Blogging on Reading in Black today.

Check out my post on the Reading in Black blog today. While you're there, take a look around. There are some awesome authors who have been featured. You might find yourself a new favorite. Your TBR pile will definitely increase.

Sneak Peek

Here's a snippet of what I'm working on.
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Walking side by side, Morgan felt the weight and warmth of Derek’s hand on the middle of her back as he walked to her left, nearest the curb. Looking up at him, she smiled and felt a jolt run through her when he smiled back at her and winked.

Turning the corner at the intersection, apprehension prickled her, a shiver running down her spine. She looked back. In the shadows of an office building, she thought she saw brief movement and slowed her steps.

Derek stopped and looked back also. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I saw somebody. At the coffee house, I had the strangest feeling, like somebody was watching me.”

Derek frowned. “Let’s get to the cars.”

Turning, he grasped her elbow and all but pulled her forward. Not arguing, she hurried to keep up with his long strides, eager to get off the unlit street and into her car.

Mid-block, passing an abandoned building, they heard a noise. Not stopping to look, they moved faster. Morgan saw a dark form in her peripheral vision appear to separate from the side of the building to her right. It leapt at her and she screamed.

“Shit,” Derek said, yanking her behind him, placing himself between her and them man who’d jumped out. The man crashed into him, pushing him into Morgan, causing her to fall backward and to the ground, her bag sliding off her arm.

While the men scuffled, she crawled to her purse, digging through it for her gun, cursing herself for carrying such a large bag. Her fingers closed around the weapon just as she heard a groan. Simultaneously turning and pulling the gun out, she stood, catching a glimpse of Derek on the ground. Then she was grabbed from behind, the gun knocked from her hand, landing on the ground a few feet away. The attacker held her arms behind her back and leaned over her, fangs glinting in the light of the moon. Eyes widening, she struggled to get away. She heard a hiss and then felt a sharp pain in her neck. Still she struggled until her energy began to fade. Her vision got hazy and she felt lightheaded. The last thing she saw before everything went black was the ground rushing to meet her.

Hello again

I can't believe how much time has passed since I've posted anything. I took down old posts with the intent of starting anew, but, as is the case sometimes, life intruded. I'm back now and I can't wait to get to know all of you and let you know a little about me.

I'll be posting weekly, sometimes about writing, sometimes about my stories, and sometimes just random things. If you'd like to be a guest blogger, email me and we can arrange it.

I've got some writing to do, so I'll be back to chat with you later.

NaNoWriMo time again!

I can't believe I haven't written here in months. I'm gearing up for this year's Nano challenge. I'll be posting daily updates of my word count. I have a new story idea for the challenge, so I'm putting A Woman Scorned on the back burner for now.

I'm amped up and excited about this year's challenge. I'm committed to working through the whole month and getting at least the minimum goal of 50k words.

A return to blogging

Sad to say, I've been so busy that I forgot I had a blog.

I'm going to try to get back on track and post an entry at least once a week. My plan is to also post short stories and excerpts of works in progress.

Stay tuned...

Storms of Life

I have realized that my feelings dictate the quality of my writing. When emotions are high, words flow like a fountain. Here's a blog I wrote several years ago. (I have left it un-edited so I apologize for the grammatical and spelling errors.)
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Storms of Life 06/17/2006

I just came in from driving through a storm. I have never driven in conditions like that before. Everyone on the freeway was going 10 mph with their blinkers on. You couldn't see the car beside you or in front of you. You couldn't see lane markings. You had to follow the lights of the car in front of you and hope they were in the right lane. There was standing water, but you couldn't see it until you were in it so how could you try to avoid it? Some cars pulled over to the shoulder to wait it out, but the majority kept poking along.

My travel through this storm made me think of our travels through the problems that life throws at you. Sometimes you have to trust those around you to help you on your way, because you can't see the right path. Sometimes in the middle of that storm, there's another issue/situation that you can't avoid or get out of, you have to go through it too. ("If it ain't one thing it's another.") Some people give up and pull over to the shoulder. Others of us, battle our way through because we know the end is just ahead; that just around the bend, we'll see the rainbow that serves as proof the storm is over and that we've made it.

There are tons of sayings that we use to give ourselves and others inspiration: (I don't know who the original authors are and some may be shortened forms, so I apologize if any aren't stated correctly. This is how I've heard them.)

It's always darkest before the dawn.
If God brought you to it, he'll bring you through it.
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalms 30:5)
It ain't over till the fat lady sings.
Faith will move mountains.
What doesn't kill you will make you stronger.
April showers bring May flowers.

Ok, the last was cheesy, but you know what I mean.

We all need to take a step back and look at how we weather our storms. We also need to remember that no matter how bad it is for you, it could be a lot worse. ("I was sad that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.")

Just another thought: You never know what the person next to you is going through. He/she may be glad to have your problems instead of theirs. (i.e. you're complaining because you had to get the red beemer instead of the blue one because the sold the last one. The person you're talking to could have just gotten off an agonizing bus ride entailing 3 transfers in 2 hours.)

Sorry to ramble on, but rainy days inspire me.

To close, in the words of New Edition: "Storms will come. This we know for sure....Can you stand the rain?"