Weekend Writing Warriors #114!

Hello, my friends! Happy Sunday to you! I get the impression that most of you prefer Charlie the clown to Joe the online gamer. Well, give the guy a chance. ;) You may still hate him, but there will be other choices to make once we near the end of this scene. So without further ado, let's hop to it!

Here's the blurb for Adventures in Online Dating: 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: 

“Pretty much.” He laughed—an incredibly obnoxious laugh—and for the first time he took a drink from his own mug of death. “I play a lot of shooter games, but I don’t just gank everyone I see.”

            “Excuse me?”

            Another arrogant laugh and another flex of bicep.

            “Go around and kill,” he explained.

            She blinked. “You kill people?”

            “Thousands of ‘em.”

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

So last Sunday I met my new baby nephew for the first time. My friends, it was bliss. I held that tiny little guy in my arms for close to two hours, and I spent the entire time flipping back and forth between laughing and crying or doing both simultaneously. I might be slightly biased, but I've never seen a cuter baby in all my life. He's absolutely perfect and I am one seriously proud (and emotional) auntie. Wishing all of you a fantastic week ahead! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #113!

Hoppy Easter, my peeps! Hope you're enjoying the special day with your loved ones. Before I hop along myself, I'll share another excerpt from 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: 

“I’m a newb too. Figured since I’m so into online gaming, it was the next logical step.”

            Dear God, let it be a hobby and not an occupation. “Is that, um...that’s what you do for a living?” 

            “Yeah,” he said, “I’m a pro-gamer. I’m training for the World Cyber Games. Huge competition, epic prizes.”

            She couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea of gaming as a profession. “So you get paid to play games online?”  

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

Well, my friends, I'm off to meet my new nephew for the first time! He's 8 days old as of today. Can't wait to hug him and kiss him and officially welcome him to the family. I bought him a few adorable outfits already, including a onesie that says 'Current family favourite'. That's no lie. He is one seriously spoiled and loved little baby boy. Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter and week ahead! :x xoxo 

Weekend Writing Warriors #112!

Hello, warriors of the weekend! Happy Sunday! It's been an especially awesome weekend for me. I'll tell you all about it after I share another excerpt from 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:

She took another sip to appease him and forced a smile.

            Joe propped one of his elbows on the table and, if she wasn’t mistaken, flexed his bicep as he leaned in closer. “So how fresh are you into the online dating scene?”

            “Oh, I’m pretty, uh...you’re actually my first.” The cocky smile he gifted her at the revelation made her pulse tick. He was a bad boy, but he was oh-so good to look at. She hadn’t been through her bad boy phase yet...Well, there’d been Frankie, the lead percussionist in the orchestra. The man could do some wildly kinky things with those drum sticks, but he was asthmatic and cried during War Horse. 

Confession: I actually cried (several times) during War Horse too. I stayed ten minutes after the movie ended just to control my sobbing. lol. Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

Okay, it's big news time! Guess what, my friends? I'M AN AUNT! My brother and sister-in-law had their first baby yesterday morning, making me an aunt for the very first time! Charlie is a very healthy 8 pound, 13 ounce boy, and he will be so loved (and spoiled!) by our family. I can't wait to meet the little guy, and it's looking like I'll get to do so for Easter weekend. Feeling so incredibly blessed. May you all enjoy a wonderful week ahead! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #111!

Hello, my dears! Happy first Sunday of spring! Man, did we ever earn this spring. It's been one hell of a winter, eh? Let's continue to keep those temperatures rising with a little more from 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: 

“Here you go,” he said, sliding a mug toward her as he slipped into the booth next to her. 

            “Thank you.” Lifting the mug, she took a sip and cringed when the liquid hit her tongue. “What is this?”

            “It’s an organic blend. Black.”

            “Oh, I’m...I don’t usually drink coffee that way...or ever.”

            He stared at her as if she'd just shattered his taste-free world. “You’re not vegan?”

            “Not so much.”

 

Oops. I think Joe just lost a few points there. No offense to the vegans in the crowd. lol. Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

Well, I've been on March Break this past week. It was absolutely wonderful. I ended up visiting my grandparents for a few days and my brother and sister-in-law as well. So much happiness. I miss the laughs and the hugs and the delicious food. I know I'll be seeing them all again really soon for Easter, so that makes it easier. Mom and Dad will be back from Florida then too, which means I finally get my Chunkys and Paydays! Wishing everyone a fantastic first full week of spring! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #110!

Hello, my warrior friends! Happy Sunday! Today I will feel like a true warrior because I'm having an online writing retreat with my author pal, Maggie Wells, and, all told, we have to plans to write for close to 8 hours! Whew. Wish us luck! 

For now, enjoy another 8 sentences from 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: 

“Sydney, right?”

            “Yeah, uh, yes, that’s me,” she answered as she stood. He swept her into a hug and the surprise she felt at the gesture was soon overshadowed by the exquisite feel of his arms wrapping around her. Holy hell, she was melting. And he smelled really, really good, like fabric softener mixed with hints of cologne--sweet and spicy.

            “I’ll grab us some coffees and then we can chat.” He turned and headed for the counter and she admired his denim-encased ass the entire way. It didn’t bother her that he wore a tank top with those jeans because they’d agreed to go casual, and, quite frankly, the man rocked the grunge-look.

So, what do you think? Joe's batting 1000 so far, eh? We'll see if he can keep it up. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!

All right, it's time to kick off the retreat! Wishing the rest of you a productive Sunday and a fabulous week ahead! :) 

Weekend Writing Warriors #109!

Greetings and salutations! Happy first day of Daylight Savings! Yes, it sucks to lose an hour of sleep, but I'm very happy to enjoy an extra hour of sunlight. :) Now, here's a little something for your enjoyment...more from 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: 

She stopped rambling long enough to catch the smirk on his face. “Sorry, I’m...nervous.”

            He chuckled, locking crazy-blue eyes on her. “You look great to me. And maybe I’ll hold off on that coffee.” He shot her a wink as he turned on his heel and headed behind the counter. 

            Before her brain could catch up and  register how friggin’ cute the new barista was, Joe arrived--slick black rock-and-roll hair and biceps bulging. She made room in the booth, but she wasn’t sure they could both fit, and maybe it was better that way because sitting on his lap was sounding really good right about now.

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

Well, I've had a refreshingly productive weekend thus far. I hope by the end of the day to have another short story under my belt. This one's all about karaoke. I'm leaning towards calling it Love at First Karaoke. Perhaps I'll share an excerpt from it in the near future. For now, I bid you all adieu. Have a wonderful week! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #108!

Hiya, folks! Happy March! There was a time when I doubted that spring would ever come again, but the non-frigid temperatures of this weekend have renewed my hope. Were you hoping for more from Adventures in Online Dating? Well, it's your lucky day! ;)

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! 

I decided to switch things up a bit this week and give you a taste of one of the other hopeful bachelors. We know that Charlie is a keeper, but what would have happened if Syd decided to meet up with Joe instead? Read on and find out!

Sydney slid into her favourite booth at the coffee house, her eyes darting from one corner to the other. Would it be wrong to order a pre-date coffee? As she mulled over the possibility, an apron-wearing Adonis approached. She was a customer loyalty card-carrying Planet Coffee regular, but she’d never seen this particular barista. 

            “You look like you’re meeting someone, so how about a cup of coffee while you wait?”

            Instead of accepting his offer, she chose instead to focus on the first part of his statement. “Why do you think I look like I’m meeting someone? Oh God, it must be so obvious, and I'm too dressy...even though I tried to go for casual, but I’ve never been very good at that...I wonder if I have time to change....”

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

Well, last night I participated in my second ever speed dating event. This one was 20 dates in one night. *thud* My voice is hoarse and I'm mentally drained, but it was a darn good time! What a great way to strike up conversations with people you wouldn't otherwise talk to. It's amazing how much you can find out about a person in five minutes. While I'm not planning on walking down the aisle with any of them in the near future, there were a few guys who passed the test. We'll see if they liked me too. :) Wishing everyone a sweet and speedy week as we near spring!