Thursday Update-2/27/14

Hello everyone and Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a good week. For me, I have had a crazy week and I'm not ready to go to work tomorrow. I guess I have to. But before I do, here's my weekly update.

So the big one is something all of you probably already know. I'm going to GRL 2014 as a Supporting Author! I am so excited. I can't wait to go and meet everyone. I've already picked out some swag and I'm hoping to book my hotel room in the next week. General registration starts on Saturday and I can't wait to hear who else is going.

On the writing front, I've had a very good week on Elpis Academy: Atty and Chase. I've crossed the 45,000 word mark and I'm working on Chapter 17/22. This story will probably come in between 55,000 and 60,000 words. I'm hoping to wrap up the first draft next week.

Someone Who Loves the Real Me has hit a wall. I'm hoping that I'll be able to work past that, but I don't know. We'll see in the coming weeks.

I had a new novel idea come and hit me over the head. It's a traditional science-fiction, in a similar vain as Xibalta. This adult series is called the Noxium trilogy and the first book is called Escape. I have a basic outline done and about a thousand words down. This will probably be my next project once Elpis is done.

When Friendship Becomes More is now done with its second round of edits. The final proof should be coming soon. 

Nothing new to report on MGMWML or Death-Meet Love and Happiness.

I think that's about it for now. Check back of Monday for Part 2 of 3 in Steve and joey's wedding! See you all then. Have a great weekend everyone!

~Sophie

The Saga of Steve and Joey-Part 12

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone's had a good start to the week. Here is the much anticipated wedding arch in the saga. Enjoy!

Part 12

Joey

“You look good.”

I look over and smile as I see Lucas standing in the doorway in the reflection of the mirror. He’s looking wonderful in his black suit, perfectly tailored to his trim body.

“Thanks. So do you.”

“Yeah, but no one’s going to be looking at me.”

I think about telling him that with only three other people at the ceremony, there isn’t going to be many people looking at any of us, but I don’t say anything. Instead, I just turn back to the mirror and make sure my black bow tie is straight. It is. Probably because I already straightened the thing ten times.

Lucas walks further into the room, smiling at my OCD. He reaches over to the table and picks up the single red rose bud I’m using for a boutonniere. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he turns me around to face him, which I do. He starts to attach the rose, being careful to make sure it’s straight.

“Thanks,” I say when he’s done.

“Sure. That’s what I’m here for.”

“I thought you’d be with Steve.”

Lucas shrugs. “I saw him. But he’s with his parents, so I thought I’d give them some time. Besides, you’re…”

“Alone?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say that.”

“But it’s true,” I say, dejectedly. “Steve’s parents are here for him, but mine can’t stand the sight of me, so…”

“Hey,” Lucas says with a gentle voice that stops my voice dead in its tracks. “I know you have some problems with your parents. But they don’t matter. All that matters is that man who is going to marry you. And I promise you he loves you so much and is ready to take that step with you.”

A small smile creeps on to my face. “Really?”

“Joey, he is practically vibrating with excitement. And you know, that’s not him. But he just loves you so much.”

“I know. And I love him.”

“So what does it matter if your parents aren’t here? All that matters is that you have him.”

“I guess. And I’d rather they not be here if they’re not going to support me. I just always thought they’d be here when I got married.”

“Aww, Joey,” Lucas comforts before pulling me into a hug. I try to hold back the tears as I rest against his chest. They aren’t tears of anger, just disappointment. Disappointment that life didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. That I can’t have a better relationship with my parents because of who I am. I know it isn’t going to change and if it means forsaking Steve and my love for him, then I wouldn’t want to. But this is supposed to be a day for family. And seeing Steve with his, when I don’t have mine, makes the pain all the more real.

Despite my best efforts, I shed a few tears before pulling back and looking at Lucas. He just gives me a little smile, concern still clear in his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just wallowing in my own self-pity.”

“I think you’re allowed under the circumstances. But you might want to pull it together. We only have five minutes before the ceremony.”

“Shit,” I whisper, the gravity of what’s about to happen hitting me full in the chest.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think I just realized how close this is.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“But what if I forget my vows?”

“Please. Do you really think Steve is going to care?”

“But his parents already don’t like me. I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of them.”

“You’re stressing over nothing. You’ve had these things memorized for two months now. You know it better than the back of your hand. You’ll be fine.”

“I guess. I’m just nervous. You’ll be fine. Now are you ready?”

“Can you just give me a minute? I’ll be out in a minute.”

Lucas smiles at me and nods. “Sure. Just hurry up. Don’t want to be late to your own wedding.”

“I won’t.”

Lucas nods and leaves, shutting the door behind him.

Alone once again, I turn to look at myself in the mirror again. Everything seems in order. My tux still looks good, my bow tie is straight, as is the boutonniere.  My hair’s combed and I don’t have any weird stains on my face.

I let out a deep breath. This is it. I’m getting married to the man of my dreams. And in this moment, I know it doesn’t matter what his parents think of me. Or the fact that mine are absent. All that matters is that I have Steve in my life forever.

With one last smile to myself in the mirror, I turn and head for the door. It’s time to make Steve mine.

And there is Part 12! Although, I should really call it The Wedding-Part 1. There will be 3 parts to this wedding. Next week: the Ceremony! See you all then!

EXCITING NEWS

Well, I said I might have some exciting news to share on Saturday and here it is:

I'M GOING TO GRL!!!

You read that right! I will be going to the ultimate conference for LGBT Romance Writers. And I'll be going as a Supporting Author! I'm so excited!!!! The conference isn't until October, but keeping watching this site for exciting information as we get closer.

*Snoopy Happy Dance* *Snoopy Happy Dance*  *Snoopy Happy Dance* *Snoopy Happy Dance*

Okay. That is all!

Thursday Update-2/20/14

Hello everyone! I hope everyone's having a great week. My week has been good. There have been the first signs of spring and I can only hope that there won't be anymore snow. Once of the snow piles in my front year is taller than I am, and that scares me. Anyway, here's my writing update for this week.

This week all of my focus has been on Elpis. I've finally started to hit a stride with this story and I'm hoping to get it down while it's still clear. This week I've written almost 10,000 words and crossed the halfway mark. The story will probably be around 60,000 words total. Even though this sound ambitious, I'm hoping to finish the first draft by Mar. 9. I have a few days off from work then so I should be able to get it done then.

Someone Who Loves the Real Me has been put on hold until the first draft of Elpis is done.

Still waiting on word on MWMGML, Death-Meet Love and Happiness and A Mysterious Savior. I should be getting more information on all three of them within the next few weeks.

The next part of The Saga of Steve and Joey will be huge so be sure to check in next Monday.

And finally, while I don't have anything to share yet I MAY have some exciting news on Saturday. I don't want to say anything and jinx it, but be sure to stay tuned to my Twitter or Facebook over the weekend. And keep your fingers crossed for me!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Sophie

The Saga of Steve and Joey-Part 11

Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a good start to the week. Either way, here's Part 11 of The Saga of Steve and Joey. Enjoy!

Part 11

Steve

Ugh. Weddings are expensive. Even small ones. When Joey asked me to marry him, I never thought we would have to be fronting so much money for so many little things. As I surf the web, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed at all of the information on budgeting, clothes, flowers, venues, favors, invitation and everything else. If it isn’t the money making me nervous, it’s the sheer number of things to do. I don’t know how people plan for a four hundred person wedding.

Groaning, I set the laptop down on the couch next to me and rub my eyes.

“Problem,” Joey asks as he comes into the living room.

“Remind me never to look up wedding stuff. I think my brain is melting out of my ears.”

“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“No, it’s worse. Come here and I’ll show you.”

I pick up the laptop so Joey can sit next to me, which he does, sitting close enough that our legs touch.

“All ready. Prepare yourself,” I warn as I set the laptop on his lap.

Joey shakes his head, as if to laugh as me, but I don’t say anything. Let him find out all on his own.

Over the next fifteen minutes, I show him site after site that terrified me to no end. At first, Joey doesn’t take me seriously, but by the end, he’s just as pale as I am.

“They want us to do all of that?”

“Well, I don’t think there’s a ‘they’, but that’s what recommended, yeah.”

“But I don’t want to do all that. Isn’t there a simpler way?”

It’s a simple question, but it makes me realize that I’m missing something. “Joey? I just realized I never asked you what kind of wedding you want.”

Joey looks down at the couch. “That’s okay. I was just going to let you handle it.”

“But don’t you want to have a say? You’re so creative. I would have thought you would have wanted to do something with the decorations or something.”

“No. Whatever you want is fine.”

The way he says that puts me on high alert. Something is wrong here. “Joey, babe? What are you not telling me?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want to plan a wedding.”

“But you proposed to me,” I say in shock as my heart skips a beat.

“Oh, no,” Joey exclaims, turning so he can grab my hands and look me in the eye. “That’s not what I meant. Of course, I want to marry you. I just don’t care where. Or when. I just want you there. Wherever that may be.”

“But what about our families? And friends?”

Joey shrugs. “I don’t want my family there. If they can’t accept me then they don’t get to come to my wedding. And Lucas is my only real friend.”

His quiet words drove a spike through my heart. How could I be so thoughtless? I know Joey doesn’t really have anyone in his life. And I have to go and rub that in.

“Do you want to elope,” I ask.

“But what about your parents? And Lucas? And your friends from work?”

“Well, Lucas can come. We can bring witnesses. My parents could come to if they wanted. And I’m not so close to any of my friends at work that I have to invite them. But we could bring five to ten people with us wherever we go. And technically, we don’t even have to leave the state to get married, so we wouldn’t have to elope. We could just go down to the courthouse one day.”

“But wouldn’t it bother you? Not having a big wedding.”

I look at Joey’s worried face before leaning forward and wrapping him in a hug. “I don’t care just so long as I have you.”

“Really?”

“Really. Besides, after seeing all of the crap that goes into a wedding, I’m pretty sure it will be a lot less stress if we do it this way.”

“So when do you want to do it?”

“Why wait? Let’s check our work places and see when we can get two weeks off together. After all, we’re going to want to take a nice long honeymoon, right?”

I feel Joey’s nod against my chest and it causes me to smile. This is really happening. I’m going to marry the man of my dreams. And it isn’t going to involve stress or money or any everything else, which suits me fine. After all, all I need is Joey.

Well, there’s Part 11. Be sure to check back next week for the wedding! Have a good week!

Thursday Update-2/13/14

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is surviving the snow. I know I have about ten inches outside my door with the promise of more tonight. Way too much snow, if you ask me. My wallet agrees with me as I've had to call out of work because of all this stuff. I would like to say that means I've gotten lots of writing done, but there's something about having a snow day that makes one really lazy. But somehow, someway things have still been written. So without any more delay, here's this week's update!

Elpis Academy-Atty and Chase is still moving along, slowly but surely. I have broken the 20,000 word mark, which means it should be about 1/3 done. I also did some work on the outline and changed some things around and I think it will make for a much better story. My goal is to be done with the first draft in a month and have it submitted by Easter.

When Friendship Becomes More is still in the editing stage. Nothing new to report.

Someone Who Loves the Real Me didn't progress this week. My goal was to work on it during my working week. Sadly, there was a death in my extended family that took up all my free time this week. Hopefully, I can get back into it this week.

Still waiting on word/contract for MWMGML, Death-Meet Love and Happiness and A Mysterious Savior. 

I think that's about everything. Be sure to check back for another update next week and a new free read this Monday. See you all then.

~Sophie

The Saga of Steve and Joey-Part 10

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone is having a good start to the week. And, of course, because it's Monday, it's time for the newest part in Steve and Joey's story. This part directly follows Part 9, so if you need to catch up, you might want to do that first. You can find all of the other parts here. Enjoy!

Part 10

Joey

The greatest feeling in the world is holding the one you love. After we left the restaurant last night, we came back to the house and made sweet love before falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

Now as the sun peeks into the room around the blackout curtains, I can only wonder at how lucky I am to have a man like Steve in my life. I don’t know how long I watch him before he stirs in my embrace and slowly opens his eyes. I watch as he registers where he is before turning his gaze upwards, staring at me while still resting on my chest.

“Hi,” he whispers, the goofy grin on his face matching my own.

“Hi,” I whisper back before lifting a hand and running it through his soft hair.

We sit in silence, soaking up the peace. Eventually, Steve breaks the gaze and looks down. I see his left hand and smile more. The metal from the ring is glinting, even in the low light. I stared at the ring for almost a week before I gave it to him, and now it seems like his turn to stare. His eyes are transfixed, and even though I can’t see his face, I know he’s happy.

“It really happened,” he whispers after a minute.

“Of course it did. Why would you think otherwise?”

“I thought it was a dream.”

“Nope. Definitely not a dream.”

Steve looks up at me and smiles before lifting himself off my chest to give me a proper good morning kiss.

“Good,” he whispers against my lips.

“I love you,” I whisper, kissing him back.

“Love you too.”

We lounge in bed for a little bit longer, before getting up to start the day. I, feeling strangely domestic, start cooking a real breakfast with pancakes and eggs. We’re out of bacon, but I figure it’s hearty enough. I manage to make a nice stack of pancakes and start on some scrambled eggs by the time Steve finishes his shower.

“Whatcha doing,” Steve asks, coming into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around my waist, leaning his chin on my shoulder.

“Making breakfast.”

“And what brought this on?”

“I think getting engaged is reason enough to celebrate, don’t you?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, I guess so. What do you need help with?”

“Do you want to set up the breakfast bar with plates and silverware? The pancakes are already over there.”

“Yum,” he says, kissing me on the neck before letting me go to set the table. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Sure, thanks.”

Together, we set up for our breakfast and within five minutes we’re eating a wonderful breakfast. I’m a damned good cook, if I do say so myself. I don’t do it too often because of our crazy lives, but when I do, I make it count.

“So now what?”

I swallow the pancake in my mouth and turn to look at Steve. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we’re engaged now.”

“Yeah,” I say confused, despite the grin that has formed on my face.

“So shouldn’t we tell someone?”

“Well, Lucas already knows. He caught me looking at engagement rings at work and busted me. We should call him and tell him eventually, but I doubt he’s expecting a phone call this morning. I’ll call my parents later today, although I can’t say they’ll be thrilled.” My parents never really supported the real me. They love me, but things are weird between us now.

“I can tell my work friends on Monday. So I guess that just leaves my parents,” Steve surmises. “You know, we don’t really have that many people we’re close to.”

“So what? All I need is you.”

Steve leans over and give me a quick kiss before inhaling the last part of his breakfast. “I’m going to go call my parents. You want to me to do it here and put it on speaker?”

“No. Go ahead. I’ll just finish my breakfast.”

Steve nods and gets up to go find his cell phone. I go back to eating, listening to the muffled voice coming from the bedroom. Steve’s parents and I don’t really get along. They don’t hate me, but it’s like I’m living proof they’re son is gay. But rather than take it out on Steve like my parents did for me, they just shunned me. It bothered me a little, but Steve made it clear he would always choose me over them. And because of that I could deal with a little discomfort from them.

“They’re happy,” Steve said, walking back into the room. “They want to take us out to dinner at some point to celebrate.” The lack of enthusiasm in his voice tells me that it’s not the whole story, but I also know Steve well enough to know not to push in matters like this.

“Great. Do you want to call Lucas?”

Steve nods and pulls his cell phone out of his sweatpants pocket. Setting the phone on the table, he hit the speaker button as soon as the call started.

“Hello,” Lucas answers, sounding half-asleep.

“Hey,” Steve starts. “Joey and I have something to tell you.”

“I think I know what that might be,” Steve starts, a smile in his voice. “But go ahead.”

“We’re engaged,” Steve and I say in near-perfect harmony.

“Congrats,” Lucas exclaims. “I knew you two were perfect for each other.”

“You were right,” I concede. “I don’t know what I would do without him.”

“That’s awesome. Well, I appreciate the call, but I think the two of you have more important things to do. Call me later and we’ll do dinner to celebrate.”

We say our goodbyes before ending the call.

“Well, that’s done,” Steve comments.

“Yep. And now we have the whole weekend to celebrate our engagement.”

“And how do you want to do that,” Steve says with a leer.

“I may have a few suggestions,” I tease as I step forward to capture his lips in a scorching kiss. That kiss leads to another and another and soon we’re heading back upstairs to celebrate in the best way possible.

And there’s Part 10! I hope everyone enjoyed it. Check back next week for the next part in their story. 

Thursday Update-2/6/14

Happy Thursday everyone! Here is my update on the writing I accomplished this week.

The big news is A Mysterious Savior is done and sent off! I should be hearing news about it in a 4-6 weeks.

When Friendship Becomes More is also going well. The first edited draft is done, as is the blurb. It's looking like the story will be done with the editing stage by the end of the month.

Elpis is going well, albeit a bit slow. I was hoping to get about 12,000 words done in a 48 hour period and it just didn't happen. I know it was a little ambitious, but it's possible if the story is flowing. This one flows for a little bit and then I have to stop and figured out what's happening next. Right now, I have about 7,000 words done and I'm hoping to get another two by the end of the night.

Someone Who Love the Real Me is my newest short story. I'm working on it during my working week, so that's slow going. But I"m hoping to get the first draft done by the end of the month.

I'm still waiting to hear on MYMGML and Death-Meet Love and Happiness. Hopefully soon...

So that's my update. Have a great week everyone!

~Sophie

The Saga of Steve and Joey-Part 9

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone is having a nice start to the week. How many of you got snow? I think I got about nine inches. Crazy! But enough small talk. It's time for Part 9 of The Saga of Steve and Joey! And this is a really important part. Enjoy!

Part 9

I open my eyes and roll over, happy to be in my own bed. Rubbing a hand over my face, I turn to look at the window, which is blacking out the sun. Only the glow around the edge of the window tells me the sun’s up.

I drag my body up and reach a hand over to my nightstand. Finding my cell, I hit the power button and check the time. Four thirty in the afternoon. I see the little text icon in the top corner and unlock the screen to access it. A smile comes to my face when I see a message from Joey. I managed not to wake Joey when I got in at four in the morning from the hospital. And I must have slept through him leaving as well. It’s Friday so Joey has to work today. Thankfully, I don’t have to go back in until Monday morning, so I have the whole weekend to spend with my man. Thank God, I’m a resident.  Those med school hours were the death of me.

Joey’s message is simple, but it makes my smile even wider. You wanna go out tonight? Call me.

Quickly, I hit the button for a new message and start typing on the digital keyboard. Absolutely. I’m up now, so call me when you get a chance and we can make plans.

I don’t get a response right away, but it’s not shocking considering he won’t be out of work for another half an hour. So I get out of bed and go to the bathroom to do my business and take a shower. When I finish all that, I see Joey has called me twice. Without thinking, I hit the call back button that will connect me to my man.

“Hey,” he says in greeting.

“Hey, yourself. What’s going on?”

“Not much. Just got out of work.”

“Yeah, I just got out of bed. Work was brutal last night.”

“Oh,” he says, with just a hint of disappointment. “So are you up for going out tonight?”

“With you, absolutely. What do you have planned?”

“You’ll see. Just dress nice and we can go as soon as I get home.”

“Uh…okay,” I say skeptically.

“Good. Love you.”

“I love you too.”

Joey disconnects the call and I’m left a little confused. Joey isn’t the type of person to plan surprises. He always tells me what he’s got planned. I try not to think about it as I change out of my old boxers and T-shirt into something somewhat presentable. I always want to look nice for him, so I choose to wear black slacks and a button-up blue shirt that Joey says brings out the color of my eyes. That done, I fire up my tablet and check my e-mail while I wait.

Joey opens the front door to the house about twenty minutes later. He quickly comes upstairs to the bedroom and gives me a kiss before rushing to the closet to get changed.

“So where are we going,” I say as Joey pulls on a fresh shirt. It’s all I can do to keep a healthy distance between us, but I don’t want to ruin Joey’s plans.

“You’ll see,” he says with a smile. “I’m just going to go to the bathroom and then we can go.”

“I just have to put my shoes on.”

Within ten minutes, we’re in the car, Joey driving us to an unknown location. I want to ask him what he is thinking, but even I have to admit there is something exciting about not knowing where he’s taking me. We make simple conversation on the way, but just to kill the silence between us.

Finally, Joey parks the car on a street lined with restaurants. With a wicked smile, Joey undoes his seatbelt and gets out of the car. I unbuckle my seatbelt as well but before I can open the door, Joey is there, holding it open for me. With a smile, I get out of the car and gently peck him on the lips.

“Come on,” he whispers as soon as our kiss breaks. “I don’t want to miss this reservation.”

We walk hand-in-hand down the street. I’m not sure at first where we’re going, but as soon as I see a hoard of people waiting around a patio, I know.

“Our first date,” I breathe as I realize where he’s taken me.

“Yep. I thought it was time we got back to our roots.”

I’m a little confused by his words, wondering what could have gotten him . Joey normally isn’t so reflective. I don’t like the way my thoughts are going, so I try to push them aside as we head inside the restaurant.

I glance around at the restaurant as Joey talks to the host. It hasn’t really changed much in the four years since our first date. The bar where I first saw Joey is still there and that makes me smile at the sight.

“Hey,” Joey says, breaking my out of my thoughts. “They have our table ready.”

I nod and take his hand. Together, we weave our way through the restaurant, following the host. We’re seated at a table in the very back corner of the restaurant. There is a little privacy as we’re tucked in the back corner. The lighting is low and we can’t really see the other guests because of how the table is placed. Joey walks in front of the host and pulls one of the wooden chairs out for me. I sit and watch as Joey walks around and takes his own seat. The host gives us some menus before leaving us in peace.

“This is so nice,” I whisper.

“I thought you might like it.”

Reaching across the table, I grip his hand in mine, before picking up the menu.

We make small talk about what we want to eat and what kind of wine to get before the waiter comes to take our order.

Dinner is simple and the food is wonderful. We’ve gone out to eat so many times in our relationship that we’d mastered the art of dining conversation. Talking about light topics that don’t get you overly excited and isn’t so serious that you can’t get interrupted. But throughout the meal, I get the feeling that something’s bothering Joey. I can’t imagine what it would be, but something in my gut tells me something’s off.

When dinner is done, Joey suggests that we order the dessert special. I tell him that maybe we should skip dessert. By this point, Joey isn’t looking so good. He’s lost a lot of his color and he seems to be sweating. I think he might be getting sick. But he’s insistent and finally I give in, if only so we can get home sooner. If he really is sick, then he should be in bed.

“What’s wrong,” I ask as soon as the waiter leaves with our dessert order. “I understand that you want dessert, but I think you’re getting sick.”

“I’m okay.”

“No. You’re not. You’re much too pale.”

A small smile crosses his face. “That better not be how you diagnose your patients.”

I smile and shake my head. “It’s not and you know it. But you’re not acting like yourself.”

Joey opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it when he sees the waiter coming out of the corner of his eye. I glance up, but I’m more concerned about Joey.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

I see him swallow as the waiter sets a plate down in front of me. The waiter then sets down Joey’s own dessert and leaves without a word.

“Baby,” I say, concerned he’s not answering me.

Joey just nods his head to my plate. We ordered a chocolate fudge cake for dessert and, while it looks very good, my gaze is focused on the silver ring sticking out of the top of the cake. I’m so focused on that, I don’t see Joey getting out of his chair and I jump when he puts a hand on my knee.

Looking down, I see he’s on one knee. My heart skips a beat.

“Steve, we’ve been together for four years now and I can’t remember my life before you. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

My head spins as I try to process his words. But as reality sinks in, my head starts to nod of its own accord.

“Yes,” I stutter out. “Of course I will.”

Joey’s face lights up with the biggest smile before he stands up and leans down to kiss me. The restaurant and all of the people fade away as I kiss the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. Joey is going to marry me and that makes life perfect.

Okay, I hope you all liked the proposal. Check back next week when Steve and Joey let the world in on their engagement. See you then!