An Exciting New Release

There's nothing better than typing the end on a book you've worked on for the past few months. That's what I did this week. My new book about Abigail Devon and Kane Matheson is nearly ready to send off to an interested publisher. Hence, why I'm not releasing the title, it could very well change. So for the time being I'm referring to the book as An Exciting New Release.

It's set in Sydney, Australia, I love writing stories about places I've been and throwing in restaurants and sightseeing attractions that not only exist but that I can write about with enthusiasm, because they are some of my favorites. The main festival featured in the new book is Vivid, which is nearly about to start. Of course I'm going down for it and with any luck I'll be retracing Kane and Abigail's steps around the city because that's my idea of fun. Don't worry I'll take lots of pics and put them on social media and the blog.

I thought I'd share a couple of little teasers one about Abby and the other about Kane. They're both on a collision course with each other, even though they don't realize it, and neither one of them will escape unscathed.

I love writing stories with a bit of a twist and I haven't done it for a while, so it was fun to delve back into that area of writing again with this book. The story is a M/F, contemporary romance of novella size. A similar size to my Hot in the City series.

This exciting new release will be the last of the short, hot, sexy, reads I'm doing for a while, so stay tuned for more info and hopefully confirmation of a title in the next few weeks.

P.S. In case anyone is wondering, my new work in progress is being plotted at the moment and it's looking like a novel. Well that's what the character's a telling me at the moment. ;)

Author Life - Under an Avalanche of Stuff

I have a confession...I'm a Virgo. Yes, it's true and there's no changing it. I also admit I'm one of those Virgo's who's true to the descriptions you read therefore, I don't function at my optimum when people, things, and everything else I think I should be able to control is disorganized or messy. After a writing week where I struggled to make sense of what to put on the page and where to go from here I'd had enough.  

Even my characters, Mercedes, Zane and Ash seemed to be affected by our surroundings and I ended up saying things to them like... I know you told me that before and I wrote it down but I just can't seem to find where I put it. 

Frustration was the word of the week and something had to give. 

Eventually it was me and I took a break to clean up the mess that had become my work area. It was a slow accumulation over a period of months and I kept telling my self I'd sort everything out later, later never came. 

Now I know some of you may look at the pictures and say, that's not messy. I'll keep my response to that simple...VIRGO.

I knew under the reams of papers that I had a printer, a diary, my plot, research and scene ideas for the book. I also have to admit my mail from the last three weeks or so lurked in and around the chaos. As did my new personal recorder that friends had given to me so I could record plot ideas or a scene on if I was out or woke up in bed in the middle of the night and didn't want to turn on the computer. I can speak the story and then type it up later. It's brilliant. I definitely needed to find that. I could see the empty box, even the instructions for it were visible in the mess, the slimline device wasn't. At some stage over the weekend, I'd also managed to bury my mobile somewhere in the clutter. 

So I began. My methodical Virgo brain knowing exactly where to start. Put the purple bra away. That, of course, led to me sorting out all my clothes and repacking my drawers and wardrobe. I now have a nice bag of clothes for the thrift store. Avoidance behavior I hear you say. Au contraire, mon ami, the bra HAD been put away, along with the jeans and a couple of tops strewn over furniture. I was an hour into it and I'd effectively moved three items, I was on a roll...lol.

After about 4 hours of putting things away, opening and dealing with mail (oops), filing and completing a few other unfinished tasks, I looked at my new well organized space and smiled with contentment. Order restored. I found the voice recorder, mobile phone and external hard drive that I knew had to be somewhere, along with four coasters that I thought had been lost forever. I also confirmed that under the mess I did indeed have a printer. 

With life now back in order, I'm ready for my new work week. I just have one final thing to do today and I bet you can't guess what it is... the picture below might give you a little hint at what it is. 

Balancing on the Right Track.

I have to admit I've been a bit slack with my blogging lately. Well, actually that's an understatement, I haven't posted something here for a long, long time. I could make all sorts of excuses but the fact is I've just been slack. I'm sure you'll understand that happens from time to time.The other day though I read a quote on a site somewhere that made me think about my life. I designed a little picture for your viewing pleasure, quote included on the image. *points to the inserted picture and smiles like a TV shopping network model*

The fact is I know I'm on the right track with writing but it's the balance that's out of whack for me. I tend to struggle with all the things that accompany being an author. I'm currently working on Switching Mercedes, the third book in my Wylde Shore Series with Siren Publishing. The first third has already been sent to my beta readers and they are asking for more, but it's not written, well not coherently that is, hopefully I'll have the rest to them soon. Now if all I needed to do was write the book I'd be getting it done at an alarming rate but there are other things that weigh on me as necessities of being an author.

Social media, this blog and other blogs I contribute to as a way of self promotion all take time. I understand the need for them and limit my daily promotional activities but they remain non the less. Then there's also what I call the sanity activities. These include staying in touch with my real life friends, having some sort of social life and making sure I do relaxing, soul building 'for me' activities, like reading or taking time out to watch a favorite movie, going for a walk to gather and consolidate my thoughts. In theory I should be able to fit them all into my life in a nice concise way. In reality what's happened is I stare at my to do list and throw my hands in the air feeling overwhelmed so nothing, or very little, gets done. The result...I'm actually sitting on the right track waiting for the train to hit.

At the Aussie Romance Readers conference this year, Nalini Singh was asked about publicity, her response - the best publicity for an author is your next book. Totally true, I couldn't agree more and it did change my focus on the importance of the 'other' stuff. The difficulty is, it changed my focus so much that over the last little while I've barely done the other and that plays on my mind. Sure I'll have the next book out but who will now about it? Social media and publicity is actually cumulative, if you do it consistently you build momentum and stay in the forefront of people's minds. If the momentum drops it often reflects in less sales and for a author that could leave you out on the streets with a laptop in your hand and nowhere to plug it in.

I know this is an issue for other authors as well, a author friend recently asked in a Facebook group what she should concentrate on? Getting her next book written had taken a back seat to the dreaded 'other' and she was finding it difficult to juggle writing, promotion and life. The result of the discussion appeared to be no answer, just lots of talk about prioritizing, doing what suits her best. It did accomplish one thing, however. It reaffirmed that I'm not alone in the boat I'm trying to row upstream against the tide.

So what have I decided to do about it? I've asked for help from other authors who want to appear on the blog, do an interview, post anything really. It helps me provide you with interesting content and limits the amount of time I need to post. I'll be here more regularly sharing ideas and filling you in on what's happening for me with my writing, but I won't feel like my followers are sitting staring at a blank screen anymore if I happen to miss posting for a few days. I turn off all social media for at least six hours a day and write. That's the only way I'm going to finish my WIP (work in progress) and then get onto writing the other dozen or so plots I have lined up. I'm taking two days a week off to do whatever with whoever I want to. After all, when I worked in the real world I didn't work seven days a week. I also finish working now at a reasonable time and just do something away from the computer. Don't laugh, I've started knitting, I'm also working my way through my TBR list, which is massive. I'm also being flexible, if my muse keeps me writing for 10 or twelve hours then I'll do it, and for the time the words are flowing I'll have a break from the other. Realistically the words don't always flow for that many hours with me but when they do I won't say 'no, it's time for me to log onto Facebook and promote'.

The final thing vow to do is not put pressure on myself. I reject should's, have-to's and must's. I accept that sometimes you get the hiccups and plans go pear-shaped, I won't beat myself up if I fall off the wagon for a day or so but I will push myself back onto that wagon asap and keep on keeping on.

Anyway, they are my attempts at balance, time will tell whether they work or not. So from the woman who's been sitting on the tracks waiting for the train to hit, being slack with the other, and everything else in my life - what do you do to find balance in the work/life game that we play. Whether your an author or not, what solutions have you found to get all the jobs done and keep moving along the right track?