Today is the last day of August. The book is not finished. In fact, it's only about one third of the way complete because I needed to go back and fix a few things near the beginning, and well, then rewrite everything after that point.
Earlier in the summer, I was shooting for September. September on Cape Cod is when the natives actually get to enjoy the beaches and sidewalks without the crowds. Yes, the water is still warm and the skies are still blue and it's actually nicer than August.... no wait, I'm not supposed to give away that secret! Well, anyway... looking at my September calendar of getting child #2 off to college - my publishing plans may not stay on track.
Life gets in the way.
Now the question is whether to put the book out in the fall, or for Christmas, or wait until next spring/summer? Hmmmm. Maybe I need to actually finish writing before making that kind of decision. I know what I want to write. It's a matter of finding the time for BICHOK: Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. Well, this keyboard and not my day-job keyboard sitting next to it on my desk. That one gets far too much use.
I need a better plan. I need a better way to allocate my time. I'm hoping once child #2 is out of the house, I'll have more room to think. And write. Funny how an 18 year old can occupy almost as much brain space as a toddler. Different issues, of course, and without the diapers. No less worries.
In the meantime, I have a SHOCKING REVELATION to share with my mermaid fans. It's not anything I planned, I can assure you - the characters did this on their own, and I'm still hoping it's only a temporary thing.... I wrote my first break up scene earlier this summer.... Read on for a sneak peek - it's a tease, I know, but I need to share....
Kae blinked,
overwhelmed by the anger and hate she saw on Shea’s handsome face. The hard
line of his jaw looked like it was carved from the same marble as the library
table. The green eyes she loved so much were hard glittering rocks, devoid of
any warmth or laughter. Devoid of caring or love.
She pushed back
from the table, trying to add distance between them as she considered his
question and the anger behind it. Before she formulated an answer, he barreled
on, his tone clipped and harsh. “You need to stop visiting the dungeons. You
need to stop visiting him. I forbid
it.”
Her insides froze.
He’d never spoken this way, not to her. Ordering her around, treating her as
less than an equal. Treating her like a servant.
Like the servant
she was.
She swallowed the
lump in her throat. “As you wish, my Prince.”
His features
immediately softened and he reached for her hand, his whisper more of a low
growl that rippled along her bare arms. “Kae, that’s not what I meant and you
know it. I’m not ordering you because I’m your prince. I’m asking you to listen to me because you’re my girlfriend and I… care
about you. The guy is bad news. He’s manipulating you with his evil magick.”
“Not all magick is
bad,” she countered, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. Panic fluttered in her
belly like a swarm of angry bees. If he thought magick was truly evil, what
would he think when he found out about hers? She’d been keeping this secret for
far too long already. About her new abilities. About the changes Hailey
experienced. All caused by magick. All caused by Zan.
“What has the
sorcerer been telling you, Kae? I’m gonna bet he’s filling your head with
fairytales and nonsense. Don’t ever forget he’s Demyan’s henchman, a mere lowly
servant. He does what Demyan tells him to do.”
His words cut
deep. The way he said “servant” felt like a physical slap. She took a deep
breath and slid her hand from under his. “I guess I also need to remember that you
are the master, my Prince. I was also born a mere lowly servant to your royal
family, and perhaps would do best to remember my place.”
He recoiled from
the table, his eyes wide with shock. He forgot to keep his voice down, drawing
attention from the librarians. “That’s not what I meant at all! You know I
don’t think that way! How can you even say stuff like that?”
A blue-haired
librarian appeared beside the table in an instant. “I must ask the two of you
to keep your voices down or leave the library at once. This is a place of
study, not for argument.” The mermaid stared daggers at Kae before turning her
glare on Shea. Recognition lit her face which immediately turned red with
embarrassment. “Oh my Prince, I did not realize it was you. I apologize for the
interruption.” She bowed deeply before swimming away as quickly as she’d
arrived.
Kae flung her
hands in the air. “See what I mean? You. Are. A. Prince. You can’t help it,
it’s who you are. Me? I’m nobody special. Royal blood means everything around
here.”
“Kae, I don’t
think…”
Tears filled her
eyes. “No, that’s the problem. You don’t think. But I should know better. I’m
the one who was raised in the castle, I’m the one who should know the rules
when it comes to royals.”
Shea stared at
her, confusion on his face and his jaw hanging slightly open. “Where is this
coming from? After everything we’ve been through over the last few months, why
now? I thought you and I were, you know, good.”
Her eyes closed
tight, squeezing the extra water out into the current. “If things were good, we
wouldn’t be having this conversation. You wouldn’t be ordering me not to talk
with my friend. And the entire University wouldn’t be taking bets on when
you’ll find a new girlfriend. Not if,
Shea. When.” She opened her eyes and
stared deeply into his. “You are the heir to the throne. When it comes time for
you to marry, you have to marry a
princess. Everyone seems to know this except you.”
He ran both hands
through his hair again and again, sending it every which way, a now familiar
gesture she knew meant he was deep in thought. It tugged at her heartstrings to
see him distraught, but this time she knew she was right. Her father had said
it months ago, but she’d been too wrapped up in the moment to listen to his
words. Too wrapped up in Shea’s kisses and hugs to realize what an impossible
dream she lived. Especially now, with Zan’s magick coursing through her veins.
Once Shea found out about the magick, his whole attitude would change. He would
never look at her the same, and she didn’t want to wait around for that day to
arrive. Better to put distance between them now.
Time to wake up.
Time to get out while her heart was still – somewhat – intact.
Kae took another
deep breath. “We will always be friends, my Prince. And I will always cherish
the memories of our time together. But this?” She gestured back and forth
across the table. “This will never work. It’s better to realize that and end
it.”
Shea cleared his
throat, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “So you’re breaking up with me?
Because of him?”
“No, Shea.” She
took one of his strong, calloused hands in both of hers and squeezed, holding
tight as if she might disappear without the connection. “We’re breaking up
because we must. I will never care for anyone else the way I feel about you.
And I will always be your friend.”
His laughter
sounded hollow. “Friend? Now I know how Julius Caesar must have felt when
Brutus stabbed him in the back. And here I thought we were more like a modern
Romeo and Juliet.”
“I’ve read
Shakespeare, you know. They didn’t have a happy ending either,” Kae said, her
smile wry as she rubbed her thumb along his palm. She would miss this intimacy,
this casual banter. But in the end, her father was right. Falling in love with
a prince was only for fairytales.
* * * * *
Ready for more? Have you read this series from the beginning? Catch the first two books in the series on Amazon:
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