Thursday, January 17, 2013

2013 words are looking good...

Yes, I know we're only three weeks into the new year but still. I usually don't set solid yearly word count goals because I don't like to put that kind of pressure on myself. I know how many books I'm going for this year, but even that can change. The less stress I put on me, the more productive I am :)
 
That being said, my word count is looking good so far. I've managed to get 40k in over the past two weeks. I'll admit my husband has been traveling a lot since January 1, so that has given me extra hours each day.
 
I'm working on a darker, contemporary romance called Dancing Into Darkness. Before I get back to it today, I thought I'd pop in and offer you the first few words from the opening.
 
Unedited (and will probably change 5 times)...
 
Prologue
Move in with him? Could I?
Madison Devon's heart raced and her stomach fluttered with anticipation as she watched Dr. Gabe Hartford walk down the dimly lit tree-lined street.  She'd been infatuated with him since she'd moved to the quaint town a few miles off Cape Cod. When she came to the little town to start her life over a few months ago, she'd never expected to find love. She didn't want to. How could she after the past eight years of physical and emotional abuse she’d suffered at the hands of a man she thought loved her? She was weak and immature, but when she finally found the courage to take back her life she'd never felt so empowered.
She certainly didn’t expect the good doctor to sweep her off her feet and show her what it truly meant to love unconditionally. She smiled as she watched him turn the corner and head back to his large home that overlooked the ocean just a couple of blocks from the cottage she'd rented. She came there to start a new. To find a future. Gabe wanted to give her everything she'd ever dreamed of. All she had to do was take a chance.
Madison wanted to live happily ever after with him. He'd asked her to consider moving in with him.She wanted to start living again and she wanted it to be with him. She'd head to his house tomorrow with coffee and those cranberry cinnamon muffins he liked from Abbot's Bakery.  She'd give him her answer.
She giggled as she skipped up the porch steps. The future held so many possibilities. She turned the handle on her front door, shaking her head and mentally scolding herself for leaving the door unlocked. A girl from the city should've known better.  But the warm and friendly town caused her to leave the windows open and doors unlocked on a regular basis.
She walked into the dark house and flipped on the hall light. She smelled the faint aroma of a cigarette.
That's strange.
As she moved deeper into the cottage, she noticed the half empty bottle of the familiar Russian vodka on the coffee table. She swallowed back the bile that churned in her stomach. Her subconscious knew it was only a matter of time before he found her. Her legs refused to push forward, but she willed herself to look in the direction of the recliner. She sensed his presence before she saw him. Years of staying out of his way when he was in a vile mood had taught her to know when he was coming.
"Hello, my little kitten." He didn't move from the chair as he sipped his drink and stared at her. "You didn't think you could stay hidden forever, did you?"
Madison should have known her happily ever after was too good to be true.
 
***
I hope to have this one to my editor soon.
Ella
xoxo
 
 

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