And other writing goals…

So I did it. I completed Hart’s Betrayal.

Final Word Count: 113,813

Total Chapters: 41

Scenes I missed: 3

….among other general errors.

Now, all that’s left–besides actual editing–is to write the sequel. No big, right? I really hope everyone is laughing right now, because you should be.

• First off, I have no idea if the sequel will even be long enough to warrant a second whole book, currently titled Hart’s Redemption.
• Secondly, everyone has an opinion on the title, with Hart’s Revenge taking the lead. Except the second book isn’t about revenge, it’s about coming to terms with the past and the future. Things have changed in a big way by the end of Hart’s Betrayal and going forward won’t be easy.
• Thirdly, OMG writing the drama is not easy! Geesh, is it truly necessary to make all the characters so miserable? Apparently so, because that’s exactly what I’m doing. “But Samantha, isn’t this ultimately a romance?” You might ask. Yes, yes it is and I promise Hart’s Redemption has a happy ending.

But all that is a problem for another day (which should actually be today, but I’m procrastinating). There are already things I love about this sequel. I’m up to three tiny twists for secondary characters. Ultimately, these have an impact on the main protagonist even if it’s not readily apparent, but more importantly they’re just downright fun. The interesting note about these twists, would be that they wrote themselves.

What I mean by that, is that they literally wrote themselves. Here I am, minding my own business, tap, tap, tapping away on my new laptop (yay, no more sticky keys!) and the words just appear. Me, curious as to this magic that has occurred beneath my very nose, leans closer to inspect what my story thinks it’s doing. *Cue gasp* Who did what? No. Really? Wow. Did not see that one coming. Cool stuff brain, cool stuff.

So, yeah that’s a real thing. Have a great friend and writing companion M L Eaden who refers to these awesome little nuggets as Character Whispers (I swear that needs to be trademarked). And for truth y’all, that’s a legit thing. I question the writer that says they don’t have these.

I mean, I could see why you might not want to brag. Anytime I talk about the voices in my head talking to each other, I get strange looks. When I try to clarify that the voices actually belong to book characters…the looks get stranger. Okay, fine, I’m crazy. Made peace with that a long time ago. Still, think it’s incredibly amazing when my characters take the reins and tell me how it’s gonna go down. For me, that will always be a sure sign that not only are these personalities believable, but the story is truly alive.

Just for fun, to wrap up this week’s blog, I’ll not only include a teaser blurb for Hart’s Betrayal, but also a little excerpt.

Murder is hard enough. Being attracted to your partner? Major conflict of interest.

Joshua Hart, one of ten Lycan Detectives in the entire world, finds himself in Adler Springs, a sleepy town in Oregon, to solve a murder. His assigned Pack Liaison, Elijah Bennett, however, has a different agenda–keep the detective away from the neighboring werewolf pack at all costs. On the surface, it’s an open and shut case with the bite mark to prove it. But nothing is ever that simple, not the case or Josh’s true motives for being there. In the search for the killer, more than one truth comes out, including the undeniable attraction burning between the detective and the liaison. Can the budding connection survive the horror of Josh’s past? Find out in Hart’s Betrayal.

***

I didn’t care if he did look like sex on a stick, Detective Joshua Hart got under my skin in all the worst ways. He was here to make sure one of my own was caught and sentenced and apparently to make my life a living hell. I could curse Conrad for doing this to me. That was absolutely the last time I participated in pack politics.