It’s another snowy night, and I’m basking in the tranquility of it all. The thick flakes are falling in slow bursts, blanketing everything in a shimmery white powder. There’s something magical about snow—something about it that spurs my imagination and kick-starts my creativity. The weather has always played a role in my writing. The snowfall has inspired so many scenes and spurred so many ideas. And since many of my stories take place during winter, there’s no shortage of projects to work on.

I just finished revising a chapter in Nick and Karina’s WIP, which takes place during Winter Solstice. I’ve read it twice and I’m happy with the result. I need to write Nick’s blog, but this scene—these vivid images keep playing in my head like a movie and I can’t ignore them. So, I don’t.

I’m transported into this majestic winter wonderland—surrounded by views of the snow-capped Tatra mountains and frosted pines. It’s a frigid night, but it’s warm and toasty inside the sprawling chalet. Nick and Karina are curled up in front of the fireplace with their drinks. Bourbon for him. Boozy hot chocolate for her. Their voices are low over the soft crackling of the flames dancing in the large hearth.

Nick brushes a smidgen of whipped cream from Karina’s lip, his touch igniting a fire inside her. Without conscious thought, she captures his thumb in her mouth, licking it free of the sweet topping. The air heats and their eyes lock. Karina’s heart hammers in her chest, desire flooding her veins. She craves his kiss—yearns for more of his touch. She wants to feel him, taste him—gods, how she wants him. All of him.

And as if reading her mind, Nick sweeps his lips against hers. The kiss starts off slow and tender, growing deeper and more ravenous with each tantalizing caress. His thick stubble grazes her skin as he kisses his way down her neck, seducing her with his mouth. And it’s not long before they shed their clothing along with their inhibitions.

Nick and Karina’s side short turns out to be a steamy one. I get wrapped up in their vacation story and lose all track of time. It’s after one in the morning when I finally emerge from their world. My ass is numb, I’m parched as fuck, and I can’t feel my wrist. But the pain was well worth it.

After stretching my legs, I sit down and get back to it. Nick’s blog isn’t going to write itself—though it would be pretty awesome if he just popped out of my head and typed it himself. But that’s not going to happen.

I have a couple of ideas for his blog, but I’m not sure which one I want to go with. Originally, I had planned to use Aria’s adoption story for his blog, but I’m saving that one for my newsletter. So, it’s back to the drawing board. I listen to his playlist, hoping it’ll help me decide between the two, and after about thirty minutes, I know which story to tell.

I pull up his side short from last year—that I never finished, BTW—and start working on the rough draft. Since I wrote Nick’s short story in third person, now I need to rewrite it in first person. It’s a pain in the ass, but at least the material is there. I don’t have to start from scratch—which makes my life easier, so I can’t complain too much.

I start rewriting Nick’s blog and about halfway through, he checks out. Normally, I’d be irked, but I still have plenty of time to get his blog drafted, edited, and posted. So, I’m not worried.

It’s after three in the morning and I should stop for the night, but I’m not tired. In fact, I’m wide awake. Guess those four cups of coffee I had earlier finally kicked in. Anyway, I’m torn between making a new mood board or working on Stavros’s WIP. I haven’t touched Stavros’s story in weeks. His WIP also takes place during winter, and I never finished writing the chapter I started.

I open his WIP and pull up his profile card and playlist. It doesn’t take long for me to connect with him and get sucked back into his world. It’s a slow night in the ER—which means Stavros has time to catch up on his charting. But, he can’t focus. Not with Alaina—the new charge nurse sitting next to him. She’s friendly and chatty—too chatty. Why is she so talkative? And why the hell does she smell like a fucking snickerdoodle? Did she bathe herself in a vat of cinnamon and sugar before she came to work? And did she just seriously ask him if he wanted coffee at four in the fucking morning?

Annoyed, he gets up and stalks off to one of the private patient rooms. Closing himself in, he logs onto the computer, and just sits there. He hurt Alaina’s feelings. Normally, he wouldn’t care. It’s not like they’re friends. It’s not like they ever talk outside of work—except for that one time they went out to the bar. But that doesn’t count. It was a group outing. So why does he care that she looked like an injured kitten? He tries sorting through his feelings, but he gets nowhere.

Pissed off and frustrated, he shoves any thoughts about Alaina out of his mind. He’s probably just tired. Between work and raising his seven-year-old daughter, he hasn’t been getting much in the way of sleep. Once he gets some shuteye, he’ll be back to normal. Hell, maybe he’ll catch some z’s after he’s done charting. But Stavros isn’t that lucky. A patient comes in. As he and Alaina work together, he realizes that they make a pretty good team—not that he’d ever admit it aloud.

I work on his scene, and then end up switching to Alaina’s POV for the next chapter. As I’m typing, I can feel my own exhaustion wash over me like a tidal wave. I can barely keep my eyes open and it’s time to call it a night. Usually, I like ending my nights by curling up with a good book, or watching one of my favorite shows. But I just don’t have the energy. I’ll reward myself tomorrow —after I edit this blog.

Update

Revisions and real-world responsibilities have been keeping me busy, so I haven’t had time to work on the website. But I’m hoping that will change by next month. My goals are to post a life bite and another mood board by the end of February. So, keep a lookout for those.

Nick and Karina’s blogs are still on schedule for Friday, March 10th and Friday, March 17th, respectively. The next writing life blog is planned for Friday, April 28th. I should have the 2023 spring blog schedule posted no later than March 15th. You’ll be able to find that along with any changes and updates on the Announcements page.

That is all I have for you today. As always, stay safe and stay healthy.

Cheers,

Amelia

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