Sweetest Taboo
by Eva
Marquez
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Isabel Cruz was fifteen
years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16
when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to
college, everything had fallen apart. This hadn’t been an ordinary love,
though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts.
This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a
student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal
student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued
him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally
approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it
was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.
I realized suddenly that I had gone from one extreme to
the other in a few weeks. That was a mistake, and people were bound to notice.
I couldn’t backtrack now, though – the damage was done. What was I supposed to
say? “Yeah, I'm staying away from Mr. Stevens because I don’t want anyone to
know I’m making out with him after practice” would never do.
“You know, he was pretty cool at first," I replied
as nonchalantly as possible. “But one day I was late for practice and he made
me go to the diving pool to swim laps. I’m not going to hang around with him if
he’s going to be such a jerk, you know?”
That answer must have been good enough for Vicky, because
she lightly tapped my shoulder and then jumped into the water to swim off. I
laughed as I watched her swim away; she was doing the butterfly – badly – and
bumping into other swimmers as she shimmied from side to side down the crowded
lane. My smile faded, though, when I realized that she was probably voicing
what everyone else had noticed as well. My sudden change of attitude had been
just that – sudden and unexpected – and people were going to wonder why. I had
to come up with a better story, and quick, or change my behavior again and hope
that no one else said anything.
I wasn’t sure which option was best, or which would cause
me more pain. Our late- afternoon rendezvous were becoming more and more
intense, and my senses were becoming fragile. When I walked toward his
classroom, now, I knew that there would be more physical contact, with less
clothing. We hadn’t gone all the way yet, and Mr. Stevens was always very
careful about my feelings – he asked me if I was okay with what we were doing
every five minutes, it seemed – but we were both getting braver, and closer. I
didn’t know if I could be close to him without really wanting him, but I was
afraid of getting hurt.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was also starting
to fall in love with him.
Q: Relationships between students and teachers
is a really controversial issue in the media today. What inspired you to write
about this in your debut novel?
A:
I grew up as an immigrant in a lower-to-middle
class Southern California suburb. So I tapped into that experience in ‘Sweetest
Taboo’, which chronicles the love affair between a young Hispanic schoolgirl
and her much older, married teacher. I drew from my experiences growing up to
develop several plot ideas. Romantic experiences are universal. Provocative,
illicit and risqué contexts do not take away from the experience of love, and
that’s what this debut book sets out to communicate.
I was also intrigued
by the news of one of my former teachers being convicted of [sexual] misconduct
with a minor. Since I can remember, I have always been fascinated by similar
stories making the news, but like many people, wondered about how these
relationships originate and how they flourish under the radar. In Sweetest
Taboo, I got to unravel one of these clandestine relationships, one exciting
page at a time.
Q: Is there an instance where you feel that
such a relationship should be taboo?
A:
Even as I developed what I felt to be a very powerful and emotional love story
in ‘Sweetest Taboo’, I do feel that such a relationship is and should be taboo.
The fact is that young students should be free to attend classes without
worrying about advances by their teachers and/or coaches. For the most part, I
believe that to be the case in our society. However, in ‘Sweetest Taboo’ it was
evident that Isabel was the one pursuing her coach and not the other way
around. So is that relationship taboo, even though she instigated it. Well…yes.
Mr. Stevens should have warded off her advances and he should have been the
‘adult’ and professional that he was hired to be. Perhaps this was a case of
love at first sight and Mr. Stevens was swayed by what he sincerely felt was
love for Isabel so the relationship was warranted? That is up to each reader to
decide for him/herself. I did not include judgment in ‘Sweetest Taboo’,
therefore each reader can develop their own judgment about this love story.
Back to the question, though, I think student/teacher relationships should
remain taboo and if a student/teacher pair finds love I believe it’s most
prudent for the teacher to hold out and wait until the student has graduated
and is of legal age to consent.
Q: What is the on thing you want readers to get
from your book?
A: Because my books deal with controversial topics, cross
and intersect genres and do not fit into neat little boxes, I ask my readers to
be prepared for the journey. My novels are not for everyone, and those who are
disturbed and bothered by stories that push the envelope or challenge societal
norms would likely not find my literary work appealing. So in essence, this is
a bit of a warning to potential readers and/or followers. I do not intend on
writing for all audiences, as that is almost impossible to do. What I can and
have committed myself to doing is writing about what I know, writing about my
own contexts, environments and experiences and pushing those to the limits to
create controversial stories that inspire people to perhaps think out of the
box, which is very much what Ms. Adichie and Ms. Alvarez have done with their
literary work. To my future readers and followers I also say, thank you! For
every reader and follower I have, I am that much more enthused to write and
develop characters that challenge our existing comfort levels and perceptions.
I would also ask any future readers or followers to contact me if they have any
questions about anything I have written, or about my future work. Many of my
ideas for character development and plots come from discussions I have with
friends, colleagues or people I’ve met casually at a lounge, bar or book store!
Q: Did you write with a playlist in mind?
A:
I wish I were that clever! Actually, as I wrote the book I was inspired by
songs that meant a great deal to me as I was growing up, songs that inspired
me, songs that made me emotional, and songs that reminded me of past loves and
heartaches. Since this story is about the love and heartbreak of a high school
girl, I thought it would be most appropriate to tip off the reader with a song
title in order to foreshadow the contents of the upcoming chapter. It made
perfect sense to me, and because songs evoke such strong emotions, especially
as we first discover music, love and freedom during our teenage years, I
couldn’t help but title each chapter after a song that had some sort of impact
on me, emotionally.
Q: Plotter or panster?
A:
Definitely a plotter. My inspiration for ‘Sweetest Taboo’ came in spurts, but
those spurts were carefully jotted down in a notebook as chapter titles and
brief descriptions of what I wanted to include in each chapter. Plots,
characters and timelines were all carefully plotted which made the writing
process flow. Because of the comprehensive outline, I was able to develop each
chapter at one sitting. However, as I wrote I also became somewhat of a
panster, weaving new plots, characters and climaxes into each chapter. In
essence, my writing process can be described as highly organized and plotted,
with room for creative ‘interventions’ when the inspiration hits.
Q: What are some authors that have influenced
your writing?
A: There
are dozens of authors I admire, but two that have captivated me with their work
are Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie and Julia Alvarez. Ms. Adichie is Nigerian-born and now living in
London and I think I had an instant connection with her work because I
lived/worked in Nigeria for two years and was able to really get to know the
southern Nigerian culture and context because of my work in the communities.
Her first book, Purple Hibiscus, resonated with me because of my experiences in
Nigeria and her second book, Half of a Yellow Sun, was so expertly written and
wove four amazing human and social stories that I fell absolutely in love with
her prose and skill for telling complex stories. Ms. Adichie writes about what
she knows well, Nigeria and Nigerian culture, history and society and because
she does so, her books include incredibly sincere stories. Julia Alvarez is a
Dominican-American who writes primarily adult fiction, although she has also
written young YA fiction as well, which are characterized by fantasy-type
series. My favorite all-time book from Ms. Alvarez is In the Time of the Butterflies, which is a uniquely narrated book
written in the perspective of four sisters growing up in the Dominican Republic
under the dictator ship of President Trujillo. It’s superbly narrated and the
story just tells itself effortlessly, it seems. Another book I very much
enjoyed was How the García Girls lost
their Accent, which is a story about Dominican immigrants to New York and
their journey into mainstream American life. What these two authors have in
common is that they are strong, confident and experienced women writing fiction
about their natal lands, writing about their contexts and weaving extraordinary
stories of strength and love in times of adversity.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Although I
did not intend on ‘Sweetest Taboo’ being part of a series or trilogy, I decided
that my next literary project would embark upon the story before the story, so
to speak. Readers really want to know what Isabel was thinking when she became
intimate with her school coach, they want to know how she could have gotten
herself into such a mess, a mess that involved the authorities and potential
prison time for Mr. Stevens, the man she loved most. So what I am doing is
writing the prequel to ‘Sweetest Taboo’ that explores Isabel’s childhood and
early adolescence as an immigrant in a Los Angeles suburb. Readers can expect
complex and somewhat disturbing revelations, some violence, and definitely some
tears. Then of course, there will be a sequel to ‘Sweetest Taboo’, where
readers will learn about Isabel and Tom’s journey and what their relationship
had in store for them. The stories I weave will always include trials and
tribulations, but they will also include redemption and hope.
Book excerpt:
Coach Stevens and Vicky were
waiting for me outside of the girl’s locker room. As soon as Vicky saw me, she
gave me a nod and ran ahead toward the swimming pool, leaving Mr. Stevens and
me to walk alone. This should not have been an awkward moment for either one of
us; he was my coach and I was a swimmer on his team. Time spent alone before a
meet should have consisted of some last words of wisdom or encouragement.
Perhaps we would have discussed the races I was to swim, and my chances against
the other team. We may also have talked about the classes he taught, and
whether I would be using them to pad my transcript in the next two years.
Instead, though, we said
nothing, and the thirty seconds it took us to walk to the poolside were slow
and tense. I searched for words that would break the silence, but came up with
nothing. This was the chance I had been waiting for – Mr. Stevens was walking
next to me, with no one else around. I could have said anything I wanted. But
my mind stubbornly refused to tick, and my lips remained glued together.
I noticed instead the
confident momentum of his walk, and the proximity of his body to mine. He was
close to me – almost close enough to graze my hand with his own. Certainly
closer than he should have been. He seemed to tower over me, although he was
only about 6 inches taller than I was. That height comforted me; I felt
protected in his presence.
He must have felt the
awkwardness of the silence, too, because he stopped walking and turned toward
me. I stopped in turn and looked up at him.
“Isabel, are you nervous?” he
asked quietly.
I had been so preoccupied
with my thoughts and fantasies that I replied without thinking. “No, you don’t
make me nervous.”
He drew back, confused, and I
felt my cheeks flush crimson. I had misread the situation, and grasped for a
way to save the conversation.
“Um, what I mean is, are you
trying to make me nervous about my event?” I asked quickly, smiling. “If you
are, it’s not working,” I forced another bright smile and ducked my head,
looking up at him through my lashes.
He laughed and placed his
hand on the back of my neck, pressing his fingers softly to my skin. I stopped
breathing, reveling in the feel of his fingertips caressing me. He leaned
forward to speak closer to my ear.
“You’ve got nothing to be
nervous about, young lady. And you certainly don’t need to be nervous about
me.”
I blushed again, and he
released me. He had understood my statement, then, and seen through my attempt
to cover the mistake. I looked up at him and smiled, then turned and walked
toward the pool. As I put my cap on, though, I turned to look at him again, and
caught the smile that lingered at the corner of his mouth. My heart hammered at
my ribcage and my knees grew weak, but I forced myself to turn away and focus
on the upcoming meet.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born
in Buenos Aires, Argentina, daughter of European immigrants, Eva Márquez has
spent most of her life outside of her home country. At the age of five, Eva
accompanied her parents to the United States, where the family settled
permanently. After graduating from university, she went on to complete graduate
studies in International Relations in Spain. Eva received her Master of
International Studies degree from the University of Sydney and went on to work
in the global health field in Sub Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Eva
currently resides in Southern Africa.
Links:
www.SweetestTabooBook.com (website AND blog)
www.facebook.com/Sweetest.Taboo.YA.Book (FB
Book page)
@EvaAuthor
(Twitter)
www.goodreads.com/eva_marquez (GoodReads)
http://youtu.be/flff2TcA4AQ (Official Book Trailer on
YouTube)
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