Wild Woman Blogger: Welcome Leanne Tyler's Elyse Jordan and "It's Always Been You"

We are very pleased to welcome Leanne Tyler and Elyse Jordan from It's Always Been You which will be released today by The Wild Rose Press. We are thrilled--for her and for all fans of the Class of '85 series.

First, a blurb . . .

     Retired Staff Sergeant Seth Roberts returns to Summerville to begin the next chapter of his life. To do that, he needs to find out why his girlfriend married another man more than twenty years ago while he served in the Persian Gulf. Their high school reunion is the perfect place to confront Elyse Jordan.
     Determined to be a strong role model for her daughters, Professor of Feminist Theory Elyse Jordan never talks about the loss of her only love twenty years ago. Caring for her mother during cancer treatment brings Elyse back to Summerville, the one place she avoided after Seth’s death. When an invitation to her twenty-fifth reunion arrives, she decides to go and reconnect with lost friends. She never imagines she’ll come face-to-face with Seth instead.
     Can Seth and Elyse find the thread of love that bound them together or will past tragedies and misunderstandings keep them apart?

Now let's meet Elyse Jordan:

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Summerville, NY, but moved to eastern NY to attend college. I got a scholarship to Sarah Lawrence where I did my undergraduate. I stayed in the east getting my masters and then my doctorate from Columbia University. After my father passed and I learned of Seth’s unit getting bombed in the Persian Gulf I decided to never return to Summerville. I stayed away for many years only returning for weekend visits after my mother was diagnosed with cancer.

What is It’s Always Been You about?

It’s about Seth Roberts and me finding our second chance to be together. You see it was stolen from us many years before and through no fault of our own. We were victims of circumstance. I can’t really tell you more. I think you should read our story.

What did you think the first time you saw Seth Roberts?

If you mean high school: I thought he was cute. I really enjoyed the way he filled out his baseball pants. He has a cute butt. And those snug gray pants they wore to play ball in, well, they just emphasized it.

If you mean the present: I thought Holy Crap! You see I thought he was dead and here he was staring at me through the window of Café La Dish where I was having lunch with my friend Chelley Garrett.

What was your second thought?

I had to get out of there and fast. My world was turning upside down, but I couldn’t budge for the longest time. All I could do was sit there and fold and refold my cloth napkin. My mind was racing trying to make sense of what was happening. Seth was there. He was alive not dead like I had believed for twenty years and I was an emotional mess inside.

Did you think it was love at first sight?

In high school? No. We started hanging out with friends and after some time he asked me out. It wasn’t until he gave me his letterman’s jacket on a picnic at Angel Wings Bluff that I knew I was falling in love with him.

When I saw him again after twenty years? Oh yes. I had always loved him, even when I thought he was dead. There had never been anyone else that interested me.

What do you like most about Seth?

His smile and the way it makes me melt inside when he looks at me. I also admire his strength and courage. He joined the military after college even though he’d have rather pursued professional baseball like his friend Barry Carlson. The early 90s wasn’t the best time to be in the military. Remember the Middle East? The Persian Gulf? I despised his father for pushing him to follow in the family tradition of being a military man. I … Next question?

How would you describe Seth?

He’s tall, not lanky or stocky, just right in my opinion. If I thought he was ruggedly handsome in his baseball uniform that was nothing compared to him in his military dress. He has blond hair that’s a little too short at the moment, but it will grow out. His eyes are blue, deep blue, and I could stare into them forever. He has the cutest cleft in his chin. Our daughter Cameron has it as well. Did I mention we have twin daughters?

How would he describe you?

Hmmm… maybe he should answer this question, but he’s not here. He’s at the airport picking up his parents. They’ve flown in to meet their granddaughters.

Seth claims I’m prettier today than I was in high school or college. He thinks yellow makes my green eyes shine.

What made you choose to be a Professor of Feminist Theory?

I was getting my masters in English and I took a feminist theory course the semester I found out I was pregnant. Something clicked. I saw many similarities in me and what I was studying. I knew I had to be a strong person for my girls. So I decided to practice what I preached.

What is your biggest fear?

Of waking up one morning and Seth being gone again. I don’t think I could survive losing him a second time. It was hard enough living twenty years believing he was dead.

How do you relax?

Relax? Who has time to relax. Did I not mention I have twin daughters? I’ve been a single-mom for their entire life and yes, they are in college now, but one is a drama major and the other a psyche major. Two drama queens in their own right. My mother is battling cancer. I’m a tenured professor who may be going out on the job market and at my age. And if that isn’t enough to stress a body out, I’m about to have dinner with Seth’s parents. I don’t have time to relax.

What’s your favorite fictional character and why?

Elizabeth Bennett. Despite her mother’s silliness and her younger sister’s naivetés she kept her grace and she stood her ground. She also won the man she loved.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

My mother urging me to go to my twenty-fifth high school reunion. If I hadn’t gone I never would have found Seth again.

For Leanne the author: What movies or books have had an impact on you?

A friend and fellow writer Haywood Smith wrote a contemporary several years back called Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch (2002, St. Martin’s Press). I was reading that book when I realized I could be that heroine. It was a turning point for me. I knew that something had to change. I saw it as a wakeup call. Three months later my doctor was telling me I had to take control of my life and I did. Today I know I made the right decision and I’m a stronger person for it.

After that interesting interview, let's read an excerpt:

“Hello, Elyse.” Seth waited until she finally raised her head at him. She didn’t look well. “Is it okay if we join you?”

She bit her lower lip, took several deep breaths, and slowly nodded. “I-I don’t understand. Wh-what are you doing here? I thought—”

“You thought what?” He kept his voice low as he took the empty chair beside her. Despite her pallor he found it difficult to take his eyes off of her. She looked amazing, better than he could have imagined after all these years.

“I was told ...” She took another deep breath, continued to toy with her napkin. “This doesn’t make sense ...” Her hand trembled when she covered her mouth; her green eyes went glossy with unshed tears.

“What doesn’t make sense?” He could tell she was pained by his presence and was determined to find out why. Her reaction to seeing him wasn’t what he’d anticipated. He’d been prepared for indifference, not distress.

She reached for her glass of water and took a long drink. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Can you say that again? The noise in here—”

Raising her voice several octaves, she enunciated each word for clarity. “Dead. You’re supposed to be dead.” People at nearby tables turned around to look at them.

“I can assure you I’m not.”

If that's not one of the best closing hooks I don't know what is! Leanne, thanks for bringing a bit of Elyse and Seth's story to Wild Woman Blogger.

Mallory