Spring has sprung! And with it comes our monthly blog-hop from the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. If you’re not already a member, do stop by and visit the many fascinating writers who gather each month to commiserate and celebrate.

The awesome co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG areJ.H. Moncrieff,Natalie Aguirre,Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken!

March was a mediocre writing month for me. Between family visits and a brain-clogging cold, I didn’t get as much done as I’d like. I did take two online courses, one on bookkeeping for writers, and one on writing sex scenes (fun!). Along with the weeds and flowers, Book Three in the Book Nirvana series is growing. Margot and Elmer are my youngest leading couple yet, and I’ve had fun researching anime/manga heroines, tattoos, brew-pub menus and décor, beard maintenance, art grants, new punk bands, and the food truck scene in Eugene, Oregon. Did you know that an electric pen invented by Thomas Edison was a direct precursor to the first tattoo machine? Lots of internet rabbit holes to explore during the early days of a project.

April 3 question: If you could use a wish to help you write just ONE scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be? The boggy middle is definitely where I need the most help. But what I really need is someone to help me carve away scenes that are merely amusing. That’s my process: write far too many charming (to me), witty (they crack me up), dialogue-filled scenes that don’t really move the story forward. While a contemporary romance doesn’t need to zip along at the dizzying pace of an adventure story, it does need to move forward far faster than my first drafts do.  

COMING SOON: Runaway Love Story, Book Two in the Book Nirvana series, steamy contemporary romance set in/around a bookshop in Eugene, Oregon. The cover’s done, the blurb’s approved—I’m just waiting on final galleys and a release date. This story features two runners, and much of the action plays out on the trails of that lovely, verdant city on the Willamette River. If this sounds like your cup of tea, I’ll need ARC readers soon. Shoot me an email at sadira(at)sadirastone(dot)com.

She hates average…he’s as average as they come.

High school history teacher Doug Garvey is trying to enjoy his last few weeks of summer vacation, but receiving his final divorce decree hits him harder than expected. After a brief fling fizzles, he fears love just isn’t in the cards for him. If only he could find someone who’s real, someone interested in something beyond herself…maybe a new running partner who can keep up with his more carnal appetite. When sexy, straight-talking Laurel runs across his path, he dares to hope again.

He’s done with social-climbing posers…she’s ambitious and has big dreams

Fired from an art gallery, Laurel Jepsen shelves her pursuit of an art career in San Francisco to help her beloved great aunt Maxie move into assisted living. While out on a morning run, she’s harassed by a group of teens until a tall, broad-shouldered hottie steps in, pretending to be her boyfriend with a kiss that makes her wish it were true. But she’s only passing through, not looking for a relationship.

Their fierce chemistry burns up the sheets—and the couch, the shower, the forest—but falling in love would ruin everything. Laurel can’t stay in Eugene, and he can’t leave. Doug’s only hope is to convince her the glittery life she’s after could blind her to the opportunities already in her path.