Sadie Jay

After two years of low precipitation in my corner of the world, we seem to be making up for it. Or at least, we've got a good start. I always heard "rain on Easter means rain for the next 7 Sundays." I guess I should keep track and see if it happens this year! This week's snippet is the opening paragraph from a current WIP, Cut Sho t . I migh t have used a local bar as inspiration for the Short Stop, which is a recurring setting in the book. Jedidiah could feel the man’s gaze as if it was a physical thing. There was weight to it, a lowering of air pressure, a buzz behind his ears. He bent over the pool table and studied the balls, doing his best to not turn and stare back. If he bent over more than he normally would when lining up a shot, curious if he would get a reaction, there was no one else to notice. Old Frank and Jim Tag were sitting at the other end of the bar, flirting with Margo. The bartender may have been thirty years younger than the two, but she laug...

This will be a first round of beta reads. As such, there is very little in the way of editing. (Why edit when I'll be rewriting whole sections?) This is the second book in the Bar Games series. Jed plays a major role in the first book, Blind Ante , but hopefully, this will work as a stand alone. Saying that, I do tend to closely weave books in a series together and reading the first will fill in some gaps that may have not been fully explained. This book is Jed's redemption. He was meant to be the bad guy in the first book, but as I wrote him and thought about his motivation, I realized he wasn't bad. Just a little broken. The two books are very different, but if you are interested, let me know and I'll let you read the first one, as well.   Cut Shot– 60k, There is some slight kink (Jed holding Ian down, spanking during sex in one scene). There is also a family member's death as a main plot point.  Blurb : After 15 years of traveling with his crew of roughnecks, Jed...

Christmas was... well, it was. My daughter was home and I spent the afternoon with relatives. So, while pleasant, I've been so exhausted, it was hard to be enthused. In a way, I hate that it's over without ever really feeling that "Christmas Spirit." Maybe I'll leave the decorations up for a few weeks and try to catch it now that everything has slowed down.  This week's snippet is from my upcoming book, Cut Shot . It's Christmas day and Ian is surrounded by family. Jed has texted, wanting to get together, and Ian's aunt (who is only 5 years older) has noticed him with his phone.    Cora grinned at Ian. “You know, your mom is worried about you. Afraid you’ve closed yourself off to take care of her. She’ll be so happy to hear you’ve got someone.” Ian glanced at his phone. “Do me a favor and don’t say anything to her. She doesn’t need to know about my hook-ups.”  “Is that all it is? I mean it’s Christmas. Do guys even post stuff on Grindr on a holiday?” I...

Time's getting away from me. So much to do and not enough time to do it! But that's always December. The writing has gone on hiatus, but hopefully I'll be able to get back to it after Christmas. Right now I have too many cookie orders to bake and I've been running back and forth to doctors' appointments with my mom. It takes a lot out of a person! This week's snippet is from my current WIP, Cut Shot , which starts at Thanksgiving and takes place through the following holidays. Jed, who isn't out to his family, is showing his love interest his childhood bedroom. Not surprising, they end up on the bed, making out:  Ian allowed himself to be manhandled and pulled back across the bed until he was trapped against Jed’s chest. He sank his hands into Jed’s muscled forearms where they were wrapped around him, holding him. “I wish you didn’t have your shirt on,” he mused aloud, imagining Jed’s tattoos under the material, recalling the way he’d run his fingers over th...

I read a lot of fantasy series in my teens and twenties. You know, where things unfold throughout the various books and something that happens in book one is explained in book two, to five, or eight? And I've just realized that I do that in my books, even though each has a different set of main characters. Actually, I knew it—it just hadn't given it much thought. Headphones is a true trilogy with the story starting in book one and ending in book three. Even the Campfire Stories series does this. Vaughn's "motivation" is explained in book two, and Lindsey's weird relationship with Vaughn is explained in book three. They build on each other, which isn't the best strategy for Contemporary Romance. So why am I bringing this up? I got notes back from a beta reader on the first book in the Bar Games Series. And I've done it again—big time. In the first book, Blind Ante , Jed is a bad guy. Or, at least, a total jerk. And he gets a lot of "screen time...

Happy New Year! I (long ago) reached the age where staying up to greet the new year appealed less than sleeping through it. But I still celebrate it in my own way–which is a big pan of Hoppin John (black-eyed peas) for lunch! My idea of a nice New Year's Eve included a walk at the Nature Center (before the nasty weather moved in.) I'm going to snip one more time from Cut Shot . Ian and Jed's relationship is a secret, so Ian rented them a room for New Year's Eve that they've escaped to after attending a couple of parties with their friends:  Jed handed Ian a filled glass. “What do you want to drink to?”          “Us? Is that something we can toast?” Ian asked.          “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it?” Jed seemed honestly perplexed and Ian considered the night, how they’d kept their distance but couldn’t stop the sultry looks crossing between them. He couldn’t fathom how they’d gone unnoticed, but the parties were raucous and their...

It's here! All the work of the last month (or more) and it culminates in this one day. Since the kids were little, we've spent Christmas at home, and now that they're grown, it's become a low-key day. I make a nice lunch simply because I like to cook, and normally my folks come and eat with us unless they're spending the day with one of my step-brothers. Last year, for the first time, my daughter wasn't able to come home, but this year she's here. That's the best present, really, having my husband and my kids all together.  I'm snipping again from Cut Shot. Last week Ian got a text from Jed, asking if they can meet, and Ian is ready to escape the family Christmas celebration after a day of togetherness. (I think we can all relate!) I've jumped ahead a few paragraphs from last week's snippet. We aren't having a white Christmas here in southern Illinois, but Ian and Jed are having one in their fictional Iowa town: Trading his thin shoes fo...

The last week has been hectic, and this last push towards Christmas is going to be doubly so. 'Tis the season! Every spare moment has been spent baking and icing cookies for my home business, alongside extra hours at the grocery store. Plus, I fit in a surprise visit with my sister-in-law, who had some unexpected days off and flew in to see us. This next week will be full of more cookies, more store hours, and picking up my daughter, who is coming for Christmas. (I'm excited!) I'm snipping from Cut Shot , a book I wrote several years ago. It's in the queue for editing and everything that goes with getting it ready to publish, so hopefully, it'll go live in the not too distant future. It really is probably my favorite of the books I've written. Ian has spent Christmas day with his family when he gets a text from Jed, the man he's been secretly seeing. Jed isn't out to his family, hence the reason their relationship is a secret.  Can you get away?  Ian rea...

The most wonderful time of the year! Or at least the busiest. I work retail so the last few weeks have been a bit nuts. I'm off today so I'm going to spend the day finishing up, plus my daughter's coming in this afternoon to spend the week with us. I don't expect to get much writing done, but a break is good once in awhile. Since it's the last weekend before Christmas, I thought a Christmas scene was in order, so I'm going back to  Cut Shot . I almost think Jed and Ian's story is my favorite of the books I've written and I'm not sure why except I really developed a soft spot for Jed. In this chapter, he comes out of the bar after he and Ian have just had words in the restroom. excerpt from Chapter 15: Jed should have been surprised to find Ian leaning against his truck after he paid his tab and got stopped twice by people who wanted to say hi, but he wasn’t. The snow was still flurrying, giving the night a soft ambiance. Somehow Christmas h...

It snowed this week. Again. It's the second we've had this winter with measurable accumulation and probably more than we had all last winter. It doesn't bode well for the next few months. I used to like snow and the cold, but I was younger then and it didn't feel like such a hassle getting where I had to go, nor did the cold hurt as much! It was pretty, though, as it came down and settled on the trees. (my evening walk home from work, hence the dimness) I like the silence that comes with snow, the way it seems to insolate and soundproof the world, and how it sparkles when the sun comes out. And the crunch when I walk on it. And the way it makes it feel more like Christmas. Which is why I have a snow scene in Cut Shot . And in honor of this week's smattering of white, I'm dedicating this week's snippet to Winter Wonderlands everywhere. This week's snippet from Chapter 20:               Relief shook him when he sighted the car parked in ...

As a little "side job", I bake cookies. This isn't important as far as this blog goes, but it is one of the reasons I'm not getting much writing done this month. I signed up for a vendor show on December 1st and I've spent the month baking and icing cookies. One more week and that huge undertaking will be done. Then maybe I'll attempt my own "NaNo" in December!            The second reason Smoke and Sparks bogged down is because Daryl showed me a side that I hadn't realized was there so I'm making a few changes to my original story. It's a good thing; I'm starting to get a better feel for my characters.            In the meantime, I'm going back to Cut Shot for this week's snippet. This takes place early in Jed and Ian's relationship when they're still feeling each other out: Excerpt from chapter 4: Within a half-an-hour, they were back in the truck and then parking in front of the Shortstop and he didn’t reca...

For this week's snippet, I'm going back to Embers and Flame . My NaNo project is moving slowly and the first draft is still extremely rough. I think mentally it was a rough week plus I've had some work-related projects that have cut into my writing time.  I have the problem when starting a new project of letting go of the last one. In this case, Ian and Jed from Cut Shot are still rolling around in my head, making it hard to grab hold of Vaughn and Daryl. Couple that with this current WIP being the second in the series. I've been going back and rereading bits and pieces, which has Ben and Cherry jumbling it a bit, also. Once I get through the next chapter or two, this story won't be running concurrently with the first, so the writing should (hopefully) move quicker. Right now I keep "fact checking", making sure everything is lining up.  This week's snippet is a conversation between Ben and Cherry and comes from Embers and Flame. It's the w...

It's been a while since I've posted. A combination of daily life stuff and laziness. No excuses, really! But I'm still editing Cut Shot , which is a long process for me, and not one I enjoy. But oh so necessary. I think I'm getting close to being done with this first, intense edit and then hopefully I'll find a few beta readers willing to give me some feedback. While I'm working on this, I'm trying to decide my next move. I want to finish the Headphones rewrites, but I also want to do another edit of Embers and Flame  and get it ready to publish. All while plotting my NaNo Challenge project. Time is running out! Snippet from Cut Shot (going back to an early chapter):             “Have you ever heard of personal space?” Jed asked Ian as he took yet another step back. Ian followed as if it were a dance. “Just checking.” “Checking what? To see if I have dandruff?” Jed halted his retreat and leaned forward, stalling Ian from his n...

Finally, after 4 months of blood, sweat, and tears, I've finished Cut Shot ! Now to reread it and see if it actually makes sense. And then edit it 25 times. But it's a relief to finally get where I wanted with it. The final word count was almost 62K, well over what I had targeted. I knew last weekend I was getting close, but I wavered on how I was going to finish it. There was meant to be a chapter where Jed faces off against his sister Mary. I had thought that she would challenge his right to the house, even though papers had been signed. But in the end, I decided that was just drawing things out. It might be something that comes up in the next book (if there is a next book--and I'm really hoping there will be!) But I'm happy where I ended it. Funny how the ending is never what I envision when I start a new manuscript! this week's Rainbow Snippet* from Chapter 19: After they heard the soft click of the front door as it latched shut, Jed picked up an aluminum ...

What a week. The boss had surgery and all of our "kids" went on vacation or to camp. In twenty years, that's never happened. But it also meant us "adults" had to adjust our shifts and put in some extra hours. Needless to say, it's been a long week. Still, I've managed to get some writing time in and I'm only a little behind on my Camp NaNo goal. I have less than 3000 words to go. It'll be close, but I'm going to try!           The bad news is, it's not going to be enough to tie up this story. The good news is, the end is in sight. I'm not sure why Cut Shot is taking so long and I just hope it's coherent when it's done.  My word count at this juncture is 51k. My goal for this WIP was between 53k-55k, but I'll go over that. Hopefully, I'll keep it under 60k. I don't want it to go much longer than the first in the series.           Something to note: I made a change to the MC's name. He's been Jeb/Jebidiah...

This WIP is killing me. I suppose 5 years ago when I started this journey, I would have been thrilled to write a novel in 4 months. Now? Not so much. I have to remind myself that I really am limited on time and I did stop to write a short story in the middle of all of this. But I've stalled...terribly. I can't seem to just write the story. I write and then I edit. Hell, I'm editing  as  I write. I started this novel as my April Camp project (totally expecting to finish it in May, and when that didn't happen, in June) and I'm determined to finish it by the end of July. I did manage almost 2000 words over the weekend, bringing me to over 35500, and I finally got past the scene that's been killing me for two weeks. Fingers crossed, it's going to go more smoothly now! Excerpt from Chapter 12: “Did you have fun with my cousin Jenny?” The words vibrated against Jeb’s lips but made no sense to his lust-addled brain. Everything in the world centered arou...

     Cut Shot is still moving much too slow but I'll keep at it and (eventually) it'll get done. I'm beginning to understand what other authors mean, though, when they talk about all the other things involved with writing and publishing getting in the way of actual writing. That's a big part of the delay on getting to "the end" with this current WIP.      It's all good stuff, really, but time-consuming. I entered Embers and Flame into a query contest and made it into the first round. I didn't make it to the second, but I got some positive comments and constructive criticism, so I'm happy with it. It would have been nice to make it through another round or two, but at the same time I found myself obsessively checking the site, so maybe it's a good thing!     My short story, Cocky Lady, is included in the Cocky Cockers anthology coming out in a couple of weeks. Pre-orders are being taken now.  It's my first thing published since I st...

Finally! I made it to 20K on Cut Shot ! Not sure why 20K is a milestone for me, but once I hit that mark, I feel like the story has a solid foundation, that now I just need to work towards the end. Even though it's not the half-way point, it's set enough that I know what I'm working with and I what I need to continue. Which doesn't mean that the story I have outlined in my head won't change a dozen times before I type the last sentence! I'm really not too sure why this book is taking so long. I know that part of it was vacation, as I'd mentioned before. But I think part was just getting back into "creative mode". Between editing Embers and Flame and Blind Anti , and then going straight to the Headphones rewrites, there was too long of a gap--a good six months, I think. I'm not letting that happen again.   But...I took a week-long break to write a short story to submit for an anthology. It came together easily and I had fun writing it...

I haven't updated for awhile. The April Camp NaNo didn't end so well--I barely made it over 10K for the month. I had hoped, even with vacation, that I could do twice that, but Cut Shot is giving me a little trouble. I see the story in my head, but it's not hitting the page very quickly. But I'll keep working on it. I think with planning vacation, being on vacation, and then simply dealing with everything when we got back cut into my time. It seems I've been working in15-minute segments for the entire month. It's definitely been a paragraph by paragraph book so far! Still, there are some things I like about it. My boys are starting to take on more personality in my head and hopefully I'll be able to get that where it needs to go. Ian, especially. Since Jeb came from another story, I knew him a little better. But I'm finally getting to know Ian! First draft exerpt from Chapter 5: Ian couldn’t decide if he was uncomfortable or amused, but ever sin...

I feel like I'm starting to get back on track, become a bit more focused again. Maybe it's just those last few months of winter--they do seem to weigh heavy on me. I've also changed my plans a bit from my last post. I'm going to go ahead and do the April Camp NaNo, but I'm keeping my goal low because of vacation. I'm going to try and get some words down for Cut Shot , and then with any luck I'll have it done by July, plus the rewrite on the second Headphones installment. I'm not planning any further than that. After all, my plans constantly change. Let's just say I have some ideas on what I want to complete by the end of the year and leave it at that! Excerpt from Headphones: Summer Heat , chapter 10: Headphones sat curled in the center of the soft leather of the couch as she watched the rain through the big bay window. A gully washer, her dad would have called it. The evergreen was bending in the wind while thunder shook The House. The light...