I can’t believe how fast the summer is going! It’s been busier (for me) than I expected. The rest of the family has a lighter schedule, but I’m actually in crunch mode. I have an editing job I have to finish and several other projects going, so I’m spending a lot of time working. Unfortunately, my spouse ended up really sick with bronchitis, so I’m a bit behind where I had hoped to be. But getting him healthy again and keeping the household running meanwhile is far more of a priority.
Anyway, enough of that. On to the fun stuff. One of the cool parts of being an author is sharing space with my fabulous colleagues. Occasionally, that means working with another author’s characters. In this case, Adrian Smith has been kind enough to lend me one of hers. She introduced the delightfully immature, occasionally obnoxious, and totally loveable Adam Lansing in her novel Memoir in the Making (which you all need to read as soon as possible). He’s the best friend of one of the main characters. When she asked me to write Adam’s story, I jumped at the chance to reform him into a more mature version of himself. Not that he starts out that way; that wouldn’t be any fun. It’s a process.
Believe it or not, I already have a cover, even though the story isn’t finished. I’m not doing a big reveal, so I’ll share it here for you to enjoy. I was thrilled; it captures exactly what I want it to. I’ve thrown Adam into a situation where he has to work with my very uptight (but incredibly good-looking) activist, AJ Mancuso (the last story I wrote about him was a YA short). When they meet, AJ is caught up in solving everyone’s problems but his own. Looks like Adam’s not the only one in need of a little reforming.
Today’s WIPpet comes from the first paragraphs of the first chapter of the novel. Since it’s also the first Wednesday of the month, I’m posting this without any fancy math. In this brief passage, you get to meet both Adam and the man who captures his heart.
Adam Lansing sauntered into the campus health center. A new year, a new school, a new job—he’d been there less than a week, and the feeling of good things to come hadn’t left him yet. He’d already managed to secure a date with the other graduate assistant in his department, necessitating the trip to the health center. Not that he always expected a date to end the same way—all right, maybe he usually did—but odds were better than fifty-fifty a good time would be had by all. He didn’t want to be caught out unprepared.
Inside the one-floor building, there were half a dozen other students. Two of them were going through boxes; they looked like undergraduates on work study. Two were sitting in chairs in the waiting area, probably to see the nurse practitioner in the back offices. One was flipping through brochures in the rack on the wall, and the last one was behind the desk. When Adam saw him, his jaw nearly hit the floor.
The man—because this was absolutely not one of the gangly, barely-adult boys in abundance on campus—was gorgeous. No, not merely gorgeous. God-like in his stunning beauty. He was practically a work of art. His skin was bronze, and he had a mass of thick, almost black hair that lay in heavy waves. Under long lashes, his dark eyes shone, and his lips were full and pink. He wasn’t quite clean-shaven, and the light, purposeful stubble oozed attractive masculinity. Even seeing only his upper body, it was obvious he was muscular and toned in a way Adam barely aspired to.
Like what you read? Be sure to visit the other entries and leave some love. Many thanks to K. L. Schwengel for creating this space for us. Happy reading and writing!
