Dispatches from the writing cave

I'm deep in that "second draft life"! My WIP (work-in-progress) is a light-and-sexy contemporary romance about Fiona Quinn (Roxy's little sister) and her cocky, tattooed, bad boy hero, Max. 

In the Hippie Chicks, I described the feel of this book so far as "cocky bad boy + good girl who is immune to his charms + dirty talk + friends-to-lovers" so, as you can imagine, I'm having the MOST FUN EVER writing them. Although my current issue is that I can't stop Fiona and Max from flirting with each other all damn day long. And I need them to focus on their own sub-plots so they can become better people by the end. Right now they're just screaming LET US KISS ALREADY.

I surely will not. 😉

My word count goals this week have averaged around 3,500 - 4,000 words a day, which usually takes me four to five hours. It just depends on how much Fiona and Max want to torture me on any given day. The good news is that my first drafts are just 95,000 words worth of rambling ideas and plot lines barely strung together. That sweet second draft is where I start to yank it all in. 

Still not letting them kiss though. 

Also - not all of my books have soundtracks, but this one certainly does. For those who enjoyed STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL, you know that Fiona is the only straight-laced and studious member of her anarchist, punk-rock family. She and Max have the same (excellent) taste in music, so while writing I'm kept company by David Bowie, The Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin...a little Neil Young, some Joan Jett and Stevie Wonder too. 

Will report back next week on Fiona and Max's kissing status and their on-page flirt factor! Will also count how many pots of coffee I've consumed...