SYTYCW: The First Page

Four days in to my romance novel writing extravaganza, I have a little over 7,000 words written (not all of them good). Two days into this bit of insanity, I sent my first page off for consideration in the “First Page Challenge,” where So You Think You Can Write editors critiqued a random assortment of entries.

Mine wasn’t chosen. Which is okay, because, well, that’s scary.

But since I was ready to commit it to the public viewing space I decided to post it here. Like it or not, I’m taking you all on this writing adventure with me!

So here we go. The first page of Winner Takes All, by yours truly.

 

Her little red dress had seemed far too revealing when she put it on, but now that she was face-to-face with her competition, Becky worried she hadn’t gone far enough.

From where she stood in the hotel’s white marble hallway, staring through the open ballroom doors at the party swirling inside, the women looked more like Victoria’s Secret runway models than the advertising executives she knew they were.

Becky reached into the ridiculously small clutch currently masquerading as a purse and pulled out her phone.

“Standing outside party. Can’t make myself go in. Help!!!” she texted.

Seconds later, her phone pinged.

“Get your butt moving, girlie! Mr. One Night Stand isn’t going to fall in your lap!”

“Can’t. The people in that room are scary,” she fired back.

“Just picture them standing in their underwear…then stalk the guy that makes you drool.”

Becky giggled, then slid the phone back into her purse.

“Right. Underwear,” she said to herself. “Must picture delicious looking men in underwear. I can do that.”

She jumped as a masculine voice sounded from behind her.

“Well, if you’re looking for volunteers, I happen to be wearing what I feel is a rather good looking undergarment.”

“What?” she yelped, whirling to face the interloper. Then her heart stopped. The man smirking at her was the living, breathing definition of delicious, from the tips of his artfully rumpled black hair to the toes of his polished leather shoes.

What do you think?

SYTYCW: The Journey Begins

it was a dark and stormy night on a notepad

It’s been a little more than three months since I did something that scared me silly (like posing as an expert and speaking at a conference).

It’s been a little more than four months since I read as part of the Listen To Your Mother Show (which tied my gut up in knots for months).

And it’s been a whole two weeks since my latest website launched (which deep fried my brain for a while there).

So, of course, it’s time to try something new. Something terrifying. Something like submitting the romance novel I started three years ago during NaNoWriMo into another contest. This one with a publishing contract on the line.

It’s called So You Think You Can Write, and it’s put on by Harlequin. The winner takes home a publishing contract. Everyone who enters gets an editor’s eyes on their first chapter.

I’m going to enter.

Which means I have to have an ass kicking first chapter done by September 23. I also have to re-work the whole manuscript and get it whipped into a polished 50,000 word manuscript sometime before October 14. Easy peasy, right? Riiiggghhht.

It’s a good thing I love the adrenaline rush that comes with an insane deadline.

Can I do it? Sure. Will it be good enough? I have no idea. But I’m going to find out.

The working title is Winner Takes All. And here’s what I imagine the back cover might read:

Becky’s single-minded focus on her career has made her the hottest copywriter in town. But even the most driven career woman has needs… which Becky decides to satisfy with one hot night in Vegas. When she discovers the magnetic stranger who shared her bed is the new creative director of her advertising agency, she has to decide: is their undeniable attraction worth risking everything she’s worked for?

Mark’s brand of charming ruthlessness has made him one of the advertising industry’s most successful men—and Madison Avenue’s #1 heartbreaker. But when his latest conquest turns out to be his new agency’s star copywriter, it will take every ounce of charisma he possesses to convince her that they can have a successful business relationship—with benefits.

But when life takes an unexpected turn, he’ll have to decide: is he ready to go all in?

Wish me luck.

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