Dating! Is There a Manual for This?

Dating...This is a very foreign thing to me. I was with my children's dad for almost 11 years. Even before him, I never dated much. My son just asked me the other day, "Mom. Why don't you date?" How do you tell a 14 year old that there are just too many jackasses in the world? I did it though and told him to stand outside the box and be that one man that woman can't live without. (he laughed at me).

Since that conversation, I've been asked to NY, taken to dinner, and now *winces* my girlfriend wants me to meet a friend of hers. I often don't like meeting new people, especially when it's set up and most likely going to be in a bar.

I have no idea how to date!

To me, when it's set up, I almost feel like I have to, oh, I don't know, be on my best behavior. Eeeek! I'm constantly thinking, this will never work out, what if he doesn't like me, maybe he doesn't like pleasingly plump chicks (I know, shut off the panic button)....Then I think - WHO CARES!

I know I shouldn't have this mindset, or I may very well end up alone the rest of my life. Would that be so bad really? I've met little old ladies in my nursing career that have never married, remain virgins, never had children and seem very happy with their life. It couldn't be that bad.

Then I think of my children. So many of the people around where I live have someone to share life with, to be a role model, give their sons male advice, and my kids have me. HA! What the hell do I know about being a man? Heh hmmm - NADA.

Do I agree to meet this guy, who really text me and said, "I want to LUVE you", LMAO. Really? First, learn how to spell, second, you don't even know me dude!

The other guy, well he just recently got separated and I know there is going to be a whole bag of **it to go with this soon, do I really want to go there?

Really. Is there a dating manual out there? Something that tells you how this is all supposed to work? I have no clue how to date, what's acceptable and what's not.

What do you think?

What's your worst and best dating story? Leave it in a comment, I'd love to hear it and your advice for dating in general.

So Many Stories, where do you begin and end?

If you're a writer, then you know exactly how the above picture relates and feels. I know that I often draw inspiration from so many things around me. A conversation I'm having, a TV commercial, the way the wind blows outside, a conversation I overheard at a restaurant, an Amish buggy rolling down the highway, and yes, I see them all the time. I live in Amish Country lol.

I always have a pen and journal handy. No matter where I'm at. There is one in my truck, there is one on my headboard, I even at times carry a mini notebook in my wallet for just such occasions. You never know when a story will pop into your head. It happens to me all of the time.

The last time my muse hit me over the head, I was at a pool tournament and had to ask the bartender for a pen and paper. I jotted down the basics of my ideas, then the next day wrote out over 3000 words. It was brilliant, even with a beer haha.

Now the problem for me is, concentrating long enough to get one of those stories to completion. There are times my head just swirls with ideas, and for those of you that don't know, I also run the Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. So if I'm not thinking about books and my writing, I'm thinking of how I can make the VBTC better and more ways to market and promote others work.

I've decided to take my focus to one book, and it's probably not the one my fans wished I was working on, sorry guys, and finish it to completion. It's actully going really well, and I have to say that I am hoping to have it finished by the end of Spring. The rate I'm going, it will be a lot sooner than that.

How do you go about finishing one story before working on another? Do you often work between several books, or do you self discipline to finish one before the other?

Here's a small taste from my upcoming release - To Love A Wolf. I'm just now getting the artistic flow for the cover, so once I have that finished, I will be doing a Cover Reveal. :).

Copyright B.K. Walker

 “I’ve been expecting you.” She said without looking up from her book.

I stopped, looking around thinking, hoping, maybe she was talking to someone else.

“Cevin, is it?”

I turned to face serious eyes looking through blue lenses, as she looked directly at me. I cleared my throat, nodding in agreement.

“Come. Sit.” She placed a bookmark inside the pages and set it aside. “I have been expecting you.” She said again.

“Expecting me?” I sat on the edge of her blanket.

“Yes. I knew you would be coming. Sooner or later.”

Her hair was a mass of dread locks with beads randomly placed throughout. She donned a long flowing skirt made of thin material, a tank top and thin strapped sandals on her feet. “How did you know I’d be coming?”

“That is neither here nor there. I just knew and that explanation can be left for another time.” She looked me over, sizing me up like she was seeing if she could take me should I try to assault her. “You’ve had the dream.” She wasn’t asking a question and said it matter-of-fact like.

I stared at her with a deer in the headlights look. How could she possibly know this? Did Sam already come to see her?

“Relax Cevin. I’m not going to cast any spells on you or put a voodoo hex on you. You’ve been dreaming, and even though we are not friends, we are connected. The stars have been out of alignment since the Wolf Moon. I knew it was coming.”

“What was coming?”

“Tell me of your dream.” She waited without answering my question. I told her of my dream, and she pressed for more information. I told her of the blood red silk sheets, candles, the claw and scars on my chest. I told her that the woman in my dream told me I was chosen. Unable to stop myself, I told her every single detail of my dreams. As much as I tried to keep the words from coming, they just kept pouring out the more she asked questions.

“I see.” She pulled out some cards and lay them out between us.

“You see? How can you see? It’s freaking me out and I don’t know how to explain any of it. Why do I keep dreaming of this same woman? What the hell does “Chosen” mean?” I had so many questions that I was firing at her, she didn’t even seem affected when my voice became an octave higher.

She started flipping cards over, mulling over the pictures that were on them. When I tried to speak she held her hand for me to stop. So I waited. After every card was facing up, she slowly looked up to me and the look in her eye had me holding my breath.

“Cevin. You must listen to me very carefully.” She waited for me to respond.

“Okay?”

“The full moon is coming on Halloween night.”

“Tell me something I don’t know Sierra.” I huffed.

“Uh uh. Let me finish.” She looked at me sternly. “During the full moon, the female alpha can choose her mate.”

Copyright B.K. Walker




That was a random excerpt, and though I was going to give you the "dirty" details, haha, I thought we'd save that for a later time.

So how do you deal with it? All the ideas and finish your book?