Joining the #ROW80 bandwagon

Hello world! Hello blog.  And a very special hello to #ROW80.  I’ve decided to join you, thanks to Adrian’s encouragement.

I’m one of those people that hate writing goals. I try to go big as a motivational tool like joining NaNoWriMo in November and writing 50k words even though I know I’ll never come close to that, but maybe, just maybe, I’ll come close to like 30k.  But the past two NaNoWriMo’s I’ve done, drama just tends to hit around that time of year, and my writing is pitiful.

I’ve been away for a while.  The drama thing, yeah, the last few months have been that for me.  Depression hit, and I sunk into it pretty deep.  Didn’t write.  Didn’t do much except escape into the world of TV and crying.

Not that all days were bad.  Christmas and New Years were really wonderful.  I have wonderful family.  Wonderful friends.

But I hesitate going too personal here, because that’s not what this post is about.  I’m on the upside of things.  The light is back, and my head is getting back into writing.

My first writing update is that Spellbound has gone into hibernation.  It needs some revamping and re-structuring, and right now, I have to take a break from it.

Which brings me to my goals and ROW80.  My second writing update is that I’m working on my Superman fanfiction I’ve got posted on the site, Will You Be Mine.

I’ve had a few chapters done for a while and kept them in limbo until I had more written and knew no information in those chapters was going to change. So by the end of today, you will see 5 or 6 new chapters loaded.  Hurray!  If you have been following along in the story, I would encourage you to maybe re-read it again, otherwise you might be confused with the new chapters.  It’s a mystery story, so all of the clues build on each other, and if you’ve forgotten things (which I guarantee you that you have because it’s been so long since an update), details might get confusing quickly.

So, my ROW80 goals are:

Write 3 days a week for an hour.  If I write more than an hour, great, and if I write more than 3 times a week, great, but I need my goal small and attainable.  Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday are my days I figure will work best with my schedule to get in an hour.  I’ve promised myself that if I can’t seem to focus at home, I will drive down to McDonald’s and start the hour over there.

I started writing Thursday night.  For an hour, I wrote 752 words.

I wrote Saturday because I had been brainstorming the chapter while at work and it was ready to come out of my fingers.  I wrote 1,357 words, and today I added another 1000 words during edits to get these chapters ready for upload. I spent over an hour Saturday and today.

I want to end this post on some good news.  Tomorrow I am celebrating 7 years of marriage with my wonderful, thoughtful, sensitive, caring, insert-more-sappy-words-here, husband! Wahooooooooo!

I married my best friend, and these 7 years have been a continuing transformation of happiness and love and learning how to be a better person.  They’ve been great, and I look forward to more!!

*edit* Four chapters are now up and live in Will You Be Mine 🙂

Back From the Shadows

Hello blog.  Hello fellow WlPpeteers and readers.

I’m back.  November was the month for writing, and. . . I did abysmally.  I started off strong.  I was keeping to my goal of 1k a day.  And then. . . I can’t really tell you why it didn’t stick.  Life happened, I guess.  Good things. Great things.  Stressful things.  Family things. TV show things.

Lots of things.

Adrian has pushed me to take this writing thing (since it was one of the more laggish ‘things’ that happened in November) more seriously.  I need to.  On a public level, I want to thank her because she has done nothing but believe in me and push me to become better and slap me in the face when I’ve written too much of ‘that’ in my story.  She’s probably gotten after me for much more than that, but I haven’t read those comments yet.  They lie on the horizon of the editing world as soon as I get through all of my beta edits first.  Thank you Adrian.  Your faith in me is touching.  You are a wonderful person, friend, and editor.  Thanks for telling me to suck it up and get moving. That’s a true friend. 😀 You say nice things too, so thank you!!

Amy, you get a shout-out, too.  Your comments and suggestions have been awesome and MUCH appreciated!!

Spellbound is still in the editing process.  Captured is under way, and I had this wonderful plan to have it mostly written by the end of November, and I’ve instead wound up at chapter ten where I feel I am 40% along. I think I shall look into ROW80.  Adrian told me about it, and I think that’s more my style.  Create my own goals and make sure I can measure up to them.  I can do that.

So!  Enough of me blabbing. For the 10th day in the month of December, I am giving you the first ten paragraphs of my revised first chapter of Spellbound.  It’s now a prologue.  I’m curious on your thoughts.

* * * *

Oliver Greenwood took one bite from his corn dog. He savored the crisp, buttery crunch from the batter and bit into the hot dog, juices bathing his tongue. This was one of his favorite snacks to purchase at Harper’s Grove annual fair.  In his mind, there was no other booth to turn to other than Harry Tuftens’ for this traditional staple item.

The man was eighty-three and had spent the past forty-three years perfecting and serving the corn dog.  For some reason Oliver couldn’t fathom, the annual fair was the only time out of the whole year Harry fried this delectable treat.  He never opened a food cart or fast food place despite the years of persistent encouragement from local citizens, Oliver included.  Nicknamed Honey-Gold Harry—doubly titled for the color of the batter once it fried to perfection and for its sweet, honey-like taste—the line for Harry’s booth wound in tight, dizzying circles from sun up to sun down.

Addled with Parkinsons’ Disease for the last ten years and unable to perform the motor functions necessary, Harry’s two sons and their families handled the preparation and cooking. Still, Honey-Gold Harry was there and greeted every customer as each stood hours in line for his product. If ever he came across a corn dog in someone’s hands not meeting his rigorous standards, that person got another corn dog and their money back.

It was the story Oliver planned to use for his college entrance resume.  Camera slung around his neck, he’d captured some beautiful photos.  One of his favorite was of Honey-Gold Harry—his dark brown, aged and wrinkled face lit up in a dazzling smile—hunched over, handing a corn dog to a delighted four-year-old girl whose arm stretched up with wide-splayed fingers eager to grab her very first HoneyGold corn dog.

He could envision the acceptance letters already pouring in with the picture front lining his article.

For the moment, Oliver was taking a break from interviewing Harry’s family members and enjoying his second free corn dog, offered in courtesy for the article not only used for his college entrance, but that would also print in Sunday’s morning paper.

It was a warm seventy-two degrees outside with a slight crosswind tickling the hairs on the back of Oliver’s neck.  It sent pleasant shivers down his spine as he tapped his foot to lively entertainment onstage from the Cornrow Brothers.

Golden rays from the setting sun stretched behind the backdrop of the stage, allowing Oliver to take off his sunglasses.  He glimpsed gorgeous, red-haired Sharon up ahead laughing with her friends.  Maybe he should finally get up the nerve to go and talk to her.  They were seniors in high school, now.  Practically adults.  Prom was coming up and—

From up on stage, high frequency blasted through the speakers at a coma-inducing pitch. Oliver dropped his corn dog on the flattened mound of grass to clutch at his ears.  He watched Sharon lift her hands at the same moment, and from his peripheral, he glimpsed the rest of the crowd likewise covering their ears.  They were no longer laughing and smiling, but grimacing at the malfunctioning whine, expressions filled with alarm.

The four band members of Cornrow Brothers also stopped playing and mimicked the crowd, their sound reduction earpieces seeming to prove ineffective.

* * * *

K.L. Schwengel is the lovely host of this weekly event.  Many thanks to her for keeping this a livelihood and a ‘thing’ for Wednesday entertainment.

Spooky Looky had a Cookie… on WIPpet Wednesday

Hello!  Sorry I missed last week.  I completely spaced it because of personal circumstances. Thanks to Adrian’s reminder, I made it this week! (Yeah, I really am that forgetful)

As for the title, who is Spooky Looky, you might ask.  Well, I don’t know, but she has a cookie, and that has made her very happy.  A warm, chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven.

*wipes away drool*

Ahem.  Anyway.

I feel a little like I’m cheating for this week because I’ve written squat for more than a few weeks.  I’m battling motivation and myself and a contentment to come home and just chill.  You know, not really do anything.  I NEED NaNo WriMo because my writing mojo is clearly in the toilet.  So…. my goal before November is to do the editing my beta readers and editor have given me on Spellbound so that way the month is clear to work on the sequel, Captured.

For the 14th day in the 10th month of the year I present from chapter 14 of Spellbound 10 small paragraphs.  We are in Kelsey’s POV at the Outpost, the command center for the Defenders.  Kota is their ‘trusty robot,’ which name had previously been Beta, but I changed it.

* * * *

“Hey.”

Kelsey jumped and let out a squeak, so deeply absorbed in watching Kota that she hadn’t heard Yoko approach.   “Holy Moses, I didn’t hear you,” she breathed, clutching at her chest.

Yoko’s mouth twitched, but she chose not to reply. Instead, she nodded toward Kota and asked, “He’s still humming ‘Thriller?’ I’ve never met anyone so obsessed with Michael Jackson as he is.”

If Kota heard Yoko, he gave no indication. His shoulders moved up and down in chorus with his head to the song’s rhythm. He was now singing softly to himself, seemingly oblivious to all around.

Kelsey smirked. “Yeah.”  The downward tone in her voice caused Yoko to turn a sharp eye, one eyebrow rising in silent question.  Kelsey met her comrade’s inquiring gaze; Yoko had a knack for sensing when something was off.

Kelsey swallowed a sudden lump that had chosen to build, forcing it down. “Is he up yet?”

Yoko’s gaze fell in understanding.

Zeke.

She shook her head. “No, but Yuna just checked his vitals. They’re getting stronger.  She’ll be out in a minute once she’s freshened up.”  The Yellow Defender’s dark eyes studied Kelsey carefully; she tilted her head.  “Are you sure you don’t want to see him? I’ve told you, there isn’t any blood on him and—”

The Purple Defender shook her head. “No.”  Her tone was final.

* * * *

Please be gracious and check our fabulous host KL Schwengel and the fun shenanigans she unleashes on her page, and hop on over to check out the other WIPpeteers and their imaginations.  You can join in.  WIPpet Wednesday is all about sharing your Work In Progress and corresponding it with the date somehow.

*snarf* WIPpet Wednesday!

Fellow greetings on this lovely WIPpet Wednesday!  My apologies for missing last week.  At this point, know that there are some weeks I will be joining, and other weeks I won’t.  I’m sort of struggling with this little thing called Motivation (and giving an excess of the word LAZY).  I haven’t been writing a whole lot lately.  What I HAVE been good at, however, is keeping up with the beta edits on Spellbound because I’m very excited to see it progressing and I love the feeling that comes with knowing it’s that much closer to becoming better.  My cover is nearing the final stages of completion! SOOOOO incredibly excited!!!  I have hopes that I can release this at the beginning of the year, but it all depends on the editing process.  Don’t want to rush it.

I NEED NanoWrimo in November.  I NEED to write.  If I am successful at placing that as priority, than my WIPpet Wednesdays may be… well, they may not happen at all.  I will post some regular updates, but I hope you understand, I need to kick myself in the butt and dedicate more of my time to writing.  I’m just not doing it.  I could give excuses.  I HAVE excuses.

Time to not let excuses get the better of me. I will need accountability!

Now, onto WIPpet Wednesday.  It’s October 1st!!!! I love the month of October!  I love Halloween, wearing Halloween, decorating for Halloween, staring at Halloween things, watching Halloween movies…. I CANNOT overuse the word Halloween.  Nope.  Nu-uh.  Halloween is dah bomb!

It’s the tenth month of the year, first day of the month.  10-1=9, but a Zombie threw their rib bone at the nine, and it stuck to the bottom making it look like a disoriented 8.  I give you 8 paragraphs.

Oh!  Important change.  You know how I’ve used Minions for some of Akira’s army?  Yeah, the betas agreed it was too confusing between capitalizing and not-capitalizing.  They are now Grimlings.  Terry, James, and two other people just got done with a Grimling attack.  Introducing Aaron, the construction worker, and Officer Avery of the police force.

* * * *

Terry grabbed James’ shoulder, asking with a pointed gaze, “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Nothing more than a bruised ego, James thought sourly.  Out of the four people in the park, the only Defender present had been taken down five seconds into the attack.  Shame burned the tips of his ears. A few self-incriminating thoughts came to mind, but they halted as he realized the concern burning through Terry’s gaze.  Warm tendrils slithered through his skin, starting at the shoulder where Terry’s hand touched, all the way down to—

“I’m cool.” James shrugged out of Terry’s grip before he lost self-control.

Terry’s dark eyes flickered with surprise, and then widened in understanding. The concern was a touch too intimate. A faint blush tinted his cheeks, and he lowered his arm, looking awkward and tense.

“Wow, mushy moment here,” the construction worker commented.

James turned with a stiff twist and seized the moment of distraction. He tipped his head back in greeting and pointed to the object in the man’s hand.  “You were wicked smooth with that pipe there.”

The man’s freckled face spread into a toothy grin. The twilight of dusk highlighted his wavy red hair, fussed and windswept from the fight. He held up the metal pipe in presentation. “I never go anywhere without She-Ra.”

There was a small beat of silence before Officer Avery snorted. “She-Ra? Like from He-man?”

* * * *

Fellow readers, please check out the other awesome WIPpeteers, not to mention the fabulous K.L. Schwengel, our voracious hospitable host.

It’s WIPpet time, yaaay!

Hello!  I am working on a few brain cells left, so this will be a short and sweet post.  I was absent last week from WIPpet not because I forgot (which happens a lot), but because it was a busy week!  I went to Comic Con and met the Green Power Ranger, Jason David Frank, and Barbara Eden, who played Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie.

Meeting the two of them was very fulfilling and extremely memorable for me.  I had the courage to talk to Jason David Frank about my book, and that felt more gratifying than words can express (shocking, right?)

After that, the hubby and I took the weekend to drive and attend fellow WIPpeteer Adrian for her wedding.  It was a really nice ceremony, and many congratulations and warm fuzzies for the sweet man she found to share lots of geek-filled years with.

For the WIPpet, I chose to let the date speak for me.  As the 10th day, I turned to the 10th chapter, 10th paragraph down.  Because of things that happen in it, I feel comfortable sharing only one paragraph.  So sweet and short!  The ‘her’ that is referred to in the excerpt is Akira, my villainess.

* * * *

When the Dark Defender had returned from his mission at the Outpost, he hadn’t expected to find her working where she stood now.  He’d seen the fatigue and strain in her body and wanted to demand she let herself rest and recuperate, but instead, he’d received a tongue-lashing for showing up empty-handed.

* * * *

Be sure to stop by K.L. Schwengel’s site.  She is our generes hostess for WIPpet Wednesdays.  The other WIPpeteers will keep you entertained with their various pieces, so check them out, too 🙂

Home Cleaning and a WIPpet

Hello all! 

OH! OH! Guess what?  If you’ll recall, I had the whole bed bug issue during July.  That mess has been cleaned up and our apartment has never looked better, and after pest control came, no new bites or signs of unwanted crawlies.  We’ve done some bed shopping, and today it finally arrived.  Yaaaaaay!!  A new Cal King is set up in our place.  I’m very excited to fall asleep tonight and not feel the hubby’s weight rolling me toward the middle of the bed.  Funny how the past two weeks, as I’ve been waiting for the new bed’s arrival, that little detail just seemed to POP and it was all I could feel when coming to bed was gravity pushing me toward him…. Anyway, the new bedspread and new curtains and new angle in which the bed is set up makes everything feel fresh and new and exciting!  And seeing a clean room feels GREAT. 

Moving on, I feel I owe you WIPpeteers an apology because I have not been good to read many of your WIpets.  That doesn’t sit well with me, and in truth, it’s why I am a little inconsistent with posting a WIPpet every Wednesday.  If I feel I am not able/willing/what-have-you to commit the time to reading your WIPpets, I feel it is improper for me to post one.  Which is why I am apologizing, because when I post and DON’T get around to the other WIPpets, it brings on the guilt wagon.

I hope you’ll forgive me. 

And to entice you, I have a little surprise. 

Meet Akira, my villain from ‘Spellbound!’

Akira!

Ta-da!!  What do you think, huh? huh? huh?

For today’s WIP, I let the month help me choose what to give you guys.  I don’t have 27 chapters in my book to correspond with the day, so I went for month instead.  From chapter 8, I counted 27 paragraphs down, and that was a one-line piece of dialogue.  So, I counted 8 paragraphs above that, and this is what I present you with.  The scene is with the Defenders in Yoko’s POV, and she and her team mates are looking for their leader, James, who has gone missing.  

* * * *

Yoko shivered.

An ambush. . .   

What happened?

Shifting closer to Robert, Yoko watched him fiddle with his com unit.  

Not only was James not responding, but also, nor was Beta. 

That was highly unusual for Gordon’s trusty robot.  He was the Outpost’s informant, always there to respond at a moment’s notice.  Beta assisted Gordon in gathering data from the computers or addressing inquiries as well as tactical and geographical intelligence.  Beta’s silence was a first, which did not sit well with Yoko and Robert. The two of them exchanged worried expressions. 

Yoko pressed a button at the ear of her helmet, activating the communication link between com unit and the Outpost.  “Gordon, Beta nor James is responding.  What is your position?”

The Yellow and Gray Defenders waited for their commander to issue a reply, but static silence remained on the other end. Yoko could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise through the fabric of her uniform.

* * * *

For those who are reading who aren’t of the WIPpeteer clan, do forgive me.  I love that you are reading this! Thanks for stopping by my little space of internet clutter.  If you’ve got more time, stop on by to read some other Works In Progress with some fab authors of WIPpet Wednesday fun.  K.L. Schwengel hosts this weekly stew of words, and if you click on the link, you’ll see what tasty ingredients other authors add to this mix.

Happy reading all!

Dun, dun, duuuuun!!!

It’s the 13th, and it’s WIPpet Wednesday.  To me, I want to treat this as if it was the creepy Friday the 13th in the WIPpet world.  Sooooo…. I’m cutting right to the chase!  I’m giving you a creepy excerpt.  If you are squeamish, I give you warning.  For WIPpet math, 1+3=4, so I’m giving 4 paragraphs and a bonus line, because really, the last two ‘paragraphs’ are one liners of dialogue. 

* * * *

Kelsey gave the punching bag one last solid blow, placing a large dent into the cracked, red leather.  She grinned.  Man, she was good!  Using her forearm to wipe off the beads of sweat along her brow, Kelsey set about removing the boxing gloves from her hands, but something caught her eye.  Looking up, the cracks in the leather bag had bloomed and flowered, and from them trickled red streams of what looked like blood. 

Horrified, Kelsey stood there and watched the stream turn into torrents, the leather cracks widening until they splintered open.  From within the bag’s depths fell Zeke, his battered Blue Defender uniform drenched in blood.  Kelsey screamed while reaching out to catch him, but with her hands still encased in the gloves, all that resulted was Zeke falling on top of her, the both of them tumbling down onto the Outpost’s floor.

While blood continued to pour out around them, Kelsey scrambled to push Zeke’s damaged body off her, but the gloves on her hands prevented any reasonable progress. She lifted an arm to her mouth so she could bite into the glove and release her hand, but instead red liquid filled her mouth. Zeke’s blood.  She let out a loud shriek and called to the others for help, but the only one to appear was the Dark Defender.  He was a mere five feet away, laughing maliciously and drawing nearer, his scythe blade drawn—

“Kelsey!  Wake up!”

“Aaahh!” Kelsey yelled, flailing her arms wildly. 

* * * *

Teehehehe, there you go 🙂  Hope that was some good suspense for ya. 

Sorry I missed last week, but in retrospect, it was good that I did.  The week became more busy and I wouldn’t have gotten around to reading any of the other WIPpets, which was something that happened the previous week, too.  I’m sorry!  😦 

KL Schwengel is fabulous, and so are the rest of the awesome WIPpeteers!  Go check them out here!

Bed bugs and WIPpet Wednesday

Hello!  I’ve been absent for a few weeks.  It’s been kind of a crazy life for me this month, and most particularly, this past week and a half.  Long story short, I have bed bugs.  If you are facebook friends with me, you’ve seen all of my posts about it (speaking of facebook, I notice that I do a much better job of keeping my personal page fun and engaging and active.  But, well, I forget about the author page.  I’m not doing so well at keeping the two separate.  Especially since my WIPpet friends are friends with me on my personal page, and well… I like the functions of my personal page better than my author page. /end long tangent). 

I live in an apartment and we’re getting bug bombed on Thursday, or whatever it is Pest Control does to get rid of bed bugs.  We are also getting a new bed after that fact, for two reasons. 1) we’ve had our current bed for 10 years, and we’ve been talking about upgrading to a California King the past year anyway, and 2) the bed isn’t going to cost us anything.  We lucked out with an awesome person helping us out. 

WIPpeteers, I’m in debate about what to show you.  You see, my first book, Spellbound, is still in the editing process and getting reviewed by other betas, and in my mind, it’s still a WIP.  The one that I am actively working on is the second book, Captured.  And. . . well, I dive right into issues on the second book.  Issues that I feel would be spoilers because you haven’t read the first book.  I want to protect those spoilers. 

I hope you don’t mind terribly if I continue to give you WIP’s from Spellbound, the first book. To help me figure out what to share, I utilized WIPpet math!  Today is the 7th month and the 30th day.  7+3+0=10.  From chapter 10, I give you 7 sentences because the year, 2+0+1+4=7.  And, um… yeah, I’m not going to explain anything.  *grins* 

* * * *

James stood in front of the large window, keeping himself a safe distance away from the dangerous voltaic golden bars, staring out at the vastness of space.  For a while he, Aaron, and Avery had lost themselves to the view.  While they remained unhappy with their confinement, they had agreed it seemed unwise to pursue an aggressive search for escape.  In here, there was air, which felt a miraculous gift while gazing out upon the void of outer space where such a thing did not exist.  So they gave themselves permission to enjoy the closest view they would probably ever come to the star-crossed belly of the universe.

                He had no way of telling time, but it felt like several hours had now passed. Aaron and Avery had long ago fallen asleep, their prostrate forms barely visible across the cell as the gray-white mist swirled about them hovering like a soft, thick blanket. 

* * * *

There you go!  We’ve had some awesome WIPpeteers join the ranks lately! K.L. Schwengel, you do bomb!!  Due to the rising numbers, I apologize if I don’t get around to everyone.  After the bug bombing, there’s clean-up involved…

Oh, one more piece of information.  Tune in next week.  I’ll be revealing Akira’s villain portrait to you!!

Late to the Party

Thanks to Adrian, I may be late to WIPpet Wednesday posting, but thanks to her, I didn’t completely forget and allow laziness to tell me “oops, well… too late.  Next week!”  So thanks Adrian for slapping me with force giving me a polite reminder about Wednesday.

Guess what!! A few Wednesdays ago, I mentioned something about showing you my Defenders.  Well… *unveils the curtain behind the portrait*

Behold, the Dark Defender!

Ta-Da!!

Who’s the Dark Defender?  Yeah, I’m not gonna tell you.  But I’m gonna give you 8 short paragraphs.  It’s the 9th day, but I’m denying another paragraph because it gives more away than I want to, and believe me, unveiling the Dark Defender is kind of big.  Enjoy! 

* * * *

The Dark Defender tilted his chin upward in greeting.  “Lookie lookie, thought I might find you here.  Jumping into the party a little early before the battle, aren’t you?”

Goldore’s black eyes narrowed.  “Run off, human.  The Empress’ army is more than enough to cause chaos without the Defenders around.  They are powerless and—”

“Yeah, that’s sort of the thing, though,” the Dark Defender interrupted.  “The Defenders are out there.  They got their power back.”  He felt grim satisfaction as Goldore’s eyes widened in surprise. He hid a smile and continued on, keeping his expression grave.  “I’ve sent half of the Minions and Golems to break into the Outpost because the other half are getting torn apart.  Kind of need some backup, but if you don’t give a shit about our Empress taking over Harper’s Grove—”

“YOU FOOL!” Goldore roared, stomping his cloven feet so hard the floor shook.  The Minotaur’s dark nostrils flared with indignation.  “YOU HAVE RUINED EVERYTHING!  AKIRA SHOULD NEVER HAVE TRUSTED A HUMAN TO PERFORM AN OPERATION OF THIS MAGNITUDE—”

“Then get the hell out there and FIX IT!” The Dark Defender yelled in kind.  “You obviously thought I could handle it, too if you thought you could stay here and play!”

Goldore let out a great roar, his nostrils flaring as white puffs blew out from them.  “I SHALL RIP YOU APART IF THIS FAILS!” 

There was a flash of green light, and Goldore was gone.

Amid the sudden quiet, the Dark Defender let out a contented sigh, smiling.  “Much better!” He rested his gaze on the Red Defender.  “So,” he said, bright and cheerful.  “Guess it’s just you and me now, Red.”

* * * *

Thanks for hosting K.L. Schwengel!  Go check out the other WIPpeteers and their awesome work!

 

Holy WIPpet Wednesday, Batman!

Hello fellow WIPpeteers! I missed last week.  It wasn’t intentional, but I forgot to prep for it the night before, and then on Wednesday I ended up working a double shift because a coworker called in.  I would have almost forgotten about it again, but as I worked on editing and chatted with the facebook Virtual Write-In group, Amy Mitchell mentioned working on her WIP.

Thank you Amy!  Bless you for remembering!

Round two of edits has been completed with Spellbound, so now it is off for Beta reading.  Their comments and suggestions are what I have been working on today, and the piece that I am including is a scene addition to help with character development.  I present to you a new character, Yoko Wong.  She is friends with James and also works at Artie’s gym. I give you two paragraphs and a bonus two sentences for July 2nd.

* * * *

Yoko placed the phone back on the receiver and rubbed at her eyes. Parents could be so infuriating.

I’m sorry we had to cancel swim class tonight, ma’am. . . Yes, I understand how inconvenient it is to receive such short notice. . . No, the pool did not plan to close, but a child defecated in the water so we need to clean it. It will remain closed the rest of the evening. . . I understand.  Once again, I’m sorry about the inconvenience.  I know that you paid for the lesson but I promise that your money will not go to waste.  Your child will still get the proper amount of swim lessons you paid for. . . No, I don’t know which child defecated in the pool. . . No, we don’t plan to investigate, but the situation is under control and the pool will be properly cleaned and sanitized.  It will re-open tomorrow.

Yoko sighed.  She called ten parents in the last half hour, each of them asking the same variation of questions.  All but two of them were polite and understanding.  The first grumpy parent was a father who merely snorted unintelligible noise, but the mother she just finished speaking with had acted as if the poop landed in her own backyard.

* * * *

I want to get personal for a moment, if I may.  I’m happy.  Remember that thing called anxiety and depression I mentioned a while ago?  It was like, six months ago.

I’m happy.

It’s a simple word, but it has profound meaning.  The medication I am on has allowed me to open and blossom into this more self-confident, self-loving person.  I’m more patient.  I’m more laid back.  I’m quicker to laugh, and I just feel good inside.

This year has been a wonderful climb toward discovering more about myself.  It’s been a year of finding things about myself to love.  That’s been really hard to do all of my life, to focus on the good aspects about me. I dwell on the weakest points so often.

So I want you to know something.  Happiness is possible out there. It’s hard.  It’s something you have to seek.  It takes work.

But it’s possible. It’s weird to think that medication helps me so that I can feel it more genuinely.  Somehow, that should be an oxy moron.  *shrug*  It’s true, though, and I thank God for it.  I prayed for his help. I feel that He gave it.

Thanks for bearing through the mushy-ness.  I put it after the WIPpet in case anyone who wasn’t interested didn’t have to read through it. I don’t post on this blog except to do WIPpets, something I need to change, so you got this message mixed in.

Thanks K.L. Schwengel for hosting this WIPpet Wednesday of fun, and please, go check out the other WIPpeteers at the link.  You can join, too!  It’s no exclusive group 🙂