Cutting Room Floor Gems

Hello Dear Reader!

Do you ever wonder what ends up on the cutting room floor?

Sometimes a ton of freaking stuff!

How do writers write books?

We crack our knuckles, sit at our keyboards and a sweet little story fairy lands on our shoulders. The rest is pure magic.

NOT!

While every book is different, my first draft of Jax and Rosalyn's story started out as a much darker version than the final product.

My question to you is this: Do you like reading these type of darker stories? I love writing them, and if you want more, please let me know because YOU are the reason I sit in front of a computer screen (or sometimes I simply stare out windows.)

Here's an excerpt from the first draft of the Pleasure Point Series. In it, Holly turned out to be a sick-o stalker.

This cutting-room-floor-gem is told from Jax's point of view:

Holy shit, she’d been following me.

“But the app I found didn’t come from that surveillance store. It came from a website I found which specializes in explosives." She leaned into me so that our cheeks were touching. “The clever way this works is …I just touch on the time clock and it’ll start counting down …and I’ve got the explosives rigged to your truck. That’s your truck right over there, isn’t it, lover boy?” She pointed to where my truck was parked with a few of my favorite surfboards in the back.

“Holly, why don’t you just give me the phone—“

“No!  I’m in charge now. Not the other way around. I have felt so helpless these past couple of months. But what could I do? I was in love with you. Still am. And I know you’re in love with me so I’m going to give you a chance …a chance to tell me you love me." She looked me in the eye and said, “It’s real simple. You tell me you love me, and I want you to mean it.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t really want to hurt anyone, do you?”

“Just your precious surfboards and your truck. That’s not hurting anyone is it, sweetheart? All you have to do is make me believe that you love me. Look me in the eye, Jax …tell me you love me. You have exactly twenty seconds,” she said depressing the time clock. “If I believe you, then I’ll stop the clock.”

My body broke out in a cold sweat. The streets were deserted of passerby at that hour but there were a few cars parked close to mine; a black Aston Martin and a silver Range Rover.

I reached for the phone. “Baby, why don’t you just—“

She jerked her arm away. “Time’s running out, Jax. You’re so good at lying. But I’ll know if you’re lying to me. Do you, or do you not love me?”

I wanted to slap the phone out of her hand, or tackle her but if I didn’t move fast, and if what she said was true…  My thoughts were interrupted by the wail of police sirens and the flashing of blue and red police lights.

What happened next happened in slow motion. Holly jerked her head around to see the cops, I lunged for the phone, knocking it out of her hand, she dove for the phone and in the dark, as the phone lay face up next to a pine cone, both of us watched the clock tick down in bold red digital numerals…4…3…2…1. And then there was the most awful explosion. My truck went up in flames and out of the corner of my eye I saw a fin from one of my surfboards whizz past and land with a slicing action, close to the bench. I dove on top of Holly’s body to protect her from any flying debris.

“Are you okay?” I said, looking into her blue eyes that were filled with tears.

“I just wanted you to love me,” she said. “That’s all I wanted.”

Two uniformed police officers raced to our sides. I handed them Holly’s phone. “What the hell—“

I gently helped Holly up to her feet, put my arm around her and said, “I am so sorry I hurt you." And I meant it. It broke my heart that I had caused her pain.

Eugene and Nelson had woken from the commotion of their mom screaming for 9-1-1 and were standing on the front porch with Rosalyn. Leo, who was in Rosalyn’s arms wrenched himself free and streaked into the house.

Nelson jumped up and down. “Did you see those flames! Those boards got annihilated. They are toast, man. Toast!”

I would later find out that Nelson thought that was the most “amazingly awesome freaking thing” he’d ever seen.

Do you like this type of story?

Hit REPLY to the email and let me know!

xoxo

Jen