretty well-rounded story.

Urban Reviews: Where did the idea for this story come from?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: Honestly, I read a book many years ago about four women and said to myself, I can do this so much better. The writer had a good premise, but when it was all said and done, there was no message. I was left wondering what the point was of everything. And I really couldn't relate to any of the characters. So I decided to write a story especially for women of color, that would give them something to think about as well as entertain.

Urban Reviews: What was it that made you want to try your hand at writing?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: I don't think I chose writing, I think writing chose me. I've been creating stories and characters since the third grade and haven't stopped since. It's truly my first love.

Urban Reviews: Describe the day you found out that Urban Soul would be publishing your manuscript?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: It felt like a long time coming! I wrote this novel six years before it was actually published so when my agent called me with the news it was like, "Okay, I can stop holding my breath now." There was also a part of me that was nervous because as I said, I wrote That One Moment years prior and I had grown so much as a writer since then. I didn't think it truly reflected the "2009 Terese." Aside from that I was more ecstatic. My dream had been realized.

Urban Reviews: What things did you do to help prepare yourself for the release of your debut novel?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: I kept reading and kept writing. I didn't want to become comfortable with this one success. I kept pushing myself to create more and experiment with different styles and genres. I have at least four novels that I'm working on right now because I have so many ideas and so many questions I want to ask the world through my characters. I also tried to connect with other first-time authors and learn about the publishing process as a whole. It's a very tough and competitive business.

Urban Reviews: What was your biggest challenge when it came to actually writing your novel?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: The block! Writer's block killed me sometimes. My favorite part of writing a novel is the dialogue, so when it was time to do descriptions, background information and explanations, I had to really focus and push through it. Many times my agent would ask me to add more detail or break something down that seemed too broad, and it was struggle for me. It's something I'm trying to improve.

Urban Reviews: Do you have any upcoming projects that we can look forward to?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: Yes! The sequel to That One Moment is in the editing stages and I'm really excited about where the ladies take the reader this time around. I had to change some of the more serious plot-lines in the first book, so I'm glad that in the sequel I was able to go a little deeper with the characters. I'm also writing a novel especially for the lesbian community that I plan to self-publish next year.

Urban Reviews: Do you have any favorite authors or books?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: One of my favorite authors is Harlan Coben. I love mysteries and his books combine great suspense and thrills with lots of laughs. Erica Jong's book, Fear of Flying, is a classic to me. She's a writer's writer and I can definitely appreciate her passion. Derrick Bell has written some amazing books about racism and my favorite has been Faces at the Bottom of the Well. Finally, Nikki Giovanni...just love her!

Urban Reviews: What do you like to do outside of writing?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: Let's see...I'm a karaoke fanatic. I give relationship advice to people on a website called allexperts.com. I'm working on becoming a substance abuse counselor and I'm also an AIDS/HIV advocate. Not many people in our community want to talk about the realities of sex and its potential consequences. So I guess at the end of the day I want to provoke some thought and inspire people by the things that I do.

Urban Reviews: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your novel?

Terese Lorae Smauldon: I hope that people, women especially, really go after their dreams in a major way. Realize who you and who you want to be and if the two don't match, make them match. That One Moment is essentially about an experience, a thought, a person...a something in your life that helps you realize yourself in a way that you didn't before. I've had a few and that's why I've chosen this path. What's your moment?