Happy Pride!
I hope this Pride month has been going well so far. It has for me.
I've almost completed one of the books I've been working on. This one I've been writing for about a year. It's an age-gap romance. It covers topics of revisiting past pain and moving forward. I've been writing it under the working title "Trying to Love You," which was inspired by the Trisha Yearwood song with the same title. It's one of the many great songs on her Jasper County CD. My original idea for the book was that it would be about a woman trying to show an older woman that she could love her if the older woman would just let her.
As I wrote the story and it evolved, it immediately became more about the older woman, Cam, who is forced to face the past where she grew up in rural Indiana, a place she had not revisited in a very long time. When Cam picks up a younger woman at a gay bar in Indianapolis, she has no idea that she will see the woman again. But, as fate would have it, the younger woman, Shiloh, turns out to be a real estate agent interested in helping Cam sell her former childhood home. On top of them ending up meeting about the house, Cam learns that Shiloh is her former high school girlfriend's daughter, further complicating the situation.
I've always been a pantser when writing, and my stories often take on a life of their own, as this story did. Now, I'm considering changing the title to "Trying to Love Again," which was inspired by the Eagles' song of the same name, featured on their iconic album, Hotel California.
If all goes well, I'll have the book finished by the end of June and ready for publication by August or September.
I've been working on a playlist for the book and will have it complete in the very near future. But for now, here's a little snippet from Chapter Seven of the book. I hope it sparks your interest.
She ended the call and got out of the car. Taking a deep breath, Cam turned and walked toward the house. She didn't see Arthur or Shiloh outside, so she assumed they were in the house, but she didn't find them there.
She stepped out the back door and looked toward the barn, where she saw them walking toward it. She would not join them out there. That was one place she would never step foot in again, not for any reason. She'd burn the thing down if she thought she could do it without costing Mattie more money than she and Eric had already put out.
Instead, Cam went to the garage. She hadn't gone in there the other day when she was here. Perhaps some of her father's tools were still out there that would sell well at the auction.
She unlocked the padlock on the side door. It appeared to be stuck when I tried to open it, but she put her shoulder to the door and forced it open. Dust flew everywhere with the rush of air. She was surprised to see what appeared to be a car under an old car cover. She studied the shape of the car. Surely, this wasn't her father's old Mustang.
Cam went around to the back of the car and lifted the cover, revealing the dark blue paint of her father's 1965 Ford Mustang. She was stunned it was still here. This was definitely something that would bring a pretty penny. Cam needed to let Mattie know it was here in case Eric and she or one of her kids might want it. She turned to go outside and make the call but found Shiloh standing in the doorway.
"Hey," Shiloh said quietly.
"Hello," Cam said coldly.
"I hope you aren't mad that I came out to look at the property," Shiloh said.
Cam shrugged. "Are you going to send pictures to your client?"
"I already did," Shiloh said. "He's at an event in Indianapolis and probably won't check his phone until later."
Cam nodded and turned away. Now that she knew who Shiloh was, she couldn't look at her without seeing Melissa.
Shiloh stepped further into the garage. She was dying to know what had happened to cause such animosity between this woman and her mother, but she also really wanted to sell the house and receive the commission that could land in her pocket.
"Look," Shiloh said. "I don't know anything about what happened between you and my mother, but I really wish you wouldn't hold it against me. I honestly think I can get close to a quarter of a million for this house and land, but I might need a little time to convince my clients that it's worth that kind of money."
Cam turned and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for this house and property?"
Shiloh nodded. "Yeah. There are many people looking to escape the city but still want to be close enough to enjoy its amenities. If my calculations are right, this house is about fifty-five minutes from downtown Indianapolis. Of course, that depends on traffic, but it's not a bad commute for someone looking to have some peace and quiet."
Nodding, Cam turned and looked at the workbench where her father had spent so many nights working on his stupid car or parts for one of the tractors. "I still need to talk to Mattie about it. And I highly doubt you will get that kind of money for this place."
Cam felt the heat between them grow as Shiloh moved closer. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about this beautiful woman pressed against her back the way she had been this morning before they'd had sex again.
"Here's my card," Shiloh said.
Cam turned and brushed against her because she was standing so close. Cam took the card and moved away. "I'll let you know what Mattie says." Cam stepped past Shiloh, careful not to touch her again, and left the garage.
If all goes well, I will have this book finished by the end of June and published before August.
I've started a new Substack where I'm going to be publishing a new chapter from this book at least once a week until it's completed. The first chapter is going to be completely free. The chapters after that will have a portion that's free and the full chapter available to paid subscribers.
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