Riding with Lucifer - a romance novel in the making

I am absolutely ecstatic…I have a new car After 4 hours at the dealership…i have a new ‘08 Mustang GT!

so, now onto the romance novel. I think now that insurance has been settled, I have a new car, and there really isn’t anything else in my life that I can compalin about (shock!), i should be able to get my writing ability back. I no longer have mind blocks…so let my words start flowing again. I swear, Jackson and Alexis have been yelling at me since i’m making them wait to get on with their lives. Sorry guys, I’m back to normal now :). stay tuned for more Riding with Lucifer

So I am slowly getting back into the mood to write. There isn’t much to this post, because I couldn’t really get my mind flowing like I hoped. I just wanted to try to start…i’ve heard that the best way to get back into writing is just to write. I am hoping that by the end of the week, I will have my creativity back.

The concierge confirmed that Samuels, the restaurant he had been thinking of, was still in business and reserved a table for their party. Jackson walked back over and let the men know they were ready to head to dinner. “Thanks for taking care of plans for us”, Clark smiled and headed towards the door. They all walked out into the still, warm evening air and headed into downtown, towards Samuels. The walk was quiet, the men still sizing each other up, determining who felt that they were the leader. Jackson broke the silence, “So John, how was your flight out?”

“It was really easy, but I actually got here a couple days ago, I wanted to have a little bit of time to get settled before we got down to business. My wife and son are starting to look for homes.” John looked at Clark, “When did you arrive?”

“I flew in today, like Jackson, but I arrived about 6 hours ago. I have just been trying to get adjusted to the heat. Chicago isn’t this warm during the spring.” Clark laughed. They arrived at the restaurant, and Jackson held the door for the others to walk in.

Last night, driving home from dinner, our car lost traction around a corner and put us and my mustang into a tree. The tree hit at the left headlight and down the drivers side of the car, shattering the windshield, destroying the door, and so much more that don’t want to think about.  Steve has a few gashes from the glass and I have some severe bruising, but we’re both alive, and safe. So right now, I am thanking god that steve and I are both ok. Now, I am not religious, don’t go to church, and don’t pray. But this morning, I know that there is someone there looking out for us. And I am praying and saying thank you. Thank you God, for protecting my husband and me.

My romance mind will return…once we get all of this sorted out.

He flipped through the channels, landed on Sports Center and left it there. Leaning his head back against the wall, he thought back to his horse, Stone. Stone, a Palomino Quarter Horse, was just a year old when Jackson’s parents surprised him for his birthday. Now at 15, Stone was a strong, well trained, and great to ride. His parents had kept Stone stabled and trained while Jackson was in California and he was excited to get to ride Stone again. Jackson remembered riding him all over Rakesford, and especially down the lake trails. Thinking about riding to the lake, he wondered if Alexis Venn was still living in town. She had been the only one in Rakesford that could give him a run for his money on horseback. He meant to ask his parents about her, but it always slipped his mind. When he visited them tomorrow, he would have to ask. Sitting upright, he checked the clock again, 5:30. Time for him to get cleaned up to meet his new co-workers.

25 minutes later, Jackson was slipping his wallet and cell phone into his jeans pocket and heading out his hotel room door. He hoped that jeans and a button up were ‘cleaned up’ enough for these guys. The Los Angeles office was fairly laid back, but he didn’t know how the others were run. When the elevator doors opened on the lobby, he saw 2 gentlemen standing at the concierge desk – in jeans and polo shirts too. They both looked a little uncomfortable, trying to make small talk with one another. He knew they were from different offices, but assumed they might have met before. Although, he hadn’t met either one, so he wasn’t sure where his assumption had come from. One looked like he was in his late 20’s like Jackson, probably about 6’ tall, with a shaved head. The other looked more like his mid 40’s, graying brown hair and only about 5’6”.

“Hello gentlemen, I’m Jackson Taylor from the LA office”, Jackson extended his hand to the man on the right of him first, which happened to be the older one. They shook hands. He had a good grip, but it was obvious from the way he held that he felt he needed to maintain control of situations.

“Good evening Jackson, I’m John Peterson from the Miami office and this”, John gestured at the younger man, “is Clark Worthington from the Chicago office”.

“Hi Jackson”, Clark extended his hand, “and thank you for the introduction, John. As he said, I am from the Chicago office, and I was brought here as the Client Manager. John was telling me that he is the new Human Resources Manager, so I assuming that you are the new Creative Manager?”

“That would be correct. Bruce said that we were to co-manage all hiring, but that we would each be the managers of our own departments once we found the new employees. Unless you guys are in desperate need to get started tomorrow, I figured we could take a 3-day weekend to get settled and start business on Monday?” Jackson waited for a response.

Clark grinned and smiled, he could tell Jackson and he was on the same page. “Sure, sounds good.”
Jackson sensed John’s hesitation, but heard him say, “Yeah, that’s okay”. John obviously was more determined to get started immediately.

With that settled, Jackson decided to see if the guys were ready to get dinner. He was starved after his flight. “So, are we ready to head to dinner? There is a great steak place that I know of about a block and a half away – if it’s still here. We can walk there, if that’s okay with you both?” They both looked at him, a little confused. “Oh, sorry, I grew up in Rakesford, which is about 20 minutes from Austin. I moved out to California 9 years ago.” Jackson’s explanation lifted the puzzlement from their faces. He continued, “I’ll check with the concierge and make sure the place I’m thinking of is still in business.”

OK, so I am not sure what to call what I am dealing with tonight. I have ideas of what I want to write about, actually I have the entire scene between Jackson and his new co-workers - Names to be Clark Worthington [the nice guy] and James Peterson [the stuffed-shirt guy] written in my head. (It’s going to be really good…)But, I don’t feel like typing it all out! So I can’t really concider what I am going through writer’s block - or can I?

It is writers block, because I i don’t feel like writing (although I am writing now, so…) But it’s not, because I know what I want to write about, but I don’t feel like writing.

I guess the best way to word what I am going through is ‘desire-to-write block’

Anyone else ever have this? and how do you convince yourself to write anyway?

*So after reviewing some of the comments on Chpt. 1, I realized that I never described what Alex looked like now, or what valerie looked like. So, I added to the actual chapter (click here to read the entire chapter with the new additions) and am putting the description of the girls here too. *

Alexis:
Now at 24, Alexis had become a beautiful woman. She had grown a couple inches and now stood at 5’6”, although she was rarely without some heel, even in her riding boots. Her brown hair was longer, falling at her mid back, and the time she spent in the sun had given her natural highlights. Her soft waves had turned into soft curls, and she most often wore it loose, with just enough styling to keep in from frizzing in the Texas humidity. Her green eyes still had the sparkle of a young girl, excited by everything they saw, but with a hint of experience and growth. She’d always hated the gym, but stayed in shape from riding and walking by the lake, and loved the fact that she had ‘curves’. So did all the men in town. She tended to capture attention everywhere she went, as she carried herself with poise and confidence that added to her natural beauty. Alexis didn’t know Jackson’s type, but she hoped that the woman she was now might capture his attention.
Valerie:
Valerie was hard to miss, as she attracted attention everywhere she was. Standing at only 5’2”, most would assume it was easy for her to get lost in the crowd. But her stunning looks made sure that wasn’t possible. Valerie was a petite blue-eyed blonde that looked like she just walked off the beach in Hawaii, but with the attitude of a true Texan. Her straight blonde hair was shoulder length and flattered her face shape perfectly. And, unlike Alex, Val worked out every day; she always said it was the best place to meet guys, and she always did.

So I was talking to my husband and he asked me a question that I didn’t know the answer to. Mind you, this is extremely rare, as my mother will tell you I know everything! *note the extreme sacrasm* 

Anyway, he asked me “At what point are you going to pull your book off-line? Cause if it were me, if I could read the whole book, even just the first draft, I wouldn’t buy it” - Ignoring the fact that my husband said he wasn’t going to buy my book - he made a valid point. At what point have I written myself out of the ooportunity to get published? Obviously, that is the end result. I want to see my name in print, my book on shelves and listed in the top 10 best sellers for 12 weeks in a row (ok, so the last one might be a bit of a pipe dream) but you get the idea. With that in mind, I also want to give those who have been interested in what I am doing the ability to see the entire, un-edited first draft completed.

So here comes the question…

If I complete the entire book online (mind you it would be the first draft and multiple, multiple multiple edits are to come)…. Would you buy the actual book? ?

I just read a post on a blog that I enjoy turning to for advice on breaking through writing roadblocks. She wrote a post about writing and why she writes. I often get asked by friends, family and sometimes the random person, why I feel the need to write. I always tell them ‘words are a part of me, if i don’t get them on paper, I feel like i’m not whole’. The Unblocked Writer was much more eloquent, and so I feel I must share her response to “Why do you write”?

http://candaceclayton100.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/why-i-write/  

So, why do you write??

Jackson pulled out of the garage and turned on the radio. The strong southern drawl of the announcer made him realize how much of his own accent he had lost in the last 9 years. Pretty soon the dj’s voice gave way to country. Jackson may have lost most of his accent, but he never lost his love for country music. He glanced down at the directions on the passenger seat. The airport was about 20 minutes from his hotel in Downtown Austin, and the drive was pretty straightforward. He got out onto the freeway and stepped on the accelerator. The engine purred under his foot. Not quite the sound he had grown accustomed to, but it wasn’t terrible. He glanced at the clock, 4pm. He was going to have to put Rakesford Realty on the schedule for tomorrow, as he wanted a shower more than he wanted to start finding a house. As he thought, the drive was easy and before he knew it, he was at the front of his hotel. He was staying at a beautiful historic hotel. He had been here once as a kid, and remembered how amazed he was when he looked up at the tall peaks of the architecture. Even now, it was still dramatically beautiful. He was in the heart of the business and entertainment district and planned on heading out to one of the local bars as soon as he cleaned up.

Fifteen minutes later Jackson was in his room, bags tossed into the corner and the hot water turned on. Check in had been a breeze and the bellmen were on top of their game. He stripped, tossed his dirty clothes in the corner of the bathroom, and climbed into the shower. The heat of the water immediately began to melt away the stress he had accumulated from his flight. He finished shampooing and washing and was letting the water beat off the rest of his stress. Unfortunately, his relaxation didn’t last long as he could hear his cell phone bleating from his jeans on the floor. Todd Rundgren “Banging on the drum all day”. His boss’ ring tone. He knew if he didn’t answer, his boss would never stop calling. Jackson sighed as he turned off the water, wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed the phone.

“Hello Bruce. Thanks for taking care of the rental car and my hotel”. Jackson held the phone with one hand toweling himself off with the other, so he could stop dripping on the floor. Walking into the bedroom and sitting on the edge of the bed, he tried to keep the frustration of his interrupted shower out of his voice.
“Oh, no problem Jackson. When you get cleaned up, head down to the concierge desk. You have reservations in town with the guys that are helping you to open the office in Austin. They’ll meet you there at 6pm”. Jackson glanced at the clock, 5:00pm. That would give him enough time to relax a couple minutes, get changed and downstairs.

“Ok, thanks. I better get going if I want to meet them in time.” With that, Jackson signed off and tossed the phone onto the bed. He scooted back against the pillows, grabbed the remote and clicked on the TV.

He pulled his shades out of his briefcase, slipped them on and walked out of the airport and onto the sidewalk. The power of the Texas heat and humidity stopped him in his tracks. The sun felt like it was reaching through his skin and to his core. He had expected it to be hot, but he hadn’t remembered how hot. When he left Los Angeles, it was sunny and 68 degrees, the perfect temperature for spring weather. Here it felt like it was in the high 80’s, with about 90% humidity. By the time he got across the street to the rental agency, he could feel his shirt sticking to his body. He walked into the rental car office, the cool air conditioning felt amazing. Luckily, it was fairly empty in the office and he walked right up to the counter.

“Good afternoon, last name please” The counter lady looked up at him and he handed her his paperwork, driver’s license, insurance and company credit card. “Thanks, your company has already taken care of picking a car for you. I just need to enter everything into our system. I’ll have everything ready in just a minute”. He looked around the office while she typed his information into the computer. A few of the other travelers from his flight had begun to come in to pick up their cars too. “Here you go Mr. Taylor, you’re all set,” she handed him the keys to his rental car, “just walk out the doors and turn to your right. It’s in space 17”. He walked out front and was pleased to see that his boss had rented him a convertible Mustang. His boss and he had discussed cars often enough, it was nice to see that he remembered. He hadn’t really thought about leasing a Mustang, but it was a possibility. He tossed his bags in the trunk and slid into the driver’s seat. The seat leather was hot, but luckily they kept the cars in a garage, so they weren’t in direct sunlight. The minute he turned it on, he cranked the AC up full blast and cracked the windows, letting the heat escape.