As La Vista Turns Blog Tour and Giveaway: Short Story – Part Two – by Kris Ripper

We’re so pleased to have author Kris Ripper joining us today on the tour for the latest installment in the Queers of La Vista series, As La Vista Turns. Enjoy part II of the progressive short story, and don’t forget to check out the giveaway too.

Welcome, Kris!

Hi, I’m Kris and welcome to the blog tour for As La Vista Turns, book five in my awesome queer soap opera! Enjoy the blog tour!

Of Quilts, Plumbing, and Love

Zane refused to drive her home. “We’re picking up Alisha’s keys and going there. It’s done. Ed said she was okay with it and they’re not back for another week. Plus, we can raid her sex toys.” The smile was weak.

“With James on the couch? Not sexy, Z.”

“I know. Sorry.”

“I’m just worried about the quilts.”

“I know.”

Some of those fabrics could be thrown in the dryer. Some weren’t supposed to be wet at all. And of them needed to be dry as soon as possible. And what about the machine? Oh god. Surely Obie would tell her if something had happened to her machine.

Zane slipped a hand into the knot where Mildred’s fingers gripped each other. “Whatever happened, the five of us are fine. If Aunt Florence were here, she’d be reminding us that was the most important thing.”

“Yeah.” It was true. And once Obie Instagramed the pictures, Aunt Florence would probably call to say the same damn thing. But right now?

Mildred stared out the window and thought of all the scraps she’d saved over the years. What would water stains do to that silk pillowcase she never figured out how to use? Or the satin from Aunt Florence’s maid of honor dress, which she’d been saving to make into something way more beautiful than her parents’ doomed marriage, even though she’d never figured out what.

James began to snore in the back seat and Mildred squeezed Zane’s hand. She couldn’t speak, but she could do that.

* * *

They’d gotten pretty lucky. The sewing machines were fine. Most of Obie’s stash had escaped unscathed, and his silks had all been in plastic bins on the far side of the room from the original pipe bursting. There had only been six ties in the splash zone, waiting for mailing, and only one had to be remade. Though all of the packing materials and boxes were toast.

The domino effect plumbing issue, combined with some old water damage in the ceiling in Mildred’s sewing room, meant her stash hadn’t gotten off quite as easily.

“I’m so sorry,” Obie murmured, standing at her side. The rest of the household was out back. James was exploring all the construction-related stuff, as he did every time he saw it. Zane and Emerson were either watching him or bickering. Or both.

“Everything cotton is dry and put away upstairs. Everything I could wash, I washed. Or soaked, because you don’t even want to see the stuff that came out of those pipes. Some of this stuff, though…especially the pieces Aunt Florence brought home. Everything hand-dyed is pretty much not savable.”

“I figured.” And she had. But that didn’t make seeing the carnage hurt less. “Get rid of it all. Please. Are the quilts…” She couldn’t finish the question.

“They’re totally fine. I let them air dry flat and then put them away in your closet. I did have to pull all the pins, though, but I tried to replace them. We took pictures so we could recreate as closely as possible once they were dry.”

“Thank god.”

He kissed her cheek. “I’m so sorry, Dred.”

“That we live in a house where the plumbing’s ancient? Whatever. Do we have a bid on how much it’s gonna cost to replace it?”

“Yeah. Even after splitting it four ways, it’ll still be a pretty penny. I’ll show you.”

“Okay.”

She only lingered for a moment to stare at her waterlogged stash before turning away.

To be continued…

(Links to all three parts will be available once the tour is complete at Riptide Publishing under the extras tab.)

About As La Vista Turns

Zane Jaffe has almost lost track of what conception cycle she’s in. (That’s a lie: this is cycle thirteen.) She’s fake-dating her pal Mildred to get her best friend off her back, but judging by how hot it was when they accidentally kissed, her feelings might be somewhat less platonic than she’d thought.

And she’s decided that healing the fractured local queer community can only be accomplished through a party. Or maybe it’s actually a wake. Whatever it is, it’ll take place at Club Fred’s, and there will be alcohol.

Trying to conceive is an unholy rollercoaster of emotions, and Mildred won’t let them kiss again until Zane figures out how she feels. Between the wake (exhausting as hell, and that’s just the fun stuff), the constant up-down cycle of trying to get pregnant, and saving the world in the meantime, Zane has no idea. Fall in love with Mildred isn’t on her list, but maybe it’s time to let go of that rigid future she’s been working toward, and instead embrace the accidents that can lead to something better.

As La Vista Turns is available from Riptide Publishing

About the Author

Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

Connect with Kris: Webiste || Facebook || Twitter

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of As La Vista Turns, one lucky winner will receive an ebook of their choice from Kris’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 4, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!