Under a Summer Sky: Book Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway #LoneStarLit

Excerpt: Chapter 1, Part 1

From Under a Summer Sky

By Melody Carlson

 

Nicole Anderson had no idea why her mother had slipped into the back of her art classroom this afternoon, but because this seventh period class was half over, Nicole pretended not to notice. It wasn’t easy to ignore that platinum-blonde hair styled within an inch of its life. Her sixty-five-year-old mom wore a slightly catty expression as she slid into a vacant chair. Sitting up straight, she pristinely clutched her faux Hermès purse in her lap, and unlike the students, she looked attentive.

Nicole cleared her throat, continuing her lecture on the Renaissance period and trying not to be distracted by her mom, whose pale blue pantsuit looked comically out of place amid the high school students. Slouching in their “uniforms” of shredded denim, faded tees, grubby flip-flops, and strange hairdos, these teens were bored and antsy, and probably too warm since the temperature in the art room was pushing eighty.

Nicole clicked to the next image on the screen. She always reserved the Renaissance for the last week of her art history class. Not because she was saving the best for last, but because it would be irresponsible to leave it out completely.

“Raphael is considered to be one of the premiere painters of the High Renaissance.” Nicole stared at the somber self-portrait up on the screen. Even Raphael looked restless and discontent. “Born Raffaello Sanzio in Umbria, Italy, this artist is best known for his religious works. In many ways, his style was more lifelike than his predecessors’ . . .” She droned on, surrendering to the heat-induced stupor and wondering why the art department was the only building with no AC. She clicked to the next image.

“Raphael did numerous Madonna and child paintings in various settings. Perhaps he simply wanted to get it just right.” She tried to inject interest into her voice. “Most would agree that he did.” She clicked to Portrait of a Young Man. “It’s interesting how Raphael captured the young man with that sideways glance—as if he’s got mischief on his mind.”

Really, she wondered, is this how I planned to spend my life? Boring these disinterested high school students with information they probably wouldn’t retain past their final exam on Friday—if they kept it that long. What was the point? She glanced at the class as she clicked to the next image. To her surprise, a hand raised. Was someone really going to ask a question? Then she realized it was only her mother, waving eagerly like a first grader. Some of the students were looking at her with a smidgeon of curiosity.

Nicole bit her lip. To allow her mother to speak up was dicey at best. Caroline Anderson was unpredictable—she tended to speak first and think later. It might amuse these teens, but Nicole wasn’t ready to witness her class degenerate into adolescent chaos. It was the last week of school, and as Principal Myers liked to say, the natives were restless. Why encourage them?

“Miss Anderson?” her mother called out. “I have a question.”

“Class,” Nicole said in a flat tone, “our unexpected visitor happens to be my mother.” She forced a smile, hoping to appear more mannerly than she felt. “I’d like you to meet Mrs. Anderson.” She looked directly at her mother. “You have a question?”

“Yes, Miss Anderson, I do.” Her mother’s blue eyes twinkled as she stood up. “I’m curious. Have you ever seen any original works of this particular artist? And if you have, will you please tell us about it?”

Of course, her mother already knew the answer, but for some reason she wanted Nicole to share with the class. Nicole took a deep breath, noticing that her students actually looked somewhat attentive just now. Perhaps this was a teachable moment.

“As a matter of fact, I have seen a few pieces of Raphael’s original art.” She told them about how she’d spent a year touring Europe after graduating from college. “It was a really sweet gift from my parents and turned out to be an amazing trip for me. Seeing the actual works of the people I’d studied made the art come to life for me. When I walked past the pond where Paul Gauguin had done the lily pad painting, I could almost feel his presence.” She told them about visiting the Louvre and some of the Renaissance works there. To her pleasant surprise, most of her students perked up, and some of them actually seemed to be listening with genuine interest.

She continued to tell them about Florence, Italy, pointing out how Raphael and some of his contemporaries lived there. “You can imagine how it would inspire them to be living around other artists, exchanging ideas and—” She was cut off by the bell, signaling that her last class and the school day had ended. “That’s all for today,” she called out as the students gathered backpacks and things, making a mass exodus.

A girl named Alyssa paused by the door. “That’s pretty cool, Miss Anderson. I wish I could go to Europe like you did.”

“Yeah, me too,” the boy behind her said.

“Maybe you will,” Nicole said.

 

Read part two on the Lone Star Book Blog Tours stop on 6/22/17.

 

6/17	Excerpt 1	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/18	REVIEW	Momma On The Rocks
6/19	Guest Post	CGB Blog Tours
6/20	Author Interview	Books and Broomsticks
6/21	REVIEW	My Book Fix Blog
6/22	Excerpt 2	StoreyBook Reviews
6/23	Scrapbook	Books in the Garden
6/24	REVIEW	Margie’s Must Reads
6/25	Excerpt 3	The Page Unbound
6/26	REVIEW	Reading by Moonlight

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