How do you write a feeling?
But seriously?
How do you portray a feeling?
The feeling your favorite song gives you when hear it on the radio.
The feeling you get when you wake up to the sound of the rain.
The feeling you get when you see a perfect scene on your favorite tv show.
The feeling of the world crashing down on you.
The feeling of the world picking you up off the floor when you needed it most.
The feeling of your chest tightening and butterflies chasing away any feeling of normal away from you.
How do you write a book that portrays it all?
I mean... I've read it. I've felt it. I've seen it.
But, how do I write it?
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
In Between Dreams Playlist
Hi all,
It's been a loooong time. I've had a busy year. But, I thought I'd share with you my In Between Dreams playlist. I have a couple things in the works and I can't wait to share them with you. But, until then, here's this to keep you company while you're reading:
Friday, October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween, dreamers!
Halloween has been my favorite holiday for a long time now. And who doesn't love it? It's all inclusive. You don't have to dress up to enjoy a pumpkin flavored donut. Or, if that's not your thing, you can carve pumpkins and eat candy. Or watch scary movies. Or watch funny movies. Or at the very least, watch Hocus Pocus. Because, that movie is still legitimate.
I'm so happy I get to share this holiday with two new, and very important things in my life.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Kindles are for lovers
In Between Dreams is on Kindle and I'm very excited about it.
Don't you just love kindle? E-books are my favorite for these reasons.
1) Instant reading.
2) All your books in one place.
3) I can take it everywhere.
I have a paperwhite, which is like a picture of great battery life and the back light on it is awesome because it doesn't wake my husband up when he's sleeping and I'm reading.
But, in general, reading on my kindle is my second favorite thing to do, behind writing.
So, I'm SO HAPPY that In Between Dreams is available on my favorite platform for reading.
Buy it here.
Monday, October 20, 2014
In Between Dreams - Prologue
Below is the prologue for my novel that was published October 16th, 2014. So happy and excited to share these words with you.
prologue.
The girl’s breathing was heavy. She tried to hide it from her solemn yet attentive driver. The driver’s eyes shifted from the road to the rearview mirror, and he squinted slightly, examining the girl. She acted her normal timid self. She kept her expression calm as she looked out the window at the evening rain, as if it were any other day. The car came to a swift halt. The driver let out a series of sounds and sentences denoting his annoyance at being delayed. His boss didn’t like unscheduled delays, no matter what the cause.
The driver made a final grunt, mumbled for the girl to stay put, and got out of the car. She took a deep breath while looking out the window, seeing a man she had only seen once before, the one who told her the plan. He stood in the shadows of the alley across the street. The driver was arguing with a man whose car had stalled and blocked his path. The man was refusing to push the car to the side of the road.
She quickly took off her jacket, placed it on the seat, and removed a black hoodie from her bag. She pulled it over her head in one swift motion. Once it was in place, she softly opened the door to the town car, praying it wouldn’t creak. She slipped through the smallest opening she could manage. She was a small girl, so it wasn’t too difficult. She looked behind her at her driver, still arguing with the man, who, to her luck, stood strategically so her driver couldn’t easily see her slip away. She crouched down and ran toward the man in the alley. Daniel, who was now her tall Australian savior.
Just as she got to Daniel, she heard a voice. It was her driver yelling for her to stop, and he was advancing on the two of them while reaching for his weapon, which had been holstered at the small of his back.
Daniel spun the girl around, placing his body between her and the driver, and fired his silenced
Beretta into the man’s leg. Daniel grabbed the girl by the arm and abruptly turned to leave. Daniel heard the scream from his target, and a shot struck the window of the open car door, creating a spiderweb effect in the thick bulletproof glass.
The couple ran into the twilight of the evening streets, hearing shouts and sounds of panic from the onlookers.
A couple blocks away, Bailey heard what sounded like the backfire of a car followed by screams and loud voices. Not unusual for Hong Kong but unnerving nonetheless. Bailey pulled at her long dark hair furiously, nervously. She looked down the street. It was getting darker quickly. The fog was increasing, and light rain continued to fall. She strained her eyes to see if she could spot Daniel coming from any direction. He was late. Bailey was fighting to stay calm and focused. As each second passed, Bailey became more and more concerned.
Daniel had asked her to wait in this exact spot for him. He was picking up their “client.” She hadn’t moved a muscle, the seriousness in his tone let her know it was important for her to stay put. She knew they might need to rush as they met up, so she stayed alert. She could feel dampness on her brow either from the rain or sweat from her constant stress.
Cars drove past her, swishing the water around as they drove. A chill ran up Bailey’s spine as a rain-soaked breeze hit her face. She saw Daniel jogging toward her, tugging along with him a small female who was running to keep up. Bailey blinked a couple times to make sure she saw her correctly. The girl was dressed head to toe in black and hunched over to hide her face. As they got closer, Bailey saw what little of the girl’s face that was shown. Her eyes looked crazed, terrified.
Bailey gulped and backed up as they came bolting toward her. Daniel checked his weapon. He cocked a round into the chamber, gently relaxing the hammer into the revolver.
“Bailey,” Daniel called for her, his Australian accent filled the streets, making everyone seem to turn his way.
“What’s next?” Bailey asked frantically.
“We have to keep moving,” Daniel said in a rough voice, pushing Bailey to jog alongside them. Daniel looked over his shoulder scanning for any suspicious activity. The young girl was obviously terrified, saying something over and over again in a language Bailey didn’t understand.
“We need a translator. We need Sam,” Bailey whispered under her breath. Daniel didn’t like Sam and didn’t appreciate his role on the team. There was more to Daniel and Sam’s relationship than a typical one between enforcer and translator.
Daniel’s disdain for Sam came through loud and clear, even in a moment of intensity. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch; he’ll be at the hotel,” Daniel said gruffly. “You take the girl. See if you can get her calm enough to get through the hotel lobby.”
“Which hotel?” Bailey asked. She still had no idea of which safe house they were going to use in this mission, and it put her on edge. She was aggravated and nervous all at once. They rounded the corner, an Americanized hotel came into view across the street. It was the only building with English and Chinese lettering on it. Hong Kong Embassy. Bailey put her arm around the small girl and motioned for her to duck under her arm. The small girl did as Bailey had mimed, and Daniel walked in with them. Daniel followed closely behind, stopping briefly to make sure they weren’t followed.
They walked straight to the elevator. Daniel put on his handsome smile to the woman at the front desk to avoid the clerk examining Bailey and the girl. The clerk smiled back at Daniel and twirled the end of her hair flirtatiously. Bailey continued to comfort their new young companion. A surprising
twinge of jealousy sparked in her stomach. She swallowed it down, slowly, like it was bile coming up in her throat.
Once Daniel finished flirting with the desk clerk, the trio filed into the elevator, and Daniel pushed the top button. As the door closed, he waved at the receptionist, who still had her eyes glued on him. When the door closed and she was out of view, he put his arm around the young girl. The girl looked up at Daniel, her eyes filled with tears.
Bailey had the strong urge to hug her. She didn’t know the girl, but she knew she needed comforting.
Bailey moved her hand from the girl’s arm to her shoulder, grazing Daniel’s hand accidentally. Daniel pulled his arm quickly back. The girl moved closer to Bailey, without hesitation, wrapping her arms around her. The girl sunk into Bailey, her wet tears soaking into Bailey’s shirt. Bailey looked up at Daniel, her eyes full of concern and wonder about the future of the mission all at the same time.
“This is Mei,” Daniel said softly as the elevator crawled to the top floor. “The niece of the leader of the largest Triad in Hong Kong.”
Want to read more? Click here to order the novel.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Dreams of Loneliness: The Project
In Between Dreams, for about a year and a half, was named Dreams of Loneliness.
I was a little bit obsessed with Fleetwood Mac at the time, specifically the song Dreams, which appears in the novel more than once.Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Dreams of Loneliness
So, the name of the book was Dreams of Loneliness, and though it vaguely reflects the book -- it didn't quite fit. (Though, I wanted it to. So badly.) Because Bailey, our heroine, is not lonely in her dreams. Though her life (because of her sleeping disorder) can be a very lonely existence, her dreams aren't lonely.
So, I scrapped the title and went for something new. For months I searched and searched for a new title. Scouring high and low and talking to everyone I met. Because what the bleep was I going to call this book? This book I had worked on endlessly. This book I had scarified my marriage and the ability to watch my favorite TV shows. It would never have a name. Because nothing fit.
In Between Book Covers
Got the book cover back. Thoughts? Feelings? Utter Dislike and hate for it entirely? I want to know.
I'm so excited to share this story with you. Click below for a little snippet of what you'll be able to read about it on Amazon.
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