My Summer Job

I am blessed with three little animals—er, children—between the ages of 5 and 12, who have been out of their enclosures—um, school—for a little over a week. This means that, in addition to writing romantic suspense, I’ve resumed my regular summer position as zookeeper. Some of you are in the same boat (Ark? Cage?). In fact, fellow author Julie Anne Lindsey had a similar blog about summer word deprivation last week. (To view it, click here.) And I know others of you have all kinds of other life complications to deal with.

I've found that spending a few hours each day maintaining the zoo and trying to embrace the chaos helps me stay sane, and even find some writing time. 

A zookeeper’s responsibilities include:

• Behavioral Observation.

The kids' chorus of “I’m bored” (typically combined with draping themselves across the furniture and floor as if every bone in their bodies melted) filled the house within twenty-four hours of their release from the confines of a regular schedule.

“But Mom’s not bored,” I say. “Mom has a book due July 31^st.” This, of course, yields no sympathy. Sigh. If only I could put the monkeys to work writing my book…

The sounds of wild animals squabbling over territory also fill the zoo at regular intervals.

Luckily, if I spend a few minutes playing with them, getting them started on an activity, they'll usually play for about twenty minutes in a more or less content manner. Sure, twenty minutes isn't a lot, but it's a writing sprint, or a page or two of edits. And if I do this several times a day, it adds up...

• Exhibit Maintenance.

My husband and I decided against a lot of summer traveling or costly kid camps this year, though there will be a martial arts camp during that last week of July. (Thank goodness. That’s deadline week!) The added benefit to enjoying a staycation this year is we had the money to do some redecorating around the house, and even create a writing "nook" for me. This has given me a place to focus my energy on my writing activities.

When it comes to sibling fights, the threat of having to help Mom clean the house or having to go to their rooms and clean has come in handy a time or two.

• Environmental Enrichment.

Within the enclosures, introducing the occasional new game, puzzle, or movie, or dragging out old games, puzzles and books that have been forgotten, can build excitement. 

Also, taking a walk as a family, and choosing different paths on occasion, lets Zookeeper Mommy get a break from time in front of a computer screen, but also gives us all exercise time. Our town has an immense web of urban trails that we have yet to explore, and we’re planning to pick one a week to investigate. Let the animals (and zookeeper) escape their confines for a little bit. It might even lead to a dose of writing inspiration.

And if that’s not enough, invest in a trampoline. It worked for us, and keeps the kids from too much screen time. The saved money from our staycation (the only reason I set up a deadline in the summer!) gave us the funds to do some fun things at home and around town.

• Feeding, Maintaining, and Cleaning.

I try to make cleaning the house, baking with the kids, or running errands fun "breaks" between writing spells. The 5-year-old loves to go grocery shopping and do other activities that help us both get things done while still feeling like a break.

I try to plan ahead for those times when the animals will be extra-needy (around orthodontist appointments, for example, when one can expect a higher degree of whininess from both child and parent), so my word count or editing page goal won’t be as high. Knowing my limits, and organizing my schedule around them will hopefully save me heartache when that deadline looms.

Finally, thank goodness my animals aren't nocturnal. They still go to bed at a relatively decent hour, so sometimes my writing has to wait until then zoo is quiet.

Overall, I try to remind myself to enjoy the animals. And the summer. Sure, writing is important, but it isn't everything. And it's all that other stuff that eventually fuels my creativity.

How about you? Any tips for this zookeeper? How does your writing routine change with the season—or does it? How do you overcome upheaval in your writing habits?

So many heroes, so little time...

So many Heroes, So Little Time!

What’s your idea of a hero? As many types of people there are in the world, there will be ideas and aspirations!

I’m fascinated by the whole concept. A hero can be of any race, age, colour, sexual orientation, build, hair colour, academic level, physical ability, job … you name it, we can and will love and appreciate him. We read about them, we write stories about them, we admire them and cherish them and sigh for need of them.

Can we help it if we’re entranced by the image? Our hearts are excited by adventure and strong passion, while our heads admire loyalty and integrity. To find the combination in one man – well, what more could we ask? And there’s such a range to choose from: the musicians, doctors, firemen, cowboys, old and young, indoors and outdoors-men, saints and sinners, tall, blond, short and lean, rough and tough and strong and mean… well, you get the picture. Heroic behaviour can burst from any one of them.

And one of the most likely scenarios is when love comes into the equation. Then we’re treated to those who love from afar, and those who fight for their love. The big, strong guys who face up to each other in a crisis but want to snuggle up in a snowstorm. Those who struggle with expression, while others charm with soft words.  And we probably all have our favourites – whether we like the shy, sensitive, intellectual type, or the buff, muscled, strong and silent type.    

But hey! Whoever said, as a reader and author, I had to make a choice? (and yes, that is Marlon Brando with a kitten *g*)

On the other hand - heroes can be flawed and their heroism erratic. Sometimes they’re selfish, they make mistakes, they miss the bloody point. But they all have the potential to be Hero. And the fun of writing them is to see whether we can bring that out in all situations – through time and space, with lovers, with enemies, with women and men. Our hearts want to seek the best of human nature, to admire kind and loyal and brave behaviour. It doesn’t have to be on a battlefield. He doesn’t have to be alarmingly handsome – which, after all, is a matter of taste. It’s the spirit that we seek!

In my regular posts I thought I’d touch on a few of the best – *hero types* that is, get your minds out of the gutter! Let’s chat about 

So what and who are *your* favourites? It may be the wounded hero, the flawed, the geek, the military, the medical, the sensitive, the rough diamond, the bad-guy-done-good, the good-guy-tempted-by-bad, the reluctant, the silent, the rebel, the artist or the sportsman.

Are you holding on for yours? 

~Clare London~

Writing ... Man to Man

www.clarelondon.com

This was originally posted in my regular spot at Sinfully Addicted to Male Romance, where I write as "Hero Hunter". I hope neither blog minds the cross-posting :).

Summer Vacation = Word Count Deprivation

Well, it’s summer break again and my life is in upheaval. No matter how vigorously I plan ahead and schedule my life (I’m an obsessive time manager), summer vacation always throws me into an ocean of unending crazy and all my plans are lost to the undercurrent. Each year, I think, "This summer will be different." It’s not different. This is my story.

I have these three darlings:

They are 12, 9 & 6, respectively (from leader to princess). They are very curious, intelligent and busy young people, which is one of my summer troubles. We're never home unless there's a party and who can write at a party? Why so many parties every summer? Well, besides the nationwide Memorial Day & Fourth of July events, two of the darlings have summer birthdays. And so do I. And so does my husband. Oh, and so do my father-in-law and brother-in-law. It's nuts the amount of cake I consume. 

Party planning, party prep & recovery take a significant chunk of my summer. Don’t even get me started on gift shopping. *hugs Amazon* All that time is time I’m not writing, but deadlines are still waiting. They don't go away because I have to party. Can you believe it? Rude. 

My crew and I hit the ground running with a long and broad list of summer activities as soon as school ends. Guess who takes them, waits for them, picks them up? Many of you are moms. Most of you had a mom. So, you know the answer. Me. I do the chauffeuring. Every day.

This is great news for my To-Be-Read book pile. I do LOTS of reading in the summer. Lots and lots. Writing? Not so much. My normal schedule of writing a chapter a day becomes a chapter or two at most per week, sometimes less. Depends on vacations and who drops by for unannounced visits. It’s nuts the amount of people-based distractions a person can have. I'm enough of a distraction to myself without an army of willing contributors. 

And what was I saying about moms? My mom comes to stay with me for two weeks every summer. I know I’m not promised another summer with her, so I don’t write. I enjoy her. 

Are you seeing a pattern?

When am I supposed to write??? *cries*

I’m not an established author. I can’t take the summer off. I have to figure it out. Sleep less. Caffeinate more. I have to keep going. Keep producing. And it’s not easy. I don’t sleep. I don’t exercise. I run kids around town. Break up nonsense fights and read in the car while I wait for tennis, swim, golf...insert life experience for children here... lessons to end. Believe it or not, I'm happy to do it and thrilled to see them growing into amazing, interesting young people, so the writing waits. 

I’m thankful for these summers together. I am. And I’m thankful for a group of readers and writers who know what I’m saying, especially those who have survived these whirlwind child rearing years and who encourage me to keep my head up. The time will be gone too soon.

Balancing kids and career is always a near magic trick, possibly a full fledged illusion, but summers are a special sort of panic for me and it shows because my post is about five hours late today. (But it's here now!)

 

MAGIC!

I guess what’s most important is that my kids see me putting them first BUT also not giving up on my dream. I'm important too, and so are my goals. It's true. *reminds self* I hope all your summers are off to a healthy, happy start and are filled with precious memories and fun stories to cherish for years to come. I know mine are, even if I'm a little grayer for it, and sleep deprived, and low on word count, 

Well, I’m off to take kids to Kids’ College. Time to silence my phone and lock the door. This is my moment of quiet time and I will make the absolute most of it. 

Have a great summer, you guys!!!

Paying it forward

This week, I received a lovely bouquet of flowers. It was a heartfelt thanks from another writer. I had shown her how to e-publish her fantasy trilogy, from registering with the e-stores and e-distributors to seeing the finished product for sale online. It was thrilling for her, and for me.

It also took me away from my own writing, and I didn’t mind. Why? It was my chance to pay it forward.

When I started on this publishing journey, with my first Carina novel, On Her Trail, I realized I was going to have to up my game and develop an online presence. Everything from learning about Twitter and Facebook to setting up my own web site. It was daunting, but with the help of my friends, I did it.

Then I decided to start publishing under my own imprint. That was a whole other order of headache. I took in-person and online courses, used Lynda.com, learned about cover design, learned about e-stores and e-distributors… the whole shebang. And that’s before I decided to publish my novels in print. Learning InDesign just about killed me.

But I did it, thanks to a supportive online community and my friend Karen Abrahamson who talked me off the ledge more than once. I have her to thank for the survival of my computer monitor, if not my sanity.

I also got a lot of financial support from the Government of Yukon, which is very supportive of its artists. There are many in-person workshops I couldn’t have attended but for the grants from the Arts Section.

In return for all this financial aid, I’ve held talks to share what I learned with local writers, but I have no idea if I was of any use to anyone. I responded happily to phone calls and emails from writers asking this or that question about the new publishing world. But it seemed like so little in return for all the help I’d received.

Then last year a respected, traditionally-published writer from my community contacted me, asking if I would help him get his memoir out. We spent the next few months working on it. And yes, it took a lot of my time, but I knew he would never have done it alone. He comes from a generation where he simply handed over his manuscript and the publishing house took care of everything. So this was an education for him, and frankly, a lot of fun for both of us.

There is no way I can ever repay all the people who helped me on my journey. But I can help others. Now, I’m no saint. At one point I will say no, regretfully. But for now, it feels right to help others on their own journey. It’s good karma.

How about you? Do you find yourself mentoring other writers? Do you wish there was someone around to help you?

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Swapping Genres? by Kathy Ivan

First off, let me say that while I'm a bit waterlogged, everything here in North Texas (at least in my neck of the woods), is fine and we're drying out.  Though I'll admit, I haven't seen this much rain since I lived in Florida—during hurricane season. 

I've been thinking about my suspense writing a lot recently.  Why?  Because I haven't done any—not for a couple of months.  Oh, I'm still writing, and I have a series of books coming out that are contemporary romance—without any smidgeon of suspense or mystery in sight. 

It's been a bit of a palate cleanser, to be honest.  Most of what I've written over the last few years has been romantic suspense, writing and building up my New Orleans Connection series.  But when I had the idea for this new contemporary romance series, there wasn't any place to fit in a good mystery.  It was strictly hero and heroine romance (of course with a happily-ever-after).

And strangely enough, these stories flowed quickly and easily.  I think it's because I didn't have to contemplate and plot about laying a trail of red herrings and false clues to divert suspicion from the villain. 

Truthfully, I think the break has done me a world of good, because I'm currently working on the next romantic suspense book in my New Orleans Connection series, and it feels fresh and exciting again.  So for me, taking a little bit of a genre break worked.  I can't promise it will work for everybody, but if you find yourself feeling the blues over your latest work in progress, consider a writing palate cleanser and write a short story in a different genre—even if it never sees the light of day once you finish.  You may find it stimulates your creative juices in new and exciting directions.

I'll never leave behind my romantic suspense roots, I can't.  I love it too much.  Being able to weave elements of mystery into the books, the adrenaline rush you get in creating those life and death situations—no, I'll always write that.  But every once in a while, don't be surprised if you see me working on a little something "extra." 

P.S.  I threw in the picture of Nathan Fillion, because, hey, who couldn't use a little something pretty to look at on a Friday?

Kathy Ivan can be found at her computer, drowning in Diet Dr. Pepper and writing her next book.  Check out her books at your local e-retailer on her website at www.kathyivan.com.  

Top 5 Signs That You Are Going To Miss A Deadline

You're starting that sequel. The words are flowing. You're halfway through the book and you are still two months away from your deadline. No problem...

And then, a month or two later you are faced with these obvious signs that you're not going to make it. 

1.)   You spend more time calculating days on the calendar than your word count for the day.

2.)   You consider a few sentences an epic achievement.

3.)   You look at your total word count and try to convince yourself that 51,000 words is getting close to a full-length novel.

4.)   You open your website in EDIT mode and execute a find/replace for June to July.

5.)   You rationalize that if you can just type 40,000 words tomorrow, everything will be fine.

I should add that you eat more because you reason that the calorie boost will give you added energy. :)

MIST was originally scheduled to be released in June, but life gets in the way with the best laid plans.

Deadlines don't just apply to writers. We all have deadlines. Many we impose on ourselves. How are you at managing deadlines? Do you have any tricks to keep yourself focused?

Maureen A. Miller

www.MaureenAMiller.com

JUST GO FOR IT

I was in the second grade when I decided I was going to be a writer. My first full-length novel featured Princess Tina and Prince Val who managed to overcome all obstacles (like whether it was okay if Tina liked macaroni and cheese and Val didn't) to marry each other and live happily ever after in a castle. The people of the kingdom were so besotted by the young couple they declared a national holiday and called it Valentine's Day. The handwritten and self-illustrated (with crayons) book was a best-seller among the girls in the second grade, while all the boys held their noses and said, "Ewwwwwww."

The second grade passed and so did the years. My love for writing remained, but I explored other things. I was a cheerleader, played the flute and bells, and tried girl's basketball and ice hockey. I volunteered on political campaigns, learned several different languages, and had an extended stint on my college newspaper. My love of writing and travel landed me a dream job in international journalism, which was fantastic until I had kids. Then it was time to move on to something new. It wasn't until my 10 year high school reunion, when I was filling out a questionnaire (that I happened to have written), that I had an epiphany. I stopped when I came to the last question ... "What is it that you always wanted to accomplish, but haven't yet?" I sat back and realized my dream of writing a novel hadn't ever materialized. So, I decided to bring the dream to fruition.

I took a very practical approach and researched the publishing landscape. At the time, over 50% of the mass market paperback was in romance novels, with all other genres making up the other 50%. Based on those calculations, I decided that I would have the best chance of breaking into the market by writing a romance. So, what started with Princess Tina and Prince Val, ended with the release of a Scottish historical romance FLEETING SPLENDOR, my first published novel.

Today I am celebrating the release of my fifteenth novel, a geeky humorous mystery titled NO WOMAN LEFT BEHIND. The release is a true milestone and one I built on love, sweat and tears. A lot of tears. But I wouldn't change a thing. Because I went for it. I stretched out a hand. I planned. I worked hard. I brought my dream to fruition.

So, if you have a dream, what are you waiting for? If you want it, go for it. If you wait or wish without action, then you will only ever wonder whether you could make that dream come true. By chasing that dream, you may be surprised how quickly you can reach it.