delayed gratification

I know, I've teased this upcoming story for some time now. But we all know that delayed gratification is one of the best kinds of satisfaction. Is there anything wrong with a little teasing? 

I've been holding onto this story for years, so the delay has been excruciating for me.​ When I first wrote it, I was in a long-term relationship that, upon reading this book through, I channeled some of my despair into. A form of catharsis, which I think all writing is. This particular book helped me through the tail end of a relationship that was no longer right for me, it also helped me through the changes from being in my early twenties - watching friends move on with their lives and feeling like I was being left behind. Now, as I go through the final read through, it's helping me through the trauma of heartbreak and feeling utterly lost. 

Last night I cried halfway through reading a chapter. Not because it was a sad chapter, this book is meant for laughing, learning, and loving (ew, this was not supposed to be a "live, laugh, love" knock off), but because Kinsley is a character who has been through a lot of journeys with me. I can promise in this book you'll find sex positivity, healthy sisterhood and female friendships, and relationships rooted in reality, including all the nitty-gritty that comes with being a human trying to find your way in this world.

I have a tentative release in August (depending on how things go!), so without further ado, I'll begin the fun times of changing genres, marketing to a totally different crowd after catering my Instagram/Website/Brand as "dark fantasy". Big shift, it's scary as hell, I'm doing this entirely on my own this time (fully self-publishing, but this time I have the support of amazing authors in my close circle who are helping me navigate these waters).

Here is a little snippet of this upcoming, moderately spicy ChickLit/RomCom ...

Seeming to notice her avoidance, Mickey continued on awkwardly. At least one of them was brave enough to speak. “I want to try something different.”

She perked up. “What’s that?” she managed to ask. Different could be fun.

“I want to go on ten dates before we have sex again,” he finally said.

Kinsley raised her eyebrows, playfulness dominating the nervousness in her tummy. “Who says we were going to have sex again?”

Mickey blanched, quickly backpedaling. “Shit, Kinsley, I … Wow. I assumed … That’s not what I was meaning to say. I don’t want to come across like that, and—”

“I’m joking!” she cut him off quickly, feeling badly for making him feel guilty. “Mickey, I’m kidding!”

He stared incredulously at her, then let his shoulders drop into something resembling relaxed. “Jesus, Kinsley, you scared me … I felt like a total jackass.”

She cast him a crooked, sideways smile. Spinning the wineglass around from the base, she watched the red liquid swirl around and around. “Sorry, my sense of humour can be a little dry sometimes.”

He smiled. “I guess it’s been a while since I’ve really been out there. So, what do you think?”

She studied him now, head cocked to the side. Those dimples, those expecting eyes, the way he wanted to give her space and boundaries rather than jumping headfirst into something. It would give them both time to flesh this thing out before they had to make any decisions. She thought about what Adam said, about having to tell Mickey before they had sex again. Well, at least if they weren’t going to have sex for another ten dates, that would give her plenty of time to sort out her shit, right?

​“I think it’s a really good … idea.” She almost said challenge but caught herself just in time.