Sadie Jay

It's been a long, hot week. Not much more to say beyond that! But wow, where did July go? I've been so busy, I've barely even noticed it.  Dragonfly on one of my rare nature walks this month. Like Cracks in the Sidewalk is, at its heart, a second chance romance. Today's snippet is the first night James stays with Val after they ran into each other earlier in the day—not for sexy times, but because Val was having a panic attack and called James, who naturally came to help. Told from James' POV: I carefully rolled away from him. There should have been a strangeness to it, being in that room again, being in that bed. There should have been a more alien quality to being there, and yet it was the most natural thing. In the daylight I could see the posters I’d left, forgotten, still hanging on the walls. As I looked closer, there were other pieces of me spread throughout the room. There was my Texas Longhorns cap hanging on a hook, and on the dresser sat the stuffed ted

I've become a busy person. I work part time at a grocery store, I have a booth at our local Saturday Farmers Market which requires hours of baking each week, and I write. Except the writing happens in short spurts because the other two things take up most of my time. It would be okay if I was quicker at editing. But alas, I'm slow, slow, slow. Still, I'm almost done with this round of edits, so I'm going to take that as a win! After nearly two months without rain, we have finally had some short storms. It's not enough to raise the lake levels much, but the plants sure have responded to it.  Snipping again from Like Cracks in the Sidewalk . Poor Val had a traumatic childhood and it has resulted in reckless behavior on his part, which sometimes leads to anxiety attacks. This scene is early in James and Val's relationship and James has just witnessed an attack for the first time. Told from James POV: Val fell asleep tucked under my arm during the last movie, but ev

June was a busy month, and July started the same way. But I think (hope) things are going to slow down now. It's funny how, even as I approach 60, I still expect summer to be like it was when I was in school—fun and relaxing. No, it's busy and I have to steal my moments. But those moments, spent in the sun, are so worth it. (Yes, I'm still a summer gal.) Painted rocks at the Nature Center.  This week's snippet, from Like Cracks in the Sidewalk , is a tad longer than normal and there is a warning for self-harm. It's early in James' and Val's relationship. Val is a mystery to James for a long time, little bits of his history making their way into the story. From James POV:  I took my time patting the towel across Val's chest, pressing the material against his skin in a slow wave. When his chest and arms were rosy and dry, I dropped to my knees to continue my task below the curve of his waist. The material was sodden enough to leave a film of moisture, but

Anyone, readers and authors, get in on the big free romance book give-away this weekend? My book, Smoke and Sparks , was included. I had a lot of downloads, but I realize that doesn't guarantee a lot of reads. But I hope those who do enjoy it.  I'm snipping from Smoke and Sparks this weekend. This scene comes from Vaughn and Daryl's first kiss. Daryl has only recently come out and this is his first kiss with a man. Told from Daryl's POV: An explosion of heat and want rolled through me as Vaughn sucked and licked at my teeth and then my tongue. The taste of the Coke he’d been drinking earlier was strong, but that orange-cinnamon flavor faded as the kiss deepened, leaving only a slight sweetness that was hot and heady. Surely this must be what Vaughn’s skin tasted like, I thought. Except, if I ran my tongue over his jaw and down his throat, I imagined there would be a hint of saltiness from his sweat. Those romances that I’d read, they all said that. Salty skin, salty te