World Development, Singed Series
This has been a very hectic week with car, dog, and family problems. Bleh. When it rains, it pours. Whenever I’m on a deadline, I feel like everything starts going haywire. I remember when I was finishing up Bitter Heat and my fridge broke and I was constantly running to the store to get ice and trying to make arrangements with the repair man and my cover designer went MIA and… it was just bananas. This week was a little like that one with whole days wasted to deal with unexpected car issues and such.
I managed to get through some vital scenes, but didn’t make as much progress as I’d hoped. Next week I don’t have as many appointments, so I’ll be able to double down and play catch up.
This week, the Singed universe really expanded. We’re meeting a lot of new characters, which makes sense since they’re re-entering society. Even though this is their second round as a married couple, everything is different this time around. They’re not hiding, they’re out. Like, really out. A childhood friend of Jasmine’s put it like this:
“What a way to reclaim your spot in society—by snapping up the most eligible bachelor for the second time. All eyes are on you. Anything you want is yours—invitations to the most exclusive parties, the cover of any magazine you want, interviews… I’m a little jealous, to be honest.”
“I didn’t do this to come back into society.”
“Of course you didn’t, but if the world is at your fingertips, why not take advantage?”
Draft of Bitter Secrets © 2021 Mia Knight
What I really like about this is, usually in a romance where the rich guy brings the girl into his world, she’s astonished by his wealth and a fish out of water. I love that Jasmine isn't like that. Although she doesn’t like being in the spotlight, she knows what to do and has no need to lean on him for support. She can hold her own. She grew up with the men Roth is now doing business with. She knows how they made their fortunes, their family history, and how to play the game. There's no need for her to prove herself to society because she was born into it, which I think is pretty unique. She's actually a major asset to Roth and while he's a dominant player, this is still more her world than his. There are so many instances where she demonstrates this and Roth's reactions give me life. LOL. You have to remember that he hasn't really seen her in this sphere either so they're both seeing new sides of each other.
As Jasmine reunites with people from her past and they speak about the world they grew up in and her childhood, I couldn’t help thinking that Maximus couldn't have made her a better match for Roth if he tried. He prepared her to be on the arm of a powerful man not as an accessory, but as an equal. Jasmine is exactly who she needs to be not only to put Roth in his place, but to navigate the treacherous waters of high society.
I love how their world is expanding to include all these new characters that give the story more color, depth, and insight I wouldn’t have had otherwise. There’s more background on Mo and Johan, Roth and Kaia’s relationship, and a new direction for the book Jasmine is supposed to be writing for her Thalia Crane series. She has to deal with Roth in real life and Rex (his fictional counterpart) when she's not with him. Jasmine is not happy. As usual, the story isn't going how I planned, but that's all part of the process. At this point, I'm just writing fast and furious and trying not to overthink everything.
I hope I can make major headway next week and will be dropping lines and updates on Patreon! I also went on a rant about plagiarism, which came up this week and has really been bothering me. I really hope you guys are happy and safe and that you're taking time for yourself in these crazy times. I keep thinking there will be an end to the madness, but it doesn't seem like it. I'm grateful I can escape into Roth and Jasmine's world. I'm not sure where you guys go, but I hope it gives you a break from the endless barrage of bad news. I really want to go to the mountains and hole up in a little cabin for a week. Sigh. Traveling from Hawaii is such a pain. Maybe after this book releases, I can go somewhere, but for now, I just have to put my cabin fantasies to the side and grind.