Writer's Block is a Terrible Thing

Writer's Block sucks. There is no other way to say it. My YA short story that I started last week has hit a wall of epic proportions. So I won't be finishing that anytime soon.

On the flip side, a new muse has taken residence in my brain. I'm currently writing an adult novella. It's a dark comedy about the Grim Reaper and his search to find love. So for right now, that is going to be my main project until my short story muse comes back.

The goal: to get both the novella and the short story done by the end of the year. That seems like a really tall order even as I say that between the holidays and a few mandatory six day work weeks, but hopefully it will get done. I want to be all set-up to start a new novel in the new year.

So that's where I am. How about all of you?

Weekly Prompt-Dogs

Here is a brand-new free read. Be sure to check out the original prompt and the other responses here. Enjoy!

A Walk in the Park

Music blared in Cal’s ears as he ran down the path. It was a beautiful Saturday morning in his humble town of Jacobsburg, sunny and just the right temperature for a run. Cal didn’t run as much as he used to since he was working full-time at the bank, but it was something he still enjoyed to do.

Cal was about halfway through his run when a black blur suddenly darted in front of Cal’s feet. Dodging to the side, Cal started to slow down, narrowly missing the blur.

Annoyed, Cal turned to see what ruined his run. It was a dog, black and small. It looked like a mutt, but Cal had to admit that he was adorable with a bright red ball stuck in his mouth.

“Sorry,” Cal heard through his headphones. Taking the buds out of his ears, Cal turned to face whoever was speaking to him.

Cal’s breath caught as he caught a glimpse of the man running towards the adorable dog. The man was tall, with hinting of toned bronze muscles gleaming under his T-shirt and gym shorts. His brown hair was a little long, but it only made him look younger and much more attractive in Cal’s eyes.

“Hey, are you okay,” the cute guy said.

Cal shook his head, trying to snap out of his preoccupation. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I was a little worried that you got hurt when Sparky here got away from me.”

“Sparky?”

“Yeah, my dog,” the man clarified as he ruffled the fur on Sparky’s head. “He’s usually really good about staying with me, even when we play fetch, but he’s a little ADHD. Gets distracted easy.”

Cal couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No. I wasn’t hurt by your ADHD dog.”

The man smiled back. “Good. I’m glad. Oh, I’m Neal, by the way.”

“Calvin. But everyone calls me Cal.”

Neal stood up and shook hands with him. “Nice to meet you.”

There was an awkward moment of silence as the two men stared at each other. Cal watched Neal shuffle his feet, as if he were waiting for something. Maybe Cal wasn’t the only one attracted here. After all, he did offer his name. Well, there was only one way to find out.

“Hey, um. I’m sorry if I’m out of line here,” Cal started, happy that he didn’t sound too nervous. “But would you like to go grab a coffee or something?”

Neal’s smile was as bright as the sun. “Yes. I would like that very much. There’s a café down the street with some outdoor tables. That way Sparky can come with no problems. As long as you’re good with that.”

“Absolutely,” Cal agreed, bending down to pat the dog on the head. He got a happy bark and a tail wag for his efforts.

“I think he likes you.”

“Well, that’s good. Because I like him too. I like his owner too.”

Neal blushed. “Shall we go get that coffee?”

“Lead on.”

Neal pulled a leash out of his pocket, clipping it to Sparky’s bright red collar, before coming and standing next to Cal.

“I am reading this right. This is a date, right?”

“I hope so.”

Neal blushed again. “Good. Although I have to admit that when I got Sparky from the shelter two months ago I never would have thought that he would get me dates. I just wanted someone to come home to at the end of the work day.”

“Well, who knows? Maybe Sparky just helped you find a human you can come home to at the end of the day.”

“Aren’t you rushing things? We haven’t even had coffee yet.”

“True. But you never know where the path will lead.”

Scruffy let out a bark in agreement. Cal and Neal laughed as they headed down the walkway to a bright-looking future.

A Huge Mistake

It has just been brought to my attention that I missed Greedy Bug Book Reviews in my End of Tour Thank Yous. Please allow me to extend my deepest regret to Mr. A-H and all of the wonderful people at Greedy Bug. It was an oversight on my part and I feel horrible about it. The post has been adjusted to include ALL of the names. Greedy Bug is a great source for reviews and I encourage all of my readers to check them out here. Again, I apologize for this oversight.
Sophie

A New Story

Well, I'm still trying to get used to life after vacation. I had a wonderful time away from everything, but I'm slowly forcing myself to ease back into real life. The fact that I have to work tomorrow should help easy that transition.

As for my writing, I'm starting to get back into that too. Now that Journey to Xibalta is done, I've started a new project. I just started a new YA short story. It's about a boy experiencing his first summer love. Currently, the story is called The First Taste of Summer Love. I'm not thrilled with the title and might change it later, but that's what it is now. Who knows, maybe it will even grow on me. Right now, I'm about 2,000 words in to the story. I suspect it will be about 10,000 words when all said and done. Hopefully, I will have the first draft done by this time next week. Maybe by then I will have the ambition to start another novel. But for right now, I'm enjoying this little side project.

So that's my life. How's everyone else? Let me know. And happy Friday everyone!

Sophie

THE END of the Blog Tour

Well, this is the last post for The Sacrifices We Make blog tour. I hope that everyone has enjoyed it. I know that I have. I want to thank everyone who allowed me to ramble on their blogs. Juan, Cody, Skylar, Madison and Jeff over at True Colorz, Jana, Andy, Lucy from Hearts on Fire Reviews, Madison, Mr. A-H and all the great people at Greedy Bug Book Reviews, Nessa for letting me take over Harmony Ink's FB page, Lisa from The Novel Approach, Jamie from Boys on the Brink, Chris, Jay from Joyfully Jay, JP and Brynn: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!! I really appreciate you all taking time to host a brand-new author. I hope that everyone enjoyed it just as much as I did.
And to you, my readers: THANK YOU!!!! I've been blown away by the amazing response I've gotten. All of the reviews and support mean so much to me. I can only hope that I will continue to keep writing stories worthy of all the love and support.
Now just because the blog tour is over doesn't mean that I will be dropping off the face of the Earth. I'm always more than happy to talk with everyone. All of my contact information is listed under the Contact Me page on the right sidebar. Just pick your preferred medium and contact me. Plus, you can always find out what's going on with me right here on my blog.
So that's the end. Please feel free to comment on the blog tour below. And thank you all once again for making this such a great blog tour!
~Sophie

Blog Tour Spot #16

Today I'm over at Brynn Stein's blog talking about my writing journey. Check it outhere.

Update on Writing and Life

Hello Everyone!
    Wow! It's been awhile since I checked in, but I thought I would update everyone on what's been going on. First of all, Journey to Xibalta is FINISHED. That's right. At over 72,000 words it is my longest novel to date and it's one I am very proud of. I think it's a great story. And since it is only 1 of 3, the story isn't even halfway done yet. (But it's as done as it will get for now;) The story has been submitted to Harmony Ink, so now I just have to wait.
     In other news, I am on vacation. I'm leaving for Wisconsin soon. I have tickets to see my beloved Packers take on the Chicago Bears (who suck) on Monday Night Football. So wish me luck. But just so everyone knows, there will be NO free read this week since I will be up there. But don't worry I will have one for you in two weeks time.
      I also hope everyone has been enjoying the Sacrifices blog tour. It's starting to wind down. The last giveaway ends on Saturday so get over to Joyfully Jay and enter. (The link is under the giveaway page.) My last guest post is on Monday over at Brynn Stein's blog and my last post is here on Tuesday. So don't forget to check those out.
    Whew! Well, I think that's everything. I'm going to watch a movie. Have a great weekend all!