A part of my silence has just been exhaustion. I put out three releases in the last five months, one of which had the most extensive edits I’ve ever done, and one with the quickest edits I’ve ever done. Between the edits, releases and promotion, I have been just plum tuckered out. I needed some time to rest and recuperate. To get my creative juices going again.
Which is another reason why I’ve been quiet, I’ve been busily writing away. I’m hoping to get a new BDSM book in this month, which is tentatively titled Working for Him. And I’m working towards getting Dirty Work and the next Snowedin Fantasy book, Second Chance at a Cheerleader, in within the next few months. All of these works are either completed or close to completed their first draft. Which means lots of revision time in the near future, far from my favorite writing time.
But the biggest reason I’ve been so quiet is that I’ve had a major change happen in my non-writing life. I got a new day job that I’m so excited about. For the last year or so my day job has been extremely volatile. I haven’t mentioned much about it to anyone in my writing life, wanting my writing space to stay my safe haven, but over a year ago my boss came to me and told me they didn’t have any space for me. That I was going to be let go in three months. It was devastating to me. This was my first real job, and I’d been there—at this point—almost four years, and they were letting me go just like that.
Well, it didn’t prove to be just like that. My end date was extended by three months, and then another three months, and then another three months. I was given the official end date of the end of the year 2012, and I’d come to accept that, after a very long emotional roller coaster of self-doubt and why mes. But then, again I was extended, this time by six months. It was starting to feel like I was on a very shaky ride that I wasn’t getting off unless I took the steps to do it myself.
Then miracle of miracles, after over a year of looking and just after my five year anniversary with my current job, I found a new day job. A great new opportunity that has growth potential and more opportunities for me than my previous day job.
While my end goal is to write fulltime, right now I just don’t have the sales to support myself. But this new job will give me the ability and opportunities to take care of my bills, without some of the headaches of my previous job, like long hours and travel. I really think this is a great step for me. And it will free up a ton of time that I’ve spent for the last fifteen months looking for a new job, and the emotional energy this upheaval has caused. Hopefully I can put all that energy and time back into my writing, and push myself that one step closer to writing fulltime.
But as a result the last few weeks have been a little chaotic, training someone on my old job and getting ready for my new one. And the next few weeks will probably be a little chaotic too. Getting used to the new job, and into a new routine, I’m really shaky at that. I haven’t had to start over in five years, and I can’t even remember what it’s like to not know the dos and don’ts of the office. So you’ll have to bear with me a little bit, while I work through this change and figure out how to manage everything. But I think, in the end, it’s going to be a great change for me and my writing. My old day job certainly inspired a few of my stories, a few I haven’t even gotten around to writing yet, and hopefully my new job will offer just as much creative fodder.
But until then, here are the first few paragraphs of my BDSM short novella, Working for Him. Hope it keeps your appetite whet for a few more weeks until I have more juicy news for you.
***This snippet is a first draft and subject to change and revisions***
Larry continued, filling in the awkward gap. “I was just telling Ms. Carter, since we’re in Vegas, she had to at least play a few slots. She should have a little bit of fun.”
Mr. Barrett shifted his gaze to her, and heart picked up speed. There was something about this man, something about the power or the determination in his eyes that always called to a very deep part of her, a part she kept hidden from the rest of the world. The submissive part of her.
Pinned beneath his laser stare, unable to hide any of herself from him, Serena shifted uncomfortably. Her stomach fluttered and she pressed her thighs together in the hopes of keeping the throb between her legs at bay. The hum that had her panties wet and the impulse to press her face into his chest and breathe in his deep male smell sounding like a great idea, even in front of the entire company.
“What do you think Ms. Carter? Are you inclined to play the slots?”
She looked up at him, blinking through her lashes. “No, Mr. Barrett. That’s not the kind of play I enjoy.”
His eyes darkened just a bit at the breathy quality of her voice, exactly the reaction she’d been aiming for. His hand slid along the bar next to her, until his fingers bumped against hers. Just the briefest touch, but it still set her heart bounding and pussy dripping. She knew all too well what amazing things he could do with those big hands. How rough and how gentle he could be, all at the same time.
His fingers moved back, leaving behind a plastic key card. His room key. She reached out, quickly enveloping the flat plastic beneath her shaking fingers. Her entire body heated as she touched the key. It had been
another long year, a year of waiting, of dreaming, and now it was finally here.
She’d once again be in his bed, beneath those firm hands.
She cast her eyes up to meet his. His dark gaze was focused on her, pinning her beneath his stare. She gripped the bar for support, her ears buzzing and her stomach knotting. But there was no where she’d rather be. She could drown in those dark eyes, be taken over, conquered by him, and never complain for a second.
The corner of his mouth turned up, a motion so small anyone not focused on him would never have seen it. He knew what hold he had over her. And
he liked it.