Better Than a Punch In The Face
Time for some real talk: Writing Playing Jericho has always been a struggle for me since day one. I think I’ve touched on this a little bit before, but every word I write of this book means I have to reach inside my brain (metaphorically, of course), and yank the words free.
The weird thing is I love Jericho as a character. I love his love interest, Moon. I love their story. So why is this so goddamn hard?
I have no idea.
But, I’ve had to resort to sprinting my way through this book to get it done because if I don’t, I’ll most definitely overthink every word, spend hours on thesaurus dot com looking at all the creative and absurd ways to say things, and over-complicate the whole process.
What’s sprinting? It’s when you set a timer and do nothing but write for a short burst of time. I do 20-minute sprints and they work pretty well for me. It’s funny how writing every single book is different, even if you’re mostly the same person when you write them. The processes change to fit the character or the story, whatever you need. That wasn’t something I considered when I started my first book or even my second. I figured the adjustments I was making to my process were because I was learning as a writer.
And maybe that has something to do with it. But Jericho… he’s testing me. Before going into this book (and, admittedly, a little bit with Maddox’s book) I was mostly a fluff writer. I dealt with some issues, but I didn’t turn toward the dark side with bullying or my characters getting obsessive or overly possessive with each other. But my eyes have been opened to the world of bully romance and I find myself intrigued with it to the point that I also find myself itching to incorporate a bit of it into my writing.
How do I settle that with the fact I usually write fluff? Well, I’m still figuring it out because writing dark characters is HARD. I want Jericho to be possessive and protective and a little bit (or a lot) dangerous, but I don’t want to cross a line into irredeemable territory. I want you all to love him like I love him despite his flaws.
And I think that’s what’s making this book difficult to write—balancing the flaws with the good parts so that he’s still a likable character in the end that we all want to see get his HEA.
And thus concludes my ramblings. If you’ve stuck with me this long, keep scrolling for your reward (a bit of unedited Jericho).
Jericho
I chuckled darkly. “It wouldn’t have made a difference in the end, though, and we both know it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she looked up at me and narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t act like you don’t fucking want me, like you don’t feel the connection between us. You might be able to lie to yourself but you can’t lie to me.”
Moon lifted her chin. “I never said I don’t feel it. I just wanted you to explain.”
“So, you admit you feel drawn to me?”
She stopped walking and we faced each other. I had no idea where the escort was going and I didn’t give a shit. Her turquoise eyes lifted to meet mine. “When I look at you like this, it’s like the entire world disappears. Nothing else matters or exists but you and me. I don’t care about anything else. I don’t want anything or anyone else.” She tore her eyes away and shook her head. “I’ve never felt like this before and when I say it out loud, it sounds really unhealthy.”
I tucked my fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to mine again. “And what would you do if I wanted to see other people or let another woman touch me?”
How do you think Moon will react to that question? Leave me a comment and let me know!