WHEN BEING AN AUTHOR IS NOT ENOUGH

Why do people assume that just because you are an author that you do nothing else.

Well, I have many things that I like to do besides being an author. I like to travel and I like to cook. I like to shop for shoes. I like to read and I like to work with other authors.

Being an author IS enough for me but it is not my only job. 

When people say, "oh, your just an author" you need to speak up and say..."no; I'm an author AND I like to..."

Don't let people minimize your hard work. Being an author is hard work.

How many nights did you lay awake trying to figure out who to kill in your novel? Or if you have to cut out those first few pages of your novel because they just don't fit the way the story is going. 

Now, having a nine to five is hard. But at the end of your normal work day; you are off. 

At the end of the author's work day...never happens. Here is an 'average' author's work day.

Get up, have coffee (because that gets the juices flowing)
Go into your home office or she shed or man cave (wherever you like to write) and sit down.
Write an outline
Or just start writing
Have more coffee
Get the kids off to school (or wife/husband off to work)
Sit back down and start writing
Delete half of what you wrote two hours ago. (it doesn't move the story along)
Begin a new outline for a new novel because you have gotten 'stuck' in your current novel
Wait, its after three already? Kids are coming home. Help with homework 
After getting kids settled,  you are back in your man cave/she shed writing. 
Now you are in the groove and "honey, I'm home" 
Wait, what? it's after six already? 
Get up and hope that you don't loose that train of thought that you had for the problem in the story you JUST fixed.
Dinner, dishes and kitchen done and now back to the writing office.
Now you need more coffee because
Wait, what? it's after midnight? and you just finished chapter three.

Yes, folks that the life of a full time author. So is being "just" an author what you do?

I would say no. 

WHAT IS MY NAME

A lot of people ask me...what kind of name is B. Swangin Webster?

Normally I let them imagine whatever they want. Hey, it doesn't hurt me any for them to think it means something totally different from what it actually is.

Actually my name is actually MY NAME. Yes, B. Swangin Webster is my legal name. Well not my entire legal name but it is still my name.

I'll break it down for you.

First the letter B. That is because I was married and my legal last name began with a B and that is all I will say about that.

Secondly, Swangin (and that is pronounced SwA-gen) is my mothers maiden name. Now I know that might be hard to believe but its true. All you need to do is look on Facebook and type that name in. All of the people that come up with that name, and trust me it is not that many, are my family. Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, etc.

Third, Webster...that is my maiden name, my dad's last name. Now don't get me wrong. I like those of you that thought it meant because I was a writer I used the dictionary a lot, (hence the name WEBSTER)

Nope nothing that elaborate, it's just my name

Swangin and Webster (aka my parents)

You see, the people in this picture are Swangin and Webster. Swangin is my mom and my dad is Webster. They have encouraged me like no other when it comes to my writing. This picture was taken last night, as we celebrated my moms birthday. The FIRST word out of her mouth wasn't hello and thank you for taking me to dinner, it was 'when's the next book coming out?" That was all the thing that brought tears to my eyes. You see, my mom is losing her sight. By the end of the year she will be totally blind and she "wants to read my book before she can't see it."

Priceless is the word that I use to describe the loyalty and encouragement that I get from my parents ever day. They offered to pay all of my bills while I was working on my first novel and they have kept that offer on the table.

When I say that I love my parents and wanted to honor them by doing something for them, I couldn't think of anything better than making my author name be something that they could see.

Yes, I proudly say I am B. SWANGIN WEBSTER,  The author and even if I never make millions of dollars, I already have the most priceless gift ever.

My parents support!

WHEN TELLING A LIE IS BETTER THAN THE TRUTH

I hadn't planned on lying; really I didn't. It sort of just happened.

Early one morning this week, I was up and getting ready for my day. It was a normal day just like all of the other days of this week. Except for one thing.

I nearly lost my eye! I'm not kidding! I nearly blinded myself with a speck of toothpaste!

Yes, you read it right; toothpaste was the nemesis. It literally, jumped off of the toothbrush and went directly into my left eye.

It had me fumbling around the bathroom, screaming like someone that saw a snake and knocking everything off of the counter.

Towels, cups, jewelry case, mirror, comb, brush...all went tumbling to the floor like dominoes.

I tried to compose myself and rinse out the offensive speck but wouldn't you know..it had bits of "minty crystals for all day protection" in it and got down into my eye so far that I swear it is now in my brain.

I tried to keep my eye closed (not impossible since it closed tighter than a bank vault) but then the unthinkable happened.

You see, the body's natural reaction to something getting into your eye is for your eye to water; to wash the offensive matter out.

Yes that is what happened and I tell you the expletives that flew out of my mouth would put any sailor to shame!

Driving to work became a chore because I wanted to keep my eye closed but kept veering into the other lane; setting off my 'safety feature' that jolted me, causing me to open the offended eye and then a whoosh of air came flooding in, causing as much pain as when the toothpaste flew into my eye thirty minutes prior.

Dear Lord! I am going to be blind or at the very least have pink eye to start the holidays! Not allowed!

So as I walk into the building and head to the bathroom to get a paper towel to put on my eye; which by the way, doesn't help, people now begin to ask me if I am OK.

Do I look OK? I want to yell but I smile and say yes, and then the unthinkable happens. I say that I poked myself in the eye while putting on my makeup.

Gasp! I just LIED! I lied because no one would believe that I got toothpaste in my eye, right?

And as I tell the "makeup" story to one more person, she says..."I thought you didn't wear eye makeup"

Gulp! I'm busted what do I do...what do I say....I say the one thing that could make it better...."Oh, did I say makeup I meant to say I got toothpaste in my eye."

She looks at me and says..."Girl...you are so foolish....toothpaste in your eye." and laughs so hard I wanted to put the toothpaste in HER eye.

Moral of the story: Watch out for your toothpaste....it might just put your eye out! or at the very least have you looking like you have a horrible case of pink eye!