Sadie Jay

Back in April, when I first started my leave-of-absence, I went on a cleaning sweep. It didn't last long, or maybe I should say it didn't last long enough. Now I'm back at work, but only at a fraction of the hours that I used to put in each week– so I have plenty of time– but instead of housework, I've been reading. Twice as many books as I normally read. It's not the worse problem in the world to have, but I probably need to reorganize my days! This week's snippet is part three of three, ( read part one here ,  part two here ) taken from  Headphones: In From the Cold . Because the series has such a large cast, I chose to build my characters' backgrounds using flashbacks instead of dialogue or introspection, which would have created too much narrative, I feared. Jay is remembering the first time he had sex. It didn't end well: Except there never was a next time. The next morning, Brad wouldn’t look at him. He walked around the room pickin...

Another week of trying to keep my mental health on an even keel. It's not the easiest thing to do. I live in a rural "red" area where a person's politics is obvious by whether or not they're masked. And, not surprising, our Covid+ numbers are rising rapidly. But I did manage some writing. At this point, if I manage at least 200 words a day, I consider it a positive. I keep telling myself "This too shall pass". Actually, I'm glad I have my writing because it gives me something to focus on.   The youngest member of our kitty clowder. We simply call her Silver.  This week's snippet is part two of three, ( read part one here ) taken from  Headphones: In From the Cold . Because the series has such a large cast, I chose to build my characters' backgrounds using flashbacks instead of dialogue or introspection, which would have created too much narrative, I feared. Jay is remembering the first time he had sex:             In a dark corner ...

I'm finally making progress on my current WIP, Cinders and Ash . I hit the 40k mark, which feels like I'm in the home stretch. The first two books in the series are 60k and that was my goal for this one, but at this point, I'm going to be happy to hit 50k on the first draft, mainly because I feel like the beta readers are going to give me the kind of feedback that says "You need to add this and this and this." Plus, this book has been such a struggle, I simply want it done! Flowers from my morning walk.  This week's snippet is the first of three parts, taken from Headphones: In From the Cold . Because the series has such a large cast, I chose to build my characters' backgrounds using flashbacks instead of dialogue or introspection, which would have created too much narrative, I feared. This is part of Jay's story:          Scoey relaxed and stood up to get himself a mug of coffee. Their talk turned to chatter, but Jay’s mind wasn’t really on ...

I think one of the most exciting things about publishing, whether it's traditional or self, is seeing your story come to life with a cover. While writing Headphones back in 2013, I played around with a series of drawings, trying to put a face to my characters. When I began my search for pictures to use as covers, I really didn't have a clue what to look for. And to be honest, I wasn't giving much thought to my pictures. But once the covers were done, I pulled them out for comparison. And I think I did a pretty good job! Headphones Trilogy  Five different relationships, five different stories--tangled together with the young woman they call Headphones at the center of it all. Homeless and lost, all Headphones wanted on that cold January day was a place to rest. What she found in the bright college bar was a group of people who took her in, offering her a home and a chance to make music again. Told over the course of a year, In From The Cold introduces ...

Started in 1981 as something to do during study hall, Headphones and the occupants of The House became companions that lived in my head, their stories growing and evolving over the years. In 2013 I decided to give them new life and prove to myself that I could finish something. The result was an online serial that ran from January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2016. To call it a vanity project is probably generous. But by the end of the year, I was getting 100 hits a day from readers around the world. For someone who grew up without the internet and social media, it was exciting. Early last year I decided to rewrite it into a publishable book. The problem was, it was too long for one book.  My solution? Make it into a trilogy! So I introduce, nearly 40 years in the making, Headphones ! Book one:  In from the Cold introduces Headphones and a group of friends who are going about their lives while not truly living them. Book two: Sunshine Smile is heat and healing–ne...

(Keeping with today's Unicorn theme, I collected them when I was in High School. Here's a few special one's I kept.) It's been an exciting week for me. My Headphones series is up for pre-order ( In from the Cold , Sunshine Smile , and Fall Out ) and we did the cover reveal for the Vampire anthology I'm participating in. Working Stiffs is a collection of 13 short stories with a shared universe about working Vampires and the people they love. It's a little tongue-in-cheek and a whole lot of fun. I also now have a FaceBook author page and I'm encouraging fellow authors to share/promo their books there. I figure if I'm stuck at home, I'm going to put my time to good use! Here's another excerpt from my story, Fangs for the Memories : I tried to not stare but I couldn't help myself. He was exactly the same except his long white hair was streaked with a rainbow of colors and pulled up into a messy bun. An inch taller than my fi...

Like everyone else, I'm ready for winter to be done We have so few sunny days here in January and I need sun! It feels like everyone is in holding mode and energyless. On the upside, I finished what I hope is my last pass of edits on In From the Cold and am now working on Sunshine Smile . Because the first two books have cliffhanger endings I want to publish them all at the same time. I'd considered publishing it as one book, but that would make it 180K+ words. I think it works like this. (At least, I hope it does!) (I'm ready for color!) The second book in the series very much becomes Scoey and Jay's story. They weren't really meant to be the main characters, but once I started writing, they took over. It's also when I realized m/m was what I wanted to write. Their romance is a slow burn because Scoey is very confused about what is happening (he's demi-pan). But occasionally, he isn't confused at all: They lay like that, unmoving except fo...

January is a horrible month for me. I can't do anything outside because of the weather, and I suffer from sun-deprivation depression, so all I want to do is eat and sleep. Last year at this time I was on a cruise-- sunshine and peaceful blue. I wish I could afford to do that every year! The Headphones series takes place over the course of a year and The House is not only a building--in some ways, it's a side character with a sentience  of its own. From book 1, In From The Cold , it's early February and Scoey has just moved in and is exploring: Eventually, his explorations led him to a small parlor at the back of the building and the weight of the empty rooms pushed down on him as he gazed out the big bay window. He hadn’t bothered to turn on a lamp. It wasn’t needed as the snow reflected the muted light coming from the grey sky, casting enough of a glow for him to see everything clearly. Most of the first floor had been remodeled but this small room was still pa...

 I missed last weekend because my mom wanted to go to Wyoming to see her newest great-grandchild and my folks have reached the age where they can't travel that far alone. So, being the ever accommodating daughter, I took off work and drove them cross country to spend a few days with my brother and his clan, but it's exhausting. It takes days to recover! (crossing Nebraska) This week's snippet is taken from In From the Cold , the book I am slowly but steadily editing. Scoey is moving into The House and Headphones is unsettled by it:           Headphones shuffled through the drizzle and fog. On nights like this, the cold and dampness sank into her bones and even a scalding-hot shower wasn’t enough to warm her. Her family had moved several times over the years, following her dad’s jobs, but somehow always in southern towns, warmer and dryer. Old memories had been flooding in, as if finally being settled,  static , had opened some gate that sh...

...or maybe not so happy. I'm not much for cold weather anymore! I'm writing this up quickly because I have to work over the weekend, but enjoy it if you can!  Peppercorn, ready for his closeup! (Actually, he was trying to help me write.) This week's snippet: Scoey has moved into The House and is feeling a bit lonely but Jay comes looking for him. Part 3 of 4. Read part 1 here and part 2 here .  “Whatcha doing?” Jay asked as he finished peeling off his winter gear and plopped gracelessly onto the couch.  “Exploring. This place is amazing, like some expensive B&B. Your apartment makes more sense now. Honey decorated it, didn’t she? I knew Richard didn't match the pillow shams with the curtains.” Jay shrugged--the apartment was like that when he'd moved in so he couldn’t say one way or another. “Has anyone told you about the attic? If you need anything, go explore. I went up there with Honey and Headphones. It’s amazing. I found an 80’s s...

So--I finally got through my first edit! Which means I'm looking for beta readers. If anyone is interested, contact me on Twitter, Facebook, or in the comments below. For anyone who doesn't know, a beta reader is just a "first" reader. I'm not looking for an editor, just some general feedback. And you get to read a free book. Blurb for Headphones: In From the Cold:             They don’t know her name, so they call her Headphones. Homeless and lost, all Headphones wants is a warm place to rest. What she finds in the bright bar is a group of people who take her in, offering her a home and a chance to make music again. Her new friends help her heal from the trauma that forced her to run, while she breaks them from the mundanity of their own lives.  Micky Shane walked away from the glamour of his Rock Star life when he lost his lead-guitarist and best friend, eventually settling in the small college town with a new name and a new band. He can’t c...

I had hoped to have my first edit of In From the Cold done this weekend, but the boss roped me into working, so I doubt I reach my goal. I need to learn to say no. (Usually, I'm good at the no word, but not when it comes to extra hours on the paycheck!) I've lost count, but I think Peppercorn is 16 weeks old. And completely full of spit and vinegar! This week's snippet is the first day after Scoey moves into The House (a sort of communal boarding house): It turned colder during the night and the drizzle from the day before morphed into something more solid. The snow fell in lazy swirls, big flakes that covered the ground like a white blanket. Scoey was working the evening shift, but for the moment he was by himself in the old mansion. Marcus, Bets, and Honey were at their office, Lenny was on campus, and he suspected that Headphones was spending her morning at the bar. The soft flop of his stockings on the wooden floor was the only sound as he explored. He’d b...

 The further adventures of Peppercorn! (because he's still the main attraction at our house right now!) He turns 3 weeks old today and he's on the move! We had a box set up for Howie to keep him in, but she can't keep him there anymore. We've been bringing him into the main part of the house to get him used to it, and for our indoor cats to get to know him. This is the first time I've ever had a cat from birth. So much fun! On the writing front, I'm making progress on the third book of the Headphones trilogy. My snippet is again from the first book, In From the Cold . And continuing with the Rainbow part of Rainbow Snippets, I'm taking from Jay and Scoey's building relationship.  Poor Scoey--he's demisexual but doesn't know it. So his attraction to Jay throws him because he's never been attracted to a man before and it really messes with his idea of himself. As part of his torture, he begins to have dreams:   Scoey couldn’...

It's been a rough week, both physically and mentally exhausting, and I fell behind on my word count. But each week is a fresh start, so hopefully, the next one will be better! The one good thing, though-- Peppercorn opened his eyes! (There will possibly be lots of kitten photos for the summer. Sorry if you don't like cats.) This week's snippet is again from Headphones: In From the Cold . The girl called Headphones is very uncomfortable around Scoey (although the reader won't really know why until the second book!), which is compounded when he moves into The House, where she is also living:  Headphones shuffled through the drizzle and fog. On nights like this, the cold and dampness sank into her bones and even a scalding-hot shower wasn’t enough to warm her. Her family had lived in several places over the years, but almost always it had been somewhere south, warmer and dryer. Her old memories had been flooding in, as if finally being settled, static , had open...

I finished book 2 of the Headphones series this week, so now on to book 3. The first two books have both clocked in at 70k but I think the third will be slightly shorter. I'd like to say I'll finish in two months, but best-laid plans always go astray! Still, I'm optimistic. The first set of cards are pinned and ready, so here I go! (Instagram photo) This week's snippet is again from book 1, In From the Cold , and features Jay and Scoey. Scoey has been sleeping on his brother's couch while looking for a place. He was invited to stay with a group of Richard's friends who converted an old fraternity house into what is basically a boarding house.  In this scene, Scoey's been exploring his new home when Jay comes looking for him.  Almost as if his thoughts had summoned Jay, Scoey heard his name echoing down the hall. “In here,” he called back. “Where’s here?” he got in return. Scoey wasn’t sure what to call the room as he looked around. “Ther...

I'm close to finishing book 2 ( Sunshine Smile ) of the Headphones series. Camp NaNoWriMo has been a great tool to keep myself focused. I won't quite hit "the end" by the 30th, but I should next weekend. It's nice to see the completion of a project, even though completion is a strong word--this is only the first draft, after all! There will be much editing to follow. The plan is to set it aside, like I have book 1 ( In From The Cold ), and start immediately on the third installment. Headphones is an ensemble story chronicling the journeys of five different couples. I've mentioned Headphones (Jessie) and Mick in past weeks, but I'm going to concentrate on Jay and Scoey going forward-- since this is Rainbow Snippets! Their relationship is a bit of a slow burn, not really picking up until book 2. This week's snippet (from book 1) takes place a few days after last week's. Scoey, newly out of the military, is settling in, spending time with his br...

     January has been a disaster. I've been sick since day one, and I just can't seem to shake it. Headcold that morphed into the stomach bug, and now I'm running a fever. February can't get here soon enough!      I finished the Headphones: In From the Cold rewrite Tuesday, so I was only a couple of days past my goal. It clocked in a little over 70K, making it 10K longer than my minimum goal, so I'm really happy about that. And it's also probably why I went past my goal date. The plan now is to finish the edits on Embers and Flame , write the query and synopsis, submit it around, and then return to Headphones. There are two more books to write, after all! And, in the meantime, I'm working on outlining Jeb (from Blind Ante ) and Ian's story. Excerpt from Embers and Flame , Chapter 15 Ben led me to a shadowed alcove at the side of the building and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in for a kiss. He was drunk enough for it to be a little sloppy, ...

I had hoped to have Headphones: In From The Cold done by yesterday, and I'm close, maybe only a chapter and a half. And I might have made it, but something family related came up that cut into my hours on Friday and Saturday. And I had a bout of the stomach bug going around that kept me in bed most of yesterday. Even so, I got in 7810 words, taking the novel to 66691. So I passed my 60K goal easily enough. Fingers crossed, I should be done in a day or two. And then I'm finishing my edit of Embers And Flame so I can query it. Then back to Headphones. Going to run a quick edit on this one, and hopefully find a beta reader or two before I start on the next book in the trilogy. Hopefully, the next two will go quicker! Excerpt from Chapter 20: Scoey did his best to concentrate on his customers, but his efforts were marginal at best. Over the course of the next two hours, his attention continued to wander back to the couple in the corner. He analyzed every movement; the wa...