Happy Prep Day 2! It was a pretty productive day for me today. I blew through all of the goals I set. There are a lot of logistical concerns I have with Harder to Forget, such as how to format text messages and how to make sure readers know what timeline and POV they are in. I know that I will have to hire a good book layout designer if I decide to self-publish this book. Until that point, I really just want it to be as clear as possible to the people who will be reading it during the editing process. I really think that, in terms of querying/self-publishing, Harder to Forget is probably third or fourth on the list. I really obsess over the idea of a debut novel, probably to a fault. I really want to impress people with the kind of romance/erotica novel that I think should exist.

So let’s talk about each project a little. Today, I worked through the character vault for Centennial Park. It is really weird to have Nick in there at the beginning, and maybe I’ll change that, but he is such a dork and I kinda hate how he is characterized in this first book (maybe because he’s such a dick to my ride-or-die girl Tegan). But it was really fun to look at the character vault for Cornelia Street and see how different and insecure he is compared to when he and Tegan get together. The other thing I worked on today for this novel was settings. This book takes place in LA, Paris, Cannes, St. Moritz, Glacier Express, Heidelberg, NYC, and Tokyo. The thing that is so incredibly dreamy about having Emerson be a very rich French socialite is that he’s rich, and they can go anywhere in the world, running from their problems. Like, I would love to just drop everything and run to Switzerland. The problem is that now I need to spend a day working on the logistics of each of the cities, apartments/hotels, what they do, and how they fit into the story. I have a tendency to get lost in travel research because my wandering heart longs to be traveling the world at all times.

Alright, let’s talk Harder To Forget. This book feels a little bit like a fever dream right now. But let’s take a minute to introduce you to Jude and Olivia. Jude is extremely charming; he has the ability to tell stories that draw you in and make you feel like the only person in the world. He is crazy smart and isn’t afraid to use his intelligence to get what he wants, or hide what mischief he is up to. It’s a very dangerous skill for the timeline where he and Olivia are more of a situationship than a relationship. He is smart and sensitive; even in the “bad” times, he tries to be a good person. I think that is what is so captivating about him and Olivia; you root for them in both timelines. In the “bad” timeline, you want them to just get over their stupid issues and see what everyone else sees. And in the good timeline, it’s just the kind of love that all of us so desperately want: easy, supportive, and super passionate. Olivia is bubbly and sexy and suffers from what I’ve affectionately called Lana Turner syndrome. Men tend to just see her for what a sexpot she can be, completely missing how that feeds into how she loves and how they can be missing the best parts of her by not letting that side lead them to her more emotional side. This gets her into trouble in both timelines. But I think it’s something that a lot of women can relate to. We tend to be boiled down to one trait in relationships, and then we end up resenting that. I don’t think men (or women) mean to do it, but people latch on to what suits them, and sexpot is an ephemeral quality that people tend to devalue after the honeymoon period.

Alright, it’s time for tomorrow’s goals:

• 1/2 of the scene cards for Centennial Park
• 1/2 of the scene cards for Harder To Forget
• Start location research on LA for Harder To Forget
• Start location research on NYC for Harder To Forget
• Start location research for PDX for Harder to Forget

See you tomorrow! Happy prepping!

❤ Spencer