The Nyra Westensee Series - Book Tour and Giveaway

​Isn't hope in some form our best-case scenario?

Best Case Scenario:
​Act I of Nyra's Journey
The Nyra Westensee Series Book 1
by D.B. Sayers
Genre: New Adult Romance 

Isn't hope in some form our best-case scenario?

More than a year after graduating from college, Nyra is beginning to wonder when her life, professional and personal, gets started. Was it like this for her mother? She doubts it, but things were different, then.

Nyra's reality is nothing like her mother's. Each generation confronts its own challenges. Still, she's tired of feeling like she's wading through waist-deep wet cement. Buried somewhere deep in a future she can sense but not feel, Nyra can hear the siren's song of hope and hypothetical options whispering to her. She's so ready! But is the song she hears hope or just an illusion?
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Best Case Scenario is the first act in Nyra Westensee's journey from student to self-aware, fully actualized woman.


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​{2}
The Face in the Mirror
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The mirror in the women’s room taunts Nyra with a confusion of pride and dissatisfaction. Expressive green eyes set in a clear complexion get lots of second looks. Her prominent hawk nose calls attention to high cheekbones and overall symmetry. Cute, on balance. The charitable might even call her pretty. Time to tweeze her eyebrows, though.
Lips maybe a little too full for her thin “ish” face. A boyfriend from two years ago had called them “kissable.” He’d wanted to do a lot more than kiss, but had moved on just before Nyra’s simmering sexuality overwhelmed Sister Elise’s repeated admonitions against promiscuity.
The modest swell of her breasts is nearly camouflaged by her loose-fitting tunic. Twisting in the mirror, she pulls it tight and pouts. Does anyone even notice? Nyra twists and stands on tip toe, for an over-the-shoulder look. Does her slender waist make her ass look too wide?
Her brother’s best friend commented, once, on her ‘sassy chassis.’ Nyra’s all-through-high school crush on Mark began the day her brother Kip shared Mark’s comment with her. Mark had flirted persistently, but nothing ever came of it. Had Kip warned him off?
The door swings open and Toni, one of the IT Applications Managers, smiles at her. Nyra quickly turns back toward the mirror.
“Hey, Nyra!” Toni pulls out her lip stick and gets to work. “You look just fine leaving, if that’s what you were wondering. How goes it in the call center?”
“Nothing but a party.” Nyra pulls out her lip-gloss and concentrates unnecessarily on applying it.
“One of those days, huh? I feel your pain.” Toni grimaces. “Used to work the IT help desk before I got my certification.”
Toni has most of what Nyra wishes she had. Prominent, rounded breasts, perfect symmetry and flawless mahogany skin that seems to glow along with generous, kissable lips. Toni catches her looking. Their eyes meet in the mirror and Nyra’s stomach twists. Nyra picks up the thread of their conversation. “I’ll get over it.”
“That which does not kill us?” Toni’s smile leaks warmth. As their eyes meet again in the mirror, Nyra’s pulse races, drawn to Toni’s liquid hazel eyes.
Toni drops her lipstick into her purse and pulls out the cell phone chiming to a text message. Furrows appear on her brow as she reads. “Gotta go.” She smiles at Nyra in the mirror, then turns for the door.
“Keep the faith, Baby,” she says over her shoulder. Nyra’s eyes follow Toni until the door closes slowly behind her.

The Year of Maybe:
Act II of Nyra's Journey
The Nyra Westensee Series Book 2

He’s nothing like her hopeful dream—and everything she wants.

Nyra’s transition from college grad scrambling for her first career job to full independence is as on track as it can be, these days. With her new marketing job is going well, even if she’s still living at home,Nyra’s pretty sure the light at the end of the tunnel is not an onrushing train.

Still, she gets bored, sometimes. A whimsical decision to take up surfing brings her together with Tai Abrega, a professional surfer and shaper so delicious Nyra’s imagination hasn’t even gotten around to fantasizing about a man like him, yet. Surfing awakens a latent, mystical connection with the sea along with a driven passion for the man himself.

But embracing one possibility often demands abandoning another. How can Nyra fit Tai and the seductive siren song of freedom into her “safer” vision of perfect? Can she blend her conventional world with his freespirited lifestyle, or is she doomed to disappointment and heartbreak? New Adult fans of It Ends with Us and Finding Perfect are sure to enjoy this upbeat tale of hope.

The Year of Maybe Act II of Nyra’s Journey continues the story begun in Best-Case Scenario.

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​Chapter 1—Caricatures
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The silence roaring in Nyra’s ears cuts through her self-hypnosis. Evening shadows leaking through the window paint prison bars across the office floor. Getting late. But Cori’s Coach bag with the snakeskin accents is still perched on Nyra’s officemate’s credenza.
With a breathy sigh, she forces her eyes back to the monitor, to her latest project—an elephant caricature on the flyer she’s still tinkering with. Clad in a pinstripe suit, tie artistically askew, the elephant smiles back at her. His hip is pressed to a storage room door he’s struggling to close. A golf bag blocks the doorframe along with a one-eyed teddy bear dangling precariously from the top of the door.
“Aren’t you the perfect metaphor of our time?” she mutters. The flyer is intended to tie in with the TV campaign Symondsen Cable will be running for Alstott Storage, one of their longstanding clients. Why are you studying this damned thing to death? Nyra uncrosses and recrosses her legs, tugging at her skirt.
Before she can glance at the clock on her phone again, Cori breezes in.
“Ross and I are heading to The Sail Loft for happy hour.” Settling into her desk chair, Cori swivels a quarter-turn and opens the bottom drawer of her credenza. “Wanna come with?” She redirects a lock of glossy jet-black hair behind an ear as she tilts an inquiring eyebrow.
Nyra’s about to decline when Ross appears in the doorway, draping an arm against the doorjamb, laptop bag slung over a shoulder. “Ready?” Cori and Nyra turn to look at him as though controlled by the same invisible wire. “Hey, Ny.”
“Give me a minute.” Cori retrieves her phone from her desktop and slips it into the side pocket of her purse. She looks at Nyra. “Well?”
“I’ve got some stuff I really should wrap up, and—” Cori eyes Nyra over the top of fashion glasses. “Shut that thing down and let’s jam. It’ll keep ‘til Monday, for God’s sake. Assuming it isn’t perfect already.”
Nyra combs a non-existent tangle from long chestnut hair with her fingers.
“Better come along, Westensee,” Ross advises. “You know how she gets.”
“Well, maybe she has you trained, but—”
Cori wads up a piece of paper from her desktop and pegs it at Nyra. It careens off Nyra’s forehead and Ross snatches it before it hits the floor. With exaggerated nonchalance, he loops it into the wastebasket against the far wall.
“Nice shot,” Nyra says. “Three-point range.” Ross fist-bumps her. “Come on, Ny. Cori’s right. You need this more than we do. Besides, it’ll be fly to walk into The Loft with both of you.”
“Really, Ross? Fly?” Cori turns to Nyra. “He’s right, though. Come on, girlfriend!” Cori’s use of “girlfriend” is innocent enough, but it conjures up Toni’s lovely face and soulful eyes. Her conscience leaks guilt she can’t quite exorcise. Nyra glances down at the mocking smile of her elephant caricature and caves.
“All right.” Nyra exhales. “I’m in.” She reaches for her mouse. “But I can’t stay late.”
“Yeah, whatever. We’ll talk about that,” Cori says. “Be right back.” She grabs her purse and bolts.
Nyra nods at the elephant. “Bye, Packy.” She closes the file on her flyer for Alstott Storage and runs the shutdown script.
“Sorry?” Ross asks.
“I was talking to Packy,” Nyra replies.
“Packy?” Ross’ forehead creases.
“Never mind. Inside joke.” She turns off her monitor as Cori swoops back in and loops an arm through Ross.’ She drags him toward the side door of Symondsen Cable’s building and the employee parking lot.
“Hurry up, Westensee,” Ross says over his shoulder. “Unless you know the way.”
Nyra keeps Cori’s Audi in sight as they wind their way through the Friday evening traffic on the way to the marina.
She’s heard of The Sail Loft but had never been there. Does Kevin ever go there? she wonders. Its proximity to the Long Beach Marina makes that a possibility. Not likely unless his schedule has changed. Working tonight, probably.
Toni and Kevin ping-pong around in her thoughts. The brake lights of Cori’s car pull her back to her surroundings as they stop for a traffic signal. Nyra’s memory of Kevin’s caresses bubble to the surface, along with Toni’s soft welcoming kisses and her unselfish love.
“Until I ruined it,” Nyra whispers. Cori’s brake lights wink off when the light turns.
Nyra follows, as she had once followed Toni to her apartment, for her first taste of love. “Move on.” Yeah. Right.

Dirk’s path to authorship wasn’t quite an accident, but almost. Through two previous careers, first as a Marine officer and subsequently as a corporate trainer, he started way more stories than he finished.

But in the backwash of the 2008 financial collapse, Dirk’s employer filed for Chapter 11 protection, cordially inviting him to leave and not return. Out of work and excuses, he published his first novel, West of Tomorrow, while job hunting.

Since opting for “retirement,” Dirk has published five more titles including an anthology of short stories, two science fiction yarns and two new adult novels. He lives in Laguna Niguel with his wife, two psychotic cats and a fourteen-year-old Ball Python named Corona.

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If you knew you would die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
It would depend on time of year and where I was. If it was winter and I was near a ski resort, I would absolutely spend my last day snow skiing. If I found myself on the coast and there was a decent swell, I’d go surfing. Failing that, I’d probably saddle up and ride out into the mountains.

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
All of them, honestly. Each has something to offer visually, emotionally, and intellectually. But I think the best story for cinema and the richness of theme would be either West of Tomorrow, or either of the Nyra Westensee books. Both Best-Case Scenario and The Year of Maybe would make satisfying stories and visually beautiful.

What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m currently working on the third volume of the Nyra Westensee series and the third volume of my science fiction yarn, The Knolan Cycle. I’m also working on a fairly…okay, really erotic novel that isn’t for the faint of heart.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I’m guessing most people will find this a bit perverse, but I love editing and refining. That’s been true especially of character-driven stories like Best-Case Scenario and The Year of Maybe. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the creative part of writing. I do. But for me, there’s something really satisfying about refining each chapter and scene, line by line until it just reads well. I always use the read aloud mode in MS Word to hear how what I’ve written sounds out loud. It’s the best way I’ve found to pick out the soft spots in my writing.

Who designed your book covers?
I’m afraid I’m the culprit. When I finish a story, I imagine one of the central characters or situations and then put together the cover to match both the genre and to hint at the story. I prefer to go with dramatic colors and evocative images.

Convince us why your book is a must-read.
Must read? Honestly, it isn’t. That said, it might prove helpful. All my stories have change as one of the central themes. We are, I believe, in the midst of multiple, concurrent paradigm shifts coming at us at an unprecedented pace. Change tends to sweep away many of the signposts by which we’ve been accustomed to navigate. It has to be especially trying for young adults to deal with, especially since a lot of older adults to whom young people used to turn in the past aren’t much help. How Nyra copes with change and her uncanny sense of balance might in some ways help others navigate the sometimes-frenetic maelstrom we call the 21st Century.

Do your characters come to you all at the same time, or do they come to you as you write?
For me, it’s a combination. I start out with a plan, and a cast of characters who define the story, the plot’s throughline and the conflict implicit in that story. But somewhere along the way, I tend to embellish things a bit and that generally means adding characters to the story.

What’s your biggest challenge writing?
I’m sure most of your readers have heard of the planner-pantser dichotomy as those writing techniques apply to authors. I’m a plantzer, by which I mean I start out with a plan. Then, somewhere along the way, I get a hair fire, take an unplanned right turn at Albuquerque, wander off and get lost. Then I have to figure out how to make the whole thing work. Sometimes I discover that hair fire I had wasn’t such a hot idea, after all. Other times it works out, but only after I’ve done some readjustments to make everything fit together in a way that unifies the story.

Do you read yourself and if so, what’s your favorite genre?
I read a lot of non-fiction, as well as science fiction, contemporary fiction and historical novels. I enjoy stories with a liberal dash of romance with a twist of eroticism in them, irrespective of genre. Humans are defined by our relationships and among the most compelling ones tend to involve connections that are if not romantic at least layered and nuanced.

What makes a good story?
Irrespective of genre, a good story leaves the reader with a feeling and teaches us something about others or ourselves. There are a lot of ways to do that, but if the story doesn’t engage us and make us feel something, it’s a waste of time, to me. And it should in some way add to our overall understanding of this muddy mystery we call life.

Describe yourself in five words or less.
Free-spirited adrenaline junkie.

Where did you grow up?
I’m Midwest born and raised, but you’d never know it today. I don’t know to what extent I’m an exception, but growing up on a flat plain, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. The day I graduated from college, I was commissioned a Marine officer, and I’ve only been back to Iowa once, where I grew up. And don’t miss it. I am now a product of my first career, half of which I spent in S.E. Asia, the Pacific, the Mediterranean, Africa and Europe. Nothing, in my opinion, makes us as acutely aware of how much humans everywhere have in common than looking in the eyes of someone of radically different experiences and yet seeing ourselves.

What is something unique/quirky about you?
I guess I’m kind of a paradox. I’m completely unrestricted by consistency. Like most of us, I’m a creature of habit, but just about the time you think you have me figured out, I’ll do something that at first blush seems like it’s out of character. Yet I did it, so it must be in character. I have principles and I tend to stick with them. They don’t change much. But likes, tastes and interests? My past is rarely a faithful predictor of what I’ll do next. It’s not something I do with malice of forethought or change for its own sake…it just happens.

Are your characters based on real people or do they all come entirely from your imagination?
Most of my characters are an amalgam of people I’ve known, with a bit of creative eyesight. I’d love to say I’m inventive enough to just make them up out of thin air, but I’d be lying if I told you that. So you could say it’s both—and neither.

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
Years ago, I was surfing at Trestles on about an eight-foot day. Toward late afternoon, the wind had died down and we were bobbing around waiting for the next wave when a Sea Lion pup popped up next to me and barked. I barked back at him, trying to be funny. To my surprise—and everyone else’s—the pup climbed up on the back of my board and propped his chin on my back. I guess he was tired and thought I’d be as good a place as any to rest. He stayed about ten minutes, until the next decent sized wave rolled in, and I had to paddle out to avoid getting cleaned up by it.
He swam into the beach and started begging for bait fish from a couple of the surf fishermen in the wet sand area. He was still on the beach when I paddled in. Guessing he was orphaned, I talked the lifeguards into calling Sea World down in San Diego to come and get him and (hopefully) pair him up with a buddy with whom he could eventually be released.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
It depends on the book. Most of the time, I’m writing contemporary fiction, and mostly writing what I know…or think I do. So I tend to start plotting and as I do, I realize I don’t know enough to write one or more of the scenes. So I research whatever holes there are in my knowledge more or less on the fly. In science fiction I tend to do a little more research up front, either to determine what’s at least theoretically possible, or to find a theory I can bend to make the story more interesting.

Pen or type writer or computer?
Yes. Just kidding. Mostly I write with my laptop. On occasion, I will make notes with pen and paper, but when I get down to actually writing the story, it’s always on my laptop.

Describe your writing style.
Yikes! It depends on the genre. I’ve been told (variously) that my writing reminds readers of Joesph Conrad, Cory Doctorow, John Steinbeck or Frank Herbert. I wish! Seriously, I think of myself as an eclectic who reads a passage from another really compelling author and adapts a snippet of their style to what I’m working on. What I hope is true of my work is that it inspires reflection and leaves the reader with a feeling that makes them want to keep reading and find more of my work.

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