R.E. Blake > Quotes

“Nothing comes easy, and if you want to be safe your entire life, you can miss out on the things that make it worth living.”
― R.E. Blake, Less Than Nothing

“awesome moment when I’m singing the catchy refrain and the spectators”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“Now we’re back at the apartment surrounded by half-empty Pei Wei”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“for her to call a taxi and”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“the apartment surrounded by half-empty Pei Wei cartons.”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“brings more laughter. I say goodnight to Sebastian, who’s oblivious to everything but the board.”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“We get to the city, and I have him”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“glare for his trouble. We stand facing each other for an uncomfortable moment, and then I shrug again. “All right. Later.” “Tomorrow, Sage. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He sounds like he knows the answer will be yes. We both do, but I give nothing away, especially not the tingle of pleasure hearing him”
― R.E. Blake, Less Than Nothing

“post-Derek, I glare at it like it’s an unwelcome intruder.”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“End of story.” “I…I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. It was a long time ago. But I always wonder whether I couldn’t have fought for him, tried a little harder, maybe made some sacrifices, tried to set up a home for him to come back to. Now I’ll never know. But the doubt is always there.” “Helen, it takes two.” “That’s what I hear, but the truth is you have to be in a hundred and ten percent, and you can’t wait for the other person to see what they’ll give before you do. I think that was a lot of the problem – we were both waiting for the other person to go all in.” She sighs. “Ever since then, everything I made in my life I did on my own. Like”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“gives me a sad look. “They can’t.”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“tour that I’ve still got my sunglasses on, like some kind of fading starlet. I take them off as he’s patting a rack of devices with knobs all over them. “And these are forty-eight tracks of Neve preamps. I use them on tracking and again on mix for some things. They really sweeten the bottom end. And you’d be amazed at how they work on ambient mics – for acoustic guitar and cymbals.” “That’s great,” I say, quickly running out of terms that don’t make me sound like somebody’s slow cousin. The actual recording room turns out to be three chambers: an isolation booth for vocals, a wood-paneled drum room, and a larger room with sound baffles everywhere for other instruments. There’s a Baldwin baby grand piano in one corner, gleaming like an ebony sentry in the overhead lights. If there’s one word for the studio, it’s ‘impressive.’ Sebastian is equally impressive, and his enthusiasm, his love for what he”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“selected for basics on the first couple”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“Besides, I’m not planning on being around much longer. Maybe a week. So this would just be a short period.” “Where are you going?” He ignores my question and rises, carries his cup to the trash, and pitches it in like a basketball player. When he returns I’ve made up my mind, but I still have a question. “You’re carrying around a lot of money,” I try, framing it as a statement. “Oh, that? Yeah. That’s my savings. It’s not that much, and it’s got to last me a while. I try not to spend any of it, but this seemed worth it,” he says with disarming frankness. I feel like a complete loser. He’s made enough to save. Mine’s gone as soon as it hits my guitar case. I’ll freely admit I’m lousy with money. Budgeting isn’t one of my strong points. “You didn’t have to buy me another coffee, Derek,” I start, but his smile stops me. “What?” He shakes his head. “Nothing.” “Really. What is it? What did I do?” “I like the way you say my name. That’s all.” Bam. Right cross to the jaw. With a hell of a follow-through. “How about giving it a try for a few hours, until lunchtime, and seeing how we do? If I’m wrong, I’ll make up the difference. What do you make by one on a weekday?” Damn him straight to hell for being so reasonable sounding. He could probably sell toasters to penguins. I calculate quickly. On a good day, maybe five dollars. Most of my money will come in the afternoon, maybe another whopping ten or fifteen bucks before it gets dark. “Usually?”
― R.E. Blake, Less Than Nothing

“which is almost better than if it was”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“Sage knows what I like.”
― R.E. Blake, Less Than Nothing

“Derek’s hand. “So where are Lisa and Jason staying?” “They’ve got a hotel in town. She said they’re looking for an apartment, but it’s tough since she’s unemployed and broke.” “Let me guess who she’s expecting to help her out with that.” I try not to sound resentful, but fail. “We talked about it,” he concedes. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to cover some of Jason’s expenses.” “You live in a rat hole, Derek. Isn’t it a better idea to try to take care of yourself first?” He sighs. “I wish I had that choice.” “You know she’s going to want more than just a little help. Wanna bet she asks you to move in with her so Jason has a real father?”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“And it’s all playing out in a city with limitless prosperity symbolized by gleaming high-rises jutting into the sky, luxury cars rolling down the streets, and a thin veneer of civility over the rot at its core.”
― R.E. Blake, Less Than Nothing

“I take a sip of my soda and glance up at the front of the bus, knowing Derek will be doing much the same within a few hours of touching down in Illinois. For all the pomp and ceremony and the big money in the balance, we’re both minstrels, always on the road, always moving. Which would be fine if we were doing it together. But not like this. I press Terry’s speed dial number, and she answers on the third ring. I clear my throat, and when I speak it’s an adult’s voice, not an adolescent asking for permission. “Terry? We need to talk.” Chapter 39 The week’s dragged on, every minute feeling like days, but finally it’s time for Derek to arrive – our first show will be tonight, in Kansas City, with seven more shows over the next ten days throughout the Midwest. My second single released two days ago and is the number one song in the country. Derek’s first single is at”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“my watch and see that Derek’s going to be on in twenty-five minutes. Crap. Time totally got away from me. I want to talk to him someplace private, but then maybe right before he goes on stage isn’t the best time to declare my undying love and, more importantly, for me to try to gauge his reactions. My phone vibrates. It’s Melody. I glance at the message. Mel: Need to talk 2 u. Me: Got a show coming up. Mel: Call. Please. I think about how many times Melody’s been there for me, and I shake my head as I press her speed dial number. When she answers she sounds frazzled. “Thank God. Can you talk?” she blurts.”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“I’ve seen on a reality show. Page after page of newspaper clippings of local events, sales, coupons, scrawled reminders cheerfully ignored, I’m sure…a litany of the collected leavings of a disturbed mind. I open the jewelry box, sort through the jumbled stuff, and find the one item I can remember her wearing when I was a child – a silver charm bracelet. I try it on my good wrist and it’s a fit. I have no use for the rest of the junk – cheap earrings and costume jewelry. There’s absolutely no hope that her wedding ring is in the box. Ralph would have pocketed that immediately since it was the only thing of value she would have passed on to me. I’m still a little freaked out over the whole Ralph-with-gun thing, and his threat is ringing in my ears as I consider the sad collection of trash that represents everything my mom accomplished and accumulated in almost forty years on the planet. I’ve always believed that we shouldn’t get too attached to our material possessions, but this is plain pitiful.”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“He looks at his watch again.”
― R.E. Blake, More Than Anything

“Will do. You too.” The cab takes me to the hotel lot, where the buses are parked. We’re headed for Arizona and have six hours to make it to sound check. Nowadays I’d normally fly, but I don’t feel like being alone, so I stow my new backpack and mount the stairs. The band’s already onboard, playing poker, and Jay looks up at me in surprise. “Whoa. What happened? Wouldn’t let you through security or something?” “Nah, just thought I’d slum it some.” I get a Diet Coke out of the fridge and sit on one of the sofas. “How was everyone’s day off?” “Simon lost practically his whole”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“don’t have twenty bucks to split, we’ll call it a day and the difference is on me. If we have at least that much, or more, then it is in our best interests to forge an accord,” he says, his voice overly formal. I can’t help but smile. He’s kind of a goofball, for all his model looks and snake-oil-salesman charm. He’s actually not as confident as he pretends, I can see now. Which makes me feel better and at the same time…is endearing. I give him my black-belt ninja-level eye roll, which has the power to destroy worlds. It has no effect. Damn him again for his superpowers. I’ll have to try something else. He interprets my silence as an opportunity to keep pitching the idea. “You’ve got nothing to lose. It’s risk-free.” A thought occurs to me. “What happened to your last partner?” His face grows serious. “I had to kill him and eat him. It was a long winter.” “He?” “Don’t look at me like that. He was actually quite tender after a couple of days. The secret’s in the marinade.” I find myself laughing against my will, and he joins me, the dimples back in full force. I so want to say no, just to do it, but I’m also thinking it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. If he’s right, it might be the first Monday ever that I clear more than twenty bucks. “Seriously. What happened?” His expression darkens for a nanosecond, and then he brightens again. “He didn’t make it south. Stayed in the old country.” He watches me expectantly. “So how about it?” “You have the cash to cover any shortfall?” “I’m toting”
― R.E. Blake, Less Than Nothing

“whisper, wanting him inside me,”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“show? I walked away from him then – justifiably, my inner voice insists –”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“Sebastian, who’s taking her to dinner.”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything

“inches apart. The artist does a quick sketch and shows Derek, as he squeezes my hand.”
― R.E. Blake, Best of Everything