Sadie Jay

Halfway through August? How did that happen? I don't have kids at home anymore, so it caught me by surprise when the first day of school rolled around. To be fair, they start earlier than they used to. Of course, the school year ends earlier than it used to. I'm not sure I understand why that all shifted, but everything changes. It's life! It also means I'm halfway through our Farmers Market season, and things have slowed down. I'll have to look for a new job soon, but it's been nice, having the summer off. And by off, I mean not having to dress and fix my hair, leave the house, come home, and spend the afternoon baking. Now, it's ratty shorts and barefoot while I bake. (I hate shoes.) Soft iced sugar cookies–my number one seller at the Farmers Market. From Embers and Flame ; Cherry (Charles) and Ben meet at a campground and spend the week together. But all vacations end, and it's time to head home–one going west and the other heading south. Cherry has g...

Take a break from the December hussle and bussle by curling up with a book and your favorite drink! I'm in two great promos this month with a ton of quality books to fill your TBR list. MM Series Starters : 57 books that start a series. Queer Reads : Choose from a whopping 125 books!  

Fangs for the Memories is with the beta readers now, so the waiting begins. I'm doing a little editing as I wait, but I don't want to do much until I have feedback. Which means I need to pull out another project and work while I wait. It always takes me so long to really get into a new project, especially when my mind is still so completely involved with the last one.  I only got to walk once this last week. I need more hours in my day! This week's snippet is from Embers and Flame . I'm going back to it since it's Father's Day weekend in the US and Ben is a single father. This conversation is between him and his teenage son, after Cherry has spent the weekend with them. Told from Ben's POV: “What did you say to him?” “When?”  I truly hoped God loved smart-alecky teens because I wanted to pinch his head off and hand him over. “Yesterday, I’m guessing.” “I didn’t say nothing, I swear.” I gave him that Dad stare, the one where I hoped he believed I’d inflict s...

Embers and Flame releases this week, so here goes the jitters! And then I'm repeating everything with the next book. Once I get through that, I can concentrate on Fangs for the Memories . I'm thinking about publishing it on Vella. If you do Vella, let me know. I might need to pick your brain!  Embers and Flame is a long-distance romance, and Cherry and Ben often have to deal with being apart during the week. It's not easy. This week's snippet is told from Ben's POV:  “How late are you working? Can we Skype tonight?” I asked as I rattled around in my kitchen, throwing together a sandwich to eat in front of the television. Cherry moaned into the phone. “I’m here ‘till at least midnight. It’ll probably be after one before I get home. Don’t stay up. I’ll be wiped out by then and no fun to talk to, anyway.” “Okay, maybe tomorrow,” I said aloud, following it with a silent but I miss you so much now. That sentiment stayed in my head. I didn’t want him to feel guilty tha...

The preorder for Embers and Flame is now live ! After months of editing, it's time to turn to marketing. Something I know very little about. First blossoms of spring! Again snipping from Embers and Flame . This is shortly after Cherry and Ben's first kiss and they are slowly meandering the hiking trail at the campground where they met. Told from Ben's POV: We walked for minutes at a time in silence, occasional bits of conversation dropping in but soon lost, until we came to a shady spot. Cherry stopped and wrapped his arms around my ribs, laying his hands flat at the center of my back as he kissed me again. It was such a forward move that I hadn’t expected it. It wasn’t that Cherry was timid, but he hadn’t shown a spontaneous side all week.  Everything was considered and planned. Even the things that felt halfway spur-of-the-moment were part of the day’s schedule, although occasionally they got moved from their preset order. He broke the connection and whispered in my ear, ...

I've spent the week formatting the three Campfire Stories and experimenting with graphics. It's a whole new set of skills to learn, as anyone who self-publishes knows. I guess old dogs can learn new tricks! If everything goes as planned, the first book in the series, Embers and Flame , will be up for pre-order within the next few days. To celebrate the beginning of the end of this project, this week's snippet is the opening paragraph. Told from Cherry's POV: The roar of a motorcycle pulling into the campsite next to mine shattered the peace of my evening. Glancing at the smooth surface of the small lake, I half-expected the sunset’s reflection to ripple with the vibrations. The intruder flipped the kickstand down and swung his leg over the seat, and my scowl softened as the man pulled off his jacket, drawing my line of sight to form-fitting jeans that displayed trim hips and a tight ass. Any resentment at the interruption evaporated completely when he removed his helmet...

 I took a walk in the woods last week (during the few nice days between back-to-back freezing rain and snow) and saw signs of spring. There were small patches of green and then I spotted a couple of robins on the way home. It shouldn't be long, now!  Snipping from Embers and Flame . Ben is meeting Cherry's ex (and his new man, Jared) for the first time. It was an amicable breakup and Cherry is still friends with Ryan. Ben isn't impressed: “Cariño, I need to use the facilities. Come with me.” It wasn’t that I needed to use the restroom as much as I needed a break from Ryan. The man wasn’t a total ass, but he completely overshadowed Cherry, and I began to understand his lack of confidence. The afternoon’s conversation was littered with subtle corrections and dismissals that were never thrown Jared’s way. It was obviously an old habit, something that went back to when they were first together. I could easily picture Cherry in his early twenties, shy and unsure. And I could equ...

I've done very little writing over the last month. Instead, I've been focused on editing the Campfire Stories series. I started this series five years ago, but I always have multiple projects going, hence the amount of time I've spent on it. I didn't realize it had been that long until I just now looked. Wow. No wonder I'm ready to be done! We had our first real snow, but I don't like the cold, so I didn't take a walk in the woods until it was nearly gone! Snipping from Embers and Flame once again (Book 1). This is the morning after Ben and Cherry's first night together. I have a thing for red-heads, so of course I had to write one! Told from Ben's POV: Cherry’s chest rose and fell softly under my arm as he continued to sleep. We’d pulled a sheet over our bodies before we finally passed out, but it’d been kicked off sometime through the night and Cherry’s pale skin was luminous in the muted light. I couldn’t understand his comments from the evening...

I'm finding writing to be particularly challenging lately. It's like my mind doesn't want to work. But in the middle of the night, on one of those nights when I couldn't sleep, a plot point popped in my head, the hole in my current WIP that I couldn't figure out. So maybe that's a sign that the writing juices will start flowing again! Fireworks at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom in 2018. Still snipping from Embers and Flame .  Last week Cherry was having a bit of a crisis, wondering why Ben was interested in him when there was a crowd of women vying for his attention. This is Ben's response, told from Cherry's POV: [Ben] pulled away and captured my face between his hands. “I’m with you because you make me happy. In a way I haven’t been for a very long time. Maybe never. Your hair is thick and wild, your freckles are delicious, and your eyes reflect every emotion that runs through your head. Sometimes they’re silver like the underside of maple leaves; ...

As slow as 2020 felt, this year seems to be whizzing by. I have all these things I want to accomplish, but I can't seem to make much progress. I don't know if it's my age or my state of mind. Whichever it is, I'm not very happy about it! I picked two buckets of gooseberries this week, and now I'm hoping to get enough blackberries to make a cobbler. I love berries! This snippet continues from last week's snippet , only it's later in the evening and Ben and Cherry have stepped out of the bar to get some fresh air. Told from Cherry's POV: I didn’t mean to say it aloud, but the words pushed their way out of my throat, nonetheless. “What are you doing with me? Why am I here?”             “What?” Ben’s bewilderment over the question was clear under the dim streetlight. “Why would you ask that?”            “You can have your pick. Any of the women in there. They fawn all over you. So, why me? What do I have to offer?” Okay, I’d ...

I've spent the week editing. This was the "read aloud" edit. I really thought it was pretty clean, but it's amazing what you notice when you hear it as opposed to just silently reading it. I know each pass makes it better, but I just want to be done!  I've been "feeling the blues", which usually results in me baking. And I had rhubarb that needed to be used, so Dad got a rhubarb pie for Father's Day.  This week's snippet is from Embers and Flame , the book I've been editing. This is Cherry's first visit to Ben's hometown, and Ben takes him to the bar he and his friends frequent. Ben is bisexual, but he'd never been public about it and only a few people know. He doesn't realize how uncomfortable it makes Cherry. Told from Cherry's POV:       The bar was crowded and I hesitated at the door as the noise hit me. The jukebox was loud and the people trying to talk over it were louder. Ben was grinning so widely I was afraid his...

One of these days I'm going to write a blog post on why queer romance, or any LGBTQ story with a happy ending, is important. Not just in general, but to me personally. But I want to take a moment to honor and thank all of those that came before me, paving the way. So brave, and so necessary. 💗 Our flag.  From Embers and Flame . Ben and Cherry have been meeting up at a campground that is halfway between Cherry's home in St. Louis and Ben's home in Southern Indiana. It's been fun, but Ben is ready to take it to the next level (told from Ben's POV): He let go of me this time, but didn’t move away. Cherry’s normally grey eyes were reflecting the world around us, and they twinkled green in the daylight. A smile spread across his face. “Are you asking me to go steady?” he teased.            I slapped his arm with my open hand but grinned back at him. “Maybe? Do I need to pass you a note with a yes and no box for you to check?”         ...

It's turned cold and rainy. We, oddly enough, need the rain. It's been a dry Spring. But I could do without this cool front. I want to get in the pool, but it's not going to happen for at least a couple more weeks.  Silver, our little lady, is giving me a pose.  Lindsey, from Cinders and Ash , has been featured in recent Rainbow Snippets, but she made her first appearance in Embers and Flame . At the time, my daughter had dyed her hair green, and I really liked it, so Cherry's sister came into the story with green hair. I wasn't planning on writing a series, but Vaughn, Daryl, and Lindsey all took on lives of their own. They needed their own stories. Introducing Lindsey (told from Cherry's POV): The knock came again, more insistent. I straightened and ran my hand over my shirt, doing what I could to smooth the wrinkles.  “Hey, that was–” I started to say as I opened the door, but instead of a gorgeous dark-haired hunk in black denim standing there, I found my gr...

It's been a slow writing week-- I think too much time was spent taking care of Peanut. He appeared to be using his back legs more, but we couldn't get a good feel for it since the "medi hutch" consisted of two bird cages that we wired together. But with a little elbow grease and some scrap lumber, the husband built a squirrel house and we crossed our fingers and released Peanut from his make-shift hospital.  He's moved right in. He scampers up and down the tree, albeit with a slightly awkward gait. We take him treats and there's a water bowl on "the deck". He's quite pampered...  ...and happy! This week's snippet is from Embers and Flame (book 1 of the Campfire Stories series). The setting is a campground where Ben stopped after having trouble with his motorcycle. He's spent the week with Cherry, the man camping in the next site, and the two have grown close. These are Ben's thoughts as he contemplates leaving: The coffee was ready by...

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to my fellow American's, and Happy Holidays to everyone else! We decided Christmas was coming early to the House of Jones, and we've been putting up trees and decorations a few at a time over the last week. And we've gone all-out, getting out the decorations I haven't put up in years. It's 2020 —everything is topsy-turvey, so why not? (The cats are definitely confused.)  This week, I'm snipping from Embers and Flame , the book I'm editing now. It's the first book in my Campfire Stories series and is a long-distance romance between Charles (Cherry) Andrews and Ben Torres. This snippet is their first kiss and is told from Ben's POV: There was no conscious decision, no agreement, no unspoken accord. I turned my head towards him as he turned towards me. Maybe we both meant to say something, some blithe remark about bullies or the luck of being connected to the right people, or maybe even some old cliché about life that 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've been saying for weeks I'd get back to my routine when everything got back to normal, but I've decided that isn't going to happen. First it was the Holidays, then it was vacation, and this week it involved a funeral. Plus, we've been running with less than a skeleton crew at work, which makes everything difficult. But I have managed to write every day and I did hit the 30k mark. I'll take my small victories where I can! I didn't really outline Smoke and Sparks before I started writing. Vaughn and Daryl were two side characters from Embers and Flame that I thought would go well together in a kind of "opposites attract" way. I had a brief notion that they would move in together after having a brief long-distance relationship. The questions in my mind becomes are they boyfriends or just friends (even though they've shared a few kisses) and are they dating, and how does that work with someone you live with? So, yes, even though I have a loo...

Typical of January in my neck of the woods, it's snowing. And since it's my day off, I don't have to go anywhere. It's pretty to look at it through my window while comfortable and warm, but I'm old enough that I don't have any desire to out in it. I'm leaving on vacation this week, so it's the perfect excuse to stay in and start packing. I'm heading to warmer climes and this makes the anticipation even sweeter! I'm still not getting much writing done at the moment because I wasn't happy with the way the story had turned. I know which direction I wanted the plot to follow, but I found myself on a side road. So I backed up and changed routes. And that's enough of that metaphor! A bit about this week's snippet. I like my titles to show up in one form or another somewhere within the story. Probably the easy thing to do would be to write the thing and then find a title, but I tend to do it in reverse. I wanted a title that f...