family,  productivity,  quotes,  time management,  writing process

Where have you been?

That’s what Jorja would ask me…if she could speak to me, of course.  Okay, she does speak to me, in a way, but she certainly hasn’t learned to berate me yet!

I’ve been here…just very busy with real-life stuff, leaving no real free time to spend with Jorja, Taylor and the other characters in my books.  I will admit I’m glad to be back on my computer and back to my writing.  This week has been lacking in the writing department and I miss it dearly.

Some weeks are just like that.  This week was full of planning, preparation and errands for the graduation party we held for my son and his girlfriend yesterday afternoon.  As college graduates, they deserve the celebration and a showing of support from family.  It’s also never a bad reason to have a party! 

Although we had a terrific time yesterday, I feel I can breathe easy today, as it is full of available hours I can use to my advantage to get organized.  And I do love being organized.  Some might call it a talent, others might see it as compulsive…me?  I say it’s the only way to be when you’re a multi-tasker. 

So today I’ve been able to enjoy some time in the fiction world and it has been a wonderful way to spend part of the day.  Now I’m catching up with my Blog, with Facebook and I’m trying my best to catch up on what some of the other authors I follow are up to.  Looks like everyone is pretty busy…either too busy to blog or very busy promoting their most recent published book.

*Sigh*

I hope to be fully promoting my second book soon but the editing phase takes awhile.  Sometimes it feels like forever but it is a necessary evil.  I can’t wait until the book is ready though…I am so excited to share the second book in the series with you and can’t wait to hear the feedback.  Even more exciting is what has developed with the third book – I’m very thrilled with where the story is going with my characters and I can only hope you’ll feel the same.  I know, I shouldn’t tease.  The most difficult thing about writing is not the writing itself but how long it can take to fully complete the book so that it can be shared with others!

One book a year.  Right now, that’s what I seem to be able to manage and I guess that’s pretty good, considering the fact that I’m also working full time.  A year between books is a long time to wait and I say this as a reader…but as a writer who also works, it’s the best timeframe to manage.  Someday, I’d like to publish a couple of books a year.  That way, I can write books in Jorja’s mystery series but also dabble with other works as well.  Right now, I have to choose between the mystery series or new fiction and that’s a difficult choice to make.  I have so many book ideas…too many to tackle if I can only write one book a year.  I look forward to the day when that will change.

Until then, I’ll manage to do what I can with the time available to me.  It’s all anyone can do, as long as they remember this:
“Stride forward with a firm, steady step knowing with a deep, certain inner knowing that you will reach every goal you set yourselves, that you will achieve every aim.” 
~Eillen Caddy~