One Life Stand

 Hello, my sweets. How has everyone been? Hopefully well and hopefully living the dream or at least getting close to living the dream? If you aren’t there yet… don’t give up. Life was created to be a series of ups and downs and all arounds. 

Now, that I have gotten that out of the way. Here’s the biggie…. I cannot believe we are halfway through November and almost entering the last month of the year. I don’t know about you but this year felt very much like the last. In a blink, it was over. Last year I was perfectly fine with how fast it felt because… well, let’s be honest… last year was a circus. And, not one of those beautiful circuses where everything looks like it was created by Disney. No, last year was that dingy carnival full of broken rides, mistreated animals and ride attendants hiding out from the law. 

This year wasn’t much different, given we still were and are in pandemic mode but overall, feels  more normal. Whatever normal is supposed to feel like, that is. Still, I can’t believe that we are almost in December. Like, really… where has the time gone? This is actually my first day… in three weeks… in it’s entirety…. that I am completely free from deadlines, duties, and commitments to take care of. And of course, I am choosing to spend a little time with you all of you. Thanks for having me.

The last three weeks have been sort of a blur because that’s how busy I was. What have I been doing for almost a month, you might ask? Well, besides the regular job… I have been editing and making revisions to the first book out of my three part book series which coming out in 2022. Every spare second and minute has been spent on this task. It feels good to have my house clean again and my laundry no longer being sifted through. 

Things I have always wanted to say but never believed would ever be uttered out of my mouth? “My editor suggested.”  

Before the editing and revising process took place, I had a meeting with my editor. A wonderfully smart and talented woman that believes in my book just as much as I do. She even compared me to Jane Austin. Ummmm, what??? Now I know, Ms. Austin isn’t everyone’s cup of tea nor is my book going to be period piece of epic proportion or written like my characters are living in the 18th century but to be compared to one of literatures greats, feels incredible. 

I want my book to be a quick read. I want women to pick it up and devour it. I want it to be that vacation read they can pick up anywhere and finish in between sight seeing and lounging by the pool. I want it to be a book that people can relate to, laugh with, and lighten the mood. I want it to be a feel-good distraction when life seems like it’s getting too serious. 

There is just one thing… my editor suggested that I change one part. A part she feels isn’t really plausible. Funny thing is though, this book is loosely based on something that happened to me and yes, the part that she thinks isn’t plausible actually, did in fact, happen. 

I laughed when she made this suggestion because the truth coming out as it did, was the entire reason I wrote this book. The depressing outcome was my reality. Sure, I could have changed that part initially but I wanted to show how we fill our brains with romantic notions when those exact notions are the farthest from the truth. However, the truth seemed so far out of reach that its facts had to become fantasy in order to become believable. Lol. 

My editor: How could he forget?

Me: Good question and I have asked this myself but he did. Oh, how he did. 

My editor: She laughs and then says…Even though it’s real, it doesn’t appear real and that makes it hard for the reader to relate. My suggestion is to change it.

So I took her advice and did a complete overhaul with this part. Honestly, I changed a lot of this book. This is my first that will ever be published and writing it has been a learning curve. It has been a lesson in getting my feet wet and getting comfortable with writing fiction and romance. It’s also made me understand why authors think their first submissions are absolute crap and happily oblige to their work evolving as they get better over time. I also understand why some authors never want to look at their manuscripts ever again after all is said and done. 

I am going through all the motions and feels and next week, I will be at it once again. Next go round I won’t be tweaking as much because I am actually thoroughly satisfied with how this second round turned out. Then again, I’m not saying never because ultimately this too could change.

31 chapters went to 40. Certain scenes got a little steamier, there are more visuals and more showing versus telling and yes, that one part that didn’t seem plausible was written more “realistically.”  

It’s been a wild ride. It’s been a dream come true. It’s been hella hard work but you know what? I wouldn’t change any of this for the world. Writing has been my one solid my entire life. For as long as I can remember, it’s the one thing I always did. It was my driving force, my goal, my dream, and my passion. For a while I stepped away from it but when 2020 hit… or let me back up a bit… when December 2019 hit, I was blasted by the creative bug. Vast majority of my quarantine couch coma was spent writing but I wasn’t writing fiction and damn sure wasn’t writing romance. I was writing all about the real things going on in 2020. Free therapy, if you will but then something magical happened in the beginning of 2021 and everything seemed to line up. Everything changed. A creative surge came crashing down like a tsunami and instead of drowning in it, I rode that wave to shore. I conquered that bitch. I wasn’t afraid or nervous or shying away from what all the critics could possibly say. An idea sparked and I just wrote. 

I know for a fact some will hate my book and honestly that’s okay. It comes with the territory. I know not everyone is going to support me and this endeavor, as this has already been proven and a tough lesson I am learning but without these two things, my skin for this dream wouldn’t be so thick and I need that to show me that my dreams are important. I know, overall, this book will be a success. It is the door I have always wanted to open and finally because of my determination… has. 

So here is where I am going with this… if you want it, build it. Don’t get discouraged or wrack your brain with what ifs. Just do. Just create. Just be in the space that is calling you to it. The most spectacular thing that has come from all this, aside from getting published, is that I have encouraged others to reach for the stars. I have shown them that they can do it too and that fills my heart with so much joy.

My book won’t change the world or force people to reevaluate their lives but it will most definitely make people laugh, possibly cry, and get swept up by those romantic notions that keep us going… and hopefully, if I have played my cards right, make some want to sexually ravage to the next person next to them. With consent of course. 

With that said, big hugs to you all and keep chasing those dreams. 

-x-

The Blogging Bae