Madeline's Rules for the Road

I'm still enjoying editing the Madeline Carter novels for publication in e-book form. Next up will be The Next Ex which, for various reasons I still don’t entirely understand, remains one of my favorites of my own novels.

One of the things I’ve really been enjoying is encountering Madeline in thought, as I did today when I came across this snippet. Here she’s about to embark on an ill-advised adventure that she really does know is ill-advised. Yet she does it anyway. But just before she does, she hands out this bit of rationalization:

There was a time in my life when I did not act on instinct. Life teaches you better, if you let it. One too many securities unpurchased. Or too many not sold. A course not taken, a road not followed, all of these -- and so many more -- can be cause for regret.

But following the path, selling the stock -- doing the thing my heart was telling me -- has never given me reason to look over my shoulder with sadness. Even when things don’t turn out as I’d planned -- even when things don’t turn out well -- it’s better, I’ve found, to take the advice my instincts give me. For me, life is just too short to do it any other way.

If you’re looking forward to The Next Ex -- and I hope you are! -- you don’t have long to wait. The edit and formatting are very, very close and the powers that be tell me the cover is almost ready. (I’ve seen it, in an early form, and it’s gorgeous. Of course.)

More soon!