Weekend Writing Warriors #124!

Hiiiiiiiii! Happy Sunday! It's time once again for me to share an 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’ll be back in a minute,” he said, never taking his eyes off her. “Promise you won’t leave?”

            “Not before I get that Cappuccino.” In truth, she was willing to glue her butt to the seat if it meant spending more time in his company.

            Mystery Man wore a navy tailored suit, and when he stood at his full height she guessed he had to be at least 6’2. Well-dressed and well-bred. She looked on as he bantered with the barista behind the counter. He swiped his card in the machine, grabbed the drinks, and was back at the table before she could take another stab at his possible career. She’d left off at investment banker.

            “A cappuccino for you, and a refill for me,” he said as he set the drinks on the table, then reclaimed his seat.

Soooo, is Mystery Man growing on you? Not yet? Well, give it time. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors! 


Guess what? This is the last week of school, and then I'm on summer break! Woohoo! #ILoveBeingATeacher. I have big plans for my two months off, including a ton of writing. I figure if I say it here you'll all hold me to it. Please do, okay? In addition to all the writing, I'll be spending lots of time with friends and family, particularly my adorable baby nephew. But I won't wish this week away, either. Lots of fun ahead, including potlucks, farewell breakfasts, and plenty of hugs too! Wishing everyone an equally wonderful week ahead! :) 

Weekend Writing Warriors #123!

Good morning, you lovely warriors, you! Hope you're all doing well! I'm just buzzing with excitement but I'll tell you more about that after. First, here's more from Adventures in Online Dating!

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 the excerpt: When he unleashed his killer smile, she was a goner. “Okay, you win.” She took a seat across from him, already more comfortable on this impromptu date than she’d been the entire time with the official one.

            He smiled at her for several seconds without saying a word. Finally he spoke: “You look so much better at this table.”

            That’s all it took to prove she’d made the right decision. Sayonara, Joe. “It’s a great table.” Oh Lord, really? That’s the best response she could come up with?

Why is it that when there's a cute boy around, everything comes out in dork speak? I feel your pain, Syd. :D Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors! 

Now, about that excitement I referred to earlier. I got to spend all day and night yesterday with the lovely and fabulously funny Kristan Higgins as she helped the Ottawa Romance Writers ring in our thirtieth anniversary! I. Love. Her. You guys, if you get a chance to attend one of her workshops or a book signing or anything, DO IT! Not only was the workshop endlessly entertaining, it was interactive too. I was asked to read an excerpt from Nutcases, my PB bootlegging story, in front of the assembly! :D Kristan had lunch with us, and a lucky few had dinner with her too. I hugged her several times. She's now following me on twitter. We're BFFs. lol. Anywho, as you can see I'm still quite giddy about it. Wishing you all a week as wonderful as my weekend has been! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #122!

Hi gang! Happy Sunday! The votes are in and an overwhelming majority of you urged Sydney to give Mystery Man a chance, so without further ado, here's more of their story in Adventures in Online Dating!

But first, 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 all entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off (Mystery Man has just cautioned Sydney against chasing after Joe):

She paused mid-step and swiveled to face him. “Why not?”

            He blinked and appeared almost startled by her question. The first time he’d faltered in any way. “Well, you know, he’s not the kind of guy you want to tangle with. Plus, I heard it’s supposed to rain.”

            Sydney laughed at the absurdity of his second statement. “Do you think I’ll melt? Am I made of spun sugar?”

            “Why don’t you sit down and we’ll talk about the wonder that is you after I get you a proper drink.” Mr. Smooth was back and better than ever. 

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

Well, the school year has almost come to an end and big changes are around the bend. Ooh, rhyme! I'm looking for a new place to live. I hope by tomorrow I'll have made that decision. Ironically enough, I think I'll be living across the street from where I am now. lol. At least I won't have far to move. But my eleventy thousand pounds of stuff might make the process challenging nonetheless. Me thinks it's time for a good old fashioned round of purging. Wishing you all a light and lovely week ahead! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #121!

Hi friends! Happy last Sunday of May to you! I'll be sharing another excerpt from Adventures in Online Dating, and then it's time for all of you to make another choice. You ready for it? Read on!

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: 
            “He’s not coming back, is he?”

            For the first time, he leveled her with a serious expression. “Unless he’s begging for change on a street corner, probably not.”

            She waited for a flood of humiliation to drag her under, but instead she was lit with a fire of indignation. “Like he was some great catch,” she growled. “Hell, I should have walked out on him first.”

            “Yeah, you should have,” Mystery Man-turned Cheerleader Extraordinaire echoed in response.

            “Well, I’m not giving him the satisfaction.” Snatching her purse from the seat next to her, she stood on determined legs. “He’d better hope he’s not still out there....”

            “Wait,” Mystery Man said, placing an impossibly warm hand on her arm, “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.” 

Okay, readers! Time to make a choice: 1. Give Mystery Man a chance, OR 2. Track down Joe, the escape artist, and give him a piece of her mind. Let me know in your comment! Majority rules. :)

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

This afternoon I'm off to baby shower numero deux for my nephew. We're hosting this one so there's lots to be done. Yesterday was the salad making extravaganza. Today we put on our perfect hostess faces and make this a party people won't soon forget. The best part? My present for the little guy. I got him a Star Wars-themed baby Adidas tracksuit. This will go down in history as the greatest gift of all time, my friends! No one can top this! I'll let you know how it goes. Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #120!

Hi, you lovely people! Happy Sunday! You know what to do now that you're here. Sit back, relax, grab a nice drink, and enjoy another excerpt from Adventures in Online Dating! 

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 all entirely up to you! 

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

Clearing her throat, she crossed her legs and turned to face the door again. Her conscience could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. How frigging long does it take to put a few quarters in a parking meter? Drumming her nails against the tabletop, she eyed the other patrons in the coffee shop, anyone and everyone but the man sitting at the table next to hers. 

            What had he meant by RL? Sometimes RL isn’t as good as fantasy. Sometimes...Ralph Lauren isn’t as good as fantasy?

            “Real life,” Mystery Man blurted.

            She swiveled toward him, amazed that he’d somehow read her mind and cracked the code at the same time. 

            “You were mumbling out loud,” he said, that ever-present smile in place.

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

Well, I'm in the midst of an absolutely fabulous weekend with my parents here in Ottawa. Today we're off to the Byward Market for pickles and sausages. Really. The edible kind. Get your minds out of the gutter. ;) It's a beautiful, sunshiny day, and we plan on soaking up as many rays as possible whilst enjoying the fruits of this fantastic city. Wishing all of you a wonderful week ahead! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #119!

Happy Sunday, my dears! Welcome back to Crazytown! ;) I'll be sharing more from Adventures in Online Dating today, plus, I have some good news too! 

But first, 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:

Against her better judgement she turned to him, opening herself up to further conversation. Mystery Man took a sip of his drink, his dark eyes locking on hers over the rim of his mug.

            “Is that a cappuccino?” Sydney asked, unable to bite back the moan that followed.

            He lowered his mug and nodded.

            “God, I would kill for one of those.”

            “I’d be happy to buy you one, but you’d have to keep the moaning to a minimum so your...friend doesn’t get the wrong idea.”

            “My date, you mean.”  

            “Sure.” 

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

So, ready for the good news? Online Mating, the spiced up, Charlie-centered version of this story just went live again on SilkWords with its third installment! And guess what? You get to vote on how the story ends! Charlie the clown needs your love! ;) 

Wishing all of you a wonderful week ahead, and thank you, as always, for your support! :)

Weekend Writing Warriors #118!

Greetings, friends and fellow writers! Happy Sunday! Ready for more Adventures in Online Dating? Okay, 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 all entirely up to you! 

And here's an excerpt, continuing from where we left off. Joe just stepped outside to top up the money in his parking meter, or so he claimed.  

Maybe it was good he was checking the meter. It showed that he was responsible, frugal...or a broke online gamer who lived with his parents. Whatever the case, his absence gave her a golden opportunity to dump the remainder of her drink in the garbage. As she stood to do just that, the man at the table next to hers chuckled. 

            “I wondered how long it would take you to do that.”

            She smiled in response after disposing of the evidence, then returned to her seat.

            “Don’t worry,” he continued. “Your secret’s safe with me.” 

Ooh, now who is this mystery man? We'll find out more next week. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors! 

Well, this has been a busy weekend for me. I drove back home to visit the fam to celebrate Mother's Day, Dad's birthday, and my baby nephew's first baby shower! Such excitement! Later today I'll hit the road and head back to Ottawa, but for now I'll soak up as much baby time as possible. He's the most beautiful, perfect little boy in the world, though I might be a touch biased. Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead! :)