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Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 30: number

I once really did read an advice columnist's list of signs of promiscuity. Even as a teen, I wondered why she felt it her business to be judgy like that

www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

Inwardly, I cringed, remembering an advice columnist’s list of signs of promiscuity. Not remembering the name of the person you slept with was number two. I hated to think where not even knowing the name to begin with rated. I lifted my chin.

November 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

WIPSnips 29: dedicate

Didn't even make it into the text proper for this one!

"This book is dedicated to Jason Merritt who read it at the beginning and Rita Martello who read it at the end."

November 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 28: zigzag, used dodge

So many guys think women only exist to admire their stories

“And then I dodged in and out and threw the ball to Eric.” Jimmy maneuvered a spiral notebook between two history texts. The girls oohed and aahed in all the right places.

www.amazon.com/Last-Year-Re...

The Last Year of the Rest of My Life

Amazon.com: The Last Year of the Rest of My Life eBook : Zaepfel, Yvette: Kindle Store

www.amazon.com

November 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips: disorganized

I haven't ever used the word, so I am sharing a passage about my most disorganized character, the second child of my MC

www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

A vision of Andrew holding Taylor right after they were born rose before me. The look of amazement on his face had been one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my life. The look on his face when Domi had been born had been the realization she was likely to wriggle out of his arms, steal a car, and head for Canada.

November 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 26: impede

Not having impede, I went with prevent

Even non-fantasy can have a fight scene!

This one is multi-lingual and on a train!

www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

Swoop Boy tried using his height against me next. When I didn't cringe, he grabbed my wrist. Mostly Sober tried to prevent him but missed. I twisted against Swoop Boy’s thumb and broke the hold. “Keep your hands off me,” I said into his face.

November 26, 2025 at 1:55 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 25: system

As said before, I don't write autobiographically, but I'll swipe specifics so I know the details are correct. I needed my MC to travel, and one of the places I picked was Austria where I've been several times. Photo of Seegasse in the comments

www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

Vienna was more metropolitan than Salzburg with some kind of magical traffic system where you could walk everywhere and never feel in danger from a car or tram. Between working, I took in the art museum, the opera, and so many churches, I lost count. The most haunting trip was to Seegasse, the Jewish cemetery where headstones had been damaged by Nazis pouring acid over them. On the one hand, I couldn't believe such hatred existed, but, on the other hand, I had known since my teens it did.

November 25, 2025 at 2:05 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 24: debut (1st time)
“I’m a widow.” I closed my eyes to make sure I could keep going. It was the first time I’d used the word. It was so final, and I felt almost melodramatic saying it. Widowhood seemed to belong to Victorian ladies wearing knee length veils.
www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

And Here We Are

And Here We Are - Kindle edition by Zaepfel, Yvette. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading And Here We Are.

www.amazon.com

November 24, 2025 at 1:40 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 23: Didn't have global, but the MC in this book travels globally, & I can snark at something I hate

“Are you on some kind of Eat Pray Love adventure?” Arielle texted me.
“Dear god, I hope not. If I ever get as sanctimonious as that lady, do an intervention.”
www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

And Here We Are

And Here We Are - Kindle edition by Zaepfel, Yvette. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading And Here We Are.

www.amazon.com

November 23, 2025 at 6:36 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 22: crystal

I have not used the word crystal in either of my books or WIPs, but you just know Maxi has a drawer full of crystals in addition to her tarot cards and witch clothing mentioned in the other books

www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

I never used to believe in Fate. At least not Fate with a capital F which would Change Your Life. I always considered people who did weak-willed and unable to face responsibility or flighty hippie chicks such as Maxi, the girl in my senior class who read palms in the lunch room. I changed my mind when Fate took notice of me.

November 22, 2025 at 3:23 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 21: direction

I am not 100% happy with this because I feel the prose is stiff, but it's how it currently exists

www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

I was still on my knees, just beginning to turn back around when we hit the patch of ice. I grabbed the back of the seat as we skidded from one side of the road to another. We slid forever. Whenever I thought it was over, the car switched directions and jerked the other way. Finally, we went off the side of the road towards some low hanging pines.

November 21, 2025 at 1:46 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 20: special

I have my for real WIP, and I have my "I have two scenes and an idea" WIP. This is from the latter

www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

The orphanage had sent me to her in a we wash our hands of you last resort move when I was sixteen. I had managed to fail every class though acing every test because “bad attitude” counts as a part of your grades when you’re in an orphanage. After that, I had been thrown out of several training programs, usually for refusing sex to my male supervisor. And, finally, I had been caught NOT refusing sex to the undergardener of the orphanage grounds. They told me they’d pulled Double A out of retirement because I was a “special case”.

November 20, 2025 at 9:23 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 19: third
A friend who read my book said the theme was overcoming depression where you're surface functional, but not really
"On the third day, I woke to a loud noise which was someone urgently pounding on my door and a horrible stench which was me."
www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

And Here We Are

And Here We Are - Kindle edition by Zaepfel, Yvette. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading And Here We Are.

www.amazon.com

November 19, 2025 at 1:52 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 18: retrograde

Didn't have that, so went with reverse. This bit is in the saddest scene I've ever written

www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

I opened the folder Arnav had scanned for me. They were in reverse order, showing Andrew as a thirty year old and going back in time until getting to him in Helen's arms, the very first known photo of him.

November 18, 2025 at 8:42 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 17: spend
I rarely base characters off people I know, but I do use real events. A friend's birth defect was supposed to have killed him ages before I met him. Chris was hilarious, generous, & a talented singer. I am glad to have known him for the years I did
www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

“For Rosa, it wasn't. She'd been born with a heart defect. She wasn't supposed to live past her twenties. But, she did. Every extra day I got with her was a gift. But, even without those extra days, I would have still married her. I knew I would rather spend even a few years with her than my whole life with someone else.” Gabe looked at me. “Does that make sense?”

November 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 16: run

So many to choose from! Picked this to hopefully garner interest: WHAT is hidden in her bag?

www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

Stash put his dishes in the sink and headed off to the shower, whistling. I rushed to the living room and flung everything out of my bag. The stitches were still as I had left them, I noted with relief. As I repacked, Stash’s whistle broke off with a gasp. Obviously, he had just run out of hot water. I smiled to myself. Served him right. I darted back to the kitchen and started washing the breakfast dishes. I didn’t want him to know there was anything in my bag to be worried about.

November 16, 2025 at 2:46 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 15: progress

Had to go way back to my first book for an example of this!

www.amazon.com/Last-Year-Re...

As the game progressed, I grudgingly wondered if Lauren were right. I thought she looked like an idiot, the way she cheered and screamed even when no one else did. But, the football players waved at her and responded when she hollered their names. Maybe they really enjoyed the attention. About halfway through the second quarter, it registered Lauren called for Eric at least twice as much as she yelled for anyone

November 16, 2025 at 1:21 AM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 14: week

Okay, I went with weekend

www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

Arielle was my alibi for the weekend. I told my mother I was staying with her. Mother was so busy preparing for the city council dinner party, she was glad to have me out of the house. Though, to be fair, she rarely talked to me when I was there.

November 14, 2025 at 1:03 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 13: build

I don't have build, but I do have converted. Aging parents is a thing!

The answer, of course, was for Meg to move in with Kate and the kids. Kate liked elderly people, and, as I’d noticed when we took care of Helen, she had the tact to do things for others without seeming patronizing. Meg could watch the kids so Kate didn't have to always take five of them everywhere when there wasn't school or day care. The house was two stories, but it had a strangely large laundry room. That and the garage could be converted into a living space for Meg while Kate and the kids used the upstairs bedrooms. They’d have to share a kitchen, but I was pretty sure Kate would take it upon herself to cook for the whole group.

WIPSnips 13: build, but I used converted

November 14, 2025 at 1:53 AM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 12: I started this years ago and put it aside when I didn't have a subplot. It is from when I wrote much longer descriptions, so, now that I'm working on it again, I may shorten it. Opinions on if that's a good idea are welcome!
www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

I guessed he was in his mid-twenties though his skin already had lines from working outdoors. He was small, not much taller or bigger than I, but I would not have bet against him in a fight. His dark blond hair was pulled back into a pathetically skinny ponytail. He had a full head of hair, but it was so fine it didn’t create much mass. Tattoos covered both tanned arms, disappearing into the sleeves of his red T shirt. Through the holes in his jeans, I could see lines indicating that he hadn’t limited his bodily decorations to his arms. His hands were filthy from working on the car, but I had a suspicion that they didn’t look much cleaner when washed. His bare feet were just as bad with a black widow tattooed on one instep. Maybe I was humiliated after all for letting him touch me.

November 12, 2025 at 1:03 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 11: changed for #VeteransDay

A friend said my Vietnam veteran character was so well-written, she figured there'd be a sequel about him. This is the highest writing compliment I've ever received. Researching him was so important, the snippet is in my forward
www.amazon.com/Here-We-Are-...

A couple of real life references which should get more attention: Soul Alley was a real place, and I highly recommend the 2018 documentary of the same name. The magicians at the end, Siegfried and Joy, are also real, and they are hilarious.

November 11, 2025 at 1:46 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 10: local
Didn't do a paragraph b/c it gives away a surprise. This also shows how I write. For my cadence to work, I need another phrase but don't know what it is & marked the space with capital letters. Other notes are things like MOVE THIS & CHECK CALENDAR
www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

shot himself in his car instead. Every morning, Stash called his research girl whose name was apparently Sandra. I wondered about her. Was she an ex? Did he pay her? Did she just accumulate information all day for everyone, or was this an only for Stash situation? On the fourth day Stash called, Sandra reported that local news had announced his suicide. No mention of suspicious figures getting into his car, no mention of WHAT, but it was enough to know I didn't have to expose myself to the

November 10, 2025 at 1:49 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 9: picture

www.amazon.com/Kindle-Store...

“Thank you,” I said, wrapping myself in one and my hair in another. Stash left and came back with the articles and a lighter. Without asking, he sat on the edge of the tub and set one of them on fire. I sat on the toilet and watched as, one by one, we watched them burn. The only time either of us said anything was when I stopped him from burning the funeral picture. I took it from him and ripped off the part of Lauren, keeping the side with Cindy and Keith. Funny, I thought, as Lauren’s face started curling around the edges. I finally remembered his name is Keith.

November 9, 2025 at 3:48 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 8: little

MC encounters a 4yo nicknamed after the character in Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry.

"Little Man regarded me with the same apprehension with which I regarded him. He seemed to realize I would not appreciate his pine cone and did not show it to me."

www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

November 8, 2025 at 5:05 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 7: movement

I started my WIP ages ago & put it aside when I didn't have a subplot. I just rewrote today's paragraph because "with tears in his eyes" is now a joke about a braggart & not its own phrase, & I deeply resent he has that amount of cultural clout
www.amazon.com/stores/Yvett...

When I woke up, I could sense the bright lights of the room and feel someone holding my hand in both of theirs. I stared at the fluorescent lights in the ceiling for a couple of seconds before carefully turning my head. My father sat hunched by the bed. When he felt my movement, he met my eyes, somehow looking like the tragedy was his and not mine. "Oh, my beautiful princess," he said.

November 7, 2025 at 8:54 PM

Scandal from Bohemia

@scandalfrombohemia.bsky.social

#WIPSnips 6: penultimate

I have apparently never used this word in my life

November 6, 2025 at 1:56 PM

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