Tag: writing

Friends in love under the open sky.

Posted on by Vicki Sweets

Misty wisps of clouds and a world of stars stretched above them. Ana rolled onto her side, studying Rhen as he stretched long on his back.

He was different here, away from the city and the busyness of daily life. The anxious energy had left him, and he seemed utterly still. It was a calmness that consumed, effecting everything around him. Even her. She had thought their meager friendship had been irreparable, but now she wasn’t so sure.

A tiny grip inside her, the tightening of her core when he glanced at her and lifted a brow, made her consider that they could be more. Maybe their incessant bickering was because they weren’t supposed to be friends at all, but something far more important. After all, the reason she pestered him so much about taking breaks from work was because she cared. Maybe the reason he teased her relentlessly about Jon was because he knew she deserved more – someone present.

“It’s rude to stare,” he murmurs quietly, but he turns his face towards her, pinning her with his gaze.

Ana turned away, rolling swiftly onto her back and twisting her fingers together in front of her stomach. “I was just thinking,” she muttered, though what she was thinking wasn’t something she cared to share at all. “The stars are brighter out here,” she rambled, trying to stifle the flutter in her belly. “There’s so many of them. I’ve never seen the sky like this.”

Rhen pushes onto his elbow, turning towards her, and he rests his cheek on his hand. “There’s starlight in your eyes.”

Ana dragged her gaze to him, the breath freezing in her chest.

His eyes searched hers, uncertain, but when she didn’t flinch away from his scrutiny, he rolled towards her, stretching an arm across her.

She suddenly couldn’t keep her hands to herself, and she wrapped her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck as he brought his face to hers. Their lips met without timidity, like they had done this a thousand times before, and she felt herself becoming alive beneath his touch as his large hand cupped her waist.

Everything about him felt so big all of the sudden. His hands, his shoulders, his leg as his knee came between her thighs, so he could settle himself over her. Or maybe she just felt small – fragile like the situation they had just thrust themselves into.

Her hands clawed at his back and shoulders greedily as his heavy weight eased on top of her, his forearms pressed into the blankets on either side of her head. She could feel herself shifting beneath him, her body quickly slipping out of her tightly reined control, and she wondered, would it always be like this now, or would it end when they went back to the city?

Story Excerpt: Meet Me at the Pier

Posted on by Vicki Sweets

He wasn’t there.

She knew it before she’d even walked out onto the pier. She could feel it.

But he had promised. No matter how much he hated this little town, no matter how stuck he felt – she didn’t think he would actually leave her. Not again.

She let her feet carry her cross the planks of wood, but her vision glazed. She hardly let herself see the people scattered about – some fishing, a couple linked arm-in-arm as they grinned at each other, a mother giving her child cotton candy from the busy vendor. None of them seemed important. None of them wore his smiling face.

She let herself drift to the very end, and she sat down, letting her feet dangle high above the water. She had been so sure he would stay. Now, she just felt stupid.

Humbled again, it would seem. She would be stuck in this sorry little town forever. Without him. Again.

She waited until the sun started to go down, sitting at the edge of the pier for almost half an hour. Then, when there was little left to do, she pushed herself to her feet and made her way back towards the parking lot.

She was lost in the flow of people, nearly to the start of the pier, when she heard a familiar car lock beeping. Her head jerked up in alarm, her eyes widening in disbelief.

And there he was. Running towards her and shaking his head, his arms half-lifted in a shrug of apology.

She didn’t even hesitate to run to him, and a grin stretched across his face just before he wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and spinning around.

“I couldn’t go,” he says, the words muffled by her hair. “I couldn’t leave this stupid town after all.” He laughed, and when he looked down at her, his eyes were bright, without any sign of doubt.

“You’re staying?” she asked, still disbelieving. “You know all the reasons I can’t leave.”

His eyes softened, and he slipped a hand into her hair, lifting her face to his. “Then we’ll be stuck together,” he says, and he brought his lips to hers, tasting of sun and love and kept promises.

Read and Write and Read and Write

Posted on by Vicki Sweets
Instagram: vickisweetsbooks

How many books are you trying to read this year?

As a writer, I feel it’s important to read constantly, but as a writer with very limited time, it’s hard to give up those precious moments of free time to reading. However, I’m making an effort this year to read more – read more popular books, read more books by friends that deserve more recognition, read outside my typical genres, and read books set in other countries that celebrate other cultures and show parts of the world that I’ve never experienced.

My reading goal is pretty hefty (at least for me) at a book per week. I know some of you surpass this number easily, but as a single mom trying to pursue a career in writing, that’s a pretty big number! We’ll see what happens, but I know I can do it with the right focus.

Whatever your goals are, I hope wonderful books find their way into your lives. Happy Wednesday and happy reading!

If you’re looking to heat up your winter with an adult (18+) romance, check out my series, The Pell Playhouse, available in paperback and FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

What is your writing goal for today?

Posted on by Vicki Sweets
Instagram: vickisweetsbooks

Is it determined by time? Is it determined by word count? Are you trying to do a little more than yesterday – or more than last week? Are you keeping track of a larger goal to reach by a later point?

No matter how you break down your goals, it’s good to have a predetermined point to reach to tell yourself, “I did it!” Goal setting can become daunting – especially during the first few weeks of the year – but when you set small, attainable goals, it can be such a rewarding feeling to meet them.

What do I do?

What do I do? I use my Sundays to set a weekly goal (usually my weekly goals are pretty consistent because I break down my year goal into months, then weeks), and then I adjust my goal for the day each morning to make that weekly goal attainable by the end of the week. I also try to reach that weekly goal ahead of time, so I’ll have less work at the end of the week when I want to relax.

At least, that’s what I usually do. If I’m completely honest, the beginning of this year has been a whirlwind so far, and some nights feel like I’m working backwards with how sluggish my brain has felt. This week, I felt like I finally had a break through and have gotten back into my regular flow of writing. Hurray!

So, what was different?

I usually determine my writing goals by setting a specific word count, or if I’m editing, I’ll set a number of pages, chapters, or sections.

This week, I told myself I was going to work on things for at least an hour each night. Having a stopping point that was determined differently from my usual stopping place was so refreshing, and it had taken so much stress off my mind that I could actually write! Such a great feeling!

What should you do to get out of a slump?

Try changing how you set your goals!

If you usually write for a certain amount of time, choose a certain amount of words instead – or vice versa. It’s surprising how much it can free up your mind. You might be shocked by exactly how much stress you’ve put on yourself without even realizing it, and you can always switch back to your old goal setting ways when you’re needing to switch it up again.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for reading, and I’m wishing the best for you on your writing journeys! Don’t forget to love your writing as you work – it’ll shine through in the finished product!

If you’re looking for a hot, steamy romance series (adults, 18+), check out The Pell Playhouse series, on Amazon – FREE with Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback. I’m currently working on book three every day, and it’s getting closer and closer to being complete!

Hope you’re reading some good books and having a happy 2022!

Writing Challenge: Dialogue Conflict / Fight Scene

Posted on by Vicki Sweets
Photo by Joe Mania on Unsplash

Writing Prompt: Write a short fight scene between two characters, where neither of them say anything negative to each other.

“You’re faster now.” The sweat leaked from his brow as he circled her in the sand. His blade hung low, nearly drawing a line in the ground as he held it behind him, aggression abandoned.

“You’ve gotten stronger,” she replied, but there was a hint of regret within the playful banter. “You were always stronger than me. I’m happy to see that I’ve yet to surpass you.”

“Perhaps we could step back – return to our training days.” It was a long shot, and he knew it. He could see it in her eyes. The determination. The harsh pursuit of the path she’d chosen – the path he should have chose.

“It’s not too late,” she whispered, barely audible over the whisper of winds against the sand. “You would not be an man without loyalty if you turned against a corrupt king.”

Her blade was still gleaming with the blood of his men, crimson dripping into the white sand. Yet there was hope in her eyes – the same hope he’d seen in her face when he took her in as a young girl.

“You have become everything I hoped you would be,” he said, his voice wavering as the words caught in his throat. “Do not hold back, child. I will give you my best, now.”

Understanding shone in her eyes, and her lips pressed tightly together, her face paling. Then, she lifted her blade and shifted her feet, ready.

Their blades came together swiftly, a dancing clash of metal that sang through the day. She was the perfect mirror of him – a student that studied her master to religious extent. The footwork; the angle of his blade. Nothing was foreign to her. So when she made a lethal swipe for his midsection, half a pace faster than what was known, she knew he would fall. She heard the impact as he fell to his knees, and she dared not look over her shoulder.

“Rest peacefully, father,” she said, eyes fixed on the castle before her. “I will right the wrongs of this kingdom in your name.”

There was a soft moaning sound and a thud as he fell into the sand. “You have made me proud, fierce child,” he said, the words strained with effort. “He keeps a dagger on his hip.”

She listened to his last sigh, the way his breath caught and shuddered. There was silence, and she bowed her head, processing the loss. Then, she lifted her attention to the gates ahead, filled with new purpose and loathing.

The king would pay for this one. Yes, the king would pay, indeed.

Reflection

I think my writing, in general, is less dialogue-heavy than this scene, but I might be obsessed. Is it okay to love your own writing?

Absolutely.

If you don’t love it, how can you expect anyone else to?

Final Thoughts

Originally, I did not think my response would include so much dialogue. I read once, that if your scene can happen without dialogue, let it, and I’ve tried to follow this rule. Whatever was coming to my mind at this point definitely did not follow this rule, and I think that’s okay. Sometimes, you just have to follow your heart… or your mind… or instinct.

What did you come up with? Give the prompt a go! It’s a fun challenge!

If You Could See It

Posted on by Vicki Sweets
Photo by El Salanzo on Unsplash

A bold kiss
His ungentle lips as he stole my breath
The words he said with my own air
A hand behind my hip, one locked in my hair
Don’t you remember? I asked
The way you stared and laid me bare
Those deep eyes of oceans and green
Glowing with lust and promise and ease
Is it that easy for you to chase self-preservation
Rather than trust this calm and elation?
I saw that you were sad before and even then
I saw it as a reflection, like my very own skin
I knew you wouldn’t be one to slow down
If you had you would have seen what you found
Because we’re the same, just stepping in different times
If you stepped back you would see our overlapping lives.

Writers: How To Reach Your Word Count Goals This Month

Posted on by Vicki Sweets
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

It’s here – November! An entire new month, or an entire new chance to reset your goals from the month before if you didn’t quite meet them. Maybe you weren’t even halfway to achieving your last month’s goal because it just seemed so overwhelming.

If your aspiration is to be an author, it’s easy to get discouraged when you see endless indie authors producing several books a year (or traditional authors signing an astounding number of contracts!). You’re still struggling with your initial draft while your social media friend announces her tenth book. If they make it seem so easy, why is it so hard for you?

The good news is, regardless of skill or talent, to finish a book, you really only need a solid plan to make consistent, forward movement. Below are some tips and strategies to help you finish that pesky, overwhelming first draft of your current work in progress.

Determine/Estimate Approximate Word Count

If you’ve never written a book before, you might be completely baffled by this step. Isn’t it about telling a story rather than meeting some minimum word count requirement? Yes, it is, but determining a word count goal will allow you to see your progress and set goals to reach by a time of your choosing. A quick search will show you the breakdown of average word counts for different genres. You might even notice that many people have made charts with this information – and it’s all slightly different numbers. That’s because word count expectations for different genres are just a guide, not a rule.

A lot of first time authors will find it easier to meet a smaller goal, but if you’re dreaming of writing an epic fantasy, there’s nothing stopping you from exceeding those average word count expectations. Just keep in mind that editing should shave off quite a few space-filling words, so your sentences flow smoother. Don’t get discouraged if your word count shrinks! You may even need to eliminate scenes completely if you find they disrupt the flow of the story.

Pick a date that you would like to complete your first draft by, and calculate minimum word count per day.

Now, if you have Scrivener as your writing software (it’s what I use!), you can enter in your word count goal and draft completion date, and it will calculate it for you. It will even adjust the number of words that need to be written that day if you decide to skip a day or two. But if your writing softward doesn’t have that tool, it’s easy to calculate yourself.

Pick your day, choose what days of the week you’re going to write on, and find out how many days you are planning to use as writing days between now and your goal date. (Maybe you can only realistically write four days a week.) Divide your word count goal by the number of days, and that’s how many words you’ll need to write on each of your writing days to meet that goal.

You should be able to tell relatively quickly whether that’s an achievable and realistic goal. You may need to adjust your finishing date if your minimum daily word count is too high – and that’s okay! It may feel like a race, but slow and steady is a safe way to keep yourself from giving up or getting overwhelmed.

Set a time of day.

Whether it’s the morning, evening, in the middle of the day, or split between times, having a specified time of day for writing will help you be more consistent on a regular basis and moving steadily towards your goal.

If reaching a specific word count goal is difficult or overwhelming, choose an amount of time to write instead.

Different approaches may seem daunting to different authors. Perhaps a word count goal makes you feel stressed. Instead, set a timer for a pre-determined amount of time, and write that entire time. Once the timer goes off, give yourself an additional ten minutes to finish up, if possible, and then stop for the day, so you won’t feel overwhelmed or burn out. The goal is consistency. An hour every day will get your further than sporadic days of three to four hours, especially if you go for long periods of time between those lengthy spurts.

Keep going!

So, if you’re noticing dozens – or hundreds – of other authors are reaching their goals, just remember, you have the ability to be one of them, too. Find consistency in your writing life, and you will quickly see a change in your productivity. You’ll be reaching those goals much faster!

Thanks for taking the time to read, and good luck on your writing journeys!

If you’re in the mood for a “spicy” romance series (18+ audience), check out my series on Amazon by clicking here. It’s FREE with Kindle Unlimited and also available in paperback. Happy reading!

“Shreds of Sanity” & Author Tip

Posted on by Vicki Sweets

It clung to her with a vengeance like a vile creature from hell. Her ears rang with the shrieking, a maddened sound that grew with fury. Clutching her head, she could feel it digging into her brain, little more than a leech determined to prey upon her last shreds of sanity.

So I might have been feeling a little dramatic at two o’clock in the morning.

I’d spent a couple hours working on my WIP (3rd book of my romance series), and I somehow ended up with less words than I started with at the beginning of the night. (Don’t edit until your first draft is done!) I moved on to creating some Instagram posts, and then I wrote this lovely little bit.

Not sure whether I will fit it into a whole story. I definitely have several books outlined that a struggle against insanity would fit into, especially with the implied external factor of a creature or paranormal demon of sorts. Wanted to share it for now, but every time I write something short and sweet (or not so sweet, in this case), I always end up with a whole new story! Maybe I’ll have yet another side project to work on to keep me balanced so my romance projects don’t become redundant.

Author Tip

Read and write outside your genre. My published series (still more to come) is an erotic romance, but most of my projects are high fantasy or paranormal/supernatural stories that alternate between fantasy worlds or an urban world such as ours. I’ve noticed that when I allow myself to spend time writing in more than one genre during the week, my vocabulary is fresher, my sentence structure is more diverse, and I’m more creative in general. Reading also enhances these qualities. I was actually reading Wuthering Heights when I wrote most of my first published book, and if you’ve read it, you’ll know it’s about the farthest thing in the world from that classic.

So if you’re struggling with writers block, feeling redundant, or just want to spruce up your writing in general, take time to write in a different style and read in a different genre.

Thanks for reading!

I appreciate your time! Feel free to browse around and check out the books I have currently available!

Happy writing to you all, and have a wonderful Tuesday (or whenever you see this)!

Now Available: The Problem with Pell

Posted on by Vicki Sweets

My name is Olivia Cook, and I’m dating the proprietor of sexual deviancy amongst the wealthy.


Months into their relationship, Olivia couldn’t be happier. Jack spoils her, teases her, and pleases her while discreetly balancing his work at the Playhouse. But when a Playhouse party becomes a little untamed, Olivia starts to wonder whether she’s enough for the carnal desires of Mr. Jackson Pell.


When Jackson’s past catches up to him, he leaves Olivia wondering where they stand as he tries to regain control of a situation that brings threats of imminent danger to those he cares about. Struggling with confessing more secrets of his past, Jackson seeks to find a way to reconcile with Olivia – without putting her in harm’s way.


But darkness from the past is hiding in the shadows on both sides. Will the world tear them apart? Or will it bring them closer to an unbreakable bond as they face their pasts head on?

Paperback $12.99
eBook *FREE* for Kindle Unlimited subscribers (or $4.99)
CLICK HERE to view purchasing options on Amazon.

We saw dragonflies.

Posted on by Vicki Sweets
Photo by Sensei Minimal on Unsplash

Today, while playing with my son in the backyard, we were surrounded by dragonflies. They hummed in the air, they perched on nearby branches, and they dashed daringly through the water that sprayed through the air from the hose. And then I saw red ones – three of them – and I was completely hypnotized. They were vibrant and fat, and one perched on the tip of a dead tree, the branch spearing straight up into the sky. They were strange and lovely, and I thought, “Perhaps there is magic in this world after all.”

The Importance of Taking A Break

When life is a never-ending blur of work, family, and trying to build some sort of platform to be heard above the masses, it can get a little overwhelming. I just took a few days away from social media, and it was incredibly refreshing. As an author (this applies to my fellow indies, especially) social media can seem like the thing that will make or break your growing business or dream job. It seems like you have to do it all – all the different apps and platforms – and sometimes it can feel like you need to do them all right away. I just want to remind you that yes it will happen, yes you can do this, but yes it will take time.

Longevity is the goal when you’re trying to turn your side-gig or side-hustle into your main income. While it would be wonderful to write one book, create one masterpiece of art, craft one perfect song and that to somehow go viral and change your life forever – that doesn’t always happen and the attention can fade surprisingly fast. To build lasting relationships with others in your industry, it’s important to work slowly, work regularly, and work patiently with social media.

Just one post a day, every day – or starting out with one a week, if that’s too overwhelming – is progress. Having one new follower or fan is progress. Having one person genuinely interested in what you do (other than someone just hopping along the follow train because it’s popular) is progress! You just have to be patient with yourself.

And that’s why rest is important. You want to do this for a long time – that’s why you picked it. You don’t want to burn yourself out just trying to build your social media. If you have been feeling overwhelmed by the thought of interacting with comments and messages, I encourage you to take a break – even if it’s just for a day. Have one day that it’s okay not to reply to everything. The world will keep spinning, and I guarantee your slow reply will be more of a bother to your own mind than it will to others. You are important, not just your craft.

Fellow Authors, Readers, and Book Lovers

If your an author – traditionally or self-published – I’d love to interact with you more. I took some time away from the buzz of social media, but now that I’m back, I want to start using my neglected blog/website more. I’m still getting it set up how I want – this is my author page, so information about my published and upcoming books will be the main focus – but I’d like to start keeping a (somewhat) regular blog as well. I’m a mom who writes, so if that sounds appealing to you, go ahead and follow this page!

Just remember to relax, breathe, take a break when you can, and try to notice the dragonflies.