Today, our Darlin for the Day is Shirley007-a spectacular author and a great friend of mine as well. She's the author of such stories as The Prophecy, One Night Only, and Swan Ranch. Make sure to stop by her profile and read these as well as all of her other amazing works!

Hello to all you Jasper – lovers out there.

Today I'll be your Darlin' for a day and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am. When Kitty asked me on Wednesday, I thought I was going to go into shock. I think my first response was a screamerish “Really?” which could have easily been mistaken for a squeal.



Of course, there was some fangirling involved, because first of all it was Kitty asking me, who is one of the most amazing authors out there. I have read almost all of her work and simply LOVE it. And secondly, it's the DARLINS! Come on people, that calls for some squealing silliness.



I have followed their blog for nearly as long as I have joined fan fiction, and most of the stories I read are stories that got rec'd on this very blog.

So as soon as Kitty informed me that I would be recommending a story today, I started looking. I knew most stories would be on this blog already, so I looked for one that stood out a little.



You see, my absolute favorite Jaspers are Darksper, the gentlemanly vampire or the typical human Jasper that just oozes Southern Charm.



In this story he is none of those, which is why I thought it would be perfect for today. We all like a little diversity now and then, don't we?

The Girl Next Door



In 'The Girl Next Door' by Miztrezboo, Jasper is Bella's geeky best friend.

After years, she's finally coming back to her hometown and has contacted Jasper to meet.

She's now a big thing in the music business and is separating from her husband Garrett.

With her arrival in mind, Jasper goes down a trip to memory lane and relives several painful moments from his past with Bella. Painful, because in every memory, Garrett is an essential part of his reluctance to out his feelings for Bella.



When Bella finally arrives, things are definitely looking much better than Jasper had ever expected. Not only is she divorcing Garrett, she also makes a little admission about her true feelings. A confession, Jasper had never expected.





I had just put on the last of my black makeup and started retouching part of my white, stopping only to rock out with some air guitar during "Rock and Roll All Night". It may have been weird for a sixteen-year-old to still dress up for Halloween, but it was something we'd been doing since we were three, and our mothers first dressed us as the Raggedy twins. It was tradition and Bella had promised that she would come out Trick or Treating with me around our neighborhood before a night of slasher films instead of going to the huge party Lauren was throwing.

I might have complained that I hadn't seen her since Garrett had started to take an interest in her. I might have guilted her into agreeing with a well placed pout and whine that had, in the past, never failed to get her into mischief with me. Whatever. It worked and I had no qualms about wanting to spend the night with her without feeling like the third wheel. I hated it when she invited me out in these so called "group date situations". They only ended with whatever girlfriend she had set me up with freaking out and disappearing the moment we were left alone. Bella just didn't understand that, at least to the population of Forks High, I was just the geeky tech guy who lived next door to the nicest girl in town.

That night it was just going to be the two of us. If I could keep my stomach contents down and the stuttering to a minimum, I might be able to talk with her about us. Or at least make my feelings known. I looked out across the yard to her window, noticed the blinds were closed, and hoped that meant she was getting dressed. I turned down "Dressed to Kill" and opened my window, shuddering in the cool air while I reached for the string line of bells that still joined our two houses.

Just as my fingers gripped the end of the cord, I heard a familiar laugh bubbling up from down below. I stopped, frozen at the sound of two voices I knew, one of which I didn't expect to hear.

This little gem has so many things that appeal to me. And I'll do my best to list them without gushing all over the place.



First of all, Geeksper! Seriously, who doesn't find those geeky, self-conscious, blushing and fumbling cuties utterly adorable?? And it's Jasper, people! I'd put my hook in that man and reel him in instantly, if I could just find him.



Secondly, the main characters like old school rock! I am a guitar whore, and in my opinion the best guitar solos are still those from the old days. Classic rock or old school rock, whichever you prefer, still rules.



Thirdly, this story has everything; teenage angst, romance, cuteness and humor. The only thing I missed was a lemon, but it wasn't necessary for this story and therefor I can't complain about it.



Finally, I wanted to say that you can easily identify yourself with Jasper and that's what good writing is all about. Of course, Miztrezboo never disappoints where it comes to her writing.

I thinks she's incredibly talented and so far I have always enjoyed her work.



So people, don't just sit there, go read 'The Girl Next Door'!



To the Darlins, I just wanted to say, it was an honor to be here. And keep up the good work.



Love y'all.