And not in my oft-mentioned  Zombie Apocalypse way. :muahaha

No.  The wonderful, delightful The End I’m talking about is on my latest Harlequin Desire manuscript.  (Tentatively titled A Baby in the Billionaire’s Boardroom.)

That’s right—I have FINISHED!

Woooooooo-hooooooooo! :kitty

I am so super-happy with the way this story turned out.  Love the characters, love the plot, love how everything came together just about perfectly.

In fact, I’m going to share the very end of the story with you in a major ***SPOILER ALERT*** excerpt.  If you really don’t want to know anything before the book comes out (a good 9-12 months from now), you don’t have to read it. But I’m sharing it now because A.) there’s always the possibility it will change in some way during editing process, & B.) I doubt you’ll remember any of it by the time the story is actually released in all its red-coated Harlequin Desire glory. :winkwink

But all the same… ***SPOILER ALERT***

Going on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. “I also love it. And I love you. Coming to Seattle was the best decision I ever made, even if we got off to a slightly rocky start.”

His own arms came up to circle her waist, holding her close while he nibbled lightly at the corners of her mouth and jaw.

“Ah, but don’t you know that the rockiest paths sometimes lead to the very best destinations?”

With a perfectly contented sigh, she leaned back to stare deep into his crystal clear sapphire eyes.

“Yes, I guess I do,” she whispered as everything else faded away, leaving them the only two people in the world, let alone the crowded ballroom. “Because my rocky path led me to you.”

Sigh.  Couldn’t you just swoon? I almost did, & I wrote it.  Of course, I didn’t actually know what I was going to write until it happened, so there was a pretty big element of surprise there for me, too. LOL

Technically finishing the writing part of the book in no way means I’m actually done, however.  (More’s the pity. :sick )

Oh, no—now comes the hard part.  Well, one of the hard parts, anyway.  I’ve got to go back to the beginning & start revising, proofing, & polishing, which usually takes an extra week or two.  Especially since I like to put a little distance between myself & the story before I dive in…to decompress, clear my head, gear up for Round 2.

So that’s where I am—ecstatic at being done with the actual writing portion of another book :twirl …but weary & wary, too, of having to dive back into editing.

Hard work ahead, my Darlings.  Hard work ahead.

Last week, I shared a sneak peek from my April Harlequin Desire release, ON THE VERGE OF I DO with you. :peekaboo

This week, I want to show you the celebrity inspirations I used for Kara & Eli, the wonderful heroine & hero in ON THE VERGE OF I DO, then let you decide how close the actual book cover came to my original mental images. :winkwink

This is Kara Kincaid.  Even though her family is quite wealthy & runs the family business, Kincaid Shipping, she’s struck out on her own to start Prestige Events, where she does fabulous event planning—everything from weddings to anniversary parties to bar mitzvahs.  When the story opens, she is actually planning a wedding for her sister, Laurel Kincaid, who is engaged to…

…Eli Houghton.  Oh, yes, a wrench in the works.  And sparks—lots & lots of sparks. :cuffs

This is Eli Houghton.  Rich & quite handsome, he started out in the foster care system, but ended up a self-made millionaire with a string of luxury hotels & resorts filling his impressive business portfolio.  When the story opens, he is engaged to Kara’s sister, Laurel…  But the heart wants what it wants, & when Laurel gets cold feet, Eli realizes Kara is the Kincaid sister he should really be with.

So whadda ya think? :peekaboo

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