A few days down, a ton more to go. #ROW80 & #WIPpetWednesday

January 7, 2015
Written by adrianjsmith

Good morning all!

I’m excited to report that it’s the start of a new year and the start of a new round of ROW80, as if you didn’t already know that. A few days ago, Sunday I think, I started writing a short story for submission. It wasn’t quite going how I had planned it, but someone said to turn it into something else and it flew off! I finished it quickly, had it edited and now it’s off to submission. I can’t believe it. And I’m still creeped out by what I wrote.

Right now, I’m in debates as to whether or not to continue the story in a sense. Adding in a new main character, but still continuing what has happened into a full-length novel. Meanwhile, I’m back to focusing on Grace through Redemption. So perhaps I’ll have a new crime novel to replace the series I’m about to finish.

While my cats going insane behind me on their kittynip filled cat tree, I’m going to do my ROW80 update and then WIPpet Wednesday.

ROW80

  1. write 1667 words a day
    Monday – 2790
    Tuesday – 964
  2. Blog posts each week: ROW80, WIPpet, Open When, and 1 extra post
    Got this so far. My one extra post this week is another Open When to make up for some I missed in November and December. I’m almost done making them up.
  3. Audio: Record/Edit a chapter a week
    For my own sanity, I’m starting my weeks on Wednesday. So I haven’t done this one yet, but I have a whole week to get it done

I’m getting things accomplished which is the goal. I realized earlier this morning that I don’t have a day off this week, meaning I’m trying to juggle two extra days at work and all of this. I’m hoping it goes well over the weekend. We’ll see.

For those of you who were wondering what I was crocheting last round–here it is!

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WIPpet Wednesday!

WIPpet Wednesday is this amazing thing where writers from around the world get together and post snippets from their WIP (Work in Progress). They make the snippet correlate to the date in some form or fashion. They link it here and then we go and read as many of the other posts as we can. Join in!

For this week I have an excerpt from Grace through Redemption. I finally started in on chapter 2, and had I not been counseling a family with the loss of a father and planning the funeral, I would have gotten at least 1/3 through the chapter and a lot more done.

So here we are. From the chapter Tricks and Pranks. 6 paragraphs because 7 – 1 = 6

Without talking to anyone on her way to the bakery, Grace grabbed a container of six donuts and beelined it for the checkout station. The cashier rung her up, nodding and trying to make small talk. Grace had no desire to even continue the conversation. She was just heading out the front doors when there was a commotion.

Two preteen boys were at the register, and the cashier who had been oh so nice to Grace was checking them out. Eight dozen cartons of eggs. Grace pursed her lips and raced out to her cruiser. Shoving the car into gear after starting the engine, she drove to the corner of the store and waited for the preteen troublemakers to exit.

She had barely gotten into position when the double doors slid open, revealing one boy in raggedy jeans and another in perfect ones. Grace bit her lip and tightened the muscles in her shoulders and neck as she craned her head to see which direction they went. Surprisingly, they didn’t even leave the parking lot.

That early in the morning, the vehicles parked were mostly employees. In fact, as Grace glanced at the clock to double check the time, she was surprised preteen boys were even awake at eight in the morning. They settled some of the eggs in their pockets of their baggy jeans, their hoodies and in their hands. The rest of the cartons sat unused on the cold cement.

Grace waited. As soon as the first egg flew, she was ready to pounce. Her foot tapped against the floor of the cruiser, and she kept her eyes locked on the two troublemakers as much as she could as they danced around and joked with each other. The one in torn jeans fake threw an egg, trying to get the other kid to throw one first. Grace cursed and shook her head. Stupid, she thought.

The kid in nice jeans raised his arm, and she smirked. She was close. But she wanted them both, not just the one. Holding her breath high in her chest, Grace stared at them. Her hand was poised over the mouthpiece of the radio at her shoulder, her ankle straight as she smashed her foot down on the brake, prepared to switch it to gas as soon as the first milky white egg flew from one of their fingers.

OH! And if you didn’t already know. Fellow WIPpeteer, A. M. Leibowitz and I were accepted into an anthology back in December and it’s just released. It’s a Valentine’s Day themed book filled with short stories about how love is a mess.

If anyone is interested in reading & reviewing it, let me know and I’ll email an ARC for it. If you’re interested in purchasing it, well then, here’s the link to Amazon!

love is a mess coverLove is a Mess: A Supposed Crimes Anthology contains eight stories from eight authors on the topic of misfortune at Valentine’s Day. The topics range from the fun of the moment to the power of the eternal. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual characters star in their own love and lust stories–Erotic, playful, and thoughtful.

Viral Valentine by L. M. Perrin
Date Blind by Geonn Cannon
The Politician and the Pilot by Amber Kinsey
Bar Tryst by Rachael Orman
Quarter Life: Energy Feed by Adrian J. Smith
Property of Cupid by Eva Lefoy
Private Dance by A. M. Leibowitz
The Last Mitzvah by Michael DuPuy

 

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30 Comments

  1. Elaine Jeremiah

    Great excerpt Adrian! Exciting – I want to know if she gets the little b******s!

    And congrats to you and Amy on your upcoming release! 😀

    • Adrian

      Oh she gets them and has a bit of fun with then too lol

      • Elaine Jeremiah

        Oh great, sounds like fun! 😀

  2. ReGi McClain

    Pretty blanket. :-0) Quite an accomplishment.

    Grace makes me laugh a little here. She’s so eager to catch the kids being naughty. And the stereotype of donuts is fun, too. 🙂

    • Adrian

      Yeah. Shes normally a healthy eater so i figured it would be fun to have her get junk food.

  3. kathils

    What a beautiful blanket. 🙂 Very lovely.

    See, that would be me if I were in law enforcement. I’d be in that cruiser just begging them to do something stupid! LOL What a great scene.

    Of course, I was also that pre-teen only not eggs and not right out in the open like that.

    • Adrian

      Lol

      • Elaine Jeremiah

        Oh yes I forgot to comment on how lovely the blanket is. Such pretty colours! 🙂

  4. K.S. Norton

    Grace is on their ass, no joke. I love this scene. I feel bad for the two punks, not really. Congrats on the anthology partnership!

    • Adrian

      Haha yeah she is. Thanks!

  5. Amy

    I’m still laughing at this scene. I’m reminded again how very much I love Grace. Those kids don’t stand a chance. LOL!

    • Adrian

      Im still laughing at it too! Especially the next part

  6. Cindy

    Neat snippet…am curious now 🙂

    • Adrian

      Thanks!! She definitely makes her own day with this one

  7. Ruth Nestvold

    Good ol’ Grace, I know she’ll get her man, er boys. 🙂

    Lovely crocheting job there, Adrian! I’ve been spending my TV time recently knitting infinity shawls — they’re nice and fast. *g*

    • Adrian

      Haha i love Grace.

      They are nice and fast. I wish i was good at knitting

  8. Alana Terry

    Congrats on the anthology! And I hope she gets those boys. But I did have to re-read the sentence before I realized the cashier was checking them out, you know, in the cashier way.

    • Adrian

      Haha that probably makes a bit more sense wuth the previous paragraph.

      Thanks

      • Alana Terry

        I know – context is everything! 🙂

  9. bevbaird

    Congrats – on your published story, the blanket and all the goals achieved! I crochet afghans (well – did) and love yours. I’d be interested in reading and reviewing the ARC – sounds like a great book for Valentine’s day.
    All the best this round.

    • Adrian

      Aww yay! Thanks so much. Send me an email to singing2cats (at) gmail (dot) com snd ill get it to you

  10. Alana Terry

    Love the afghan by the way!

    • Adrian

      Thanks. It was huge

  11. Gloria Weber

    Good start to the round. Just like you I have a start to the ROW80 week, but mine is Sundays. I think that is a good way to refresh. No resting on laurels and no dwelling on failures.

    Your blanket is so colorful! Glad you got it done. 🙂 Congrats on the anthology.

    • Adrian

      Since sundays are the start of my work week and slways crazy i try not to expect anything else to happen on them

  12. K.S. Hernandez

    That blanket looks cozy! Very happy for you about the anthology.

    I literally, LOL’d with Grace waiting with baited breath for the young hoods to act up.

    • Adrian

      Thanks! Yeah. Shes patient some times.

  13. Emily Witt

    Congrats on the anthology! 😀 I’ve come across a couple lately that are looking for submissions, so I’m trying to brainstorm something for at least one.

    Great excerpt! I’m glad Grace went after them. I hate kids who think they can get away with stupid stuff. (I”m a grumpy old person at age 25, what can I say?)

    • Adrian

      Im bad at writing short stories so im happy one worked!

      PS im a grumpy old person at 25 too lol