Many years ago I left my career as a paralegal in trying to slow down.  I had gotten off track and had begun to put my job before everything else, working weekends and missing children’s ball games.  My driven personality had gotten in the way, and I had gotten my priorities mixed up.

I thought staying at home would change things, and it did, for a while.  I started homeschooling my son, then I added some college classes to my schedule, had three more children, learned to bake from scratch using healthy ingredients, and so much more.  I did what most stay-at-home mothers do, I put my family first, but with my extreme personality, I somehow lost myself along the way.

Some people think homeschooling means a life of solitude and unsocialized children.  Well, not so.  There are many classes and groups that support homeschoolers, and since my children got finished with school early, they could participate in all kinds of sports activities.  Eventually, my schedule was crammed with children’s activities, school, and hosting parties.  My life was crazy and hectic, and although children are rewarding, they don’t exactly tell you they are grateful at the end of each day.

I eventually burned out.  My stress level was high, and my weight went below 100 pounds (can’t eat when stressed).  During the process, I found myself in writing, which is strange and not something I predicted.  It just happened.  Now my children go to public school, and I focus on my writing career most days.  However, I continuously have to remind myself to walk away from my to-do list without feeling guilty.  Same goes for my writing, especially this month with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) coming up.  Although I’m not participating in this, I’m surrounded by authors that are, and I see the posts and tweets.  Everyone is getting ready to go extreme, while I’m telling myself to settle down and take time to enjoy my hot tea.

While I am focused on writing the second novel in the Alissia Roswell series, marketing, public speaking, and all the things that go along with being an author, I am also taking time for myself and my family.  I’m trying to find that balance I think we all search for, and I believe it’s working.  I’m gaining the weight, which always comes with happiness.  (Thankfully, my daughter can wear the jeans I’ve had to pull from my closet.)  I’m also coming along on the second novel without staying up into the wee hours of the night.

If you find that you can’t keep up with yourself, I urge you to take a look at your life and see what you can drop.  Don’t wait until you crash and burn.  Pull back on the reigns and dump some of the load.  Enjoy life before it’s too late.  Sit back and read a book.  (I happen to know of a great one.)

There’s something about cold weather that makes me want to throw on some old, comfy clothes and withdraw from the world to write, read, or bake bread.  Although I was wearing shorts and sitting on my back porch just last week, this week the temperature has dropped, and it’s cold.  Luckily, my calendar is empty (which is rare), and I get to spend the week without running errands, packing, or preparing for a weekend party at our home.  Instead, I get to focus on my writing, and I’m watching my word count go up.

What makes a writer happy?  Going to bed each night feeling productive and getting closer to the end of their work in progress.  Writing a novel is extremely time consuming, and most writers never get a return in pay for all those intensive hours of writing.  So why do we do it?  We can’t not do it!  When we have a story consuming our mind, we have to get it out.

Somehow, writing lessens the chaos around me.  It soothes my soul (along with a cup of hot tea).  So, as I sit here by the fireplace with my tea, typing away, I wish you a good day.  If you’re a fellow writer, I hope you find the time to get some words typed out.  If you’re not a writer, I hope you’ll find a cozy place end your day with a good book in hand.  Hmm… I do know of a good one, but I may be a little biased 🙂

I read this over the summer, and although I immediately wrote a review, I did not publish it.  It was harsh.  This author, Kristin Cashore, actually got me mad, and I’m not the only one bothered by this book.  I have read many reviews from people complaining of the same thing.  This is not a kid friendly book, as it is supposed to be.  It sends the wrong message to children.

The first half of the book was great.  I actually loved the two main characters and their coming romance.  The female lead is a strong, trained killer, yet she had a feminine side to her.  I say had, because all of that changed suddenly around the middle of the book.  I was reading this late at night and put it down, because I suddenly disliked and couldn’t relate to the character.  I even thought she had been drugged or something.  There had to be an explanation for her sudden crazy actions.

When she realized there was a chance she could like the man she was traveling with, she took all of her clothes off and jumped into a freezing stream and swam laps.  She basically freaked out and went crazy.  By this time, she had already chopped all of her hair off and started acting differently than in the beginning of the book.

The idea of love and marriage was not an option for her.  (Remember, this is targeted at children.)  So, what was the solution?  Casual sex.  Both the man and woman agreed to this.  This book portrays love and marriage as weak and negative, but casual sex is good.

What?!  Forgive me, but what was the author thinking?  At least the couple used a potion to keep her from getting pregnant.

I don’t know if this author went through a divorce in the middle of writing this novel or what, because the beginning showed promise of a great teen romance.  However, by the end of the book, I felt like the author had an anti-love and marriage agenda.

I’ve read many other reviews about this book.  (It is a big seller.)  I’ve even read reviews written by feminists that are upset with the way the author portrayed feminists, as if they all cut their hair off and don’t wear dresses.  Although this book is getting great reviews by some, it’s also getting negative reviews for the same reason as I’m giving one.  By the end of the book (targeted at children), you walk away feeling as if the author was pushing a hidden agenda on you.  It was supposed to be a romance, yet it was loveless and weak.

My children were out of school on Monday and Tuesday, so we headed to South Georgia to visit Alissia’s hometown of Jesup.  We stayed at my mother’s house, along with my sister and her youngest children.  Not only was it my mom’s birthday on Sunday, but one of my nephews also.  It was the perfect weekend with my family.  I even got to see my oldest nephew for a short moment as he stopped in town on his way back to college in Virginia.

My sister accompanied me to my speaking engagement at the public library on Saturday, and my aunt surprised me with her presence.  Since I teach ESL, I’m used to standing in front of people, talking and answering questions.  I love to talk, and public speaking fits my personality perfectly.  I enjoyed meeting everyone and hope to read something one day from those interested in becoming an author.

Monday afternoon I had the pleasure of doing a book signing at Coastal Manor in Ludowici.  Not only did I get to meet some of my readers, but my mother was by my side, and I enjoyed our time together.  (I believe my mother is my biggest fan.)  The people at Coastal Manor have been very supportive of my writing, and I am grateful to them for their kind words.  My mother is very blessed to know each of them.

Dazzling Designs and Tanning in Jesup still has some copies for sale, and I also left some with my mother, if you don’t like to order from online.  Otherwise, you can find Unexpected Metamorphosis at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and all other main book sellers.

As with any time I spend with my family, there’s always a funny story to tell.  (I could write many books on the crazy things we do when together.)  My sister was installing a dishwasher for my mom while I was in the shower, trying to get ready for the book signing.  She cut the power off, and the water soon stopped.  I had to spend fifteen minutes standing in the shower freezing, with shampoo in my hair and eyes.  Needless to say, I promised my sister I would be murdering a red head in one of my future novels, and I won’t show any mercy!

I don’t get to see my family often, and my busy life easily gets in the way of our relationship.  While this weekend built memories I will never forget, it also reminded me of how important family is.  As I’m nearing another birthday, I can’t help but remember that our time here on earth is limited, and we should cherish the family we grew up with.  They’ve put up with us and loved us the longest 🙂

I left my camera, and this was my sister’s attempt with my iphone 5, still not good. 

My mother and biggest fan.

Thought I’d give all my readers a quick report of where I am on my work in progress.  I’m at 25,500 words and am at a big scene I’m eager to type out.  Unfortunately, I have a pile of emails that I’m behind on, a stack of interviews I haven’t filled out, the cover designer is waiting for my response, and I haven’t even begun to pack for this weekend’s two book signings.

On the personal side of things, the past two weekends were filled with a large birthday/slumber party at my house and travel to Mississippi for my husband’s high school reunion.  I still have two children with birthday parties coming up, and I have a stack of papers and emails from the schools with events and volunteer information.

This weekend and the first of next week, I won’t be around a computer much, and my phone does not get service where I’ll be staying.  Since I won’t be online much, I thought I’d let you know that I’m still working on the next book in the Alissia Roswell series, and next week I plan to focus on getting a newsletter out with a sneak peek.  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter by clicking on the link in the menu at the top of this page.

If you have already read Unexpected Metamorphosis, please click here to leave a review on Amazon.  You don’t have to have purchased the book from them to leave a review.  You just have to have read it.  If you’re a member of Goodreads, please leave a review there as well.  They are very important for a début novel, and it only takes a moment to type one out.  They don’t have to be long and detailed.  You can just let others know you liked it.  You can also become a fan on Goodreads to show your support.

Stay tuned for that sneak peek in the newsletter, and thanks for all your support.