So emotional!

I'm finding that as I write my second book, I am a lot more emotional than I was with the first.  I know it's probably because the storyline is more somber than "Cutting Through" was at the beginning.  I mean I get misty eyed thinking about the prologue, and was wiping tears from my cheeks as I wrote chapter three.  I have thankfully never experienced the type of lose that my characters have faced, so to try to share with you their stories is a challenge.  I'm hoping that having these personal reaction as I write are a sign that I am doing them justice.  I want the reader to feel the pain and heartache that Maggie is going through.  I think it's important that they can connect with her emotionally.  I want my characters to feel like real people, and not just a fictitious cast.  People have said that Janie and Jake were relatable characters, so I'm hoping you'll feel the same way about Maggie and Drew.

Putting it in perspective

If you read my first book, you'll see that I write in the perspective of both the male and female main characters.  I had never read a book like that until just recently when I started reading books like a mad woman last year.  I fell in love with the fact that I knew exactly how both people were feeling and reacting.   As I was writing "Cutting Through" I felt that giving the reader both views from the first person perspective helped them understand the entire relationship between Janie and Jake.  The reader was able to understand them as individuals better and form a connection with both of them.  I think that having both views tells the complete story of their relationship.  I have seen some authors write sequels of a book in a different view, which I guess is a great way to sell more books, but I don't care about that as much as I care about giving the reader a full view into the relationship of the couple.  I am also writing "Back To Me" in the same style.  I hope that my readers enjoy it as much as I do.

So, as I write my newest book, "Back To Me," I find that the story is taking me to a whole new subject that I was not expecting to dive into. My characters are both challenged with the thought of God and the after life and believing that when you die, you are able to remain in the lives of your loved ones.  This is something that I have battled with myself.  I am not a believer in God, but I have been on the fence about where we go after we die.  I love watching shows like Ghost Hunters and believe that a persons energy can stay behind, but I do not believe that there is a heaven or hell.  My sister once told me that she had received a sign from our grandmother that she was safe and happy in heaven with my grandfather and uncle.  I believe my sister had that experience and I believe that my grandmother was able to give her that sign, but I can't explain how she was able to do that, and that is what really disturbs me.  I am one of those people that likes to have solid evidence.  This book should be a very interesting journey for me.  I can't wait!

Fact or Fiction?

A lot of people have asked me in different ways if "Cutting Through" is actually an autobiography.  The answer is NO.  I will admit that there are a few similarities but the story is completely fiction. These are just a few of the questions I know people are dying to have answered!
Did I write the sex scenes from experience? Well, I have had sex, I have  seen a few movies and read a few books, so I guess I have to say yes to that one.
Is my best friend really that much of a bitch? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I love my best friend to pieces.  She has always been my biggest supporter and has put up with so much of my BS, if anything I am the jerk.
Is my mother that mean? No.  My mother, like every mother, can drive me bonkers, and she doesn't always agree with me but I can't imagine she would disown me.
Do I have psychological problems?  Doesn't everyone?
Is my husband Jake? Sometimes I do think my husband is bi-polar, but it hasn't been medically proven. Hahaha. But seriously, no he is not!
I definitely can relate to both Janie and Jake and I'm sure there will be parts of me in Maggie and Drew as well, but my stories are not my own, they are my character's and no one else's.

Let's talk about sex, baby

When I first started letting people read my book, I was really embarrassed about the sex scenes.  But my friend Amelia told me that I needed to treat it as part of my craft.  And she is absolutely right.  I write stories about love and relationships.  Sex is very much a part of that.  I believe that showing how people interact on all levels is very important to showing the dynamics of their relationship.  How someone touches you, kisses you shows a lot about how they feel about you.  What you are willing to allow another person to do to you and how much you trust them is very important.  Being intimate with someone brings you to a vulnerable place, and allows you to move to a new level of your relationship. 
Not everyone is as open to sex and different sexual acts.  I guess that was why I was so shy about it before.  Sex has been taboo for so long.  But we are all human, all needing and wanting to have someone take us to that place of ecstasy.  This is not something we should be ashamed of.  This is something we all do in some way or another.   

It's almost midnight, so I decide that this will be a great time to try and write.  I should just go to sleep, but I know I won't be able to, so why not be productive.  I'm about half way through chapter one.  I'm not really sure where I want to stop it.  I need to introduce the male character, but I'm not sure if I want to do that yet.  Decisions, decisions!  I guess I'll just have to start writing and see where it leads.  I love when I think I know where the story is going and then my characters take me in a whole new direction!