Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Currently... (#1) + #teasertuesday

Taking a page out of Katy Upperman's book (blog?) and throwing out a Currently post today! Basically, currently posts are a snapshot of your current life statuses. I used to see these all the time in my (long past) days as a lifestyle blogger. I love that they're popping up in the writing community now, too!

AND as it's Teaser Tuesday, scroll down for an excerpt of my current draft!



Loving
I just started using Freedom and holy shit the difference it's made in my writing productivity is phenomenal. For those who aren't already in the know, it's an app that let's you block yourself from distracting websites (hello twitter/facebook/pinterest/etsy/amazon/etc...) for a block of time (you choose the length). And I had no idea how often I "stared off into space" by browsing those other sites during writing time.

Reading
Lots of beta reading up in here these days. A creepy AF ms by Elodie, a mindf&$k of a thriller by Cristin, and Shannon's next Keeper book. Be jealous. It's okay. I would be too. I also started Bone Gap by Laura Ruby--and it's good so far. Very intriguing. I really only get time for personal reading in the last few minutes every night before my sleeping pill kicks in, so I'm going slow with this one, but really liking it.

Watching
Not a whole lot, too busy trying to finish this draft. Game of Thrones is a must most weeks (still need to watch the most recent though). And Big Bang Theory. And Nashville (which rose to one of my absolute favorites over the past couple years). Otherwise, meh. I have so much tivoed to catch up on. I might take a week off when I get this story to my betas just to watch TV, ha.

Listening To
Pandora. While I draft. I have a station I created while writing Surf & Surrender, and it's turning out to be my ultimate writing station for Teagan's story, too. (It's a combination of Maroon 5, The Civil Wars, Carrie Underwood, Hozier, Taylor Swift, & 30STM, to name a few.)

Thinking About
Finishing this damn draft. Teagan's story... I love it. I love her. But it's the hardest thing I've written to date. Because Teagan has it rough. Internally and externally. And she's tough. Especially externally. And understanding her has forced me to cut into my own veins of depression to bleed out some of these words and this both scares and thrills me.

Anticipating
My daughter turns two this weekend and it's hard to talk/write about this without drowning in bittersweet nostalgia. The dichotomy of wanting time to slow the fuck down while also being so excited to see who she becomes is a hard thing to swallow. We went all out for her first birthday party, so this year we're sticking just to family and a low-key picnic at a local lake. We'll be celebrating my niece, too, as she was born three days before my daughter, which is nuts--and so cool. :)

Wishing
This draft was done. Thankfully, I revise a lot while I write, so the end of my first draft is more like the end of my fifth draft, if that makes any sense. But I can't wait to get this baby into the hands of my betas, because I'm so close to the story, I'm having trouble seeing my way through some of it.

Making Me Happy
Paper crafting! My planner is so much fun--and if you follow me on IG, you'll see the layouts I make. They started kinda awful, tbh, ha, but every week I have more and more fun with it. I recently got a laminating machine--and I'm really considering opening a paper craft etsy shop, starting with laminated planner inserts... And, okay, plenty of people roll their eyes at the whole planner craze thing--and I get that, I do. But don't knock it till ya try it. Having a creative outlet outside of writing has been extremely beneficial for my writing.

So. Tell me what you're up to these days!

Teaser Tuesday!

Tuesdays are for teasers :) Perfect time to share a #teaser from my draft of TRUTH & TEMPTATION. Here's an excerpt I shared last week with my Facebook group, Riley & Crew. They get to see everything first--feel free to come join in!

Here's a scene where Alec (Teagan's guy) just confessed a secret to her, and it makes her reevaluate everything she's afraid to feel for him. 


"Yep." He shrugs. "The thing is, kitten, you've got claws and they're hooked under my skin in the most painfully delicious way. And I want the chance to know you. I want the chance to see where this could go. So no, this isn't serious yet, but it came down to telling you or losing you and…well, you see which one I picked." 

He didn't want to lose me. 

He picked me. This is a total first. I'm not sure how to respond—but my body feels like it's made of air. Or cotton candy. Or something else sweet and light and…totally foreign. "But I've been such a bitch." 

"Yep." 

"And you haven't deserved at least half of it." 

"Nope." 

"And you still want—" 

"Everything."


xo Riley

3 comments :

Fida Islaih said...

Whoa! I love the teaser. Thanks for sharing!

Jaime Morrow said...

Oh, wow! Thanks for mentioning that Freedom app. I could really use something like that in my life. I like that you can tailor it by time and type of social media as well.

How is it possible that your little munchkin is turning two on Sunday??? I've been following your IG feed since she was just a baby. Such a cutie!

I've gone bananas with the paper crafting thing too, as you know. I have all sorts of ideas for an Etsy shop, so I should probably get on that. Can't wait to see covers you design!

katyupperman said...

Happy, happy birthday to your girlie! I hope you love BONE GAP. You'll have to let me know. It's such a strange book, but I adored it. Also, LOVE that teaser. I can't wait to read more from these two!