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Jamie DeBree's Blog, page 38
July 18, 2012
Writer's Notes: Meeting the Players - The Handyman's Harem Girl
The Handyman's Harem Girl is the newest draft in the Fantasy Ranch series, started just last week. I have an idea in my
head of where I want it to go, and how I want the characters to grow
throughout the course of the plot (which is way, way more than I
normally know going into a draft). Normally when I sit down with my
characters for the first time, we're just getting to know each other,
and the quickest way for me to learn who they are is to throw them into a
pot of boiling conflict and watch how they react to it. My preference
for conflict in romantic suspense is to start with the main suspense
plot, and then weave the romance into that as it unravels.
Veronica
and Chance have decided to do things differently this time, hopefully
not to the dismay of my readers. My idea was to throw my antagonist
right into the game from the start...and she's there, but she's being
annoyingly cooperative at this point and staying out of the way for the
time being. Which makes me wonder if she's even *really* the antagonist,
or if she's going to be more of a sub-plot. We'll see, I guess. Not
planning out my stories before I write means that I experience it just
as my readers do, every page is pretty much a surprise to me. That's
what motivates me to keep writing.
In any case, Veronica is both brazen and cautious, just as I knew she would be from her brief appearance in The Minister's Maid. She's also far more susceptible to Chance than I thought she would be, which could prove...interesting.
But
that's mostly Chance's fault. Instead of the shy, polite guy I
*thought* he was when Veronica was eying him in the last book, it turns
out he's not shy at all, and is actually quite the playboy. I thought he
was avoiding Veronica (and all women), but it turns out she's been
giving *him* the cold shoulder. Dang it. That's going to definitely
change the way my relatively loose idea of a plot will develop in this
story - both the suspense side *and* the romance side. It's going to
make for some very interesting situations and arguments. I can see it
coming.
Leave it to a guy to make everything more complicated...
Anyways,
because of this sudden change in character, and the unexpectedly shy
nature of my antagonist, the beginning conflict is more on the romantic
end of the scale. Veronica is doing her job and Chance is being a dog
and making her uncomfortable. In a good way. Sort of. The antagonist
who's supposed to be plunging both of them into the first stages of
danger is being coy (and annoying me, but no one else, apparently).
She's
got two more scenes to either get in gear, or step aside and let
someone else do it. I simply won't stand for a lack of suspense in the
first chapter of a romantic suspense book, dang it.
Suddenly,
I have a vision of a barbie doll head hanging by it's long, blond hair
in gray locker...hair that looks very much like Veronica's, actually.
Heck, maybe there's hope for this story yet.
Read the serial draft of The Handyman's Harem Girl here. New chapters posted weekly.
head of where I want it to go, and how I want the characters to grow
throughout the course of the plot (which is way, way more than I
normally know going into a draft). Normally when I sit down with my
characters for the first time, we're just getting to know each other,
and the quickest way for me to learn who they are is to throw them into a
pot of boiling conflict and watch how they react to it. My preference
for conflict in romantic suspense is to start with the main suspense
plot, and then weave the romance into that as it unravels.
Veronica
and Chance have decided to do things differently this time, hopefully
not to the dismay of my readers. My idea was to throw my antagonist
right into the game from the start...and she's there, but she's being
annoyingly cooperative at this point and staying out of the way for the
time being. Which makes me wonder if she's even *really* the antagonist,
or if she's going to be more of a sub-plot. We'll see, I guess. Not
planning out my stories before I write means that I experience it just
as my readers do, every page is pretty much a surprise to me. That's
what motivates me to keep writing.
In any case, Veronica is both brazen and cautious, just as I knew she would be from her brief appearance in The Minister's Maid. She's also far more susceptible to Chance than I thought she would be, which could prove...interesting.
But
that's mostly Chance's fault. Instead of the shy, polite guy I
*thought* he was when Veronica was eying him in the last book, it turns
out he's not shy at all, and is actually quite the playboy. I thought he
was avoiding Veronica (and all women), but it turns out she's been
giving *him* the cold shoulder. Dang it. That's going to definitely
change the way my relatively loose idea of a plot will develop in this
story - both the suspense side *and* the romance side. It's going to
make for some very interesting situations and arguments. I can see it
coming.
Leave it to a guy to make everything more complicated...
Anyways,
because of this sudden change in character, and the unexpectedly shy
nature of my antagonist, the beginning conflict is more on the romantic
end of the scale. Veronica is doing her job and Chance is being a dog
and making her uncomfortable. In a good way. Sort of. The antagonist
who's supposed to be plunging both of them into the first stages of
danger is being coy (and annoying me, but no one else, apparently).
She's
got two more scenes to either get in gear, or step aside and let
someone else do it. I simply won't stand for a lack of suspense in the
first chapter of a romantic suspense book, dang it.
Suddenly,
I have a vision of a barbie doll head hanging by it's long, blond hair
in gray locker...hair that looks very much like Veronica's, actually.
Heck, maybe there's hope for this story yet.
Read the serial draft of The Handyman's Harem Girl here. New chapters posted weekly.
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
Romantic Suspense
| Erotic Romance | Suspense/Thriller
| Flash Fiction | Non-Fiction
**Please
note - If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated. Once you have been approved, future comments will post automatically.
July 16, 2012
Weekly News, Goals & Prompt - July 16, 2012
Prompt o' the Week: A young woman is helping her mom decorate the Christmas tree, when one of the ornaments she hangs makes her mother gasp...
Ooo...look at that! This week's prompt is a holiday prompt...must be 6 months to Christmas! One of these years I'm going to plan better, so that I'm writing holiday stories in summer. Then I'll have some fun things to release around Christmas, instead of wishing I did every year.
Actually, maybe I'll write this story this month. Not flash though - I'm thinking something a tad bit longer, say 20-40 pages or so? A nice romantic tale to read beside the Christmas tree, perhaps? What shall we call it? Oh! I know...we'll call it The Memory Sphere . I like that. It will probably be more of a literary piece, but that's okay, right? It will still be very romantic, though perhaps a little sad too. *sigh* Sorry, but aside from my editor, everyone will have to wait to read this one until December...
Speaking of books - The Minister's Maid is late, and it's all my fault. My editor got it back to me early last week, and I haven't done more than glance at the notes, so I've had to postpone the release. I'm hoping to have it done and ready to go by this Friday in ebook format. It will probably be another couple weeks before I have the paperback ready. Of course the next Fantasy Ranch story is in progress now Tuesdays at the Fantasy Ranch blog - The Handyman's Harem Girl is going to be a fun ride, I can tell already. Veronica and Chance will be explosive together, they can't help it.
In other good news, Falling in Public is wrapping up in a couple of weeks, and I'm nearly done with the draft. I was planning to finish it this weekend, but got sidetracked by several household projects, but I hope to finish it this week. My main problem with this story is that I expected and planned for it to be something completely different, so now it's both mis-named and mis-covered. The cover and title were perfect for the book I was planning to write, but not so much for the book I actually wrote. It doesn't happen often (I normally write directly to titles), but it does happen...so this story needs both a new title and a new cover before it will be ready to go. I'm thinkin'...
Can't forget to start my story for the fall anthology, Listen to the Leaves either...if you're a writer, click through and check out the submissions call....
Wow, that's a lotta book news, isn't it? Groovy. That's how it should be. And I have brand new writing software called Writer's Cafe that I'm super-excited about, because it's just very cool, and because it will help me keep better track of my time lines and plot threads as I go. I'll be switching over to that from yWriter as I finish these current drafts and start new ones. Yay for new tools!
Here's what I've got going this week, writing and otherwise:
- Three serial scenes
- Complete edits for The Minister's Maid and publish ebook by Friday
- One scene for the new erotic romance story coming up soon
- Start the new short story (above)
- Finish a draft and send to editor
- Migrate virtual workspace/new drafts to new software
There are a few things on the personal list, but they're hardly worth mentioning...the writing is pretty much center-stage this week, and I'm happy with that.
In case you missed my post last week, I've decided that the Wednesday "Writer's Notes" feature will focus more tightly on the weekly serial drafts - my notes about each scene as I write it. Sort of an "extra feature" to go along with the serials. That will begin this week, and I'll be starting similar features on my pen name blogs when the new stories start on each of them, respectively. Depending on how that turns out, I'll either include it as back matter in the relevant books, or I'll package them up into free downloads in the BSB store for those who are interested.
And...I think that's it for this week. Until next time, happy reading!
Ooo...look at that! This week's prompt is a holiday prompt...must be 6 months to Christmas! One of these years I'm going to plan better, so that I'm writing holiday stories in summer. Then I'll have some fun things to release around Christmas, instead of wishing I did every year.
Actually, maybe I'll write this story this month. Not flash though - I'm thinking something a tad bit longer, say 20-40 pages or so? A nice romantic tale to read beside the Christmas tree, perhaps? What shall we call it? Oh! I know...we'll call it The Memory Sphere . I like that. It will probably be more of a literary piece, but that's okay, right? It will still be very romantic, though perhaps a little sad too. *sigh* Sorry, but aside from my editor, everyone will have to wait to read this one until December...
Speaking of books - The Minister's Maid is late, and it's all my fault. My editor got it back to me early last week, and I haven't done more than glance at the notes, so I've had to postpone the release. I'm hoping to have it done and ready to go by this Friday in ebook format. It will probably be another couple weeks before I have the paperback ready. Of course the next Fantasy Ranch story is in progress now Tuesdays at the Fantasy Ranch blog - The Handyman's Harem Girl is going to be a fun ride, I can tell already. Veronica and Chance will be explosive together, they can't help it.
In other good news, Falling in Public is wrapping up in a couple of weeks, and I'm nearly done with the draft. I was planning to finish it this weekend, but got sidetracked by several household projects, but I hope to finish it this week. My main problem with this story is that I expected and planned for it to be something completely different, so now it's both mis-named and mis-covered. The cover and title were perfect for the book I was planning to write, but not so much for the book I actually wrote. It doesn't happen often (I normally write directly to titles), but it does happen...so this story needs both a new title and a new cover before it will be ready to go. I'm thinkin'...
Can't forget to start my story for the fall anthology, Listen to the Leaves either...if you're a writer, click through and check out the submissions call....
Wow, that's a lotta book news, isn't it? Groovy. That's how it should be. And I have brand new writing software called Writer's Cafe that I'm super-excited about, because it's just very cool, and because it will help me keep better track of my time lines and plot threads as I go. I'll be switching over to that from yWriter as I finish these current drafts and start new ones. Yay for new tools!
Here's what I've got going this week, writing and otherwise:
- Three serial scenes
- Complete edits for The Minister's Maid and publish ebook by Friday
- One scene for the new erotic romance story coming up soon
- Start the new short story (above)
- Finish a draft and send to editor
- Migrate virtual workspace/new drafts to new software
There are a few things on the personal list, but they're hardly worth mentioning...the writing is pretty much center-stage this week, and I'm happy with that.
In case you missed my post last week, I've decided that the Wednesday "Writer's Notes" feature will focus more tightly on the weekly serial drafts - my notes about each scene as I write it. Sort of an "extra feature" to go along with the serials. That will begin this week, and I'll be starting similar features on my pen name blogs when the new stories start on each of them, respectively. Depending on how that turns out, I'll either include it as back matter in the relevant books, or I'll package them up into free downloads in the BSB store for those who are interested.
And...I think that's it for this week. Until next time, happy reading!
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
Romantic Suspense
| Erotic Romance | Suspense/Thriller
| Flash Fiction | Non-Fiction
**Please
note - If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated. Once you have been approved, future comments will post automatically.
July 13, 2012
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 59
This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 | Ch. 57 | Ch. 58 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 59
Eddie watched as the SUV Holly's parents had described approached the house, and then stopped. He frowned, wondering if something was wrong as he stepped off the porch and began to walk towards her vehicle. He hoped that being here would convince her to just give him...them...one more chance. He also wanted to be the one to tell her about Sean.
Before he could get closer, the vehicle started to move again, slow over the deep ruts in her gravel driveway. She gave him a half-hearted wave as she passed by to park beside his rental. He went to her door and opened it when she turned the engine off, hoping for the best, but expecting a lukewarm reception.
He didn't expect her to step out and shove both hands into his chest, sending him sprawling in the dirt.
"What the hell? I know you're mad, but..." By the time he was on his feet again, she'd wrangled her luggage out of the back and was headed for the house. He ran to catch up and reached for one of the bags, but she refused to give it up.
"You scared the crap out of me," she said, finally forced to set her suitcase down at the front door. "I thought you were Sean. What are you doing here, Eddie?" Fitting the key into the lock, she pushed the door open and turned back for the case, but Eddie already had it. He nodded towards the door.
"We need to talk," he said, waiting for her to move. "About a lot of things, apparently. Let's go inside, and I'll tell you about Sean."
She looked at him for a long moment, some of the fight leaving her expression. When she finally went inside, she left the doors open behind her.
Eddie followed, glancing here and there as Holly led him past a tall staircase, through a cozy looking living room and down a narrow hall to her bedroom. She set her bag on the bed and reached for the one he was carrying, but he shook his head and lifted it up onto the dark green velvety comforter himself. He smiled at the decor - rich, deep colors and plush fabrics for the bed, curtains and an oversized chair in one corner. The walls were dark too, a kind of mottled green and black color that matched the velvet on the bed.
"I like it," he said, amused to see her cheeks turn pink. "It's you."
"Most people wouldn't think so," she replied, turning toward the door. He reached out to lightly grasp her wrist, pulling her back when she didn't fight him.
"Then most people don't know you like I do." He pulled her close to his chest and placed her hand on his shoulder before wrapping his arm around her waist. With his other hand, he coaxed her chin up until she looked into his eyes and he saw that spark of hope he'd wanted to see when he'd first opened her car door.
"Hi," he murmured, lowering his head to brush his lips over hers. Her hands slid up to cup the back of his head and he deepened the kiss, relieved when her tongue slipped out to meet his. He kept it slow and easy, nibbling at her bottom lip before he pulled back to look at her again.
"I missed you," he said, watching her face for any clue about what she might be thinking. "I was worried when you didn't come see me, and then you wouldn't take my calls. I thought we had an understanding."
She pulled out of his embrace and went to sit on the edge of the bed. "They wouldn't let me see you. Every time I wanted to, they had something else for me to do, or said it wasn't a good idea. And by the time you called...I just wasn't sure what to even say. So much happened." She looked down at her hands, then up at the window, and back down at her hands again. "Honestly, I wasn't really sure if something could work between us. We're so different, and our worlds are so different..."
He sat beside her and reached out to take one of her hands. "None of that matters. It's all window dressing - you know that. We'll figure it out, but I need you, Holly. I love you, and I think you love me too. We need to be together, no matter what."
She chuckled. "I thought I was the romance writer here."
"Funny how many songs are romantic, isn't it? I may have even written a few myself." He thought about the one he'd started on the flight up - the one he planned to sing for her later tonight. Scooting closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned in for another kiss.
"I do love you," she murmured, snuggling in with her head on his shoulder. "And I'm sorry I pushed you. When I saw the car in the driveway, I thought Sean had tracked me down already. That's why I stopped where I did. Then I saw you, and I was just relieved and mad at the same time - mad that even the thought of him could scare me so much." She sat up with a frown. "Didn't you say you had something to tell me about him?"
Eddie nodded. "I'm sorry I scared you - I didn't even think about what you might think." He rubbed her arm gently. "Sean's dead, Holly. They found him around two this morning at his mansion - someone made an anonymous 9-1-1 call. He'd been shot, and it looks like he bled out before emergency personnel could get there."
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 | Ch. 57 | Ch. 58 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 59
Eddie watched as the SUV Holly's parents had described approached the house, and then stopped. He frowned, wondering if something was wrong as he stepped off the porch and began to walk towards her vehicle. He hoped that being here would convince her to just give him...them...one more chance. He also wanted to be the one to tell her about Sean.
Before he could get closer, the vehicle started to move again, slow over the deep ruts in her gravel driveway. She gave him a half-hearted wave as she passed by to park beside his rental. He went to her door and opened it when she turned the engine off, hoping for the best, but expecting a lukewarm reception.
He didn't expect her to step out and shove both hands into his chest, sending him sprawling in the dirt.
"What the hell? I know you're mad, but..." By the time he was on his feet again, she'd wrangled her luggage out of the back and was headed for the house. He ran to catch up and reached for one of the bags, but she refused to give it up.
"You scared the crap out of me," she said, finally forced to set her suitcase down at the front door. "I thought you were Sean. What are you doing here, Eddie?" Fitting the key into the lock, she pushed the door open and turned back for the case, but Eddie already had it. He nodded towards the door.
"We need to talk," he said, waiting for her to move. "About a lot of things, apparently. Let's go inside, and I'll tell you about Sean."
She looked at him for a long moment, some of the fight leaving her expression. When she finally went inside, she left the doors open behind her.
Eddie followed, glancing here and there as Holly led him past a tall staircase, through a cozy looking living room and down a narrow hall to her bedroom. She set her bag on the bed and reached for the one he was carrying, but he shook his head and lifted it up onto the dark green velvety comforter himself. He smiled at the decor - rich, deep colors and plush fabrics for the bed, curtains and an oversized chair in one corner. The walls were dark too, a kind of mottled green and black color that matched the velvet on the bed.
"I like it," he said, amused to see her cheeks turn pink. "It's you."
"Most people wouldn't think so," she replied, turning toward the door. He reached out to lightly grasp her wrist, pulling her back when she didn't fight him.
"Then most people don't know you like I do." He pulled her close to his chest and placed her hand on his shoulder before wrapping his arm around her waist. With his other hand, he coaxed her chin up until she looked into his eyes and he saw that spark of hope he'd wanted to see when he'd first opened her car door.
"Hi," he murmured, lowering his head to brush his lips over hers. Her hands slid up to cup the back of his head and he deepened the kiss, relieved when her tongue slipped out to meet his. He kept it slow and easy, nibbling at her bottom lip before he pulled back to look at her again.
"I missed you," he said, watching her face for any clue about what she might be thinking. "I was worried when you didn't come see me, and then you wouldn't take my calls. I thought we had an understanding."
She pulled out of his embrace and went to sit on the edge of the bed. "They wouldn't let me see you. Every time I wanted to, they had something else for me to do, or said it wasn't a good idea. And by the time you called...I just wasn't sure what to even say. So much happened." She looked down at her hands, then up at the window, and back down at her hands again. "Honestly, I wasn't really sure if something could work between us. We're so different, and our worlds are so different..."
He sat beside her and reached out to take one of her hands. "None of that matters. It's all window dressing - you know that. We'll figure it out, but I need you, Holly. I love you, and I think you love me too. We need to be together, no matter what."
She chuckled. "I thought I was the romance writer here."
"Funny how many songs are romantic, isn't it? I may have even written a few myself." He thought about the one he'd started on the flight up - the one he planned to sing for her later tonight. Scooting closer, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned in for another kiss.
"I do love you," she murmured, snuggling in with her head on his shoulder. "And I'm sorry I pushed you. When I saw the car in the driveway, I thought Sean had tracked me down already. That's why I stopped where I did. Then I saw you, and I was just relieved and mad at the same time - mad that even the thought of him could scare me so much." She sat up with a frown. "Didn't you say you had something to tell me about him?"
Eddie nodded. "I'm sorry I scared you - I didn't even think about what you might think." He rubbed her arm gently. "Sean's dead, Holly. They found him around two this morning at his mansion - someone made an anonymous 9-1-1 call. He'd been shot, and it looks like he bled out before emergency personnel could get there."
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
Tempest
| Desert
Heat | The
Biker's Wench
| Indelibly Inked | Flash Fiction
**If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated.
July 12, 2012
On Writer's Notes...
I've been thinking (always a good sign, no?).
The
Wednesday Writer's Notes feature has been a spot for me to just discuss
whatever happens to come to mind and how it applies to writing in any
given week. Which is fine, but I'd like to move it from structure/craft to
more of a scene/character/story analysis type of thing...the sort of
thing you'd find in the director's cut of a movie, for instance (I should probably watch some of those then, eh?).
Or maybe more like MST 3K (if you don't get that reference: 1. Man, I'm getting old, and 2. Google it. You can thank me later.)
In any case, I think bringing more analysis of
the drafts I'm working on into focus could be interesting to readers
(could be boring too...hard to say, really), but I think it could also
help me work out various plot points and character motivations. And that
means better writing, any way you slice it. Or I think it will,
anyways.
Yes, I know this blog has been
steadily getting away from content for writers - and that's a purposeful
move on my part. While readers may not be avid blog followers, I want
most of the content here to be for the occasional reader checking out my
work (or those who read my serial stories), not necessarily for other
writers (though I'm more than happy to have other writers pop in!).
So
you can expect a slight change in focus for the Writer's Notes posts
starting next week. I'll only be discussing my romantic suspense stories
on this blog, but I'll also be adding Writer's Notes to both of my pen
name blogs as well, for discussing the writing of erotic romance and
thriller/suspense stories. And if there are any particular posts that
it seems readers might be interested in, perhaps I'll add a "Writer's
Notes" section to the back of my books when they're published as well.
Sort of an "extended features" thing. We'll see...
What are your thoughts on a "director's cut" for books? Yay? Nay? Indifferent?
The
Wednesday Writer's Notes feature has been a spot for me to just discuss
whatever happens to come to mind and how it applies to writing in any
given week. Which is fine, but I'd like to move it from structure/craft to
more of a scene/character/story analysis type of thing...the sort of
thing you'd find in the director's cut of a movie, for instance (I should probably watch some of those then, eh?).
Or maybe more like MST 3K (if you don't get that reference: 1. Man, I'm getting old, and 2. Google it. You can thank me later.)
In any case, I think bringing more analysis of
the drafts I'm working on into focus could be interesting to readers
(could be boring too...hard to say, really), but I think it could also
help me work out various plot points and character motivations. And that
means better writing, any way you slice it. Or I think it will,
anyways.
Yes, I know this blog has been
steadily getting away from content for writers - and that's a purposeful
move on my part. While readers may not be avid blog followers, I want
most of the content here to be for the occasional reader checking out my
work (or those who read my serial stories), not necessarily for other
writers (though I'm more than happy to have other writers pop in!).
So
you can expect a slight change in focus for the Writer's Notes posts
starting next week. I'll only be discussing my romantic suspense stories
on this blog, but I'll also be adding Writer's Notes to both of my pen
name blogs as well, for discussing the writing of erotic romance and
thriller/suspense stories. And if there are any particular posts that
it seems readers might be interested in, perhaps I'll add a "Writer's
Notes" section to the back of my books when they're published as well.
Sort of an "extended features" thing. We'll see...
What are your thoughts on a "director's cut" for books? Yay? Nay? Indifferent?
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
Romantic Suspense
| Erotic Romance | Suspense/Thriller
| Flash Fiction | Non-Fiction
**Please
note - If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated. Once you have been approved, future comments will post automatically.
July 9, 2012
Weekly News, Goals & Prompt - July 9, 2012
Prompt o' the Week:
A man is trying
on shoes, attempting to find the perfect new dress pair. It's busy, he's
tired, and he's nearly ready to give when the clerk brings him the last
pair in his size. When he tries them on, he feels a tingle at the back
of his neck...
It was a pretty wild
weekend over here - and by "wild" I mean "nothing got done but we sure
looked busy". Saturday while fence fighting one of my dogs got a
nosebleed - I assume he got popped in the nose pretty good. So I dealt
with that pretty much all day - getting the bleeding stopped and keeping
him calm so it stayed stopped. Naturally, I spent most of the time I
could have been writing or working looking up everything I could on
canine nosebleeds and checking on Gabriel every ten minutes, so that
pretty much took care of Saturday.
I tried to
get some work done Saturday night while I was watching Magnum P.I. with
my husband (by then Gabe was much better and I was reassured by my
research), but only managed to get one website updated and changed the
prices of my two latest books to their "normal" price. Otherwise, I just
looked back and forth between the TV and my laptop, and felt too guilty
for not working to go give up and get my crocheting, but I just didn't
have the brain-power to work either.
Yes, I know that's messed up. I'm working on
it. A smart person would have acknowledged that the brain needs rest,
and put the computer down for something completely different and
relaxing while the brain recharged. I'm not always smart,
unfortunately.
Sunday I did my weekly errands,
after which one of our neighbors let us know they were broken into on
the Fourth of July, and that sent my still-weak mind on a whirling
brainstorm of "how to keep unwanted people off and out of our property".
Sometimes it doesn't take much to distract me - Sunday was one of those
days. By the time I finally got around to heading out to the kitchen
for my weekly dog food session, it was already 8pm. Crazy, eh?
So yeah. Not much done. But that's how it goes sometimes.
This
week, devoid of any pesky holidays, car issues and other little
insanities should be much more calm and reasonable. With any luck I can
figure out where I dropped my momentum (probably under the couch hanging
with the dust bunnies) and get things moving again.
On the list:
- Start a new Fantasy Ranch draft serial story- Work on finishing up the thriller & rom. suspense serials I currently have going- Print formatting for Indelibly Inked- Make vet appts for both dogs (heartworm tests, vaccination, general check-over)- Make eye doc appt for myself- Implement new security measures for the house- Play. Crochet, clay, smurfs, whatever...I need to force myself to take some downtime.
That's my week - I wish you a productive one as well!
on shoes, attempting to find the perfect new dress pair. It's busy, he's
tired, and he's nearly ready to give when the clerk brings him the last
pair in his size. When he tries them on, he feels a tingle at the back
of his neck...
It was a pretty wild
weekend over here - and by "wild" I mean "nothing got done but we sure
looked busy". Saturday while fence fighting one of my dogs got a
nosebleed - I assume he got popped in the nose pretty good. So I dealt
with that pretty much all day - getting the bleeding stopped and keeping
him calm so it stayed stopped. Naturally, I spent most of the time I
could have been writing or working looking up everything I could on
canine nosebleeds and checking on Gabriel every ten minutes, so that
pretty much took care of Saturday.
I tried to
get some work done Saturday night while I was watching Magnum P.I. with
my husband (by then Gabe was much better and I was reassured by my
research), but only managed to get one website updated and changed the
prices of my two latest books to their "normal" price. Otherwise, I just
looked back and forth between the TV and my laptop, and felt too guilty
for not working to go give up and get my crocheting, but I just didn't
have the brain-power to work either.
Yes, I know that's messed up. I'm working on
it. A smart person would have acknowledged that the brain needs rest,
and put the computer down for something completely different and
relaxing while the brain recharged. I'm not always smart,
unfortunately.
Sunday I did my weekly errands,
after which one of our neighbors let us know they were broken into on
the Fourth of July, and that sent my still-weak mind on a whirling
brainstorm of "how to keep unwanted people off and out of our property".
Sometimes it doesn't take much to distract me - Sunday was one of those
days. By the time I finally got around to heading out to the kitchen
for my weekly dog food session, it was already 8pm. Crazy, eh?
So yeah. Not much done. But that's how it goes sometimes.
This
week, devoid of any pesky holidays, car issues and other little
insanities should be much more calm and reasonable. With any luck I can
figure out where I dropped my momentum (probably under the couch hanging
with the dust bunnies) and get things moving again.
On the list:
- Start a new Fantasy Ranch draft serial story- Work on finishing up the thriller & rom. suspense serials I currently have going- Print formatting for Indelibly Inked- Make vet appts for both dogs (heartworm tests, vaccination, general check-over)- Make eye doc appt for myself- Implement new security measures for the house- Play. Crochet, clay, smurfs, whatever...I need to force myself to take some downtime.
That's my week - I wish you a productive one as well!
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
Romantic Suspense
| Erotic Romance | Suspense/Thriller
| Flash Fiction | Non-Fiction
**Please
note - If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated. Once you have been approved, future comments will post automatically.
July 6, 2012
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 58
This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 | Ch. 57 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 58
Sean went down hard as the shovel made contact. Eddie dropped the impromptu weapon and fell to his knees as well, clearly hurt. Holly ran to his side, and he pressed a coil of rope into her hand.
"Tie him up. Now, before he comes to. We don't want him getting loose again."
Holly took the rope, but didn't leave. "Are you okay? What happened? How are you alive?"
Eddie sat back on his heels, the lines in his face tight with pain. "Later," he said, working to catch his breath. "Get him tied up first. Please."
A car zoomed by, then another. The sky was getting brighter, and apparently that meant more traffic. Several more cars flew past as Holly wrapped loops of rope tightly around Sean's wrists and ankles, securing them with tight knots. It wasn't long before sirens approached, and she went over to where Eddie was sitting propped up against the front truck tire.
"This isn't over yet, is it?"
He shook his head. "Not yet. But soon." He reached for her hand, entwining their fingers and rubbing his thumb over her skin. "We're probably not going to see each other for a while once those emergency people get here. After that there will be hospitals and interviews and lawyers - do you have a good lawyer?"
"Not the kind we'll need, but I'll get one." She scooted a little closer. "Will I ever see you again?"
He chuckled, the deep, comforting sound dissolving into a painful-sounding cough. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other, don't you worry. If you're okay with that..."
"I'm okay with that." She smile, then leaned over to kiss him ever so softly on the lips as an ambulance stopped on the shoulder and two police vehicles pulled up behind it.
Three weeks later, Holly stepped off the airport in Billings and scanned the crowd for that all-too-familiar face before making her way to the luggage claim. She'd feel better once she got out to her comfortable house in the country, where she could see visitors approaching and had a double-barrel shotgun and a lovely antique six-shooter at her disposal. Most people thought they were for show, but she always kept them in good working order, just in case.
Finding her bags, she tried not to look too nervous as she scanned the crowd again, walked out the door with only a slight limp leftover from her injury and through the long-term parking lot to her trusty SUV. It was going to cost an arm and a leg to get out, considering all the extra time she'd been gone, but she didn't care. Book sales had exploded as her name got bandied about by the press in California, so at least money wouldn't be an obstacle for awhile. At the moment, getting home was the only thing that mattered.
She'd nearly cried when they took Eddie away in the ambulance, and she spent a lot of time over the next few days in a small, cold interrogation room, first trying to explain all the events that had happened from the time she got to California, and then letting the lawyer Eddie sent over tell her what questions she could and couldn't answer. At the end of it all, she was frazzled and on her last nerve. It didn't help that she wasn't allowed to see Eddie at all - they told her he was okay, and still in the hospital, but every time she tried to steal away someone always seemed to need just one more thing.
For a bunch of legal reasons she had a hard time understanding, she had to fly back to California and give more statements there. When she was finally cleared to return home to Montana, she wasn't optimistic that anything would ever come of it. The evidence was abundant once they found the plane and the house she'd been held in, but none of it directly pointed back to Sean. He'd been released on bail a few days before her flight home, and she'd spent those days holed up in her hotel room with only a restraining order for company.
Eddie had tried calling once or twice, but by then, she wasn't sure what to say. So many things had passed, and she'd done a lot of thinking. Too much, maybe. But they had completely different lives and now, as she turned on to the dirt road that would get her to her driveway, she just didn't see how it was going to work between them. Yes, she could write on the road and rearrange her schedule so they could be together, but did she really want to? Her house came into view, a beautiful smallish rancher on several acres all her own, with no immediate neighbors for a few miles in any direction. Quiet, peaceful, and the perfect place for crafting her stories.
Or attracting stalkers.
The thought came unbidden as she turned into her drive, and then stopped to stare at the dark sedan that was parked beside the house. No one should be there. And no one she knew drove that kind of car...
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 | Ch. 57 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 58
Sean went down hard as the shovel made contact. Eddie dropped the impromptu weapon and fell to his knees as well, clearly hurt. Holly ran to his side, and he pressed a coil of rope into her hand.
"Tie him up. Now, before he comes to. We don't want him getting loose again."
Holly took the rope, but didn't leave. "Are you okay? What happened? How are you alive?"
Eddie sat back on his heels, the lines in his face tight with pain. "Later," he said, working to catch his breath. "Get him tied up first. Please."
A car zoomed by, then another. The sky was getting brighter, and apparently that meant more traffic. Several more cars flew past as Holly wrapped loops of rope tightly around Sean's wrists and ankles, securing them with tight knots. It wasn't long before sirens approached, and she went over to where Eddie was sitting propped up against the front truck tire.
"This isn't over yet, is it?"
He shook his head. "Not yet. But soon." He reached for her hand, entwining their fingers and rubbing his thumb over her skin. "We're probably not going to see each other for a while once those emergency people get here. After that there will be hospitals and interviews and lawyers - do you have a good lawyer?"
"Not the kind we'll need, but I'll get one." She scooted a little closer. "Will I ever see you again?"
He chuckled, the deep, comforting sound dissolving into a painful-sounding cough. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other, don't you worry. If you're okay with that..."
"I'm okay with that." She smile, then leaned over to kiss him ever so softly on the lips as an ambulance stopped on the shoulder and two police vehicles pulled up behind it.
Three weeks later, Holly stepped off the airport in Billings and scanned the crowd for that all-too-familiar face before making her way to the luggage claim. She'd feel better once she got out to her comfortable house in the country, where she could see visitors approaching and had a double-barrel shotgun and a lovely antique six-shooter at her disposal. Most people thought they were for show, but she always kept them in good working order, just in case.
Finding her bags, she tried not to look too nervous as she scanned the crowd again, walked out the door with only a slight limp leftover from her injury and through the long-term parking lot to her trusty SUV. It was going to cost an arm and a leg to get out, considering all the extra time she'd been gone, but she didn't care. Book sales had exploded as her name got bandied about by the press in California, so at least money wouldn't be an obstacle for awhile. At the moment, getting home was the only thing that mattered.
She'd nearly cried when they took Eddie away in the ambulance, and she spent a lot of time over the next few days in a small, cold interrogation room, first trying to explain all the events that had happened from the time she got to California, and then letting the lawyer Eddie sent over tell her what questions she could and couldn't answer. At the end of it all, she was frazzled and on her last nerve. It didn't help that she wasn't allowed to see Eddie at all - they told her he was okay, and still in the hospital, but every time she tried to steal away someone always seemed to need just one more thing.
For a bunch of legal reasons she had a hard time understanding, she had to fly back to California and give more statements there. When she was finally cleared to return home to Montana, she wasn't optimistic that anything would ever come of it. The evidence was abundant once they found the plane and the house she'd been held in, but none of it directly pointed back to Sean. He'd been released on bail a few days before her flight home, and she'd spent those days holed up in her hotel room with only a restraining order for company.
Eddie had tried calling once or twice, but by then, she wasn't sure what to say. So many things had passed, and she'd done a lot of thinking. Too much, maybe. But they had completely different lives and now, as she turned on to the dirt road that would get her to her driveway, she just didn't see how it was going to work between them. Yes, she could write on the road and rearrange her schedule so they could be together, but did she really want to? Her house came into view, a beautiful smallish rancher on several acres all her own, with no immediate neighbors for a few miles in any direction. Quiet, peaceful, and the perfect place for crafting her stories.
Or attracting stalkers.
The thought came unbidden as she turned into her drive, and then stopped to stare at the dark sedan that was parked beside the house. No one should be there. And no one she knew drove that kind of car...
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
Tempest
| Desert
Heat | The
Biker's Wench
| Indelibly Inked | Flash Fiction
**If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated.
July 4, 2012
Writer's Notes: Independence Day Freebies
There are lots of topics swirling in my head for writer's notes this week, but I've decided to take the day off, since it's Independence Day here in the US. Good stuff, that independence...freedom comes with a price, but it's worth it, IMO - and we should celebrate having the strength to step up and pay that price, because it's a very hard thing to do sometimes.
So instead of a post today, I'll just let you know about the Independence Day freebie download event at Brazen Snake Books (that would be my online independent bookstore). You can download any *or all* of the ebooks in the store *for free* today only, using the coupon code FREE2012 at checkout. This event only happens twice a year, and will be over at midnight, Mountain Daylight Time. One coupon use per customer.
Whatever you're doing today, I hope you have a wonderful time, and stay safe!
Happy reading!
July 2, 2012
Weekly News, Goals & Prompt - July 2, 2012
Prompt o' the Week: Three middle aged women
are out shopping, and stop in a pet store to look at the animals. Two
are in relationships, and they dare the single one to kiss a frog and
see what happens. The store won't allow her to kiss the frog without
buying it, so her friends give her the frog as a gift...So...welcome
to July, eh? Looking back on June, it was definitely the oddest month
this year so far. Weird weather, new truck, a real vacation booked out
of state, fender bender resulting in the need for a new car, and three
new books out all adds up to non-stop thrills, that's for sure. There
are so many story ideas in that mess I don't even know where to start,
which is why it's good that I already have this year's publishing
line-up set. Next year is still open, however...
Speaking
of ideas and stories, the latest anthology from Brazen Snake Books is
now open for submissions. You can read the details/check out the cover
over at the Snake Bites blog. So many options for that photo...I think
it's going to be a very good collection of stories.
Let's see...what else? Last week was busy, but closer to normal. I finished the draft of The Minister's Maid
(yay!), and sent that off to my editor, so another draft done. I did
get caught up on my other serial chapters, but I didn't get my new
stories started. But that's on tap for this week, for sure. I'm pretty
excited about that! I didn't get the print formatting done for Indelibly
Inked, but that's on this week's list as well.
We also ended up buying a new car to replace
our poor totaled Subaru...another Subaru Outback, of course. It's the
first brand new car either of us has ever owned, and it's weird seeing
the odometer at "67" or whatever it is this morning. So that took up a
chunk of time, and I did get mostly caught up with the housework I've
been neglecting badly for the last three weeks while I got those books
ready to publish. There's still some cleaning/organizing that needs to
be done, but it's about ten times better than it was, so much better.
Now if I could just think up some cool personalized plate ideas for our new vehicles...
What's on the agenda for this week? Lemme see:
- Newsletters! - Finish up the draft of Animal- Start two new drafts- Print formatting/cover for Indelibly Inked- Order one of the new "Green bins" for recycling yard waste from the city- Survive the holiday intact, with as little stress as possible- Update web site graphics- Start cover re-design for Desert Heat- Bookkeeping
That's it for me...lots of writing, which makes me happy.
Here's to a good mid-summer's week for us all...
are out shopping, and stop in a pet store to look at the animals. Two
are in relationships, and they dare the single one to kiss a frog and
see what happens. The store won't allow her to kiss the frog without
buying it, so her friends give her the frog as a gift...So...welcome
to July, eh? Looking back on June, it was definitely the oddest month
this year so far. Weird weather, new truck, a real vacation booked out
of state, fender bender resulting in the need for a new car, and three
new books out all adds up to non-stop thrills, that's for sure. There
are so many story ideas in that mess I don't even know where to start,
which is why it's good that I already have this year's publishing
line-up set. Next year is still open, however...
Speaking
of ideas and stories, the latest anthology from Brazen Snake Books is
now open for submissions. You can read the details/check out the cover
over at the Snake Bites blog. So many options for that photo...I think
it's going to be a very good collection of stories.
Let's see...what else? Last week was busy, but closer to normal. I finished the draft of The Minister's Maid
(yay!), and sent that off to my editor, so another draft done. I did
get caught up on my other serial chapters, but I didn't get my new
stories started. But that's on tap for this week, for sure. I'm pretty
excited about that! I didn't get the print formatting done for Indelibly
Inked, but that's on this week's list as well.
We also ended up buying a new car to replace
our poor totaled Subaru...another Subaru Outback, of course. It's the
first brand new car either of us has ever owned, and it's weird seeing
the odometer at "67" or whatever it is this morning. So that took up a
chunk of time, and I did get mostly caught up with the housework I've
been neglecting badly for the last three weeks while I got those books
ready to publish. There's still some cleaning/organizing that needs to
be done, but it's about ten times better than it was, so much better.
Now if I could just think up some cool personalized plate ideas for our new vehicles...
What's on the agenda for this week? Lemme see:
- Newsletters! - Finish up the draft of Animal- Start two new drafts- Print formatting/cover for Indelibly Inked- Order one of the new "Green bins" for recycling yard waste from the city- Survive the holiday intact, with as little stress as possible- Update web site graphics- Start cover re-design for Desert Heat- Bookkeeping
That's it for me...lots of writing, which makes me happy.
Here's to a good mid-summer's week for us all...
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
Romantic Suspense
| Erotic Romance | Suspense/Thriller
| Flash Fiction | Non-Fiction
**Please
note - If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated. Once you have been approved, future comments will post automatically.
June 29, 2012
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 57
This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 57
It felt like the whole world was shaking as Holly gripped the door handle with one hand and Sean's gun with the other. Thrown sideways across the seat, she couldn't see what was going on and when the truck stopped, the momentum tossed her forward onto the floor.
For a moment, she just laid there, silently taking stock of her body while wondering how to extricate herself. She could see Sean's feet on the floor, but they weren't moving, and she wondered just how badly he was hurt.
Then she remembered Eddie.
Her stomach turned as she thought about him possibly being thrown from the truck as they crossed the asphalt, his body lying battered in the road. She forced herself to move, not allowing herself to think about any other option other than finding him alive. Reaching up over her head, she found the handle and pulled, thankful when the truck door swung open on it's own. Moving slowly, she twisted and turned, wriggling her upper body high enough to slide her legs between the seat and the doorframe as she half-stepped, half-fell out onto the hard-packed dirt. The gun slipped out of her grip and she scrambled to pick it up and hide it behind her back when she other truck door slam. She peered over the side of the bed, but Eddie wasn't there.
"Holly? Are you okay?"
Sean staggered around the front of the vehicle, one hand maintaining contact with the metal to steady himself. Blood trickled from a gash in his forehead, and he looked disoriented as he approached.
"I think I am," she said, turning so the hand with the gun was pressed behind her as she leaned against the truck. "You should sit down though - that's a nasty cut. And I don't see Eddie anywhere. What happened? Why did you swerve?"
"Deer in the road." He pressed the palm of one hand to his head, moving around the open passenger door and peering inside. "We need to get moving, but you'll have to drive. I just need to find..."
Holly stepped back, swinging the gun up and leveling it at him as she grasped it with both hands. "Looking for this? Just point and shoot, right?" Her index finger slipped into the trigger loop, but she was careful not to touch the lever.
He slumped against the seat with a sigh. "Come on now - don't be like that. I thought we were just starting to get along."
"Yeah, well, that's what I wanted you to think." Something moved near the front of the truck, and she nearly smiled with relief when Eddie's face appeared just above the hood. He held a finger to his lips, and she gave a tight nod as he held the shovel out where she could see it. If she could just get Sean away from the truck...
Glancing at the gun in her hands, she recognized it as a Glock of some sort, though she wasn't familiar enough with them to know what caliber. Sean hadn't lied - there wasn't a safety lever to disengage before shooting, but she recognized the button at the back of the butt that freed the bullet clip from the handle - a cop she'd done research with had shown her one time.
Pressing the button, she let the clip fall to the ground, widening her eyes and gasping as she watched it fall. When she looked up, Sean was smiling.
"I told you there was no safety," he said, pushing away from the truck and walking toward her. "Now hand that over, and no one will get hurt, okay?"
She let the gun drop as Eddie snuck out from his spot in front of the truck and swung the shovel high at the back of Sean's head.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 | Ch. 48 | Ch. 49 | Ch. 50 | Ch. 51 | Ch. 52 | Ch. 53 | Ch. 54 | Ch. 55 | Ch. 56 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 57
It felt like the whole world was shaking as Holly gripped the door handle with one hand and Sean's gun with the other. Thrown sideways across the seat, she couldn't see what was going on and when the truck stopped, the momentum tossed her forward onto the floor.
For a moment, she just laid there, silently taking stock of her body while wondering how to extricate herself. She could see Sean's feet on the floor, but they weren't moving, and she wondered just how badly he was hurt.
Then she remembered Eddie.
Her stomach turned as she thought about him possibly being thrown from the truck as they crossed the asphalt, his body lying battered in the road. She forced herself to move, not allowing herself to think about any other option other than finding him alive. Reaching up over her head, she found the handle and pulled, thankful when the truck door swung open on it's own. Moving slowly, she twisted and turned, wriggling her upper body high enough to slide her legs between the seat and the doorframe as she half-stepped, half-fell out onto the hard-packed dirt. The gun slipped out of her grip and she scrambled to pick it up and hide it behind her back when she other truck door slam. She peered over the side of the bed, but Eddie wasn't there.
"Holly? Are you okay?"
Sean staggered around the front of the vehicle, one hand maintaining contact with the metal to steady himself. Blood trickled from a gash in his forehead, and he looked disoriented as he approached.
"I think I am," she said, turning so the hand with the gun was pressed behind her as she leaned against the truck. "You should sit down though - that's a nasty cut. And I don't see Eddie anywhere. What happened? Why did you swerve?"
"Deer in the road." He pressed the palm of one hand to his head, moving around the open passenger door and peering inside. "We need to get moving, but you'll have to drive. I just need to find..."
Holly stepped back, swinging the gun up and leveling it at him as she grasped it with both hands. "Looking for this? Just point and shoot, right?" Her index finger slipped into the trigger loop, but she was careful not to touch the lever.
He slumped against the seat with a sigh. "Come on now - don't be like that. I thought we were just starting to get along."
"Yeah, well, that's what I wanted you to think." Something moved near the front of the truck, and she nearly smiled with relief when Eddie's face appeared just above the hood. He held a finger to his lips, and she gave a tight nod as he held the shovel out where she could see it. If she could just get Sean away from the truck...
Glancing at the gun in her hands, she recognized it as a Glock of some sort, though she wasn't familiar enough with them to know what caliber. Sean hadn't lied - there wasn't a safety lever to disengage before shooting, but she recognized the button at the back of the butt that freed the bullet clip from the handle - a cop she'd done research with had shown her one time.
Pressing the button, she let the clip fall to the ground, widening her eyes and gasping as she watched it fall. When she looked up, Sean was smiling.
"I told you there was no safety," he said, pushing away from the truck and walking toward her. "Now hand that over, and no one will get hurt, okay?"
She let the gun drop as Eddie snuck out from his spot in front of the truck and swung the shovel high at the back of Sean's head.
Enjoy
this post? Support your author: Tempest
| Desert
Heat | The
Biker's Wench
| Flash Fiction
**If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated.
June 27, 2012
Writer's Notes: That New Story Smell
Last week, we got rear-ended (in case you hadn't heard - I've been
whining loudly enough). This week, the insurance company informed us
that our beloved Subaru is considered a "total loss" (because they don't
want to pay to have it fixed, an issue I could rant about for days, but
no point in digressing now, eh?). So this Friday night, we're
car-shopping.
Unlike every other vehicle we've
ever bought, we've decided to bite the bullet and get a brand new
Subaru to replace the old one, since we're being forced into a new car
payment no matter what. It's the car we drive daily to work and back,
and we've decided the extra cost will be a good investment, considering
it will last very close to "forever" with the amount we drive. I have to
say, I still haven't quite wrapped my head around the whole thing ("new
car" has always meant "new-to-me" before), but I'm sure once the first
payment hits it will all sink in. And probably hurt a little. Or a lot.
Anyways, every time I think "new car" - as in
"brand new", it's impossible not to think "new car smell". Obviously, my
experience with that particular scent is limited, and I abhor air
"fresheners" and such that claim to smell like a new car. To me, the
"new" scent of most things is chemical laden, and thus something to be
gotten rid of as quickly as possible so as to limit exposure. It's not
usually something I want to be around for very long - I equate it with
poor health.
Stories, however, are a
completely different animal (and thank goodness for that). Thinking
about that "new car smell" most people seem to love as I'm on the cusp
of starting a few new stories, I couldn't help but wonder what a new
story "smells" like. Is there a new story smell? Something people might
want to package up and reproduce to get the creativity flowing?
In times past, it probably was a mixture of a
fresh typewriter ribbon, newly sharpened pencils, and a fresh ream of
gleaming white paper. Heck, maybe even clean clothes and a shower
(considering what the end of a story smells like, eh?). I suppose
working at a typewriter with loose leaf paper, one might have wanted a
binder or folder too, and possibly some blank index cards...
Nowadays?
I'm hard pressed to come up with anything other than the aforementioned
clean clothing and shower soap/gel, to be honest. It's not like I buy a
new computer or keyboard every time I start a story, and since I'm not a
planner, there's no need for paper in my writing world (for the little I
do plan/plot, I do it digitally). I rarely print anything out anymore
(which is why I didn't realize our printer doesn't work at the moment
until I tried to print a note to the auto body shop last weekend), and
I've always hated pencils, so pens are more my speed. When I need them.
Please
understand that I'm nostalgic, but not with any real desire to write
the way it "used to be". I have a history degree, which means you can
safely assume I'm interested in how things used to be, but I also really
appreciate the modern comforts of a keyboard that doesn't require
super-human strength to use, automatic line spacing and not worrying
about losing page 76 underneath the couch along with 76a, 76b and 76c -
then trying to remember which one was the version of that scene I
actually decided to go with (no, that's never happened to me, but I can
easily imagine it would). I love the digital world.
In
any case, I have to concede that for me, there is no bonefide "new
story smell". Which makes me wonder - should I create one? Not
necessarily a real one, but perhaps a fictional one? My main character
could experience one in each book to mark the occasion. That could
actually be a fun challenge for me...
Readers,
do you still love that "new book" smell when you crack open a new
paperback? Or do you miss it with the advent of ebooks?
Writers, do you experience a "new story smell" when you start a new draft?
whining loudly enough). This week, the insurance company informed us
that our beloved Subaru is considered a "total loss" (because they don't
want to pay to have it fixed, an issue I could rant about for days, but
no point in digressing now, eh?). So this Friday night, we're
car-shopping.
Unlike every other vehicle we've
ever bought, we've decided to bite the bullet and get a brand new
Subaru to replace the old one, since we're being forced into a new car
payment no matter what. It's the car we drive daily to work and back,
and we've decided the extra cost will be a good investment, considering
it will last very close to "forever" with the amount we drive. I have to
say, I still haven't quite wrapped my head around the whole thing ("new
car" has always meant "new-to-me" before), but I'm sure once the first
payment hits it will all sink in. And probably hurt a little. Or a lot.
Anyways, every time I think "new car" - as in
"brand new", it's impossible not to think "new car smell". Obviously, my
experience with that particular scent is limited, and I abhor air
"fresheners" and such that claim to smell like a new car. To me, the
"new" scent of most things is chemical laden, and thus something to be
gotten rid of as quickly as possible so as to limit exposure. It's not
usually something I want to be around for very long - I equate it with
poor health.
Stories, however, are a
completely different animal (and thank goodness for that). Thinking
about that "new car smell" most people seem to love as I'm on the cusp
of starting a few new stories, I couldn't help but wonder what a new
story "smells" like. Is there a new story smell? Something people might
want to package up and reproduce to get the creativity flowing?
In times past, it probably was a mixture of a
fresh typewriter ribbon, newly sharpened pencils, and a fresh ream of
gleaming white paper. Heck, maybe even clean clothes and a shower
(considering what the end of a story smells like, eh?). I suppose
working at a typewriter with loose leaf paper, one might have wanted a
binder or folder too, and possibly some blank index cards...
Nowadays?
I'm hard pressed to come up with anything other than the aforementioned
clean clothing and shower soap/gel, to be honest. It's not like I buy a
new computer or keyboard every time I start a story, and since I'm not a
planner, there's no need for paper in my writing world (for the little I
do plan/plot, I do it digitally). I rarely print anything out anymore
(which is why I didn't realize our printer doesn't work at the moment
until I tried to print a note to the auto body shop last weekend), and
I've always hated pencils, so pens are more my speed. When I need them.
Please
understand that I'm nostalgic, but not with any real desire to write
the way it "used to be". I have a history degree, which means you can
safely assume I'm interested in how things used to be, but I also really
appreciate the modern comforts of a keyboard that doesn't require
super-human strength to use, automatic line spacing and not worrying
about losing page 76 underneath the couch along with 76a, 76b and 76c -
then trying to remember which one was the version of that scene I
actually decided to go with (no, that's never happened to me, but I can
easily imagine it would). I love the digital world.
In
any case, I have to concede that for me, there is no bonefide "new
story smell". Which makes me wonder - should I create one? Not
necessarily a real one, but perhaps a fictional one? My main character
could experience one in each book to mark the occasion. That could
actually be a fun challenge for me...
Readers,
do you still love that "new book" smell when you crack open a new
paperback? Or do you miss it with the advent of ebooks?
Writers, do you experience a "new story smell" when you start a new draft?
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