Dear reader,
I'm back in my hometown of Hawke's Bay for the holidays. As always, it’s a bit stressful and hectic being here, but I also appreciate the time with family. My parents are preparing to downsize to a smaller home, so my brother and I are helping them in all their preparations.
On the writing front, December is shaping up to be one of my best royalty months ever! I'm thrilled to see my books doing so well this month. I kinda want to treat myself to something special with the extra income, but I'm not sure what yet…
I'm already getting excited for January and a fresh start for the new year. I’m having a couple of weeks off from my day jobs, so I plan to be productive with my writing. January is when I tend to crank out tons of words since I have all that motivated "new year energy". I hope to make good progress on my book.
Look forward to a meatier update next time, as I plan on sharing a wrap up of 2023 and my plans for 2024. Also, check out the new excerpt from Clashing with the CEO below 👇
Wishing you a happy festive season.
-Sara
Previous excerpts: [1] [2] [3] [4]
Clashing with the CEO excerpt #5
My heart thudded as I approached Neil’s office, but when I reached his door, the handle wouldn’t budge. That was strange in itself, but even stranger was the blue Post-It note attached to the surface. In Neil’s spidery scrawl, it read:
Meet me on the roof.
N.
Dread blossomed in the pit of my stomach.
The roof?
I thought the roof had been locked and out of bounds since Alex died. Why would Neil go there? And why did he want me to join him?
It crossed my mind that it could be some kind of test, or maybe even a trap, but my concern for Neil overrode those thoughts. What if the police had missed something in their investigation and danger lurked? The rumoured rickety railing, or an uneven surface which could cause him to stumble towards the edge…
The memory of Alex falling to his death replayed in my head. The all-consuming terror as I realised what I had witnessed.
I took a deep breath and swallowed my fear. What mattered most was checking on Neil. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to him.
The fire exit door was next to the elevators. I pushed it open and entered the cold concrete stairwell. The stairs did one zigzag up before reaching a windowless landing, lit by a faint, flickering bulb. This was the end of the road. A large, heavy-looking steel door awaited me—the door that had been locked to staff since Alex died.
I turned the handle and forced the stubborn door open. It squeaked on its hinges, and a vortex of howling wind leaked through the widening gap and into the stairwell. I squinted my eyes against the gust and the brightness of the overcast sky.
The roof was a wide concrete surface, flat apart from the air conditioning units, vents, and satellite dishes jutting out. A safety barrier bordered the perimeter. Neil stood at the edge, looking out at the cityscape. The blustery wind ruffled his hair and whipped at his tie.
Before I could close the door, the wind slammed it shut for me. The banging sound alerted Neil to my presence. He turned and locked eyes with me. I cautiously approached, stopping a few steps short of the edge, unwilling to go any closer.
Neil leaned back on the barrier, hands in his pockets. “You came,”
“Of course,” I said. “You asked me to.”
“I thought you might think twice.”
“I was worried about you.”
Neil smirked. “Why? Did you think I might fall?”
“I don’t know. Yes. It seems dangerous. My heart is pounding just seeing you lean on the wall like that. Can you please stop?”
He acquiesced. “There. Is that better?”
“Much better.”
He stepped closer to me. “You’re brave to come here. Or foolish. Let me ask you something. Did it ever cross your mind that I might have killed Alex?”
I stared at him in shock.
“Well?” he asked.
“Of course it crossed my mind,” I snapped.
“Yet you were willing to go alone to meet me on the roof?”
“Because I trust you now.”
“Trust no one, Amelia.”
Link roundup
📚Book world news and views from around the web
What to Read for Jolabokaflod: Iceland’s Christmas Book Flood [The Literary Lifestyle by Jules Buono]
Do you plan on celebrating Jolabokaflod? Iceland’s “Christmas book flood” is the tradition of reading book gifts and drinking hot chocolate on Christmas Eve.
‘It’s totally unhinged’: is the book world turning against Goodreads? [The Guardian]
The influential user review site has suffered a year of controversies, from cancelled book deals to review-bombing, and exposed a dark side to the industry
A Book Club Took 28 Years to Read ‘Finnegans Wake.’ Now, It’s Starting Over. [NY Times]
The first sign that “Finnegans Wake” may be among the most challenging books you have ever encountered is its opening line, which begins midsentence. The novel by James Joyce ends the same way, without a period. Some scholars say the last line loops back to the beginning, symbolizing the cyclical nature of time. In California, life is imitating art: A book club that just spent nearly three decades reading the novel is starting it all over again.