Weekend Writing Warriors #170!

Hello, my lovelies! This is it, the final installment of Adventures in Online Dating, AND it's also the final post I'll be making on this blog! More on that shortly, but first, one last adventure!

Here's the blurb: After too many failed relationships, too many shots of tequila, and too many not-so-gentle nudges from her best friend, Sydney Montrose joins an online dating site in hopes of finding THE ONE. During her adventures, she crosses paths with a professional gamer who lives with his parents, a sweet and sarcastic parking enforcement officer, a flirty barista, a mystery man, a touchy-feely former felon, and a clown. Which one will she choose? Well, that's entirely up to you! 

And here's the final excerpt, continuing from where we left off. Please forgive the creative punctuation in places: 

"Sydney, this is my pal, Mark,” Sam said.

Out of obligation, she shook Mark’s hand. The guy was cute, sure, but he was no Sam.

“I’d do anything for my buddy, Sam. You’ve got a real good guy here,” Mark said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, “and now that I’ve totally scored you a date, I better be off. Great to meet you, Sydney, and you’re a lucky, lucky man, Sam.”

All buffers gone, it was just Sam and her and the implications of what Mark said.

Sam broke the silence first: “I’m officially off work in half an hour. I can’t promise you there won’t be any touchy and feely, but there definitely won’t be any creepy or crowdy...You in?”

A grin nearly split her face in two, “I’m in.”

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

Well, that's all, folks! I'm officially retiring this blog and moving on to greener pastures. Here's my new home: http://julieevelynjoyce.com/. I'll still be participating in the WWW, but it'll be under my actual name, Julie Evelyn Joyce. So be on the lookout for that! I know many of you have expressed interest in this story and have wanted your own copy. It was something I wrote originally for a particular publisher, but we ended up going a different route with the story, so this one has always been sitting on the back burner. I think at some point I'll self-publish it, and when the time comes, I'll let you all know! Thank you, thank you for your endless support! Much love to you all! xoxo 

Weekend Writing Warriors #169!

Greetings and salutations! This will be my second last post as the author formerly known as Evelyn Jules. Next week, after the excerpt, I'll share a link to my new digs! As for now, hope you enjoy the penultimate installment of Adventures in Online Dating!

Here's the blurb:  After too many failed relationships, too many shots of tequila, and too many not-so-gentle nudges from her best friend, Sydney Montrose joins an online dating site in hopes of finding THE ONE. During her adventures, she crosses paths with a professional gamer who lives with his parents, a sweet and sarcastic parking enforcement officer, a flirty barista, a mystery man, a touchy-feely former felon, and a clown. Which one will she choose? Well, that's entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off: 

            “Listen, babe, I’m gonna take off. I’ll call ya, okay?”

            “Oh, sure, okay.” She smiled brightly, giving no indication that she planned on blocking his number the second he left.

            He practically leaped over the table and dashed out of the building so fast, he would have looked guilty of something even if he wasn’t. Not that he was, necessarily...unless giving her the creeps counted. As soon as Sam and his smiling face swam into focus, all thoughts of cons, past and present, fell away.

“You are officially my hero,” she gushed, clutching her heart as his grin inched into delicious territory.

“Here’s your real hero,” Sam said, indicating his uniformed friend. The man perked up and joined them at her table. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors! 

I'm back in Ottawa now after spending a fabulous week with my Dad at home. I visited with relatives on both sides of the family, enjoyed tons of quality time with my baby nephew (who's looking more and more like a little boy every day *sniffles*), and I finally got my new blog up and running, thanks to my tech-savvy bro! Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #168!

Hi, all! Happy Sunday to you! :) I have a few final excerpts from Adventures in Online Dating to share, so here goes!

Le blurb: After too many failed relationships, too many shots of tequila, and too many not-so-gentle nudges from her best friend, Sydney Montrose joins an online dating site in hopes of finding THE ONE. During her adventures, she crosses paths with a professional gamer who lives with his parents, a sweet and sarcastic parking enforcement officer, a flirty barista, a mystery man, a touchy-feely former felon, and a clown. Which one will she choose? Well, that's entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off: 

Minutes (that felt like hours) later, Sam gave her the thumbs up signal from behind the counter. She turned to the entrance and spotted a uniformed officer entering the shop. Collin visibly tensed.

            “You okay?” Sydney asked, biting back a chuckle.

            “Uh…I might, uh, need to split.”

            The officer weaved his way through the tables, moving ever-closer to theirs. Collin’s knees bounced and his breathing grew laboured. He kept a laser eye on the man in dark blue. She had a feeling the cop would spook him, but this reaction was more than a little troubling. It made her wonder if the guy had a few outstanding arrest warrants, but, thankfully, she didn’t have to wonder too long.

            

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

Today we're off to our first family reunion of the summer. Dad and I spent yesterday afternoon making Mom's famous baked beans and her chocolate chunk brownies. It'll be a tough day to get through without her, but I know she'll be proud to see her traditions living on. Dad and I made a great team in the kitchen. :) Wishing all of you a wonderful week ahead! Many thanks, as always, for your love and support! xoxo

Weekend Writing Warriors #167!

Hello, my friends! Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there! My gift to you - more Adventures in Online Dating! 

Here's the blurb: After too many failed relationships, too many shots of tequila, and too many not-so-gentle nudges from her best friend, Sydney Montrose joins an online dating site in hopes of finding THE ONE. During her adventures, she crosses paths with a professional gamer who lives with his parents, a sweet and sarcastic parking enforcement officer, a flirty barista, a mystery man, a touchy-feely former felon, and a clown. Which one will she choose? Well, that's all entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off: 

            “What might what be?” Collin asked as he weaved his way between the two and slithered up next to her again, like the snake that he was.

            Sydney stuttered, “Oh, uh…the, um, coffee flavor of the month.”

            “Irish cream,” Sam replied without missing a beat. Mmm. Maybe Sam was part Irish. She certainly felt like doing a jig when he shot her a wink before slipping away with the promise of preparing her order to her exact specifications. Collin had no idea what was in store. She just hoped Sam made it all happen right quick, 'cause touchy-feely man picked up where he left off, and she could only hold back her gag reflex for so long. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

I just finished my last week of teaching for the semester, and now we're entering exam/marking/report card week. Not fun for the students, but even less fun for the teachers. I finally see the light, though! I got to FaceTime with my dad this morning (the best daddy in the world) who's at my brother's place, spending quality time with baby Charlie. It's a test run for him, since he and I are on babysitting duty next weekend. Wish us luck! Have a fabulous week, everyone! 

Weekend Writing Warriors #166!

Hello, all you beautiful people! Happy Sunday! I've got just a few more posts from Adventures in Online Dating to share, so without further ado, let's get to it!

Here's the blurb: After too many failed relationships, too many shots of tequila, and too many not-so-gentle nudges from her best friend, Sydney Montrose joins an online dating site in hopes of finding THE ONE. During her adventures, she crosses paths with a professional gamer who lives with his parents, a sweet and sarcastic parking enforcement officer, a flirty barista, a mystery man, a touchy-feely former felon, and a clown. Which one will she choose? Well, that's all entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off: 

“As much as I’d love to whip out my Jackie Chan moves on this loser, I’d rather not end up in the slammer too, but I have an idea.”

            The sound of angels singing couldn’t have been any sweeter. “Let’s hear it.”

            Sam quickly explained his plan, both of them keeping an eye out for the ex-con. “He works in this area, so it shouldn’t take him long to get here.”

            “If this is successful, you are getting the biggest tip imaginable”

            He smiled. “I’ve got something else in mind.”

            “Oh?” she asked flirtatiously. “What might that be?”

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

I have one week left of teaching, then exams, and then I'm off for the summer! Boy, do I ever need this break. I'm gonna spend lots of time with my family, the BF, and my friends. Whatever spare time I have left I'll be using to write, write, and write some more! I hope to finish another project that's in the works by the end of the summer. Now, the only thing missing is our summer-like weather. Wishing all of you a beautiful, sunshiny week ahead! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #165!

Hi, gang. Hope you're all having a great weekend. Get ready to jump back in to more Adventures in Online Dating! :)

Here's the blurb: After too many failed relationships, too many shots of tequila, and too many not-so-gentle nudges from her best friend, Sydney Montrose joins an online dating site in hopes of finding THE ONE. During her adventures, she crosses paths with a professional gamer who lives with his parents, a sweet and sarcastic parking enforcement officer, a flirty barista, a mystery man, a touchy-feely former felon, and a clown. Which one will she choose? Well, that's all entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off:

“Are you not enjoying the…coffee?” Sam asked, his eyes subtly darting to her oblivious tablemate.

            “It’s a bit, um…astringent for my taste.”

            Sam nodded. “Well, let me see if I can—”

            “Be right back,” Collin interrupted as he stood. “Grab me a coffee, man,” he said to Sam. “Black.”

            Once Collin was a safe distance away, Syd grabbed Sam’s arm and spoke urgently, “He’s creepy and crowdy and touchy and feely, and did I mention the guy’s been to jail? ‘Cause he has! So now would be a really good time to put that black belt of yours to good use.”

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

I'm sad to say that my family experienced another tremendous loss this past week. My dear, sweet grandpa passed away on Wednesday morning, after 96 blissful years of life. We're all finding comfort in the fact that he died peacefully in his sleep, and, better still, he's with my mom (his daughter) in Heaven now. I've been at home with family, and we're all pulling together yet again to help each other through this difficult time. He was such a kind, generous, hard-working, and happy man who loved being alive, adored his family, and had a wonderful sense of humour. We'll miss him terribly, but he's having one heck of a reunion in the sky right now. Wishing all of you a fabulous week ahead. Hug your loved ones and enjoy every moment of this precious life. 

Weekend Writing Warriors #164!

Hello, all you beautiful people! Happy Sunday of a much-needed long weekend! How about some Adventures in Online Dating to liven up your day? Okay!

Here's the blurb: After too many failed relationships, too many shots of tequila, and too many not-so-gentle nudges from her best friend, Sydney Montrose joins an online dating site in hopes of finding THE ONE. During her adventures, she crosses paths with a professional gamer who lives with his parents, a sweet and sarcastic parking enforcement officer, a flirty barista, a mystery man, a touchy-feely former felon, and a clown. Which one will she choose? Well, that's all entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off: 

Super. She could now add ‘divorcé’ to this guy’s ever-growing list of attributes.

            “But enough about me. I wanna know all about you, and how exactly a lady as fine as yourself can end up on a singles site.”

            She could lie and tell him she wasn’t single after all. That this was just a big misunderstanding, a mistake. But the guy was sitting so near to her she could feel his breath on her face, and it was probably best not to poke an ex-con in such close proximity. Finally, she caught Sam out of the corner of her eye. She flagged him down, relieved when he spun on his heel and approached their table. Sydney raised her mug in front of her lips to prevent her date from seeing her mouth the words ‘Help Me’ to the alarmed barista. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

It's soooo nice having a long weekend finally, and I'm making the most of it. I'm eating loads of ice cream, reading, writing, and enjoying the beautiful sunshine whenever possible. Hope you're doing the same, particularly the part about the ice cream! ;) Have a wonderful week, my friends!