One very memorable night (but not for good reasons)
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What a way to celebrate the beginning of a new year with whiskey in hand. No goals set in mind, no wife to come home to, or any just cause to get excited about, even with tax season looming in the air. 
“Another, please!”
“You’d better take it easy, Stan.” The bartender poured the whiskey and wiped the counter with a cloth synchronously.
“Hey.” I pointed. “That’s a neat trick.”
I stared at the liquid in the glass, taking in my skewed reflection. Its eye watching me. Finally, I gulped the horrid liquor down in one shot. As I placed the glass down at the bar, a beautiful woman approached me in red stiletto heels. I almost fell off the stool following her curves. Her brunette hair lay perfectly flat and covered her bare shoulders.
She placed her arm around my neck and gave me an unexpected kiss right on the lips. I closed my eyes for fear of losing her taste. Was I dreaming?
When she stopped, she smiled cocky, and at that moment, I realized she was my old High School sweetheart. I remembered the delicate way she placed her lips on mine and the usual fog of her name. 
She placed her hand on my lap, and this time, I burned with sensation at the feel of her tongue rolling into my mouth again, except it wasn’t her tongue, but something cold attaching to my inside cheek. I almost swallowed it when she whispered in my ear to follow her. Her breath was unusually hot, but who isn't when you're downing a beer or other concoctions? 
Dutifully, I followed. 
After going upstairs, she turned and pulled me by the belt into a room. She shut the door behind her. She didn’t bother turning the light switch on as she unbuckled my belt. I could smell the jasmine on her hair. 
How far was she going to let me go? It didn't matter. Something struck me on the back of the head, and I swallowed whatever she put in my mouth.
My body fell like a sack of linen. I lay slumped down, ready to barf when I raised my head, and the lights went on. Everything was multicolored on the walls and ceiling. 
Next to my old sweetheart was a large man, and I heard her say, “This one will do nicely.”
It could have been the whiskey talking.
 

I just finished my first edit of my YA novel. Now, I’m setting it aside before I do a final edit. Then, I could look for agents, editors, and publishers. And the process of getting my manuscript into print doesn’t end there.
If you’ve ever written a resume for a position, you know that selling your skills and qualities is key to landing that job. It’s the same with writing, except you sell it. That’s why I worked on my query letter and synopsis while I set my novel aside, and writing them takes a lot more effort.
In a synopsis, you condense much information about the story into 1–2 pages. Having an outline with a short description of what occurred in each chapter helped me organize my thoughts. Another thing that helped me was going online to other blogs for helpful information. There are tons of books on the subject with samples.
The query is probably the hardest to do. That’s the resume part of selling your writing. It’s where you provide the title, a paragraph synopsis, your qualifications, and contact information. If the agent, editor, or publisher didn’t find something that stood out, they might pass on the work.
It’s good to have someone else read your query and synopsis, and you have to go through as many revisions as you did with your manuscript.
The following are some of the websites I browse for more information on writing:
https://jerryjenkins.com/how-to-write-a-book/
https://www.janefriedman.com/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/steps-to-self-publish-your-book/
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