This is a little free writing/brainstorming that I've been doing in between editing my next story. I start most of my stories like this. . .from a single incident or scene and then work backwards: 

The next time I saw Damon, I was standing in line at the store buying tampons.

“You’re a hypocrite.” He whispered harshly in my ear. He had managed to approach me from behind without me seeing him. 

I turned and pushed his shoulder. “Get away from me.”

“You walking around talking to me and being all friendly just because you knew about my parents? Then you come to the frat house again after saying you’d never come back and leave with some guy?” He spoke through clenched teeth with so much vitriol that I was shocked.

The people around us were staring but I didn't care. I'd had enough of his anti-social and unpredictable behavior.

“First of all, if you would’ve taken a chance and got to know me you’d know I don’t pretend with anyone. Me wanting to be your friend had absolutely nothing to do with your parents. And yes, I knew.  Should I have disclosed that? Everyone on campus knows!”

“Who was that guy?” he asked disregarding my words. 

I removed my Advil, tampons and cookies from the hand basket and put them on the counter.

“None of your business.”

“Since Patrick wasn’t there, you just left with a stranger?" he asked incredulously. 

I closed my eyes and tried to keep my emotions and temper in check. I remained silent as the cashier scanned my items.

“$11.32” the cashier said. Just as my hand went to my pocket for my money, I remembered I had changed shorts.

“Shit.”  I mumbled. “I’m sorry I- I left my money in my- I’ll have to come back.” I said to the cashier. 

Suddenly a $20 bill appeared on the belt. She looked down at it and then at me. I turned to see Damon putting his wallet back in his pocket.

“Thank you but no thank you. You are an asshole and I don’t need you buying me tampons!” I yelled and ran out of the store.  I managed to make it all the way to my apartment before I broke down and started crying.  I knew my hormones were a little jacked up but I couldn’t explain why he had such an effect on me. I barely knew him.

I lay down on my bed for about thirty minutes before pulling myself together. When I got up, I took a ten and five from my purse and decided to head back to the store. After the scene earlier, I wished there was another store nearby but the campus was out in the middle of nowhere.

I opened the door and almost had a heart attack. Damon was sitting on the porch.  He extended the bag containing the stuff from the store towards me in offering.

“How did you know where I live?” I placed a hand on my chest to help calm the pounding in my heart.

He shrugged. “Maybe I’m stalking you?” he said recalling my exact remark to him from a few weeks ago.

I hesitantly took the bag. Although I was mad at him, I really needed an Advil. I tried to give him the money in my hand him but he wouldn’t take it.

“Just so we’re clear, I’m mad at you.” I said folding my arms. The plastic bag dangled from my wrist. 

“I know.” He said simply. He sighed and then stood. He looked out at the parking lot before turning towards me with an expression that broke my heart. Such sadness and confusion.

“I should go.” He said.

“Yeah.”

We continued to stare at each other for a few minutes before I went back inside my apartment and closed the door.

(This is NOT a part of my next story but this one has been keeping me up at night....STAY TUNED! In the meantime, you can purchase my lastest books HERE.)

I love to read.  I love to read books. Books are lengthy and they are often lengthy because there is a plot, background, characterizations, dialogue, etc.

But if it's not bound or stitched in a book, I don't like reading anything thing else that's lengthy . Long blog posts bore me to death. I always find myself skipping over paragraphs to GET TO THE POINT. I think we feel using a bunch of superfluous words or anecdotes makes us sound smarter or deep when it's really unnecessary. . .see what I did there?  

Unfortunately we're living in a 140 character or less society and you can often lose people (and their attention span) in details that don't add anything to your post. Tell us what we need to know, why we need to know it and how it will benefit us.  Thank you and good night!

My journey to writing and self publishing my book has me feeling like Spike Lee. . .you know how all his movies usually have the credits: written by Spike Lee, starring Spike Lee, directed by Spike Lee and produced by (you guessed it) Spike Lee.

I always thought how tough it must be to wear so many hats and now being in a situation (on a much smaller scale) where I am writing, publishing and promoting my own work, I see that it is not only tough but also mentally & physically exhausting! 

My reason for wanting to "do it all" myself with this first book was so that I understood how EVERY aspect of the writing/publishing game works. And let me tell you, I've learned A LOT!! But one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that I don't need to go it alone. I plan on hiring an intern (or two) for the next book and even letting a PR team manage the marketing. I'm running on fumes right now but the feeling of seeing my work in an actual tangible book is indescribable and I cannot wait to share it and start hearing from people who've read it (famous last words! ha!). I just hope my hard work and commitment to not only making it a really good book but all of the marketing and promotion and everything--- I hope people can see how serious I took this and that nothing was taken for granted.

Let's be real: ANYONE can publish a book nowadays. All you have to do is have a computer, access to the Internet and a basic grasp of the English language (if you're writing a book in English). But I wanted to give my readers more than that and I pray that those who come along on this journey feel it's worth the ride! 

I plan on sharing my journey in an e-book at the end of the year and providing aspiring authors with tips and resources, so stay tuned!

Dialogue is one of the most important elements of a story, in my opinion.  I know some people would disagree and say plot or setting is crucial.  But for me it has always been about dialogue.  I love being able to give my characters an actual voice to say things and express themselves in ways that I wish I could!  And in ways that hopefully allow the reader to connect with the story.

I like dialogue with witty banter and informed opinions.  I usually start writing  with dialogue and build the rest of the story around a conversation between two characters. 

I think this process could be useful in real life as well. Often all it takes is a little bit of dialogue to spark a conversation about life, to apologize, to clear misunderstandings, to state intentions or to begin a relationship.

The culprit for lack of communication today is technology. It's so easy to email or text or even send a DM on social media that we neglect to really TALK to one another and the result is sometimes disastrous:

We often tell little children to "use their words" instead of non-verbal clues like pointing whining or crying when they want something. I think it's time adults start following this same bit of advice. 

I still have some editing to do and comments to review from beta readers but I went ahead and ordered a copy of my book to make sure the layout and physical copy is good, so that I have more than enough time to make all the necessary changes before the May release date. 

Seeing this tangible book in my hands....the feeling is indescribable. I am filled with extreme joy and I am looking so forward to this journey and sharing my work with the world! 

Pre-Orders will start next month! Stay Tuned!