John and Grace and Tal and Alexa … and Jamaica?

My first book, ILLICIT IMPULSE, was released a little under a week ago. After spending so much time with the book, I’m having a hard time deciding where I am on the emotional rollercoaster that is the journey to publishing. Sure, I’m happy. But what specific flavor of happiness is this?

It’s a little bittersweet, maybe. To get to this wonderful place, I’m having to get comfortable with the idea that there’s no more writing to be done. You wouldn’t think that would be hard, as many hundreds of times as I wished to just be finished with it, already. Now that I’m actually here, though, I miss spending time with my characters.

Not that we were hanging out watching Scandal or anything. We were just in each other’s headspace a lot. When I was writing, I had to get fully immersed in the world of ILLICIT IMPULSE, and fortunately for me, that meant spending loads of time with my heroine and her two hot male friends.

I miss Grace Foley and her huge wardrobe. I wonder what it’s like to live without asking, “Do I have the appropriate garment for this occasion?” I love that she only uses clear nail polish on her fingers because she always manages to chip her manicure when she uses a color. She’s not really in it for the color anyway; she just likes her nails to be hard enough to leave a mark when she uses them. Her perfume and shampoo smell like freshly cut flowers, but that’s mostly irony on her part. Her personality sort of demands a slightly less innocent fragrance.

John March is nothing if not patient. Most of the time. He doesn’t know how adorable he is, with those dorky glasses and his ever-present horde of sharpened pencils. He says he doesn’t have time for haircuts, so he won’t bother until he has to push it out of his eyes. When he’s concentrating, he’s in his own little science world. His eyebrows come together while he’s struggling to figure something out. He’s one of those people who will actually blush harder if you tell him he’s blushing. When he’s your friend, he’s got your back for life … which can make for unpredictable complications of the sexiest kind.

I had the most fun with Tal Crusoe. Most people think he’s just a pretty boy, a golden-haired all-American with his bright blue eyes, and he knows it. Press yourself into a long, warm hug with Tal, and you’ll find he smells like soap and drugstore shampoo. In his line of work as a personal trainer, he says, people would rather know you’re clean than wonder what product you’re using. On the surface, he’s not terribly complicated. He likes his beer, his burgers, and his ESPN, and he definitely likes his women – as long as they understand his terms. Life according to Tal is pretty easy, but he wonders if John can make it even easier.

*sigh* And now all that’s over. It’s over for me, anyway; it might just be starting for you!

And don’t feel so badly for me. I’ve got a whole new story just waiting .

And this one unfolds in Jamaica. So seriously, don’t feel bad. There’s nothing happening here that a little head trip to Jamaica won’t fix right up.

**Alexa Day’s ILLICIT IMPULSE is now available from Ellora’s Cave. You can catch up with her here on the second Monday of the month, on her blog every Thursday, with the other WiseWenches on the first Wednesday of the month, via Facebook, and on Twitter. She’s working on her second book.