Here’s a confession: Even though I write motivational books and sunny, my brain has a knack for hosting negative thought parties without my permission.
If I’m such a positive person, how do these uninvited guests keep slipping in?
Every good story needs tension, and it seems my brain is determined to write a great one. It constantly tugs me in two contrary directions.
I’ve been thinking of my mind like a geological site—mostly stable rock on the surface, but with a current of flowing volatility underneath. It doesn’t take much for a little lava to find a weak spot and pop through.
But before we dive into mental tectonics, and my newest book release, I want to share a photo for visual inspiration.
Mount Kilauea, the most volcano in the world, and closest volcano to where I live at a 45-minute drive has erupted an astonishing THIRTY-FOUR times this year.
Photo credit Nancy Lundeen Anderson
My book characters go through their own struggles from negative to positive. From fear of the past to transformation. Half-Sour has pretty much conquered his past by the time Rock Hard 9 has started and has his volcanic negative thoughts behind him (but not his lustful heat), but Anina still has her scary challenges in front of her.
Here’s some info:
Rock Bottom: Kenner Brothers, Book 4
(Rock Hard 9): A Steamy Rock Star Romance with a Secret Identity Thriller
https://bit.ly/MJRoberts-RHSeries
Excerpt from Rock Hard book 9:
HALF-SOUR
“Are we going to the cliffs or the circle?” Anina asks, referring to the seaside cliffs in the distance and a closer ring of pine trees with moss in the middle and an almost magical quality.
“The circle,” I answer.
Anina steers us that way. When she sees all the battery-operated candles I set up around the picnic blanket and the twinkle lights I strung around the trees, she smiles.
“I wanted to do something nice,” I say. I pull her to me. “I want to give you nice.” My voice drops deeper, sounding way more full of innuendo than I mean it. “Are you going to let me give you nice?”
Anina runs her nails down my shirt. “I guess I could use some nice.” There are two layers of meaning there. One is sexual, and one is something else, but I don’t know what. Was someone not nice to her?
Then she puts a gentle hand on my shoulder, kisses the underside of my neck, and goes up on tippy-toe to kiss me.
“Every time you kiss me, all thoughts go out of my head,” I say.
“Is that good?”
“Maybe.”
Anina sits down on the blanket, and bites her bottom lip in a coy way and a bold call to come to her at the same time.
“For now, I’m giving up on figuring things out,” I say as I sit down next to her and pull her close. I kiss the spot behind her ear, and her low moan is a siren’s song. I kiss her neck. Anina lays back, and I follow her down. “For now, keep your secrets. I want you. Us. Whatever you give, I’m just going to…”
Her kiss cuts me off. Our tongues tangle, stroking hotter, wetter, deeper. Anina presses a slew of tiny kisses on my lips and jaw.
“Haaaaf-Zour,” she says, sounding drunk on lust. Desire tears through me.
“Keep your secrets, Bewitching, but give me the rest of you. I’m done waiting.”
She pushes me off her and disrobes with the same roadie-efficient speed she does everything.
Then she’s naked in the moonlight. My breath hitches.
“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than you,” I whisper, my voice low and reverent. I stroke one finger down from under her chin, over her breastbone, and just past her belly button. “Never in my life will I see anything more perfect.” I punctuate my words with a soft kiss to her temple. “Never will I feel anything more perfect.” I caress the underside of her breast and plant a gentle kiss there. “I’ll never be more captivated, more crazy about, more spun around, more obliterated by anyone or anything more utterly perfect than you.”
I kiss her low belly and then stand up to undress.
ANINA
Oh fuck. Half-Sour’s words sink in. This is definitely not the casual middle-off-the-night hook up plan I had intended. Half-Sour stands naked, shrouded in shadows with a streak of light casting his face into harsh relief, and he’s looking at me like I’m the only woman on the planet, the answer to all his dreams. This is so not good.
I scramble around, looking for my clothes, planning on grabbing them and covering up. But then Half-Sour lies on top of me and the chemistry explodes.
https://bit.ly/MJRoberts-RHSeries
| BUY ROCK HARD 9 (and all the RH books) NOW! |
| Lately, I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift’s “Are You Ready For It?” (Maybe apropos or supremely ironic, considering it took me two years to be ready to release RH9.) I’ve also been listening to “Golden” from K-pop Demon Hunters. (It racked up over 350 million views in a month!) Never thought I’d be a Swiftie or a K-pop fan, but the big anthem “we can make our own rules and be our own queen” vibes are really helping me power through my day-to-day, and forgive myself for not getting more done faster. So, what’s the takeaway from my two-year saga and my new workout anthems? It’s this: Your “ready for it” moment doesn’t have to be a perfectly timed, fear-free arrival. It can be the messy, imperfect decision you make despite the doubt. You get to set the pace, rewrite the rules, and crown yourself for every single step forward, no matter how long it took you to take it. Now, I’d love to hear from you! What’s one thing you’ve been putting off because you didn’t feel “ready”? Or, what’s your go-to power anthem that helps you push through? Hit reply and tell me—I read every single one. Let’s be each other’s hype squad. |
| Are You Ready For It Video: Are You Ready For It Live Performance: “Golden” Official K-PoP Demon Lyric Video |
Many blessings, and here’s hoping you get all your dream work done with ease.