Write, Revise, Repeat

I have a mug that says that, 'Write, Revise, Repeat'. When I got it, I thought it was funny. Some days, it's less funny than others. Like today. Today, I need a mug that says 'Finally Done!' or something. Haha.

To be fair, I am almost finished with this short contemporary's revisions. I've probably already passed the step where I nitpick and could continue to nitpick still longer, if I'm being honest with myself. Especially since this one's already had several pairs of (outside) eyes on it. So I added a note to my planner for tomorrow to send email to both my formatter and to the cover designer to see what their schedules look like. I can't ignore it, because it's in bold print, staring at me from a few inches away. Haha.

This weekend is also for working out June writing goals. I'll be working around event prep and the Atlantic City booksigning, so I'm going to try to be realistic about what I can accomplish between that and the day-job. Ha! I always tell myself I'm being realistic, and then somehow wind up with goals that are not as realistic for the things happening that month. I have admitted recently that my brain is soup some days when I get home from the day-job, and there is zero chance of me getting much writing done, other than a little social media posting or prepping of daily holiday graphics that require much less brain-power than writing new words or revising existing words on pages. The good news is, I'm in the middle of a three-day weekend right now, and all of the normal weekend chores on my to-do list are checked off, plus I've already done a read-through of several chapters in the short contemporary romance. I'm hoping to get through several more tomorrow, plus maybe dump the rest of the mulch into the garden now that all the tomatoes, herbs and flowers are in. Or maybe I'll leave the rest of the mulch for a couple evenings this week when I get home from the day-job and lack the mental capacity to be creative. We'll see.

Before I get back to my June goals, I have a snippet for you this week from Light the Way Home.

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            He steeled himself when Hayden shrieked her name as he raced into the mudroom the next morning. He heard her low murmur when his son opened the door, then a quiet laugh. He’d spent half the night wondering what it would be like to really kiss her. It had been a long time since he’d kissed a woman. Not since Greta left.

            Maybe kissing Lucie wasn’t such a terrible idea. She wasn’t staying. He could give in to the urge, and then forget about it after she was gone.

            And dammit, he wanted to kiss her. Blowing out a hard breath, he rinsed Hayden’s juice glass and shut off the faucet as their footsteps neared. He glanced over and watched her cheeks turn pink. “Hi.”

            “Daddy, can we play outside later?”

            He blinked and turned his attention to his son. “I’ll try, buddy, but–”

            “I meant Lucie an’ me.” Hayden gave him a quick frown. “It’s sunny out.”

            “And I bet the grass is crunchy, too.” He met Lucie’s gaze, restraining a smile at her nod and his son’s subsequent down-turned mouth. “Maybe we can talk about it at lunchtime after I get some things done.”

            His son pursed his lips, blue eyes narrowed as he studied his father for a few seconds. “Okay.”

            “It’s actually pretty chilly out this morning,” Lucie said. “I had to get my really heavy sweater out. I’ll have to get my coat out soon.”

            Hayden looked up at her. “Really?”

            She tugged at the collar of the thick green sweater she wore.

            The little boy heaved a giant sigh. “Okay.” He released her hand. “I gotta get my bear.” He ran out of the kitchen.

            “Slow on the stairs, buddy!” Nate called.

            “’Kay!”

            Lucie winced while she listened to his footsteps rushing up the steps.

            Nate set the juice glass down and crossed the floor to where she stood. “I need to know,” he said, bending to catch her soft mouth with his.

            She made a startled sound, then set both of her hands flat on his chest, her lips parting.

            He’d been right. She tasted sweet. He slid one hand into her loose hair, ignoring the slight dampness to tip her head so he could delve deeper.

            She let him. God, she let him.

            He pulled back, his heart knocking hard against his ribs. Lucie’s eyes opened slowly, and he noted the way they had darkened. “Tell me I’m being stupid.”

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I'm not the only one who gets hung-up on 'repeat' while working on a project, am I? I hope. Are you all working out your June plans, too? I'd love to hear about them!

Until next week, happy reading!