The first 300 words of #SweetsForLove…

Are you ready for the first 303 (yes, it’s that precise) words of #SweetsForLove? I’ve changed them around to have a certain someone show up on the page right in the first two pages or so.

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#SweetsForLove – First 300 words

Will anyone notice if I shove Marion Sinclair and her over-the-top Happily-Ever-After BS into the sparkling pool?

“Aisling! Whoo-hoo!” Marion—the influencer of the wedding cakes world waves my way. Wedding Bells Magazine, where she works, is the main sponsor of Let’s Say Yes, the gigantic wedding catering vendor conference of the year.

Marion’s been watching me, waiting for the perfect moment to corner me, shimmying with her butt up in the air like Tiramisu the Cat when he’s ready to pounce on his favorite toy.

My eyes dart to the side. What if I dived under the cocktail table? Too dramatic. I force my PRBF (Permanent Resting Bitch Face) as my sisters call it to relax into a fake smile. “Hi Marion, I’ll be right back. I still need to check in.” I point to my small battered suitcase and rush away before she can pepper me with phony enthusiasm and well-crafted insults that sound like compliments.

The AC and the very particular hotel fragrance—the one full of temptation–blasts in my face as I swerve right into a couple making out in the middle of the lobby.

“I’m sorry.”

No answer—except the man dress as Elvis grunting in approval.

The woman’s wedding veil cascades to the floor and the man’s hands travel down her back. Even though PDA isn’t my thing, there’s a familiar pang in my chest, reminding me that I’ll never have that again. Not that I want it.

“Happily ever after in Sin City,” a deep and smooth voice chuckles next to me. The cologne he’s wearing–one of those bergamot and old spicy wood delicious scents that must come with a warning–entices me to turn to him.

And… Huzzah.

Smoldering dark eyes with a hint of humor and gentleness grab a hold of mine.

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Writing and Why and Working Through Things – The Raccoon Author's Self-Publishing Diary

I started listening to Abbie Emmons’ Make Your Story Matter, and one question she mentioned authors should ask themselves is "Why does your story matter?" And that immediately got stuck in my head in a loop. In this Dear Raccoon Author Diary episode, I’m talking about writing and why and working through things, lots of things—what I want readers to feel, what I sometimes work through myself within the pages, and how all of that fits alongside the very practical business side of being an indie author.How I want to both look at my numbers without losing my "why". I talk about Genevieve and Theodore and revising "A New Year's Eve Like No Other", about grief and Margie Lawson's deep EDITS technique, duets versus standalones both in terms of craft and revenue, read-through and audiobook and translations costs and oh, Amazon deciding to mess-up with permafree books, including mine.Basically, it's a very Raccoon Author mix of craft, feelings (lots of them) and numbers.And underneath it all, I keep coming back to that question: Why does this matter to me, and hopefully, to the readers?Abbie Emmons — Make Your Story Matterhttps://benbellabooks.com/shop/make-your-story-matter/🦝 Join me on Patreon — Raccoon Author tier:https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnookPreorder Cancer Is Not My Brand https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Margie Lawson:https://www.margielawson.com/And I’d love to hear from you: Why does your story matter? Elodie AT Elodienow.comHappy writing. And happy, happy reading. ❤️

1. Writing and Why and Working Through Things 19:55
2. Dear Raccoon Author Diary: The Venice Edition or an author on holidays… 05:45
3. Dear Raccoon Author Diary: Facebook Ads, Lucy Score & All the Ideas 11:00
4. Numbers Episode – 87 Books Sold, Less Than $100 in Royalties (and I'm Not Panicking) 29:22
5. Dear Raccoon Author Diary: Some Publishing Days Are Harder Than Others 09:26