Moments for the Heart

Here we are nearing the end of January. Next thing you know we will be in December again. Time is flying by. This week my wife and I celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary. It was another reason I was so glad to find my ring earlier this month. I would’ve been extra depressed if I had lost it. It is also a reason editing becomes a struggle for me. Writing about Stephanie and Jason at this point in the book really hits home, but I press through and use personal experience to pull readers in and enable them to feel my characters. That is the ultimate goal as a writer, isn’t it?

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers with finding my ring. God had his hand in that, I am confident in that.

Here we go for another snippet. Talk to you next week.

SYNOPSIS:

Stephanie Marshall is the owner of a successful Charlotte, NC writing firm. She and her staff advertise for some of the biggest names up and down the east coast. Even though the writer’s life is exciting, and her company is in demand, she struggles with the monotony of home life. Stephanie is on the verge of an affair and has chosen to take the next step in that relationship.

… And then there is Carter.

Our angelic friend is back, and he visits Stephanie to teach her three lessons about her life. One that involves her past, one about her present life, and one that will challenge her to the reality of the choices she makes.

SNIPPET:

Summary:
Last time we left Stephanie, she had just made the decision to leave with Kenneth for the weekend. The night before wasn’t enough to keep the spark of her marriage alive. The temptation of Kenneth’s charm was too much to resist. Now she finds herself in an interesting position. Let’s see how far she is willing to go.


First a bit from last time:
“Thank you, Mrs. Marshall,” Kenneth said, extending his hand for a handshake.

Stephanie stood and walked around her desk to shake his hand. This was her first mistake. She accepted his hand and held it for a bit too long. A second-mistake too long. Their eyes met and locked, mistake three. Then, it happened, he pulled her in, and she allowed it. Their lips met, unable to stop herself. When he released their passionate kiss, he asked again. “You sure you can’t get away for just one night?”

“I will see what I can do,” Stephanie said, and she meant it.

Now let’ get into our new snippet: We are picking up where we left off. We closed out Chapter 4, and now move into Chapter 5 and switch POVs. Stephanie is at her office, Jason is on a jobsite. Here we meet Blake, he is Jason’s business partner. He was one of the characters I created scenes for after I came up short on wordcount for NaNoWriMo. The book was around 45K. So when editing and adding content for Jason, it filled out to 52K. I still feel Jason needs more, and through the final editing phase I’m seeing where this can be accomplished. Blake filled some of this void.


“You sure got a bounce in your step, buddy,” Blake said. “You must’ve gotten lucky last night.”

”Jason didn’t say anything. He continued to beam and whistle while looking over the plans on his drafting table.

“Ahhhh,” Blake said. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

“Seriously?” Jason said. “Stephanie. My wife?”

“Really? Well, I wouldn’t know. In the years I’ve known you, you rarely talk about her, much less getting lucky with her.”

“I keep my private life, private. She’s my wife.”

“Suit yourself. So, things got hot and heavy then?” Blake nudged him.

“Let’s just say we had a pleasant evening together,” Jason said.

“Have you placed the morning after call yet?”

Jason gave a blank stare.


There is your ten (or so). And now we continue on to finish out the scene:


“How long have you been married?”

“Almost eight years,” Jason said.

“Well, you should know this one. The morning after call. The one that tells her you’re still thinking about her. Women love that. I learned that the hard way. My wife schooled me on that early on. We have a great date together, and if I don’t call her the next morning to remind them I had a good time, I need to have two more dates to make up for it.”

Jason laughed, “Really?”

“Yeah. Call her. Tell her you’re thinking of her and can’t stop thinking about last night.”

“Well, I can’t stop thinking about last night.”

“Right. Some women need to hear that. It shows you care. One phone call goes a long way. And you’ve been whistling and dancing around this draft room all afternoon. You’ve pissed off half the morning. She probably thinks you’ve forgotten about her.”

“Well, I better get on the phone then,” Jason went into his office and dialed Stephanie’s number. After three rings, it went to voice mail. He tried again, with the same result. She’s probably in a meeting or on the phone with a client, he reasoned. She wouldn’t purposely ignore his calls, especially after last night’s intense evening.

Jason returned to the draft room office. Blake looked to him with eager eyes. “Well, what did she say?”

“No answer. She must be in a meeting,” Jason shrugged.

Jason’s end of the morning. He is oblivious to Stephanie’s struggles and is thinking they are on solid ground. Little does he know what Stephanie is planning as he is dialing her number. But is she not watching her phone or is she ignoring his calls? From what we read last week, does it really matter?

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Monday is Memory Monday
We remember an important event that occurred on that Monday or sometime that week.

Tuesday is Two Twenty-Two Tuesday
A weekly vlog where I talk about writing or something that’s been on my heart, all in two minutes and twenty-two seconds.
This is posted on my YouTube channel.

Wednesday is when I will post my blog for the week.
I speak from my heart on various topics from writing to faith.

Thursday is This or That Thursday
A weekly two-option poll that raises the question, do you like this, or do you prefer that?
I host this on this on Twitter, IG, and Facebook.

Friday is Fun Fact Friday
I find and share interesting or obscure facts on my pages.

Saturday is for Weekend Writing Warriors
Saturday is for Snippets from a current piece or past work.

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Thanks for reading this week. It is odd writing and going through this book this go around. As I opened with it is my anniversary on Monday. Twenty four years. If you follow me and have read my blogs you know that my marriage has struggled and that this book comes from that struggle. Yes, my marriage has gone through adultery. We both cheated on each other, only I took it too far. We have recovered from those indiscretions and through the grace of God are now stronger than ever. Forgiveness and love go a long way. This is one lesson I pray to teach through this book. In a way it is a personal story. God can deliver any one from anything when they are devoted to Him. We chose to give ourselves and marriage back to Him, and He delivered us and our marriage back to us, brand new. I can attest to a marriage being able to be delivered from situations such as this. Praise God!!

In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

Check out amazing established and emerging writers at Weekend Writing Warriors. Each week we post new snippets from either published works or works in progress for each other to comment on. Gain insight into how the mind of a writer works and a behind-the-scenes look at works before they hit bookstands everywhere.