Let's Make S'mores!
Title: The Other Woman
Word Count: 39,515
Status Update:
Ugh...trying to write at the tail end of a vacation is well, let's just say this is where the desire to see this book published has to be strong enough to over ride that, "I'm on vacation and don't want to do anything but eat, sleep, and hang out" feeling. lol. There may have been a couple of days prior to vacay that I stacked my word count so I could lounge without guilt during the trip..."may have been" are the key words there, lol.
But all that is behind me now as I lean into the process of getting this draft done. This post I'll share another of my favorite excerpts. This one is based on a guy I met at a night club. Instead of asking me to dance, like any normal human being standing next to a woman who is OBVIOUSLY having a good time, he tugs on my arm to get my attention and then proceeds to grill me over my financial status. I turned his craptastic (dare I say, idiotic?) lines into this bit of conversation:
“I’m sorry, Donavon, what did you say?”
“I was asking you what your credit score was?”
Tonya looked at Caitlyn with a “is he for real” stare. Mike was studiously looking around the room as if trying to pick up clues at a crime scene.
“My. Credit score?”
“Well yeah. I find that today, you can’t be too careful you know. Women tend to be on the lookout for someone to upgrade them so I almost always ask for the particulars up front. Do you have any stocks, bonds...property? You won’t know it to look at me but my net worth, surprisingly enough, especially on a cop’s salary, is almost a quarter million dollars.”
“Uh huh. Wow. A whole two-hundred, fifty thousand. That’s. Impressive.”
“I know. You know how I did it?”
“Uh, I have no idea.”
“Well, first off, I paid my own way through school, so no student loan debt. Granted, it was a state community college but I went and didn’t end up with a ton of student debt. After that, it was a matter of living as frugally as I could, putting away as much as I could right off the bat. I lived with my mom till I saved up enough money to pay for my place. It’s a one bedroom condo. I got it on the cheap, it was a foreclosure. Needed some work, but that was okay. I’m handy. You know? Anyway, I put almost fifty percent down so my note wasn’t that major. After that, I made sure to take my lunch to work every day...”
Tonya’s mind drifted back to Keith again. He sure looked good in those slacks, button down pressed to death. Even that tie. And were his eyes always that brown?
Another kick, this time with a little more force.
“Wow. So, you've really got your, um, finances in order, there, eh?”
“Most definitely. You know, if you’re having money problems, I can help you out. I’ve a ton of books back at my place I’d be happy to loan you, if you’d like.”
“Are you serious?”
Makes me chuckle every time I read it.
Speaking of books...I've got a new one hitting the shelves this month. After a freakin' six year slump, it is my pleasure to announce...
Coming July 18th!
Scan the code, enter your deets, then get the 1st five pages of the novel FREE to "try before you buy". You'll also be on the list for the advance sale (includes 30% discount), so it's a win, win all the way around.
Alright, that's my summary of writing so far. Gotta head back to the work in progress so I can meet my word count. Hope everyone is doing well. And as always,
Sending love & inspiration,
Dana