Welcome to this week’s installment of Rainbowsnippets*! This one is uniquely mine, but there are lots of other great snippets to read, so after you finish here click the FB link at the bottom of the post to discover other great LGBTQIA authors and their works.

I’m sharing again from Cleaning House. The novel is an Appalachian-set Contemporary/ Paranormal Fantasy where the past and the present are blended with a healthy dose of granny magic. The mountains are alive, and a little moonshine can cure what ails you. This time next month, I’ll begin sharing tidbits from Mama, Me, and the Holiday Tree, a novella-length story that will be available in both ebook and print formats in early November. This story will concentrate on Cent’s relationship with her mentally-ill mother but, of course, Betty will be in there too.

The Setup: I’ve skipped ahead in the scene, but Cent’s awakened to find Betty upset. Cent’s Aunt Tess wants her home, and now Betty’s words are cutting Cent deep.

Betty speaks first in this snippet

     “They need your help.”

     Cent shook her head and slumped over her water bottle. “If I go home, I’ll have to deal with Mama.”

     “Yes, Tess mentioned her, said she was the whole reason you left there to begin with.”

     “Her and a lot of other people in the area.”

     “Haters are everywhere, baby doll.” Betty reached out with her toes to lift Cent’s chin. “But family isn’t.”

     “Yeah, but you’re family too.”

     “That’s nice.” Betty dropped her leg and reached back to flick more ashes out the window. “But it isn’t reality.” She stood so fast her nightgown swirled around her calves. “We’re friends because we’re both queer, and that’s the only reason.”

     “The only reason? I thought we had a connection, a—”

     “If we did it ends right now.” Betty tossed her cigarette out the open window and slammed it closed before spinning around to loom over Cent again. “Go home, country cuttah. This isn’t the place for you, and I’m not your friend.”

Ooh, harsh words. But sometimes we hurt the ones we love.

You can read a lot more #Rainbowsnippets and #WIPpet Wednesday posts from Cleaning House HERE.

*RainbowSnippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!