Don't Forget Me–Please!
The Book
So itβs finally here: the release date for my sixth Konigsburg book, Donβt Forget Me. The story of Nando Avrogado and Kit Maldonado.
The first four Konigsburg books were pretty straightforward: I had four brothers, so I needed four books. After that, I wasnβt sure whether Iβd stay in Konigsburg or go somewhere else. But it turned out that once Iβd created the town, I didnβt want to leave it. I knew the place and the people. And I knew they had a lot more stories to tell.
Book five, Brand New Me, introduced a lot of new characters, although some of the Toleffsons wandered through just to show they were still in town. It was sort of fun to have characters who didnβt have a common backstory. I got to let my mind wander through the Faro tavern, sketching in new people like Clem Rodrguez and Chico Burnside.
And now Iβm back again, but the characters this time around are a mixture of new and old. If youβve read the other Konigsburg books, you may remember Nando and Kit. Kit showed up first as a teenager in the very first book, Venus In Blue Jeans. Nando arrested a drunken Otto Friedrich in Wedding Bell Blues. Both of them played supporting roles in Long Time Gone, then Kit went back to San Antonio and Nando became Tomβs best friend in Brand New Me. Theyβre surrounded by characters you may have met before: Allie Maldonado and her fiancΓ© Wonder Dentist, Tom Ames and Deirdre Brandenburg, and Erik Toleffson, among othersβand thereβs a very familiar villain. But thereβs also a new guy in town: Joe LeBlanc, head chef of the Rose restaurant where Kit is the manager, and Joe brings along more people to meet and wonder about.
All of these people surround Kit and Nando in their attempts to overcome the past and get back together again. Some of them are cheering and some are throwing up roadblocks. Reunited lovers always have lots of bumps in the road, and these two are no exception. But needless to say, their problems are resolved in the end.
Iβm already thinking ahead to future books, assuming Samhain continues to put up with me and Konigsburg. Joe LeBlanc obviously deserves his own story, and thereβs a new cop in town who has lots of possibilities, although heβs a little wet behind the ears. Some readers have said they want to know more about Chico and Marilyn. I like Chico a lot, but I donβt think Marilynβs good enough for him. On the other hand, I have a few ideas for someone who might work. Iβm open to suggestions, though. Is there anybody youβd like to see more of?
Anyway, here we are, back in Konigsburg again. And I canβt tell you how glad I am to be here!
The Contest
There is, of course, a contest to go along with release day here. Iβm giving away a copy of Donβt Forget Me to one of the commenters on this blog. Just leave a comment and Iβll enter your name in a drawing next week.
The Blurb
Once they said goodbye forever. Now they want to walk it back.
Konigsburg, Texas, Book 6
Eighteen months ago, Kit Maldonado was so over Nando Avrogado, she left Konigsburg without a backward glance. With the family restaurant in San Antonio sold out from under her, though, sheβs back to manage The Rose, an exclusive resort eatery outside town.
Dealing with a stingy boss, an amorous head chef, an understaffed dining room and planning her auntβs wedding should have kept her hands full. But she realizes she might not be as over Nando as she thought.
As the townβs new assistant chief of police, Nandoβs got enough trouble without sexy Kit fanning embers he thought had long ago turned to ashes. Every time he turns around, sheβs thereβand it doesnβt help that everyone in town wants to see them back together.
One incendiary kiss, and thereβs no denying the force of their attraction. But thereβs a mysterious and oddly familiar burglar whoβs been lurking around Konigsburg, someone who isnβt above a little mayhemβmaybe even violenceβto cover his tracks.
Product Warnings
Contains hot makeup sex, wedding madness, a hot chef, vengeful burglars, and unlawful abuse of a wedding cake.
The Excerpt
Nando Avrogado was hiding. Granted, the Dew Drop Inn didnβt provide much in the way of cover, although it was dark enough to make identifying anyone pretty challenging unless you were less than six inches away. Granted, Nando himself, at six three and a hundred eighty-eight pounds, was somewhat difficult to hide, even when he wasnβt in uniform (as he wasnβt at the moment). Nonetheless, he was hiding. From Francine Richter, five three and a hundred five.
It was embarrassing. It was nothing a mature adult male of twenty-eight should be doing.
He should just get over it. He knew that. He should just head down the street to the Faro tavern, where he usually hung out, and take his punishment, whatever that punishment turned out to beβtears, curses, possibly violence. It wasnβt exactly his fault that Francine hadnβt understood the meaning of their goodbye date the way she was supposed to. It sure wasnβt his fault that sheβd been leaving messages on his voice mail for the past two days.
Except that it was his fault. Sort of. Heβd tried to make it clear throughout their handful of dates that nothing more serious was on the horizon for them. That they werenβt going to hook up for the long term. That they were just having some temporary good times.
And in reality, the times hadnβt even been all that good after the first couple of dates. He had to admit that, for the most part, heβd just been going through the motions. Francine was okay. She didnβt natter too much. She looked good. She wasβ¦a decent kisser. Not bad exactly, but not good either.
Nando sighed, taking a sip of his lukewarm beer. If he were honest, it wasnβt Francine whoβd been the real disappointment. He was the one who wasnβt measuring up to expectations, Francineβs for sure, but his own too. Given his lack of enthusiasm, maybe it was just as well that theyβd never progressed beyond a few hot make-out sessions on Francineβs couch.
Of course, if he were honest he wouldnβt be sitting in this dive, drinking beer that tasted like dishwater. Heβd be down the street with his friends at the Faro, drinking some honest brew and dealing with Francine when and if she showed up.
He rubbed his eyes and fought back the impulse to groan in frustration. God, he was tired. And it wasnβt just the hours from his job as a Konigsburg cop. During the last few months heβd seemed to fall into a rut that just got deeper and deeper. Same people, same problems, same everything. When had this feeling started anyway? And why? Heβd gotten all the things heβd once thought he wanted in his lifeβfull-time appointment to the Konigsburg police force, a decent place to live away from his parents (sharing an apartment with his brother Esteban, but doing that wasnβt such a bad deal), an active social life without being tied down to anybody.
Yeah, right. It was that βactiveβ social life that was the problem. Maybe he should try deliberate celibacy rather than the unintentional kind for a while. See what it felt like to not hit the clubs on his night off. The whole excitement-of-the-chase thing was getting very old. And truth be told, the chase hadnβt been that exciting for a long time. Eighteen months, in fact.
Donβt go there. Itβs over. No matter how much you wish it werenβt.
βGeez, whereβd you hide the body? You look like a man at a wake.β His brother Esteban slid onto the stool next to him, waving a hand toward Ingstrom, the bartender. βWhat are you doing here anyway? I thought you did your drinking at the Faro these days.β
βI could say the same thing about you.β Nando took a disgruntled pull on his beer. βI donβt think Iβve ever seen you in this dive before.β
Esteban cleared his throat. Ingstrom, who owned the Dew Drop Inn as well as being its bartender, was standing across from them behind the bar. He scowled at Nando before turning to his brother. βYou want beer or wine?β
βLonestar,β Esteban said hastily. He was the assistant wine master at Cedar Creek Winery, which meant he routinely avoided the wine-in-a-jug served by the Dew Drop Inn. βYou still havenβt explained why youβre here,β he continued as Ingstrom headed back down the bar. βI havenβt seen you in the Dew Drop for a couple of months. Why arenβt you at the Faro watching Deirdre Brandenburg serve beers like every other red-blooded man in town?β
Nando shrugged. βDeirdreβs attached to Tom Ames. If I start ogling Deirdre, heβs likely to put Ipecac in my beer. Besides, the Dew Dropβs closer to home. I didnβt feel like walking.β
Esteban smirked. βYeah, those three blocks will really do you in. Especially with the temperature hovering in the high seventies.β
βGet stuffed,β Nando muttered, but his heart wasnβt in it.
Esteban turned, resting his elbows on the bar behind him as he surveyed the room. βYou trying to avoid your latest fling? Iβd say thatβs a heavy price to pay for romance gone wrong.β
Nando studied his younger brother with hooded eyes. Esteban looked like a linebacker, which heβd been in high school, or like someone who bench-pressed wine barrels, which he also did frequently. He wore his hair almost as short as Nandoβs, even though the management at Cedar Creek wasnβt as stiff about hair length as Chief Toleffson was at the cop shop. But he made up for the hair with the luxuriant moustache that curved around his mouth. His skin was darkened from working in the vineyardsβjust like their father.
βWhat would you know about romance gone wrong?β Nando grabbed a handful of peanuts. βI havenβt noticed you tearing up the town with anybody since you broke up with Dawn Benavidez. And thatβs been over three months, bro.β
Esteban shook his head. βNice try, but weβre not switching the subject of this conversation to me. Are you or are you not trying to avoid Francine Richter?β
Nando blew out a breath. βMaybe.β
βRight.β Esteban shook his head. βYou donβt think thatβs a little pathetic? Hiding out in a joint like the Dew Drop just to avoid a woman you dated for a couple of weeks?β
Nando ran his glass through the circle of condensation on the bar. βI can drink where I want, bro. Who knows? Maybe Iβll check out the talent around here this evening.β There had to be some. Even at the Dew Drop.
Ingstrom set Estebanβs draft on the bar with a clink. βStay away from my barmaids, Avrogado, they got work to do.β He stomped back to the other end of the bar.
Nando took a quick survey of the Dew Dropβs barmaids, the most prominent one anyway. Ruby looked more like a biker chick than usual. Tonight she had on a leather vest that was zipped partway up her sizeable chest and blue jeans that showed a roll of white flesh at the waist. Her magenta hair was caught in a banana clip that looked perilously close to slipping out. Every man in the bar was trying not to look down her cleavage, knowing the instant retribution that followed. As if she sensed she was being watched, Ruby caught Nandoβs eye. Her lip twisted in a world-class sneer.
βNow going after that really would be pathetic,β he muttered.
Esteban nodded. βTrue that. So why canβt you just tell Francine itβs over? Fun while it lasted, time to move on and so forth.β
Nando grimaced. βBecause Iβd rather not get into one of those discussions where you end up either making somebody cry or making somebody mad enough to bean you with her purse. If I stay out of her way long enough, sheβll get the message.β
βAnd that way you just come off as a jerk instead of a sleaze.β
Nando gritted his teeth. βYou could put it that way.β
βYou know, bro, sooner or later all this bad karma youβre building up with women is going to come back and bite you on the ass.β Esteban took a long swallow of Lonestar.
βWhat are you, some kind of wine-making Buddhist now?β Nando shook his head. βThis doesnβt qualify as bad karma. So I donβt like talking about βrelationshipsβ with women. Name me one man who does.β
Esteban shrugged. βIβm just saying if all the women youβve screwed around with over the past few months ever got together, youβd be a dead man.β
Nando rubbed his eyes again. The vision of all his recent exes getting together, possibly with automatic weapons, was not altogether comfortable. βYeah, well, Iβm thinking of cutting back. Maybe putting the brakes on the relationships for a while. Take a breather from women.β
βYou?β The corners of Estebanβs mouth curved up. βYouβre giving up women? Maybe I should spread the word. I could sell tickets.β
A slight prickle of unease slid down Nandoβs spine. He wasnβt that much of a womanizer, was he? He never used to think of himself that way. Of course, that was before the major fuck-up of his love life. βDo not spread the word.β He gritted his teeth again. βThis was just between the two of us. And I havenβt decided for sure what Iβm going to do. Just thinking about it.β
Esteban nodded, still grinning. βRight.β
Nando drained the rest of his beer. Screw it. βIβm going down to the Faro, see whatβs going on. You want to come?β
βMaybe later.β His brother peered toward the far corner of the bar where Britney Collins was seated with a couple of her girlfriends.
Nando rolled his eyes. Clearly, he wasnβt the only Avrogado who had females on the brain. βGood luck with that.β
He dropped a handful of bills on the bar, then pushed back, dodging around a couple of protruding rear ends to get to the door. Among other things, the Dew Drop was short on open space, particularly since Ingstrom had added some extra tables in the middle of the room. Nando ran through the barβs very own obstacle course, then opened the door to the street.
It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the early evening light. People still strolled down Main, ducking into the few open stores. Mid-March wasnβt a great tourist time in Konigsburg, but they got some families who filled up the motels and bed and breakfasts for Spring Break. He settled his Stetson on his forehead and started up the street toward the Faro.
Ahead of him the crowd parted for a moment and he saw a swing of long dark hair reaching down below a womanβs shoulders. Nice. For a moment, he concentrated on her as she walked up the street in front of him, wondering what sheβd look like when she turned around. You could never predict exactly how attractive someoneβs face would be based on her back side.
Nando grimaced. He really needed to stop ogling women. Particularly if he wanted to take the whole celibacy thing seriously. Besides, if anyone ever heard him talking about faces and back sides like that, heβd be banned from the female sex for life. Which you would richly deserve, and which might not be such a bad thing.
A couple walking in front of him turned in to one of the candy stores and he got a better look at the woman up ahead. Silken dark hair, slender waist, long, long legs that showed off well in her white Capri pants. Nando finally gave in and checked her behind. More than respectable. The whole package was superlative, in fact. Always assuming the face matched.
What the hell are you doing? Youβre supposed to be giving this up. You know it wonβt go anywhere.
Nando shook his head. Going cold turkey was going to be a lot harder than heβd thought. On the other hand, he couldnβt go on indefinitely moving from woman to woman like some deranged honey bee, could he? Time to start being selective. Time to learn how to pace himself.
Time to grow up. More than time, if he were honest. He grimaced. That one hurt, largely because it was true.
Ahead of him, the woman slowed alongside Docia Toleffsonβs bookstore. Slowed and then stopped, staring in the window. After a moment, she waved at someone inside. Nando let his own pace slow down so that he wouldnβt pass her just yet. He really wanted to see her face.
The door to the bookstore flew open, and Docia Toleffson herself stepped out, all six feet of herβmaybe seven feet if you counted that pile of red hair on top of her head. She grinned at the stranger and then extended her arms to give her a hug. As she did, Nando got his first look at the womanβs face.
His heart stuttered and then promptly dropped to his shoes. Oh god, of course. I really had this coming.
βKit,β Docia was saying. βKit Maldonado. Where have you been keeping yourself? Allie said you were coming back this week. Oh, itβs so good to see you!β
Kit said something back, but Nando didnβt hear it. He was too busy stepping backward into the doorway of another shop where heβd have some cover. The last thing he wanted right then was a conversation with Kit. Hell, he didnβt even want her to see him just yet. Not until he figured out what exactly he was going to say to her. And how he was going to say it. And what it would mean.
Kit Maldonado. Here. Back in Konigsburg.
For a moment he swore he could almost hear Esteban laughing. The force of karma had just sunk its teeth firmly into his ass.
Posted in Blog β’ Tags: Don't Forget Me, konigsburg, Meg Benjamin, My Books | 33 Comments
I love the song from Titanic My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dijon. I think that is a beautiful song and very suited for the movie. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. It sounds really good. Tore923@aol.com
I LOVE this series. It is one of my favorite contemporary series, and towns. I can’t wait to read Nando and Kit’s story.
I love Kit and Nando. ‘Don’t Forget Me’ sounds like a terrific read. I hope I win the draw, but if not, this book is definitely on my To Buy list.
Woo hoo! Release day and congratulations on Kit and Nando’s story. Great excerpt, too. π
Marika
maw1725@gmail.com
Happy release day!!! Can’t wait to read this it looks great π
Congrats on release date and Thank you for this contest
Hey everybody thanks for commenting. I’m so glad to be back in Konigsburg!
This book sounds great!! I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series.
Since I’m still a paperback reader, I wait until the Konigsburg books come out in paper. Just ordered Brand New Me this week and I’m really looking forward to Don’t Forget Me too. I enjoyed the electricity in the winery scenes between Nando Avrogado and Kit Maldonado in Long Time Gone. That you’d write their love story seemed inevitable to me. Looking forward to a great read — in paper (sigh).
Squee! I’m so excited! I love these books and the characters so much! I love that they’re so very real and relatable. I can’t wait to read it.
Hi
Thanks to Twitter I just found your books and am looking forward to reading them all. I love series books that revolve around a community.
Thanks
Pam
Okay everybody, thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you all enjoy Don’t Forget Me.
Happy Release Day! And thank you for bringing us another Konigsburg story. I just love the people and the town. Can’t wait to read Don’t Forget Me.
Thanks,
Margie
I love how you incorporate music with your writing! Not being gifted in either area, it seems fitting for them to compliment each other. I really enjoyed the excerpt from DON’T FORGET ME!! Karma can be a b*atch! π Thanks Meg!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Robin in NC
Thanks ladies!
Happy release day! I do believe I just found myself a new series to read. The excerpt was excellent.
Happy Release Day !!!
reginamayross@gmail.com
Happy Release Day! I have a couple of these stories on my Kindle. This one sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway.
jepebATverizonDOTnet
Thanks for dropping by, everybody!
Congrats on the new release.
Sounds great. I Enjoyed reading the excerpt.
Congrats on the release, thank you for the chance to win. =D
I pre-order the new book and had it delievered on my Kindle the day it was released. Read the book in about 3 hours. I loved it. Won’t give away the ending. I’ve enjoyed all the books in the series and can’t wait for new ones.
Oh gee, guys, thanks for the kind thoughts. And Lucy, thanks especially for the pre-order!
Congratulations on the release of DON’T FORGET ME. I enjoyed the blurb and excerpt. It sounds like a wonderful book! And I really love the warning! π
TOPSAIL246(at)aol(dot)com
Congrats on your release! It sounds so good! Ill definitely be checking it out! Thanks for sharing!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you for the chance to win. I enjoyed the excerpt and look forward to reading this book. Adding it to my Christmas wish list, lol.
Liz
the cover is gorgeous and i loved the excerpt. i can’t wait to see what happens next. # π
tammy ramey
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
OK, WE SHARED THE LINK AND I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS CONTEST, SEE YOU BACK ON FACEBOOK.
Thanks for dropping by everybody. This is such fun!
I love the series and can’t wait until payday to order the new book!!!!! I agree that Marilyn is good but that Chico could do better but I think that Marilyn could do better too!!!!!
I have all of this series loaded up on my Kindle. Now to just find reading time and of course add this latest book to it. π
This series sounds pretty interesting! I haven’t read the first five books but I’m definitely putting them on my to-read list!
Thanks for the drawing! π
I’ve read the first two and just loved them. The other three are on my Kindle and plan to read them on my Christmas vacation. I love the excerpt for the new book and can’t wait to get to it!