Weekend Writing Warriors – Remembering Her Simon

Posted on June 15, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

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Welcome friends old and new. I’m glad you came. Today, I’m sharing from the second in my Love Projects series, TAKING COURAGE which released on Thursday! You can find all the details here, including my giveaway.

LAST WEEK: Janna’s nerves were on full display because she thought she’d forgotten to tell Simon something. Turns out, it was a pretty important something, especially in the BDSM scene. THIS WEEK: I’ve skipped a couple great parts including a hot part. Oops. Sorry. At this point, Janna has remembered what she forgot to tell him.

“Look at me, pet.”

He knew. She was a cheat, and he knew. Her push of courage had gotten her through the door, but it couldn’t keep her here, not any longer. It was time to face the consequences. She told herself to remember the Simon from the scene, her first ever scene. He would always be her first Dom. She would try not to remember the Dom that was about to dismiss her.

I so wish I could give Janna a hug at his point in the story. Next week, we’ll enter Simon’s POV, but you don’t have to wait. You can pick up your own copy of TAKING COURAGE and find out everything today. 🙂 Also, TAKING CHANCES, the first in the Love Projects series is currently on sale at Evernight Publishing for only 99 cents. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, this is a great time to get your copy.

BLURB:

Janna’s ready to make over her life and get out from under the controlling thumb of her father. She doesn’t want another failed arranged marriage. She’s ready to do whatever it takes for the career she wants, enter the lifestyle she craves, and to earn the trust and love of the man that has captured her heart, but heartbreak and career hiccups seem to be her destiny.

Simon’s still recovering after his last submissive lied her way into his life. He’s not ready for Janna and how she pushes against his prejudices. He needs to decide if he’s willing to lose her or if he’ll fight for her love and submission.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND TAKING COURAGE:

Evernight Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

All Romance eBooks | BookStrand

Thank you so much for visiting me, it means a lot to me that you took the time to visit my little place on the web. Don’t forget to check out the other Weekend Warriors, the Snippet Sunday Facebook Group, and Saturday Spankings too.

ROW80 Check-in #103 Release Day High Jinks

Posted on June 15, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

I’ve survived my third release day. That’s right. Taking Courage, the second in my Love Projects series released on Thursday. Wahoo!

I was definitely better prepared for this release than my previous two, but it was still nuts and I have no idea if I’m doing it right.

Release days for me are filled with all kinds of fun things and many, many steps. I have a check list that I keep adding to which is very helpful. There are some things that gave me headaches with my first release that are now no big deal, like claiming a book as mine once it appears on Amazon or adding the ISBN on Goodreads or hunting down all the buy links or updating all the places on my website that are now out of date…

I’m three days post release and there are still things on my check list to be completed. I desperately want to get back to my WIP, but Taking Courage deserves my time and attention right now.

Here’s to my release list getting done in time to celebrate the anthology that’s releasing this Friday. Yikes in such a good way. 😀

If you want to know more about my new release and enter my giveaway, click here.

The Goals – week-10 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- not done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- considering it done. I may not have worked on the WIP this week, but I did tons of stuff for my release.
Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual, the healthy journey, and daily breaks from technology)- done. I spent time in my garden again this week. I love my backyard. 🙂

What you might have missed here this week:

Inside Look with Cherrie Mack author of The Beginning (Witches Of The Bayou)
Pushin’ Buttons by Em Petrova – The Interview!
Mid Week Tease – Find Your Courage and Take A Chance
Release Day Party for TAKING COURAGE – Love Projects 2

Weekend Writing Warriors – Losing Courage

Posted on June 8, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

Click the logo for the Weekend Writing Warriors blog

Welcome friends old and new. I’m glad you came. Today, I’m sharing from the second in my Love Projects series, TAKING COURAGE which is releasing Thursday! Plus, my cover is below. 😀

LAST WEEK: Janna was looking for someone to escort her into Club Voyage. THIS WEEK: I’ve skipped several pages and some sweet exchanges between Janna and her escort. Janna’s definitely nervous. She’s been planning this night for a long time. Let’s see how she’s doing.

His eyebrows drew tight, and his gaze searched her expression. The cracks in her veneer were no doubt calling out like a warning to this Dom, and she had a lingering feeling she’d already forgotten to tell him something. All the practiced conversation starters jogged around in her head. She couldn’t remember what she’d forgotten. Her belly quivered in unease, and her breathing increased. A metallic taste filled her mouth. She sucked on her lower lip. She’d split it with her worry if she wasn’t careful.

Even those that are best prepared can mess things up. Poor Jenna. Sure hope she can find the courage to go after what she wants.

BLURB:

Janna’s ready to make over her life and get out from under the controlling thumb of her father. She doesn’t want another failed arranged marriage. She’s ready to do whatever it takes for the career she wants, enter the lifestyle she craves, and to earn the trust and love of the man that has captured her heart, but heartbreak and career hiccups seem to be her destiny.

Simon’s still recovering after his last submissive lied her way into his life. He’s not ready for Janna and how she pushes against his prejudices. He needs to decide if he’s willing to lose her or if he’ll fight for her love and submission.

Click here to see my inspiration for TAKING COURAGE on Pinterest.

ROW80 Check-in #102 Behind the Curtain of Summer Vacation

Posted on June 8, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

My boys are now both on summer vacation. If my juggling was difficult before, now it just gets more interesting, especially since my husband’s schedule will get busier and busier.

I may not be packing as many lunches or screaming about how the bus is coming, but the time I find in the morning will get swallowed whole by interruptions and activities during the day.

If I want to keep my forward movement, I’ll need to refresh my anti-distraction skills. I’ll need to be prepared for my small windows of writing time. It’s a skill I’ve been working on, but it’s now sink or swim time.

There’s nothing exciting behind the curtain. It’s simple nose to the grindstone.

The Goals – week-9 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- not done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- not done. Watching your inbox and waiting for your cover to arrive doesn’t count, right? Definitely not done then. I worked on graphics for my upcoming release. Found the lines I want to quote and teasers I want to share. I did finally start a new read through on the WIP and got about 3/4 of the way through or 41 pages. I need to finish my read through and finish the final scene because my cover will arrive and my release day is coming.
Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual, the healthy journey, and daily breaks from technology)- kind of done. I spent time in my garden this week. It gives me an endless supply of peace. So glad I’ve taken the time every year to nurture it. I didn’t however spend anytime on my healthy journey this week and I can tell.

What you might have missed here this week:

Inside Look with Elyzabeth M. Valey and her Naughty Fairy Tales

Inside Look with Ela Stein author of Pleasure Android 7.1 and Love’s Labyrinth

Mid Week Tease – Time to Choose

Weekend Writing Warriors – The Perfect Escort

Posted on June 1, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

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Welcome friends old and new. I’m glad you came. Today, I’m sharing from the second in my Love Projects series, TAKING COURAGE.

LAST WEEK: Janna entered a BDSM club where she’s expected as a guest. She tried to pay attention to the security guard who was reviewing her paperwork when a man entered the club. Once he was identified as a club Master, her thoughts turned all mushy. THIS WEEK: I’ve skipped over a little bit including the note she received from the Mistress responsible for guests at the club. It explained her delay in meeting Janna. The guard speaks first. Enjoy!

“You’ll need to wait here for an escort, unless Master Simon has time to escort you tonight.”

She shoved the note into her purse before it shook and announced her nerves. Her heart stopped mid beat, and she bunched her toes inside her shoes. He was a Master. He’d be perfect. It’s okay if he says no. His wife or girlfriend could be waiting inside. A rejection from a stranger meant nothing. Nothing.

Somebody’s nervous. 😉 So, do you think Master Simon escorts her into the club?

BLURB:

Janna’s ready to make over her life and get out from under the controlling thumb of her father. She doesn’t want another failed arranged marriage. She’s ready to do whatever it takes for the career she wants, enter the lifestyle she craves, and to earn the trust and love of the man that has captured her heart, but heartbreak and career hiccups seem to be her destiny.

Simon’s still recovering after his last submissive lied her way into his life. He’s not ready for Janna and how she pushes against his prejudices. He needs to decide if he’s willing to lose her or if he’ll fight for her love and submission.

Click here to see my inspiration for TAKING COURAGE on Pinterest.

ROW80 Check-in #101 My Writing Process

Posted on June 1, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

My fabulous friend, Julie Glover tagged me in this writing process hop a couple of weeks ago. She has a new release, My Sister’s Demon. Here are links to Goodreads and Amazon. It’s definitely worth checking out. 😀

I did a similar writing process post back in February. It was fun to look back at what I was working on then.

Back then, I was a month away from starting the story that would be accepted into the anthology that’s releasing June 20th! It’s already on Goodreads. Plus, I was also no where near close to having my next release, TAKING COURAGE ready for the send button. Last night, I sent the last set of edits back to my publisher and that story will be releasing very soon.

I can only hope to see just as much progress when I look back at this post a couple months from now.

What am I working on?

Hitting the send/receive button in Outlook hoping my next cover will arrive, lol. I’m working on the final scene in my WIP before I start working on guest posts for my next release.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I love romance and that will always be up front and center in my books. I also enjoy adding a bit of kink to my stories and the D/s relationship hits the spot for me. So far, all of my stories have been about strong career driven women who find their one and only in the middle of their work day. They love their jobs and they’re passionate about their men. Yes, my leading ladies are lucky, but I make them work for each of their happy endings.

Why do I write what I do?

I write what I like to read. It’s that simple. I love hot romances. I love finding broken hearts and gluing them back together. It’s what I do and I love it.

How does my writing process work?

Once the first draft is done, a long series of read throughs begin. The first couple of passes I edit for story arch and then character arch. I usually add several thousand words during these read throughs. The last couple of passes are for sentence structure and anything else I find that I can tighten. Once my betas offer their feedback, it’s back to the read throughs until the manuscripts shines and then I hit send.

I’m mostly a plotter, but I pantsy my way through each book. Until I’m done with that last read through, you never know what I might change.

I’m tagging Denise D. Young, Beth Camp, and Elizabeth Anne Mitchell to continue this writing process hop.

The Goals – week-8 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- done. The plans for my WIP were interrupted on Monday morning when my edits arrived for TAKING COURAGE. It took me four intense days to go through the edits, add to a couple of scenes, add an epilogue, and do one last slow read through. On Friday, I opened my WIP and read through the new scene. Then late yesterday, I received the last set of edits. Did I go to sleep or did I open it? Of course I opened it, lol. It took me no time to go through her latest edits. I reread the passages that worried me and added a word that woke me up in the middle of the night. That one word clarified something in the epilogue. So glad I remembered. Yesterday, I did get back to the WIP. The final scene isn’t done, but it’s close.
Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual, the healthy journey, and daily breaks from technology)- kind of done. It was an intense week. The daily breaks didn’t happen. But, I did see Lucius and The Head and the Heart this week at our local State Theatre. Wow. What a show. They gave me plot bunnies for three books. Amazing. Got to love live music and a midweek date with the hubs.

What you might have missed here this week:

Inside Look with Casey Moss author of Open World (C.O.V.E.N.)

Mid Week Tease – Love Me Now

Weekend Writing Warriors – Love Projects 2!

Posted on May 25, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

Click the logo for the Weekend Writing Warriors blog

I’m back! I’ve so missed being a part of the WeWriWa ritual and I’m excited to be back. I did use my time wisely though and am happy to report I have TWO books coming soon.

Today, I’m sharing from the 2nd in my Love Projects series which is releasing very soon. Here’s the basics: When Janna’s new life threatens to break apart, she must decide if it’s best to run home or to stay and battle for the career and man she doesn’t want to live without.

Janna’s story starts as she enters a BDSM club as a guest. She’s trying to pay attention to the security guard reviewing her paperwork when a man enters the club. Once he’s identified as a club Master, Janna’s brain turns mushy. 😉 In this 8 you’ll see why. Enjoy!

The man stopped next to her, and her ability to play cool faltered. A Master. She took a deep breath and drank him in, starting with his dark boots of luscious black leather. Her gaze took the scenic route along his legs, drank in his firm body, to his broad chest encased in a casual black shirt.

“Can I see your ID?”

She continued her perusal of the Master and found the hard angle of his jaw and stopped at his striking green eyes, which were set directly on her. She couldn’t move. With his look alone, he commanded her attention.

Something tells me Janna has no idea she’s be asked a question. Lol. So, do you think she gets into the club?

ROW80 Check-in #100 Fun with Facebook Parties

Posted on May 25, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

I worked my tuchus off this week. Wow. From the evil day job, last meeting for my volunteer job, kid activities, gardening, edits, and my first ever Facebook party. I was kind of a crazy woman, but it was a whole lot of fun.

Once my edits arrived, during an already busy week, I knew I wouldn’t be able to make progress on the WIP. I accepted it and enjoyed my week. Sure, I’d hoped to have the WIP ready for another beta read by now, but that’s okay. I did promise my WIP I’d attempt to finish its last scene before I started working on guest posts. That’s a promise I’ll need to deliver on this week.

One of the first friends I made on-line when I started this writing journey, Ella Jade, is celebrating her third publishing anniversary this weekend. She’s a fabulous writer and I love her books. They always go on my must read list. She invited me to host an hour of her Facebook party which I did on Friday night. I had several weeks to plan, but right until the last minute, I was still tweaking my posts. I was so nervous. I worried her guests might not care for what I’d planned to share.

What if no one commented on my posts???

I threw my nerves out the window and went for it. Sure enough, people commented and I had a great time. Made several new friends too. Double score!

There in a nut shell has been my experience on this writing journey: nerves ignored and going for it. Not everyone will like my posts or my books and that’s okay. Not everyone is my target reader. I do need to keep putting myself out there so my target readers can find me. I also need to keep studying my craft, and working to put better and better books on the virtual shelves.

Here’s to 100 more check-ins 😀

The Goals – week-7 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- done. No progress on the WIP, but I worked through edits from my editor and I’m almost finished with my last slow read through. (Update!: I finished the read through late last night *I’m dancing* Gosh, I love that story.)
Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual, the healthy journey, and daily breaks from technology)- done. By not stressing about what I wouldn’t be able to get to, I gave myself permission to live in the moment. Queue the happy music.

What you might have missed here this week:

Mid Week Tease – Safety First

My Book Crush with Terran (Breeder 2) by Cara Bristol

ROW80 Check-in #99 Sweet Progress

Posted on May 18, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

>>Click here for the Wicked Nights Giveaway Hop<<

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

How I’ve missed you, sweet sweet progress. The writing bug hit me hard this week. All those days spent with my characters finally got them talking to me again.

I may have started writing their story last summer and left it unfinished for too many months, but I’ve got them back on my side now.

Here’s to proving once again that if you keep working at something, the breakthrough will come.

The Goals – week-6 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- done. I made steady progress on the WIP this week. The first new scene is almost done. I added 1k words.
Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual, the healthy journey, and daily breaks from technology)- mostly done. The workouts didn’t happen this week, but I’ve been working in the yard. Gardening is most definitely a workout and it puts me in my happy peaceful place.

What you might have missed here this week:

Spotlight: The Beta’s Beloved by Rebecca Brochu

Mid Week Tease – Lucky in Love

Wicked Nights Giveaway Hop with all things S.J. Maylee

ROW80 Check-in #98 A Mixed Bag

Posted on May 11, 2014 by S.J. Maylee

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

Happy Mother’s Day. This is the kind of day I plan very little. If the weather permits, I’ll enjoy a family bike ride. I intend to spend most of the day writing and reading. One of my favorite authors released a book this past week, such perfect timing.

As for my progress last week, it was a mixed bag. I had one of those weeks where the evil day job and kids activities took over all my time. Ugh. It’s frustrating, but it happens. My eye is still on the ball though. I spent time with my characters and added to a new scene in the WIP. I’m in a good position to make progress today which I’m definitely hungry for after this crazy week.

So, here’s to all the moms out there, you rock! I hope you have a great day.

The Goals – week-5 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters- done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting- not done.
Take care of and be kind to myself (start w/ a relaxing ritual, the healthy journey, and daily breaks from technology)- kind of done. The workouts didn’t happen this week, but I accomplished the rest on the list.

What you might have missed here this week: