Jess Harley's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-in-the-summer"
Summer Distractions, Stone Sealers, and Romance Writing
Ah, summer. That blissful time when I convince myself that lounging in the garden with a glass of wine is in fact part of my writing process.
I sat down the other day, notebook in hand, ready to dive into the steamy tension between my two leads — when I got completely derailed. Why? Because a group of rather determined (and, let’s be honest, distractingly hard-working) men from The Stone Cleaning Shop turned up to clean and seal my patio.
Now, before you accuse me of getting too invested in domestic aesthetics, let me just say — watching moss and years of grime get power-washed away is surprisingly satisfying. It's like watching a toxic ex get blocked: cleansing, dramatic, and weirdly empowering.
But here’s the kicker — it got me thinking. As a romance author, I’m all about tension and release (not just that kind, behave), and there was something poetic about watching this team work away, transforming my tired old stone into something pristine and protected. They used professional stone sealers and patio sealers, and I swear my garden has never looked better — which naturally makes it a perfect writing retreat now.
So yes, I should have been writing steamy dialogue. But instead, I ended up mentally outlining a new scene: flirty glances over a power washer, lingering tension while choosing grout color, maybe a forbidden love between the landscape designer and the aloof-but-secretly-swoony homeowner…
Anyway, long story short: if your patio is looking tired and uninspired, I highly recommend The Stone Cleaning Shop. If you're looking for summer reads with a bit of cheek and a lot of heart — well, that’s where I come in.
Back to writing now… after one more glass of wine.
— Jess Harley
Author of messy WLW romances, garden dreamer, and professional procrastinator
I sat down the other day, notebook in hand, ready to dive into the steamy tension between my two leads — when I got completely derailed. Why? Because a group of rather determined (and, let’s be honest, distractingly hard-working) men from The Stone Cleaning Shop turned up to clean and seal my patio.
Now, before you accuse me of getting too invested in domestic aesthetics, let me just say — watching moss and years of grime get power-washed away is surprisingly satisfying. It's like watching a toxic ex get blocked: cleansing, dramatic, and weirdly empowering.
But here’s the kicker — it got me thinking. As a romance author, I’m all about tension and release (not just that kind, behave), and there was something poetic about watching this team work away, transforming my tired old stone into something pristine and protected. They used professional stone sealers and patio sealers, and I swear my garden has never looked better — which naturally makes it a perfect writing retreat now.
So yes, I should have been writing steamy dialogue. But instead, I ended up mentally outlining a new scene: flirty glances over a power washer, lingering tension while choosing grout color, maybe a forbidden love between the landscape designer and the aloof-but-secretly-swoony homeowner…
Anyway, long story short: if your patio is looking tired and uninspired, I highly recommend The Stone Cleaning Shop. If you're looking for summer reads with a bit of cheek and a lot of heart — well, that’s where I come in.
Back to writing now… after one more glass of wine.
— Jess Harley
Author of messy WLW romances, garden dreamer, and professional procrastinator
