Book/Life Updates

Bitter Secrets Update

I got sidetracked since my brother and his family came for a visit, but being forced to take a step back has also given me much-needed daydreaming time. I can't remember what I was doing -- I think I was cleaning something and I heard this random bit of dialogue from an unfinished, pivotal scene. I think writer's minds are always working on plot no matter what they're doing. It's when you're otherwise occupied that you'll have strange breakthroughs, which is why it's important to take breaks. These bursts of inspiration aren't like lightning strikes. They're whispers. A gentle suggestion like when you have a random thought about an old friend you haven't talked to in a while. I should call so and so... It can slip past unnoticed if you don't pay attention and grab hold of it. This only happens to me when my mind is clear and open. Thankfully, I was paying attention and grabbed my phone and typed what I'd heard before I finished what I was doing and that evening I expanded on it before bed.

Since I cancelled the pre-order, giving myself more time, I went back to the first chapters and added quite a bit of dialogue, expanding on some things that only occurred to me in the middle of the book. Also, between the questions from readers and feedback from Patrons, you guys brought up some interesting points that never crossed my mind. I asked my Patrons which flashback scenes they wanted to see most and their responses got me thinking... This doesn't change my vision for the story or it's end goal, but it gives me an indication of where we can detour to answer questions that keep coming up. I've never allowed people into my writing process to this extent and it's been enlightening. None of my friends or family are readers so there isn't anyone in real life that I bounce ideas off of or talk to about books. Reading and writing have always been things I did on my own, but opening the door to fans and getting their theories, impressions, and so on has been fascinating. It makes writing this book even more fun because now I know what you guys think and I can fuck it all up... just kidding. LOL.

I'm giving myself a couple weeks to complete the first draft and of course, will keep you all informed on the blog as I give a weekly report on my writing progress and whatever else crosses my mind.

Her fingers moved over the harsh grooves of his face that should have been familiar to her, but seemed to belong to a stranger. This was almost unbearably intimate. They had sex, a lot of it, but they never spoke in the aftermath like partners. It was always a mad dash to the finish and then it was over.

Her eyes watered under his intense scrutiny. She ran her fingers through his beard and traced the hard line of his lips. She wondered if he could sense the questions she couldn’t voice in her tentative touch. As her trembling fingers brushed through his hair, he moved closer, giving her unlimited access to him. Ambivalent emotions tore up her insides. With all her experience with world leaders, politicians, and businessmen, she had no idea how to handle this man. She didn’t know how his mind worked or what he was thinking.

Draft of Bitter Secrets © 2021 Mia Knight

For early access to snippets like this, visit my Patreon where I drop extras twice weekly. ;)

Life Update

Having my brother and his family visit was just as chaotic and fun as I predicted. I went to the beach for the first time since the pandemic. My nephew tried to drown me, but thank God I'm still bigger than him and he can't swim. LOL. I don't know how long that will last since he's growing like a weed and I barely top 5'. My brother is 6'. Go figure.

Left top: Beach day, Right top: Kona Coffee crepe, Left Lower: Plumeria, Right Lower: Do you see the double rainbow??

Just like I expected, friends and family dropped by in a steady stream to see my brother who tries to visit once a year, but with the pandemic, many haven't seen him for two. I played Memory with my nephew and discovered that I have a terrible one. We played Uno and then things got really interesting when he wanted all the lights off. I lay in wait for close to half an hour, willing him with to enter the hallway, but he was too damn smart for that. I ended up circling around, creeping up behind him, and let out a blood-curdling scream that scared the living daylights out of him and made him burst into tears. I know, I'm a terrible aunt, but how could I resist? I grew up with It playing in the background during all family gatherings. My older cousins had no mercy and my uncles are all jokesters. This is practically tradition for us and I need to pass it down, right? LMAO. My nephew didn't hold a grudge, though. He can't wait to come back for the summer. LOL. We went to a sushi restaurant to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. My brother used to run this company's sister sushi restaurant in Seattle so he was welcomed with open arms. We didn't have to order. From the moment we arrived, dishes were brought so quickly that we had to eat just to make room for all the plates. My brother's visit was fun, but exhausting. I napped off and on for two days after they left. I'm a hermit so being around everyone for a week exhausted me. Now, I'm rested up and ready to dive back in.

I'm happy to report that I've been successfully transitioning into a day schedule. I've been going to sleep around 1am instead of 4, which means I wake up at 8 or 9am instead of 1pm or later. I've been going out more, exercising, and went to the Farmer's Market yesterday. I live in a small town so of course I ran into family members and even a co-worker from high school I haven't seen in forever. I ordered a Kona Coffee crepe (pic in collage above). Full disclosure: I actually thought I was ordering an iced coffee and that had condensed milk, caramel, whip cream, and all this yummy goodness in it. When they handed me this cone thing I must've had the dumbest look on my face. LMAO. A writer who doesn't read... SMH. Anyway, it was a happy accident since this thing tasted like an ice cream sundae and had these strange bits of Kona Coffee jelly that gave this sugar confection much-needed balance. It was messy as hell to eat, but worth it.

It's been unusually rainy here in Hawaii, but it's resulted in the perfect napping weather and produced some pretty rainbows and dripping plumerias (pic in collage above). :) This is beyond cliche, but being off social media has really allowed me to stop and smell the roses... or plumerias, in my case. I feel like I have more time and my mind is clearer and not clouded with worry or anxiety about someone starting shit. I'm just focused on my daily life and my stories. It's been lovely.

I found this butterfly notebook on Etsy that reminded me of the Singed Series. Look at the cute page templates! I imported all my notes into this new notebook, a nifty trick when everything is digital. I buy almost all of my notebooks from TypeMaven. I love the way she designs her stuff, but I realized I don't know as much as I need to about Goodnotes, the app I use on my iPad. I spent some time watching Youtube videos and am stoked about the tips I got to organize my notes. Game changer! The digital notebook for the Singed Series is almost 200 pages long. I can't imagine how long it's going to be once the series is complete. Since it's digital I can duplicate as many pages as I need and find everything in one place.

Things are slowly getting back to normal here. Everyone has to get tested before traveling to Hawaii, which means hotels are opening back up and people are going back to work. This was actually the first time I've eaten in a restaurant in a year and... it was great. I hope you're all safe and have a shred of normal to cling to in these trying times. What have you guys been up to? Sound off in the comments below or if you have ideas for future blogs or topics you want me to talk about, let me know!