Castaway Wife, Free Sneak Peek
Added 2024-04-25 12:13:21 +0000 UTC
[photo: VictoriaAndrea]
Foreword (of a sort)
I've been a fan of the CBS show, Survivor, for many years. This is coming from someone who resisted watching reality television initially, and to be honest, am still not a huge fan of the genre. I don't watch Real Housewives or The Bachelor (but don't judge anyone who enjoys those!). But Survivor drew me in with the first season that I watched. There was something about the community that formed, the love-hate relationship between the cast, mixed with the physical challenges, the twists, and all the drama, that I just love. I've wanted to write an erotica version of it, but it's hard to get sexy when everyone is dirty and tired, without stretching the, um, reality too much.
Then I realized something. What if we write this not from a contestant on a show like that, but from the husband's perspective, who's sitting at home having to deal with his wife on an island with a bunch of hot, undressed men? Extending that, what if the actual book dealt with the aftermath of the show, not the show itself. And thus, Castaway Wife was born.
A few notes on the Patreon version of this novel:
Yes, it is a novel. I can't say exactly how long it will end, as I'm still writing the last bits, but it should come out to be a pretty standard length book for me. I've tried to cut it up into parts that made sense, but I didn't write this to be serialized, so some parts will be longer or shorter than others.
The version published is nearly finished, but I'm still adjusting things here and there, and it needs a pass before an editors eyes, so apologies if you come upon a typo.
There will be a published version of this, in eBook (and hopefully print) format. If you're not a Patreon subscriber, don't worry, you'll be able to read it eventually. Being a Patreon subscriber just means you get to read it earlier.
Below is the very start of the book. Patreon subscribers can read the full first part here.
Blurb (work in progress)
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be the husband to a beautiful woman on a reality television show? Millions obsessing over her. Guys on the show hitting on her. No way to interact. All you can do is watch. All you can do is hope that in the end, she comes back home.
Andy certainly never considered any of that when he encouraged his wife, Chelsea, to live her dream as a contestant on Castaway. The six weeks of separation that followed were hard enough. The months that followed were even more difficult. She wasn’t allowed to talk about the show, but as each episode unfolded and he saw how close she got with Todd, a fireman from LA, he began to wonder how much was editing and how much was real.
Everything comes to a head as the final episode of the season airs before a live audience. The winner is crowned. The contestants reunite. And Andy learns just how much the spotlight has changed his wife.
Your free sneak peek
1. And the winner is…
“And the winner of Season 25 of Castaway is…” Molly Reynolds, long-time host of the hit reality game show, Castaway, paused for dramatic effect, studying the three finalists. They were holding each other's hands, supporting one another despite the weeks of fierce competition.
Molly turned her television smile outward, where the live audience was seated, silent, tense, anticipating the announcement. Her smile radiated even farther, picked up by the cameras and broadcast around the world. At home, everyone held their breath as Molly Reynolds delivered the news.
“The winner is Jason. Congratulations, Jason.”
The audience rose to their feet, starting to cheer. The camera operators zoomed in on Jason, the newest winner of the show, as the two other finalists pretended to be happy for him, congratulating him. The rest of the contestants, whose votes had crowned Jason the winner, swarmed in around the three in a happy reunion as Molly Reynolds stepped out of the fray.
“We’re going to a commercial break,” she announced to the camera right in front of her. “But we’ll be back to catch up with Jason, as well as some of our favorite moments. Did Clay really enjoy eating those grubs? How does Janice feel about being seen as the mom of the group? And we definitely want to talk about all the showmancing that went on this season. Was any of it real? All coming up right after the break.”
She stopped talking as the camera lights went dark, but the celebration on stage went on. The emotions were real. For the group up there, they’d spent an intense month together on a deserted island, sweating, competing, fighting, and bonding. This live show wasn’t just about finally learning who won the whole competition, but it was a family reunion. Everyone in the audience, even those who were literally family, could only stand and watch like outsiders.
That’s certainly how Andy felt, clapping from his seat in the audience as his wife, Chelsea, hopped around the stage with her Castaway family. He didn’t know them any more than the rest of the viewing audience, who’d watched the same twelve episodes that he had. But he knew Chelsea, and she was happy, and he was happy for her.
He also knew that somewhere, there could be a camera on him now, and he wasn’t going to show the world his cuckold angst.
Chelsea turned from her reunion and found Andy in the crowd, her brows knitted ever so slightly. He smiled at her and nodded. When she returned it, her beauty took his breath away. Enhanced by the makeup, the hair, the shaped eyebrows and all the other styling the network had done to get her TV ready, she barely looked like the girl he’d met so long ago.
Andy and Chelsea always loved these live episodes of Castaway. They’d watch them from the sofa in their home, amazed at how different the contestants looked a full three months after their return home. On the show, they slept under the stars without access to showers or soap or hair brushes or makeup. Months later, the dirt and grime of the island long washed away, it was like they were different people, glamorous versions of their more real selves.
Andy was now having that sensation with his own wife. The dress the network stylist had chosen for her was tighter and shorter than anything she’d normally wear, pale pink with a scooping top that did more than just hint at her cleavage. They’d straightened her soft, caramel brown hair, which fell freely around her shoulders—so different from the tight braid she wore for most of the show. She was a vixen—normally his vixen, but right now, he knew the social media circles were blowing up about how the buxom Chelsea, the hottie librarian, looked in the show.
Chelsea locked eyes with Andy, about to step down and join him there in the audience when someone from the studio stopped her, whispering into her ear and directing her back to the stage. The commercial break was almost over. Time to go into the post-show.
She blew a kiss and let herself be directed up onto the risers with the rest of the cast, smiling and nodding to her new friends.
More than the hair, the makeup, or even the dress, it was Chelsea’s confidence that struck Andy as the biggest change. She didn’t shy away from the lights or the makeover. She didn’t seem to want to recede back into her shell as she gave hugs to people who’d been strangers just a few months ago. She wore her confidence as naturally as she wore that dress.
