Today’s Featured Author – Dee Tezelli

Today I welcome author Dee Tezelli to my blog. She is sharing two excerpts today. The first is from her book Just Marry Me that came out in 2014. The second is from her latest book, Authors Don’t Die, which came out last month.

Excerpt #1

JUST MARRY ME!

A few times they had walked to see if the basement storage where she used to sleep had any signs of attempted contact by Goth.  Since there had been no further contact, they considered the possibility that Damu’s visit perhaps was just a pretext to frighten her. Something that he made up in his feeble mind.

“So when do you start practicing law?” Tasha broke the silence.

“I thought you’d never ask,” replied Ron eagerly.

“Did you know that Lincoln, Andrew Jackson and Howard Taft became lawyers through clerkship?” he piqued her curiosity.

He saw the attentive expression when she gave him a sideways look.

“With my previous law school credits I only have to complete one year of apprentice work under the mentorship of Sam Chen,” Ron said looking totally pleased with himself.

“Then the State Bar exam is all.”

“Then you are a rich lawyer? Just like that?”

They shared a laughter as the sting of the question hung in the air.

“Just marry me now, Tasha. Before I’m a rich lawyer,” Ron said shouting the words like a comedic act.

“Maybe, here at the park some time?” he opened his arms towards the grounds.

Tasha gently turned sideways to look at him with a frown.

“What? Marry? Us? The two homeless?” she scoffed not skipping a beat.

Excerpt #2

AUTHORS DON’T DIE   

Wells looked up to greet Mina Brick, who was walking in the company of his assistant. His first thought was how ravishing she looked. She wore a finely tailored navy suit with a white blouse and her signature Louis Vuitton attaché case. He noticed something different in her gait. Her high heels made her look like she is floating on the plush carpet.

He welcomed her and offered her the seat. Mina’s polite refusal to sit took him by surprise. Mina stole a glance at him, noticing his casual attire. As if he was aware that he was being eyeballed, Wells stood still with a grin. Mina could tell that his sharkskin, grey slim-fit blazer which undoubtedly had been handpicked by him specifically for this meeting. He was sporting a black dress shirt with no tie to complete a GQ’s fashion statement. Wells moved towards her with a raised brow. Mina could sense that he was reacting to her attention to him.

“Thank you for coming,” he said.

“Simon, I’m sorry, but I won’t be staying too long,” Mina rushed her response. “I’m on the go today. I’ll hear your offer and dash. Of course, I’ll have to run it by my agent before I answer.”

Wells came out around from his desk and faced her with a longing look.

“Mina, you’re looking beautiful today,” he said and took her both hands into his. I’m sorry that you cannot stay.”

Mina’s face showed a faint blushing, but she did not pull away.

“Your offer Simon, is it drafted for me take it with me?” she reminded him of the business at hand. Then to deflect his continued gaze she asked. “Or is it oral?”

“Well both,” said the lawyer still not letting go of her hands. “And off the record I also have a confession to make.” Mina raised her brow intrigued. ‘Oh, what kind?’

“I was negligent in not completely vetting my client. I still can’t disclose the name, but I will tell you this much today. When I did conduct a thorough background check, I did find a few issues that troubled me.”

“Let me guess; they don’t have the proof that you spoke of. Right?” she chastised.

“Quite the contrary. They do have the solid proof. Your husband, Nelson Brick actually did not author the first book. I can assure you of that with most certainty.” He turned away regarding the hard hit his words registered on Mina’s face.

“But there are other circumstances about the client that bother me. I’m not at liberty to share those with you at this time. They could have ulterior motives other than just to claim ownership to the copyrights.” Wells paused and walked away staring out the window with his back to Mina. Then turning swiftly on his heels he spoke.

“On a side note, I know I shouldn’t, but I will share with you my intended strategies for this case.” He bit his lips to continue. “I think you will find some value in finding out pros and cons of the copyright laws. It will work for both parties. So I’ll share with you.” Mina looked at him expectantly and hand gestured a defiant ‘go right ahead’

“Look, at the risk of sounding technical and boring, here is what you’d be fighting against. There is something called ‘Poor Man’s Copyright principle’, which is an alternative to a registered copyright in some parts of the world, like in United Kingdom.” Wells stopped to regard Mina’s contentious look, as in ‘so?”.

“So, not to say that my client needs this doctrine or any other,” he paused to crease his forehead in pondering. It was evident that he was trying to put his thoughts into laymen words.

“I will cite anything and everything to harp on that fact that even though my client does not possess the actual registered copyright paper, any legal document, or object that vouches for its creation that would award him the sole author rights. Do you follow?” He waited for her to nod.

“Didn’t you just say that they have the proof?” Mina cut him angrily.

“They have a solid legal evidence for the creation.” Wells responded enunciating firmly. He waited for his words to sink in and continued.

“And having said that, I can tell you that in my career, I have successfully defended authors’ works well after their death plus 70 years. And some anonymous works are protected by this doctrine for 95 years. So it is actually a mine field to get into that argument.”

“What did you mean before when you said ‘other ulterior motives’? Mina asked undeterred.

“Well, now we’re getting dangerously close to privileged information territory, so I can’t answer that. But if I may continue, here are some more about the copyright laws that you’ll find interesting.”

In the heat of their rapid exchange Mina had not realized that they were actually standing only a couple feet away face to face as they debated. She took a second to read Wells’ caring face as he was getting ready to continue and wondered. Was his attentive mannerism towards her part of his courtroom appeal? His shtick for the jurors? She came back to the conversation hearing him clear his throat and wave a lecturing finger in the air.

“However, if I were to be working for your defense, that would be a whole different argument,” he said. “I’d be citing cases that hinged on the ‘Fair Use Doctrine’ which was established in 1976. That would argue that copying or using literary creations would be allowed in certain situations.”

“And any of those ‘certain situations’ would protect me?” Mina tested him.

“It could and it would have if I were your defense attorney,” he gave a laugh. “But I am not. I’d be picking parts and shreds of it only to defend my client.”

With a brief cease fire between them both looked away in silence. Mina sighed and after gathering her foothold in this meeting she jumped right back in.

“Simon, I actually came here today also with another purpose. I was actually going to confront you about your clients. The authorities informed me yesterday that the street gang tag was also one that showed up on a bookshop security photo on that ghastly day. They showed me the camera image. It’s the same as the note that was left in my home.” Mina was out of breath and shaky. As she was talking Wells had gone back towards the window with his back to her. His arms folded in front of him he responded.

“I have this deep conflict in me, Mina,” he rolled out his words in deep consideration. “I have many options about this predicament I’m in. I’m also seriously considering divorcing my client.”

“Because of your client’s ties to a gang?” Mina asked in sarcasm.

A spark of concern flashed through the lawyer’s face. Wells turned back to her and replied in a formal tone.

About the Author 

Dee Tezelli lives in downtown Seattle, Washington with her husband of forty years. She was born and educated in Istanbul, Turkey. When one of her teenage stories in her native tongue was published, she was motivated to pursue the magic powers of her pen.   With their two sons, she and her husband travelled extensively while running a large travel company. Being a legal administrator by trade, Dee also occasionally contributes opinions to publications on community and legal issues.  Losing her younger son, Murat, to a congenital heart condition in 2013 at the age of 33, Dee immersed herself to writing Kindle e-books to convert the inner negative energy of grief to positive stories for readers.

‘Heart Matters’ delicately webs in a thriller of bio-engineering espionage with a medical miracle serum for heart defects.

In ‘Just Marry Me!’  (2014) Readers may also detect a hint of her intimate sadness about the tragedy of homelessness, as her older son opted a different life style.

Soldiering on, Dee and her husband, Steve are avid mountain climbers, hikers and runners.  Observing the surroundings through a special filter, Dee is never short of finding new plots and knead them into her fictional characters.

You can purchase Dee’s books on Amazon.