Goose bumps rose along my arm in the wake of his touch, and all of my lady parts were at attention. I wanted his body pressed up against mine, and that thought made me feel like a traitor to all the eco-feminists of the world.

Brynne wanted Oliver’s respect and friendship. Spending time with him had even rekindled her longing for a relationship, but she reminded herself of her commitment to stay single and the motives behind it. At the end of their visit, she managed to hold onto that resolve, using it as a shield against temptation. Despite wanting to stay with Oliver longer, she returned home.

But now that she was here, she was questioning if she had made the right choice .

Or did I just run away?

1. The High Blind – "Silence remained. Part reverence of the panorama which surrounded them, part fear they could screw it all up. They couldn’t afford distractions. Not given what they were about to undertake. They needed zero mistakes, zero casualties, and everything precise."

2. Wake-Up Call – "Maggie took a deep breath, saddened but not surprised. She and her crew had already discussed this possibility and already decided upon the response. She selected her next words specifically and sincerely. “Please tell him we understand. It is to be his final decision.”
She suspected these simple words might lose something in the translation, but knew it didn't matter. He’d soon learn the meaning of final."

3. The Snooze Alarm – "Premier Chou, my apologies for disturbing you at this hour,” she didn’t know if there was a proper protocol, "but there is some urgent business concerning North Koryo, and only China can help resolve it.” In the background, she heard a torrent of words she didn’t understand. Then the interpreter answered. It amounted to one reciprocal pleasantry, and then–as she interpreted it–a “what the f*** do you want”–or close approximation thereof."

I discovered quite quickly that most of my endings are going to bed and going to sleep in my first drafts. So I have to change all those chapter endings in revisions. I know why I do that--because that is how my day ends--I go bed and go to sleep thinking back over my day. But in a book? Right. that is boring after the first time.

At least, that's what worked on my previous novel. We'll see if it works again on my current WIP 🙂

Jack knew him well. Ray didn’t miss a single thing in the room around him. He noticed every movement they made. The details of what they were wearing. Escape routes and hiding places should the need arise. Ray’s training was thorough. He was an excellent soldier—until he went AWOL.

“Tell us what happened back then, Ray.”

“I know what I told you before, Jack. But I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill Mike Roberts.”

Very nice! I love the haunting imagery.

A warm breeze with the scent of lilacs overwhelms me. Even though a breeze swirls around me, nothing else moves. Not the plants, the trees, or even the few colored leaves on the ground heralding fall.

So where did the lilac scent come from?