How to Be Someone Else

by Rachel Del

  It had been tough for a while, but eventually Penny had agreed that she had to at least attempt to smooth things over with her parents. Over time, and after many grueling conversations with her father and mother, I was happy to see that Jill and Tony could come together for a meal in peace. Especially with Gretchen in the picture.

  Penny cleared her throat and lifted her mimosa into the air. “A toast,” she said. The rest of us lifted our drinks. “Cheers to new beginnings. May they be everything we could hope for and more. And cheers to second chances. May they give us new hope that we thought was lost.”

  Here, here.

  I slid my arm around Penny’s shoulder.

  “Speaking of new beginnings, Alex, I heard you’re back at your old company?”

  I nodded. “Yes, sir. But in a new position that is much more fitting of my abilities … and comes with a hearty raise, which doesn’t hurt.”

  “No, that doesn’t hurt at all.”

  I smiled. “And I hear that you’ll have your dream employee after all?”

  “Oof!” Penny jabbed her elbow into my ribs. “Oh, sorry. I forgot that she wanted to tell you herself.”

  Tony looked from me to his daughter. “Is this true? You’re going to come and work for me after graduation?”

  Penny licked her lips, buying for time. “Yes, but under one condition.” Her eyes crept towards me, a smile tugging at her lips. “It’s only temporary. I want to be a writer … I’m going to be a writer.”

  I caught her hand under the table and linked my fingers with hers.

  “I can live with that,” Tony said, smiling down at his daughter.

  On our way out of the restaurant, after saying our goodbyes to Penny’s parents, I held out my hand for her to take. With her hand in mine and her head on my shoulder, I knew that life would only get sweeter. Somehow, Penny had come back to me, had completed me, and I had no intention of ever letting her get away again.

  The moment she turned to me, pushing up on her toes and pressing her lips against mine, I knew.

  I knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

  And I knew that I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Epilogue - Penny

  Four Years Later

  “The article is out.”

  “Sit. Read it to me.”

  I CAN SAY I KNEW HER WHEN…

  August 30, 2018| By Natasha Minoso

  If you haven’t heard the name, Penny James Cole, I wouldn’t be too surprised.

  I had the opportunity to get to know her before she was ‘a someone’, as they like to say. Back then, she was just Penny Williams, a twenty-one-year-old aspiring writer, who first reached out to me because of our mutual love for romantic comedies. I’ve been lucky to see plenty of aspiring writers grow into seasoned, successful writers, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Cole and her uncanny ability to write characters that feel so impossibly human.

  Part memoir, part fiction, Unbreakable, is a look at Cole’s experience getting over her parent’s sudden divorce. You might be thinking, ‘been there done that,’ but don’t click away just yet. What makes Cole’s writing so unique goes well beyond her ability to write incredibly relatable characters. This book is intoxicating in every sense of the word. From the inspiring character development, to her depiction of Las Vegas, to her skill at leaving no dot unconnected, Cole paints a picture that every single one of us, young and old alike, can relate to.

  I won’t try to rehash the storyline for you; you can search every major — and minor — publication and see hundreds of people who have already done glowing jobs of that. Instead, I wanted to dig deeper, to let you all in on the literary world’s best kept secret — until now— that is Penny James Cole.

  During a quick stop in New York, Cole and I met up at one of my favorite Brooklyn coffee shops, Cafe Grumpy, to talk about the novel. If this were our first meeting, I would have taken one look at her t-shirt and ripped jeans and known we’d be instant friends. But of course, we already were. We ordered iced soy lattes and sat down at my usual table, immediately jumping into a book discussion. We had recently read a new release that was getting a lot of what we felt was unworthy attention.

  After tearing it apart chapter by chapter, Cole set her drink down and sighed. “So, do I want to know what you thought of Unbreakable?”

  She was unnecessarily nervous.

  “Penny,” I said, unable to hide my astonishment, “it was incredible.”

  She seemed to visibly relax into her chair.

  We talked about where she got the idea to write about her own life at such a young age. Her response was what I’ve come to recognize as typical Cole. She told me that writing about her own struggles was the only thing that helped her to make sense of them.

  “I didn’t find the idea as much as it found me. It was just kind of always there.”

  Cole became quiet when I asked about her muse. “First and foremost, I write for myself. But I’d be lying through my teeth if I didn’t say that Alex is who keeps me going. Without him, I probably would have given up a long time ago.”

  Now twenty-five and newly married to her graphic designer husband, Alex, Cole spoke a little about their relationship, a theme that runs throughout her memoir. “We were best friends for a long time before anything romantic happened, and believe me, it wasn’t an easy transition. I pretty much did everything in my power to push him away because I was scared to care for him in a romantic way. If I cared, then he could destroy me.”

  “Obviously, we know that your story has a happy ending.”

  She smiled down at her lap. “Yes, it does.”

  When I asked her what she’s working on now, her face turned serious as she zipped her pinched fingers across her lips.

  Then she broke out into a wide smile. “No, I’m just kidding. I’m really excited about this one, actually. It really hits home.” She chuckled. “You’d think that a memoir would be more personal, but that’s not the case here. I’m pouring myself into this next novel in a way that I haven’t before.”

  I asked if she had a title in mind.

  “You know me; I don’t start writing until I do.”

  For now, it seems she’s remaining hush hush on the title.

  What I adore most about Cole — beyond her writing — is probably her humble nature. I spent a good portion of our meeting discussing in great detail how much I loved her book and look forward to what comes next, and her response was always to smile sweetly and thank me. And this is what I firmly believe everyone else will see in this debut author: a brand new, genuine and humble voice.

  And now that you know her name, I bet you’ll have trouble forgetting.

  I know I have.

  I closed the laptop, leaving it resting on my lap and turned to Alex.

  “I knew you could do it. I’m so proud of you.”

  I smiled and pulled him closer. “And now I’ve got everything I could possibly want.”

  Alex pulled the laptop from my lap and set it on the table in front of us. “Penny,” he said. “I need you to do something for me.”

  “Anything.”

  His eyebrows rose. “I need you to come into the bedroom right now and make love to me.”

  I playfully slapped away his hand that has rested on my thigh. “You’re giving away all the good stuff too early in the story, Alex. Hasn’t my writing taught you anything?”

  He nuzzled my shoulder. “I think everyone knows how this story ends.”

  And then he kissed me, and I knew I was healed.

  The End.

  Acknowledgements

  My first thank you has to go to my husband, Dom. Without you putting up with my mood swings while I wrote this novel, and never grumbling when you have to stay home with our son so I can go work, I could never had done this. So thank you, I love you.

  To Lindsey, who read my earliest drafts and helped me wade through more plot holes than I care to admit, this book wouldn’t be half of what it is without your
help.

  To my beta readers, Suze Robinson and Lisa Harman, thank you for seeing through my mess of a manuscript and helping to bring out its beauty. And thank you for being such fast readers.

  To my editor, Elena Eckmeyer, thank you for polishing my words, and reminding me that I use the word ‘that’ far too often.

  Eric Wilder, thank you for the beautiful cover. It is my favorite one yet and I know you have something to do with that.

  I owe a quick thank you to R.S. Grey and Staci Brillhart whose Spotify playlists got me through many writing sessions.

  And to my readers, thank you for joining me on this crazy journey. I hope I’ve written a story and characters that you can love the way I do. Thank you for taking a chance on an indie author.

  Other Books by Rachel Del

  Losing Lily: A Finding Lily Prequel

  Lily Gardner thought she'd found her soul mate when she met and married the handsome and well-off Thomas Gardner. But as she soon finds out, life and love hold no guarantees.

  Losing Lily is a prequel to Rachel Del's debut novella, Finding Lily, that explores what happens when you realize that your life is not at all what you expected it to be.

  AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON AMAZON

  Other Books by Rachel Del

  Finding Lily: Second Chances Book 2

  Lily Gardner thought she'd found her soul mate when she met and married the handsome and well-off Thomas Gardner. But eight years later, with a two-year-old in tow, she finds herself wading through the messy waters of divorce, and crying herself to sleep at night wondering if she's lost her chance at love ... and herself in the process. When she's assigned the task of working with Nathan Trainor to reel in a popular author who is seeking new representation, she must put her troubles aside and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

  At once touching and hopeful, FINDING LILY is a contemporary inspirational romance novella that captures what it feels like to be given a second chance at life ... and love.

  AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

  Fixing Tanner: Second Chances Book 3

  With two successful novels under his belt, and the kind of single life that any guy would kill for, Tanner Young thinks there is nothing that can stop him. That is, until he meets Leah Foster: the first and only woman he can actually see himself with… and the one woman who isn’t interested in a commitment. In the midst of a ferocious bout of writers block he finds himself clinging to Leah in hopes that she can turn his book, and his life, around.

  At once heartbreaking and hopeful, FIXING TANNER captures what it feels like to spend your life running away from a past that is destroying your future.

  AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

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  About the Author

  Rachel Del is a head-in-the-clouds introvert, homebody and thirty-something writer currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and three-year-old son. Originally from Ontario, Canada she spends her days reading, writing and drinking far too much black coffee.

  She blogs at www.rachel-del.com/blog

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