“To finish, I had to start …”
It’s funny how that’s the quote I’m going to be using this week for the teaser I post on my Twitter, Instagram, and author Facebook accounts. Because it couldn’t be more fitting. To finish Jenks and Livvie’s story, I have to start writing from where I left off last year. Over the past few weeks I’ve edited here and there, I’ve written more dialogue and scenes for them, I wrote a huge portion of an epilogue that I can’t wait to complete and share with you, I also wrote a few pages from where I left off last, but I’m talking about diving in deep and writing until I can finally type The End. And then start writing the book that I know is going to gut me so I can give you a sneak peek of the next book in the series at the end of Spring. There’s always one book in a series that does it. Changed Beauty was the one that did it to me in the Beauty Series. Emma and Reed’s story, Summer, will be the one that shreds me to pieces emotionally in this one. That doesn’t mean that Jenks and Livvie and Knox and Rina won’t have me shedding tears, pulling out my hair, have my husband looking at me like he doesn’t know who I am or what the hell happened to me, or if he should talk to me, hug me, ignore me, breathe – but it’s going to be a whole different level with them … I’ve already shed tears while writing about them in Winter and the material I’ve compiled over the last two years since I’ve known that I’d be writing about them (some that I’ve written already for Spring too) – and I’ve wanted to change their story a million times just to not put myself or them through the drama, the chaos, the hurt, and all the ugliness that is their past, but it has to happen. It will happen.
Just like Jenks and Livvie will happen. Starting now.
To finish, I have to start. Which means I am now diving back into the dark and twisty … and the surprising. Jenks and Livvie are the two main characters I’ve known the longest in this series – (try figuring that one out – *I said twisty and surprising*) – and yet they are also the couple I have the least amount of material to work with. Normally I have a mountain of scenes, portions of chapters, even whole chapters to connect together to make a complete story. By now I should have an extremely detailed outline for the whole rest of the story. The whole thing. But not for these two. I only have the next few chapters. So, not only are they a surprise to each other – they are more of a surprise to me than I thought they would be.
Anyway … So, like I said, I am starting today from where I left off before. YAY! That’s the “yay.” Now on to the opposite of that. Last year, I said that I planned on having Spring published in the Spring. This year I’ll be over-the-moon if I’m finished writing it by the end of Spring. I’m saying this because I only have a little over a hundred pages currently written, which means I have about 300-350 more pages to write (based upon the average page count before edits of my previous books) before it’s complete and goes through the first of three-four rounds of edits. Good thing though? I already have a cover. I already have the book’s description (as well as those for Summer and Fall). At least I’m ahead in some areas! And who knows – Unexpected Beauty only took me a month to write once I truly got started. And between that and Chaotic Beauty and all of their collective edits? Both were out in less than six months of each other. So it might happen! But it also might not. So just a heads-up that it might be a maybe-not to a Spring release. But a definite to one in 2020. I should add that this is barring a major meltdown, a catastrophe, huge (and I mean huge) distractions … and I’m not listing anything else because I am a big believer in the whole jinxing thing. Seriously. A firm believer in it. And I know I shouldn’t say definite because I was also the one who said at the end of 2018 or the beginning of 2019 that Winter and Spring should both be out in one year and now look at me! Taking all those words back. Which I hate. Saying things like that and then not being able to back those words up adds all this stress, and worry, and disappointment, and frustration, feeling like a failure … and I’m supposed to be writing a book, hopefully a damn good book, so I don’t need all of those trash feelings on top of it getting in the way like they have been … which is why I’m already behind. But I need to let it go and move on, which is why I am telling all of you that the release might not happen as soon as you’d like, please don’t hate me, I’ll still have a lot of teasers, and excerpts, and if you follow me on Twitter you’ll know daily how my writings going so you won’t have to wait until I do my blog every few months! I know, I’m horrible!
So, anyway, Spring will be in 2020. Summer and Fall who knows. But I will be writing them!
And yeah, enough of all that.
And enough of this type of writing. I need to go and immerse myself in all things Livvie and Jenks, and also Jax and Sky, Reed and Emma, Knox and Rina, and who knows – maybe Liam and Sam, Connor and Riley, Allie and Aiden, Ryan and Beth? A few new people? I guess you’ll just have to wait and see!
Until next time! Happy Reading!
(Side note: I am seriously going to miss the amount of reading I normally do when I’m not locked away in my writing room creating my own stories! 2019 had me reading only 92 books! 92! Normally I read between 100-150 a year. 2019 was not a good reading year for me! I hope 2020 is a lot better in terms of reading … and writing!)
While you are reading though, or doing whatever it is you do – I’ll be over here writing! (Sooner I write, the sooner I read! So … win-win!)
Tara