Steamy Contemporary Romance Author

SPOTLIGHT ON

Sadira Stone

All About Sadira Stone:

Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After leaving her teaching career in Germany, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance from her new home in Washington State, U.S.A. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, plays darts (pretty well), plays guitar (badly), and gobbles all the books. Visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

Opposites Ignite

Release Date:

03/15/2021

Cover Art:

Wicked Smart Design

Publisher:

Sadira Stone

Welcome Sadira to Jeny's TattleTales

Hello Sadira, and welcome to #AuthorSpotlight. I'm so excited to have you back here. Today you are doing a guest post, so take the stage away!

A lesson I’ve learned the hard way during the pandemic is the importance of time management. At first, I figured the enforced stay-at-home time would lead to increased productivity. Wrong-o! More like unlimited time to check the news, fret, worry, dawdle on social media, procrastinate, dither, text friends and family about the latest bad news, brood, stew… By autumn, my writing productivity had slowed significantly. By winter, I was a slug.

I’m not going to beat myself up over this slowdown. None of us have had to cope with a global pandemic before, not to mention the political and social turmoil layered on top like rancid frosting on a steaming poop-cake. 

Now that Hubs and I are fully vaccinated and our lives are creeping toward normal (whatever that means anymore), I face the challenge of finding my focus and getting my word count back on track. But first, I have to face some hard facts:

I’ve developed a social media addiction. During the Quarantimes, social media provided pleasant distraction, entertainment, a feeling of connection to real-life loved ones, the writing community, and causes I care about. My special nemesis was Twitter, where news developments popped up faster than on regular news channels, and where #Romancelandia drama provided relief from the tedium of staying home.

Just give it up cold turkey, you say? It’s not smart for an author to turn away from social media completely; it’ connects me directly to readers, and my writing career has benefited tons from opportunities and connections I found on social media.

So, how to wrestle my time and focus back on track? Sure, there are all kinds of cool apps I could try, but I prefer a simple, frugal approach. Here’s what’s helping so far:

Write first. I usually check email and social media for the first hour of the day. Trouble is, that first hour sometimes stretches into two or three, eating into my peak writing time. A writing instructor recently suggested that avoiding the internet for the first two hours of the day helps retrain the brain and improve focus. So far, so good!

A modified Pomodoro Technique. I set my handy-dandy phone timer for 25 minutes and do nothing but write. Brain science shows this is an optimal chunk of concentrated work time for most people. Not gonna lie, I still feel the urge to pop over to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram while the timer counts down, but I’m learning to just observe the urge dispassionately—“Oh, there it is again.” When the timer rings, I leave my office and move my body. If the weather’s not too awful, I go outside for a few minutes, maybe pull a weed or two.

Here’s a good overview of the technique:

Up, down, up, down. I have a stand-sit desk topper I can easily raise, and a cushy floor mat that makes it fun to wiggle and dance as I write standing up. As I write in 25-minute bursts, I alternate between standing and sitting. The change of position seems to help.

Background music. I can’t write to music with lyrics, since my brain can only handle one source of language at a time. But soothing or peppy instrumental music helps me focus, especially later in the day. I enjoy the many binaural beats tracks available on YouTube, like this one:

and lofi study music tracks, like this one:

Coffee! ‘Nuff said.

I’m a slow writer, so sprints don’t motivate me, and I’m intrinsically motivated, so reporting to an accountability partner doesn’t appeal much. But I do note my daily word count as well as time spent on my WIP, social media, promo chores, email, etc. If nothing else, I’m learning about my ideal writing-day rhythm. Success breeds success!

Oposites Ignite Blurb & Excerpt

A mismatch sparks the hottest flames.

Blue-haired, buxom, and bodacious, server Rosie needs her job at Bangers Tavern, where her work family adores her weirdness and supports her hunt for a tattoo apprenticeship. When too much New Year’s bubbly tumbles her into a sweet, shy coworker’s bed, she craves more. But guys like Eddie never stick with girls like her.

Strait-laced, soft-spoken, and skinny, barback Eddie has a huge crush on his curvy, tattooed coworker. Their New Year’s surprise is a dream come true—until his grandma walks in on them. Eddie begs Rosie to fake-date him to appease his old-fashioned family. He’s already keeping secrets, so what’s the harm in one more? But the longer he pretends with Rosie, the deeper he falls.

Their boss lays down the law: No relationship drama at work, or you’re fired. Rosie’s everything Eddie ever wanted—but to keep her, he’ll have to drop a terrifying truth bomb on his loving but stifling family. And Rosie must trust her bruised heart with the guy who nearly crushed it.

Come back to Bangers Tavern for a steamy, laugh-out-loud, opposites-attract romance that ignites in all the worst ways—and the best!

Excerpt 1

He tugged her forward. TV sounds and laughter rang out from the next room. Stomach wobbling, she planted her feet. “I don’t know, Eddie. I feel bad lying to your family.”

Grasping her hand in both of his, he whispered, “I said we’re work friends, and that’s what we are.” When she balked, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Half an hour, tops. I promise. A few dumplings, a toast to the new year, and we’re out of here.” The soft brush of his lips did funny things to her core—warm, tickly things. If she had the sense God gave mud, she’d back out now. But Eddie’s grandma already thought Rosie was his girlfriend. What could it hurt to play along for a few minutes more?

She nodded, and Eddie broke into a sweet, crooked smile that made her feel even more guilty. Eddie wasn’t the kind of guy who indulged in meaningless hookups. Should’ve considered that before plastering herself to him on the dance floor last night

Excerpt 2

But why did Dawn hang mistletoe from the bar’s ceiling if she didn’t want people to kiss? Eddie would wait until the boss was in her office, then find some excuse to linger beneath that clump of green, his eyebrows flicking up in a flirtatious question. You wanna?

Damn it, she did wanna. His crooked smile was so tempting. And his lips were so soft, his kisses so sweet—unlike the slobbery mauling she got from most guys she dated. Desire simmered under his cool surface, making her want to dive deeper.

New Year’s Eve served up the perfect excuse. When the bar staff toasted the new year, it was so easy to land in Eddie’s arms. So easy to keep dancing as their coworkers filed out, leaving them alone beneath the kitschy disco ball, its dizzy sparkle whirling them around and around.

And now he slept beside her, sunlight glinting off his wavy brown hair, glossy lashes fanned across his cheekbones, dark scruff shadowing his razor-sharp jaw. So pretty, so vulnerable, so one hundred percent wrong for her. Clean-cut guys like Eddie never stuck around with girls like her. God knows she’d bashed her head against that brick wall enough times to learn her lesson.
Breath held, she gingerly removed his hand from her breast and wriggled toward the edge of the bed. Eddie sighed and squirmed into the space she’d vacated, nuzzling her pillow. No, she corrected herself, his pillow. Gotta get out of here.

Rising on unsteady legs, she turned back for a final look. Sleep melted his solemn daytime expression into peaceful sweetness. His bare shoulders rose on a shiver. As she bent to tuck the quilt around him, her boob brushed his arm.

“Huh?” His eyes fluttered open. His brow rumpled, then smoothed as a bleary smile spread across his pillow-creased face. “Good morning,” he croaked and pushed up on his elbow. His gaze sharpened as it raked over her naked body.

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Wow.” She waved a limp hand over the bed.

“Last night was, uh—really something.” She shuffled backward, stifling the impulse to cover her bits. After all, he’d seen every inch of her. He’d sampled it all, too. Twice, if she recalled correctly. The details were still kind of blurry, but she remembered lots of giggling, Eddie’s silky hair tickling her inner thighs, the slap of flesh on flesh, and a climax so powerful she nearly blacked out.

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