Sadie Jay

Because of work schedules, we haven't had "Christmas" yet, but my daughter arrived yesterday, and my son is off tomorrow. I'm fixing us a nice dinner and we're going to open presents. The day we celebrate doesn't matter as much as being together, after all. So what did I do Christmas day, you ask? Rewatched episodes 4 and 5 of Heated Rivalry while I waited for the Cottage! For too many people, the holidays aren't a happy time, and it was that way for Vaughn in Smoke and Sparks .  To his family, it's all about keeping up appearances and nothing about actually liking each other. Vaughn is dreading the week, as well he should. FYI Matthew is Vaughn's brother:   The car Matthew sent wasn’t a car—it was a limo. With him in it. And here I thought the day couldn’t get worse.  All the plans I’d made to not go until Christmas Eve were dashed when Claire mentioned she’d covered my shifts after Father’s secretary contacted her. That was followed by a text f...

My snippet this week again comes from Cinders and Ash , the third book on the Campfire Stories series, which releases this week. I know I'm taking a risk following two M/M books with a M/F, but Lindsey is such a part of the first two books, I wanted her to have her own happy ending, even if she is aromantic.  On pre-order now! This snippet takes place during a camping weekend with the couples from the first two books. Brian is pretending to be Lindsey's boyfriend (for reasons), simply because he enjoys camping and needed a break. It surprises them both how much they enjoy each other's company as they get to know each other. (And there might be a little foreshadowing for farther in the book...) Told from Lindsey's POV: “Does it bother you?” I asked. “Does what bother me?” Instead of hedging around the question, as I’d expected, there was honest confusion in Brian's voice.  “Cherry and Ben. Together. And Vaughn and Daryl.” I glanced over at my brother and our friends ...

Lindsey is finally getting her story! Cinders and Ash is the third book of the Campfire Stories series. It's M/F with an aromantic lead. Business-wise, it's probably a poor decision, following two M/M romances with an M/F, but I got so attached to Lindsey in the first two books, I really wanted to give her a happy ending, too.  Releases May 26. Available on Pre-Order now! Chapter 1, page 1. Told from Lindsey's POV: “It’s about time!” I muttered as I flung the door open. “Mr. Healy, that stupid valve–” Well, that wasn’t the balding, pudgy old man I’d expected. “You’re not Mr. Healy,” I informed the guy standing in the hall, as if he didn’t know. He shifted before I got a good look at him, and an ax in his hand, hidden behind his leg, swung out. I shrieked and slammed the door shut, stepping back. Oh, shit, he was going to “Here’s Johnny” me. I just knew it. He knocked again, softer than before, and I could hear his voice, muffled by the wood. “Um, Miss? I, uh, had a call abo...

Smoke and Sparks is live! Releasing the three books so closely together means I'm spending more time on promo than anything else right now. It's exhausting. Cinders and Ash releases next, on May 26th, and then maybe I can focus on something else! A glance at Vaughn and Daryl's first kiss! From Daryl's POV:     Vaughn’s kiss was nothing more than pressure against my lips, something akin to a promise instead of an actual kiss. Still, I was frozen in that moment, holding my breath as my eyes fluttered closed. He broke the connection between our mouths and shifted, pressing his forehead against mine, and my held breath came out in a puff.      I still didn’t open my eyes. Closed, I could better hear my heartbeat and feel the heat of his hands on my skin. The small space between us was charged, a zing of electricity that smoked and sparked. If I opened my eyes, would I find the air glowing? Smoke and Sparks–Campfire Stories Book 2  Couch-surfing is fine for th...

Is April really over? That month flew by quickly! I've spent so much time this month on formatting, publishing, and promo, I've lost track of time. I can honestly say, I never get bored! But I've still managed to fit in a few walks to enjoy the Bluebells! The three books in the Campfire Stories series all have camping scenes in them where the romances take their first big steps. In Smoke and Sparks , Daryl and Vaughn are sharing a tent with Lindsey. It puts a bit of a damper on things, as you can imagine. Told from Vaughn's POV: “‘Morning,” Daryl whispered, doing his best to not wake Lindsey.  “Sleep okay?” I whispered back. I wiggled to the edge of the mattress as I attempted to see him better. He mirrored my movements, bringing us only inches apart. “Better than I thought I would.”  Unthinking , I reached out and pushed his hair behind his ear. His eyes widened and he tensed but didn’t pull away. Encouraged, I trailed my fingertip over his cheekbone and then traced th...

  This month has flown by so quickly! It always seems to go that way when there are deadlines, whether they are outside deadlines or the ones I impose on myself. This month has been a little of both, which makes it twice as bad!   Everything is budding out and there is color everywhere. I love Spring! This week's snippet is taken from Smoke and Sparks . Vaughn is a college student who works in a coffee shop close to campus. He's having a rough time of it, but things aren't completely bleak: My thoughts were interrupted when my next customer asked for a large black coffee. My mind went blank. Large. Black. Coffee. No extra shot of anything, no request for some kind of milk that wasn’t milk. Just coffee. Black. Pour it in a cup and put on the lid. Much too simple. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had ordered a regular coffee, and I felt as if I was forgetting something as I poured it. I laughed in sheer delight after she left, cup in hand and phone to her ear. She’d ...

This week has been all about squirrels. Or, more to the point, one particular squirrel. He's young and I suspect he tried to jump from one garage roof to the other and didn't quite make it. His back legs aren't working right. Hopefully, it's a broken leg that will heal and we can release him, but if he doesn't regain full function in a couple of weeks, I guess we'll be looking at hutch designs.  Introducing Peanut. Another snippet from Cinders and Ash , the third book in the Campfire Stories series. This snip is told from Lindsey's POV. Lindsey is aromantic and being with Brian is challenging everything she's always believed about herself:       My heart did a triple beat as I stepped around Brian. He was partially blocking the doorway and I brushed against him. The smell of shampoo and soap enveloped me, and underlying that was, well, not a scent as much as his essence—heat and skin and vitality. I was confused. I was drawn to Brian in a way I’d never ...

The weather here feels more like September than it does August. It's good for my electric bill, but also means no swimming, which is usually the highlight of my summer days. 2020 is proving to be not simply an episode of The Twilight Zone, but a whole entire season.  My current WIP is the third book in my Campfires series. I'm finally making some progress and I'm just hoping it's not a complete mess when I get done with this first draft. The first two books, Embers and Flame and Smoke and Sparks , are M/M, while Cinders and Ash is M/F, although the MCs from the first two books are side characters in this one, just like Lindsey was in theirs.   This week's snippet, from Cinders and Ash,  is from Lindsey's POV and she is speaking with Brian. She's having a bit of a panic attack: “I’m not girlfriend material,” I stated matter-of-factly. “I know. You told me that already.” “But you are.” “I’m girlfriend material?” “No, you doofus. Yo...

      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...

It's again been a week of promo and editing with only a little writing actually happening. Something that usually works for me is keeping a "journal" of how many words I manage each day. Even if it's only 200, it gives me a psychological boost to see a physical reminder of progress. I want to become more disciplined which means setting some firm goals and working towards them. I've now been "home" for 2 1/2 weeks and I'm still not as organized as I'd like to be. It takes time. Like a friend of mine said when we were talking last night, it's like starting a new job and being completely unprepared for it (she's a kindergarten teacher--it's been quite a challenge for her!) (early morning walk with the husband before it turned cold on us again!) This week's snippet is the opening paragraph of the MS I'm working on now. It's a rough draft and will probably get changed 10 times. Cinders and Ash will be the third boo...