Sadie Jay

I'm working on two seperate stories right now, which is not my usual M.O. Normally, I sink myself into one story, into its style and its particular characters. Lindsey's story is meant to be fluff and fun. But with things the way they are, it's hard for me to get into that mindset lately. So I've put more time into my vampire story that I had planned for later in the year. It's a short story with a word goal of only 15k because it'll be part of a collection. But, hey, at least I'm writing! My snippet this week continues from where I ended last week . It's a conversation between Lindsey and Vaughn from Smoke and Sparks . The previous evening, a very drunk Vaugh had come on hot and heavy to Daryl  after the Halloween party, but Daryl had sent  Vaughn to bed (with Lindsey). From Vaughn's POV:   “You’re no fun.” (said Lindsey) “Apparently not,” I agreed as the memory of the night before came back in pieces and bursts. “Oh, shit, I probably...

I have a friend who is brilliant and writes stories with characters so well developed they make me cry. This friend publishes on AO3, although with a bit of polishing I think they could self-publish and find a whole new audience. But they have no confidence in their stories. So they say “Here, read this, and I’m sorry.” Always, there’s that apology. And it’s unneeded, which I’ve told them over and over. I not only read the stories, I reread them because they are just that good. The thing is, I do it, too. I ask, “Please read my story,” and then, at least internally, I add, “And I’m sorry. It’s not very good.” Headphones is that and more for me. I first published Headphones in 2015 as an online serial, posting “snapshots” every day for one year and one day. It was a labor of love, something I did for myself simply to prove that I could. Between the end of 2015 and the start of 2018 I continued to write while also studying the craft, looking up tutorials, and reading blog posts by...

      I love how characters grow from some random little thought, sometimes out of nowhere. Lindsey is very definitely one of those characters for me, so much so that she's had roles in the first two books of the Campground Stories series and the third book will be hers. I've never written an m/f romance, so I'm finding it challenging. Headphones , I suppose, is close because 4 of the 5 relationships in the series are m/f. But I also don't label it as Romance, more like Contemporary Fiction with Romance. This is a different beast entirely! Click here for my New FaceBook Author Page! This week's snippet is a little slice of Lindsey from Smoke and Sparks (the second book in the series). She is Vaughn's best friend and it's not unusual for them to sleep together. This comes the morning after a Halloween party where Vaughn's love interest, Daryl, had dressed up as Levi from Attack on Titan :         The dream was so vivid I could feel Levi i...

I've tried to concentrate on writing this week and I did manage more words than the week prior. For the most part, it's been rainy and cold, but it looks like the next few days might be rainy and warm. It's an improvement, and I'm getting outside between rain showers for some fresh air and exercise. This short snippet is from Smoke and Sparks , the second book in the Campfire Stories series I hope to start publishing mid-summer. This is from Daryl's POV and he and Vaughn are making out for the first time, in (you guessed it!) a tent: Oh, God, I was in Heaven. Okay, it was a musty smelling tent and the mattress had lost enough air that I could feel the ground under my back. But when I was a kid my Sunday School teacher said Heaven was the best place. We would be surrounded by beauty and angels would be singing. And they were so singing to me through my staccato heartbeat as it vibrated behind my eardrums, creating a roar that blocked out everything excep...

I had two projects in April I was concentrating on, but for the most part, they're done. I spent the first half of this week trying to get my bearings. I knew what projects were next, but it required a total reset-- different characters, different storylines. On the upside, I've found my footing the last few days. Or at least I feel like I'm on the right track! (Mom and I, back in 1986 and then again in 2015. Time flies!)  From Cinders and As h : A bit long, but it was a fun scene to write. Lindsey and Brian clashed when they first met, but they start to see a different side of each other after Lindsey locks herself out of her apartment during a thunderstorm (and remember, it's the first rough draft!): I should have knocked, but lightning lit up the sky just as I got to Brian's door, and with a strangled scream, I turned the knob and tripped over a rug in my hurry to get in.  More inventive curses liberated themselves to echo in the otherwise empty...

The week started out cool and rainy, but the last two days have taken an upswing that I hope is here to stay. In fact, my plan for this afternoon is to edit on my laptop on the deck this afternoon. Even though I didn't do CampNaNo, I'm feeling the need to take a break and evaluate my next steps. The upside is, the Working Stiffs anthology I collaborated on went live yesterday, and we had a really great first day. We even got an orange banner! I'm very proud of the book we've put out.  I'm going to do one more snippet from my contribution, Fangs for the Memories , (at least for now!). This takes place towards the end of the story. Rollie's been injured and Aja takes care of him, while Oakley is watching. My plan is to write a series of short stories that start with Aja being turned and then publishing them together in one volume. So you'll probably see more of the gang over the course of the year! “What--?” I asked when Aja sat next to me but my bra...