Developmental Edits and Kisses :)

Hi, everybody!

I'm finishing phase 2 of A Season to Dance developmental edits. Talk about hard work! We looked at plot structure, character development, motivation, theme, premise, symbolism, tension, pacing, dialogues, everything.

The result? Major headaches and significant sleep deprivation, but also a much better book. When I finished phase 1 in April, I cried for days because I realized A Season is exactly the kind of book I dreamed of writing one day. I'm still so in love with the story of Ana. Can't wait to share the whole thing with you guys in May of 2017.

Here's a surprise from the process: I guess I write good kisses :) My general editor, Marisa Deshaies, said: "And speaking of romance--you have written some of the best sweet yet steamy kissing scenes I've ever read! Wow!"

 

Here's the text they were talking about in the picture. I hesitate to share it because without the context and the building tension it won't be as effective, but I'm so happy I'm doing this right that I just had to share. And it's summer. Let's start with a kiss!

Background: Professional dancers Ana and Claus are dancing Romeo & Juliet in Georgia. They were in love in their teens, but things didn't work out. Now they are all grown up and performing together in one of the opening chapters of the novel. 

Kiss:

We met center stage precisely as we’d practiced. My hand reached for his, and I placed it over my heart. Did defibrillators go higher than three sixty? Claus’s hands did. Zap.

Both our chests rose and fell with deep breaths. I exhaled heard—it was time to show off a little. More triple turns? Absolutely.

We finished dancing for each other, and Claus buried his face in the hem of my nightgown. It’s all too much for Juliet, and she tries to run. Romeo grabs her hand, bringing her back to him.

Claus’s lips were six inches from mine. I rolled up onto the tips of my toes, meeting his height. He was supposed to close the gap, but he pulled me in instead—his fingers under my chin.

That wasn’t Romeo kissing Juliet. That was Claus. That was Claus kissing me. What was he doing?

The mixture of excitement and hesitation in my reaction seemed to ignite a fire in him. He was supposed to have his hand behind my back, barely touching me, his arms framing us.

But I felt the pressure of his hands and moaned against my will. His lips parted. Salty sweat, together. Heartbeats, together. Heat, together. Two became one.

By the time he let go, I didn’t have to pretend to be dizzy. I pulled away and ran up to the balcony. What had just happened?

Forget about coming back for the final pose. I was supposed to get down on the edge of the balcony and reach for him. But I left him waiting for me to appear one more time and hid behind the curtains instead. I covered my heart with both hands, and heard the audience explode in cheers and shouts.

HAPPY SUMMER! :)

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Can't wait! :)

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It's almost time for this year's conference!

#ACFW2016

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You Love Your Facebook Page—Let Your Fans Love It, Too: Boost That Post

For the International Christian Fiction Writers Blog

So much has changed in my life since my last post. My husband retired from the U.S. Army, and I have a day job for the first time in 10 years. I'm back in civil service, writing and editing for the Army like I used to (before my very long baby break). Because that wasn't enough change, we also moved to a different house, a house with treesa luxury in the El Paso desert. And my car of 16 years gave up on me, so I have a new car, too.

What does any of that have to do with Facebook? One thing: If I'm busy writing about Facebook, I'm not thinking about how scared I am about all that's changing and about my struggle to cope with it. If you're someplace similar, here's a great sermon from my pastor: The Survivor's Guide to the Wilderness. It's the first sermon in this Numbers series, at the bottom of the page.

Enough front matter. Here we go. A bona fide Facebook post. If you want to see a lot of activity on your Facebook author page, post often, boost your posts, and make sure your posts are uniquely yours (brand) and fun to share. Read more.

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New Job = New Car! Meet Vitamin C :)

Not sure about the song :/ lol...

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Isn't it always A Season to Dance?

Mark Olich Photo

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Thinking about The Song of the Desert Willow...

#‎DutyHonorCountry‬ - U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Vito T. Bryant.

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#WritersLife

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#Truth

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