Writing

Materials Girl: Part 1

/ Short Story, Writing

This is the first part of the short story I wrote for the XPRIZE contest.

Materials Girl

The little animated plane on the seat-back entertainment screen circled San Francisco three times before we were allowed to land. On the ground, my tiny window allowed me a glimpse of an impossibly white main terminal before the plane turned towards a squat building tucked away by itself.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking,” said a calm, authoritative voice. “We ran into a little paperwork problem, but it’s all sorted out now. Sorry for the delay; we’ll get you out of here as quickly as possible.”

When the seatbelt sign went out, I pulled down my carry-on and followed the other passengers out of the plane. At the end of the jet bridge we were met with a double line of people holding placards with names on them.

“What’s going on?” the middle-aged woman in front of me asked the closest uniformed attendant. …

Materials Girl: Part 1Read More »

The New Ending is Finished!

/ Fitness, Life, Writing

Sorry for the radio silence lately. I’ve been cranking through the new ending of Polaris Rising. And I added a lot more words than I expected. With the previous ending, the book was about 97k. Now it’s up to 115k. I hope my editor really was serious about that flexible word count or I’ll have to cut it back down. I love the new ending, but it’s out to my beta readers to make sure I’m not crazy.

In more personal news, I signed up for a half marathon next February. It’s not my first, but it is the first since I lost weight, which means I’d like to set a new personal best. And that means I have to train. …

The New Ending is Finished!Read More »

Approaching 100k

/ Life, Writing

I’ve made it through the first-pass edits for all of Polaris Rising except for the final chapter. The word count currently sits at a little over 98k and I probably have at least another 5k to write. I hope you all like big books. :)

Luckily PR is a science fiction romance, which gives me a little flexibility with the word count. I’ve been given the go-ahead to cross 100k if I need to and it looks like I’m going to need to. It may get pared back down in second round edits, but for now it’s expanding. More Ada and Loch for everyone!

Originally when I wrote the book, I planned for it to be a series of multiple books focusing on Ada and Loch, so the ending was a little open. When my editor suggested we have a new couple each book, that ending had to change. …

Approaching 100kRead More »

Edits, Salt Lake City, and a Book Rec

/ Book Rec, Life, Writing

I’m still deep in edits for Polaris Rising and will be for a while. I know I’m supposed to be all jaded and cynical and tired of looking at it, but I love this book to pieces and I can’t wait for you all to read it. Even reading and revising it for the umpteenth time hasn’t dimmed my enthusiasm.

In other writing news, I sent off my XPRIZE short story, Materials Girl. It clocked in at 3,967 words, just 33 words shy of the 4k limit. Concise I am not. I had a lot of fun writing it, but I’m realistic about my chances of actually winning—let’s politely call them “slim.” :)

Yesterday I spent the day buried in laundry so I will have clean clothes to pack for a business trip to Salt Lake City. I’ve never been, so if you have any recommendations of what to see or where to eat, I’d love to hear them. I won’t have a huge amount of time to sightsee, unfortunately, but I’m going to sneak in what I can.

And finally, today is the release day for Tessa Dare’s The Duchess Deal. First, a disclaimer: I haven’t read it yet. Amazon isn’t delivering my copy until tomorrow and I’m terribly sad about it.

I normally wouldn’t recommend a book I haven’t read, but I love Ms. Dare’s books and I was hooked from the first chapter she posted on her site. I’ve been waiting impatiently for the release date. RT also gave it 4.5 stars and made it a Top Pick. If you like historical romance, you at least owe it to yourself to check out a sample.

Tiny Snippet

/ Snippet, Writing

This week has been awful, so here’s a tiny snippet for your Friday afternoon:

Loch snagged my wrist as I walked past him. With him sitting on the barstool, we were the same height. He usually moved so quickly and quietly that it was easy to overlook his size, but standing next to him, he was a solid wall of muscle.

“Will you give me a judgement-free minute?” I asked him softly.

His expression went guarded but finally he nodded. I stepped closer until I was standing between his legs. Desire lit his eyes. I felt it too, but he was about to be disappointed. I needed this more right now.

Slowly I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head against his shoulder. He froze. After a few seconds, I whispered, “You’re supposed to hug me back.”

His arms came around me like I was made of spun glass. I gave him a little squeeze. “I’m not that fragile,” I said. “Give me a real hug.”

A rough draft excerpt from Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik. All rights reserved. Coming early 2019 from Harper Voyager.