Skip to main content

Streamline Excerpt

Leading up to the Streamline Launch Party on Tuesday, March 27th, I'll be posting one excerpt a day.

Today's excerpt comes from the first chapter, which occurs in the swimming pool---one of my favorite places! And I just came from the pool, where I watched the Grand Prix swim meet held by USA Swimming in Columbus, Ohio. I had the pleasure of witnessing Michael Phelps swim the fastest time in the world this year in the 200 Butterfly.


Can you believe his physique? There were some incredible bodies littering the pool deck. I noticed many of the women have tiny breasts (like the heroine of Streamline, Audrey Rose). No wonder my substantial girls and I never achieved the Olympic level of competition when I swam in college!

The hero of Streamline, Leo Scott, is about 10 years younger than Michael Phelps and nowhere near as accomplished. But he has big dreams nonetheless. And quite a few obstacles on the way to reaching those dreams.

~*~

“You can do it, Leo,” Audrey whispered from the next lane.
He turned to her and nodded as he adjusted his goggles and set himself ready on the wall. Leo felt confidence envelop him, and his focus narrowed to the now-calm water ahead. His teammates huddled near the lane lines to give him a clear path.
He was the best swimmer on the team, a senior captain. This was his team, and he wouldn’t let them down.
Clicking his stopwatch, Matt called, “Ready, hup!”
Leo pushed off, elbows squeezing ears in a tight streamline. His legs burst into whitewater behind him, propelling him like a motorboat. His fingers extended at the top of the stroke, and his high elbows sculled the water beneath his body. Nothing extraneous, no wasted energy. Everything with purpose. The 100 freestyle was his specialty.
He swam down the length of the fifty-meter pool and quickly flip-turned to begin making his way back. He could hear the faint cheers of his teammates build as he approached. Fighting fatigue, he drove to the wall.
When he lifted his head above the water, all he could hear were his sharp rasps for air. His teammates were silent as they waited to hear whether their tortuous practice was complete. 
~*~

Comments

DarcĂ­a Helle said…
Loved the excerpt! I know nothing about the intricacies of swimming as a sport, but you managed to put me there and make me feel Leo's movements.

By the way, I agree that Michael Phelps' body is pretty incredible!
Jennifer Lane said…
Thanks, Darcia. It was tricky to present the sport in an authentic way while not boring my non-swimming readers. Hopefully my editors helped me strike that balance.
Sarah said…
I am so excited for this book to come out. My best friend got me into competitive swimming. I was far from good, but I really enjoyed it (and what it did for my body ;) ) especially when I went year round in high school. I swam for about 5 minutes in college. I has moved onto karate and couldn't handle both practices and school. I'm sure the readers unfamiliar with the sport will have no trouble following along. Hope you have a great release day on the 27th!
Jennifer Lane said…
Sarah, yay for another competitive swimmer! It is a great sport. Karate sounds very interesting--I like the mental aspects of it from the little I know about martial arts. Thanks for the positive vibes.