8/13/21
Bitter Secrets Snippet
She closed the distance between them and clasped his face between her palms. His stillness made her scalp prickle, but she didn’t back off. She was so close to answers, answers she would give almost anything to know. His eyes were blazing with some emotion she couldn’t identify, but she didn’t care what it was because something was better than nothing.
“Talk to me,” she whispered.
“I’ve said more to you than any person on the planet.”
Why that sent a pinprick of pain through her heart, she wasn’t sure.
Draft of Bitter Secrets © 2021 Mia Knight
Book Update
Gosh, I finally got through that clusterfuck chapter I was talking about last week. It turned into 2 massive chapters totaling around 17k words. There’s no break in the scene, it’s just them talking about… everything. I thought I knew how the scene was supposed to go. Apparently, I was wrong. And, it’s probably for the best. For the first time, it wasn’t Roth that was fighting me. It was Jasmine. We’re usually in accord so it took me forever to figure out why the scene wasn’t working. She wasn’t going along with my plans, so I had to adjust to accommodate her wants (demands) and now I have to add some scenes I wasn’t planning to balance out this new development.
I feel a little off kilter over that whole fiasco, but I am so stoked to have the foundation set. So, onward!
I still have a ways to go, but I’m going to put my head down and plod along, working diligently, and as quickly as I can. Some chapters take 2-3 weeks to write. Others take a day or two. That’s just the way it goes. Hopefully, the other chapters are easier than that last one. I’m so excited to finally flesh out these other chapters!
Personal Updates
I transferred my site over! It still needs some work, but right now I just need it operable. I’ll work on it when I have more time. Hopefully, it’s easier to navigate and find information.
I was discussing the office thing with my friend, but we put it on hold since she wasn’t totally comfortable with this delta variant thing happening. So, I’m just continuing to write from home and working through the chaos. It’s been so bloody hot lately that I’ve given up in the afternoons and either taken a nap or gone to the beach for a break. Yesterday I worked until 5:30am, went to sleep, and was up by 10am. I’ve been doing this weird cat nap thing throughout the day, but as with everything lately, I’m just trying to roll with it.
A couple days ago, a friend from my last job contacted me. This month makes 5 years since I left that job to write full-time. He and I were super close, but we fell out of touch when I moved back to the mainland and when I came back, COVID happened, and it’s been a mess. Anyway, it was mind-blowing to catch up with him and hear how things have changed… and what hasn’t. Talking to him was confirmation (not that I needed any) that leaving that job was the best thing I ever did. He could have left and developed his own company, but he chose to stay, believing that things would get better. It hasn’t. He got promoted, but still retains duties from his last position and since his replacement quit, he’s stuck doing both jobs. He was so upset and bitter, which is so unlike him. Years at this company has really taken its toll.
Also, my sister who recently got divorced, switched from a day shift to night so she can take her kid to school and pick him up. She has a 6 and 4 year old. So, she takes the 6 year old to school and has the 4 year old at home with her during the day. Then, she picks up her 6 year old and takes them both to the sitter’s where they’ll stay overnight. Then, she heads off to work. I literally don’t know when she sleeps. She’s coming to Hawaii for a visit at the end of the month, so hopefully she can get some much-needed rest and figure out what she wants to do whether that’s moving or finding a new job or whatever. Also, I get to see my rascal nephews who I haven’t seen in person for two years. Did I ever mention I have 4 nephews under 6 years old?
Both of these stories made me hyper aware of what a blessing it is to be able to do what I do for a living. I always knew I was a lucky bitch, but I feel that more than ever now. Thank you guys for being such awesome readers and tolerating my ridiculous delays. When you write, you have to be clear-headed and living and breathing that story. That’s my goal, but with everything going on in the world and with family, it’s been more difficult than ever. I’m still getting through, but I haven’t been able to live in dreamland, which ties back to that blog I wrote a couple weeks back about feeling like I have to be tuned into the news… and if you listen to the news, you can’t be creative, happy, or inspired. So, I’m trying to block it all out and believe that everything is going to work out. Because it has to, right?