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. 

DREAMING OF A....

What are you dreaming of?

Is it to write full time? Is it to vacation all the time? Is it to stop your 9-5 and do what you really want to do with your career?

Well, what are you waiting for?

It's true. Time waits for no one and time never stands still.

I know all to well that waiting does nothing but make you lose time.

Why are you afraid to do what you want in life?

Do you think that the inventor of Facebook decided he wanted to wait and start a new social media site?

Do you think that millionaires waited until they had enough money in the bank to begin investing in what they really wanted to do?

Everyone starts from zero. Everyone has the same opportunity to begin something from scratch. However, it is what you do with opportunity when it comes knocking.

Sometimes, it will never knock. Sometimes you have to be willing to tap "opportunity" on the shoulder and meet it where it is.

That's right. Go after what you want. Go after what you feel passionate about.

Don't wait for it to come to you, go after it.

Remember, dreaming of something doesn't make it happen.

Making it happen takes not only guts but it will make that dream a reality in no time.

MAKING THE BEST OF LIFE

Well here it is March 23rd (at the time of me writing this) and I am making the best of life.

I survived a snow storm on the second day of spring. 

I survived major surgery on Feb. 26th and I survived a severely broken ankle, foot and leg on Feb. 18th.

I'd say I have no choice but to make the best out of the life I am living.

It seems as if I have been living a nightmare for the past year. Things have gone steadily downhill, in terms of my health.

But you know what?

I'm still here; making the best out of my life.

See I could have given up, thrown in the towel and just gotten so down on life that I could have been miserable.

Now, this is not to say that I didn't.

I had my bouts with depression. 

I was on total bed rest for four (4) weeks. I had some really dedicated people in my life that shopped for me, brought me lunch and dinner and even bought my wine! They made me laugh and see how much they loved me.

I will never forgot them for making me see the sunshine when all I wanted to do was see clouds

So I started making the best of my situation.

I finished a novel! Yippee

I finished up my travel agent certification! Yippee

I even finished up my AA degree! Yippee.

It's amazing what you can do when you have time. 

I made the best out of my life and now that I am able to get out of the house. (I'm still in a cast for another four weeks) I am living life to the best of my ability.

Are you?

HAPPY NEW YEAR?

I made it a question because some of you are going to wonder...what is so happy about the new year?

Well, for one; you made it to see another year.

Second, you are an amazing author or soon to be one.

Third, you actually have readers/fans who await your next novel.

There are at least three reasons why it's a happy new year.

Can you think of more? 

I can.

I'm happy that an old year has passed and that I learned some valuable lessons in 2017. I learned that no matter how strong, healthy or independent you think you are; there is always something that will prove you wrong.

I also learned that there is nothing wrong with asking for help.

This year will be great. Not because of anything that I do; but because of everything that I want.

I want health, happiness and contentment for 2018.

What do you want in the new year?

LOVE IS MURDER AND I LOVE IT

Two weeks ago I went to Love Is Murder and had the best time ever.

I got to hang out with my great friends, +Hanley Kanar and many others. Love is Murder is the best conference in the Mid-West that you can attend and it is the conference where you make life long friends.

The conference starts on a Friday and runs straight through until Sunday afternoon. We eat, laugh, sit and discuss writing, promotional ideas and best of all we enjoy a few drinks at the bar!

This is why I attend conferences. I meet people! I like to be around other authors and I think I learn more than I would by just sitting home and 'hoping' that someone notices me.

We exchange business cards and we laugh at the, sometimes, share a drink or two or three...OK, four at the most! But most of all we like to sit down with the fans that attend.

I shared my dinner table with the most interesting pair of women who come to LIM every year. They are two retired librarians and they always come to Love is Murder (LIM)

The reason? Because they feel that they can talk and be a part of the literary world without going to far from home. They leave with plenty of new books from the newcomers and they share lots of stories about their days in the library. Those two women are always a pleasure to see.

The other reason is they give out awards, voted on by the fans of the conference. This year, a good friend of mine +Christine Verstraete won the LOVEY for BEST HORROR novel of 2013.

This is her first novel and she won! She was shocked and were we all but why were we. She was up against, +Heather Graham, who is a NY Times Best Selling author! and Christine brought home the LOVEY!

So if you ever get the chance to attend a conference, check out ones close to home first. You will be in for a treat.

If you need a few ideas, here are a few but if you know of any in your area, please feel free to share

Creatures, Crimes and Creativity
Love Is Murder
Malice Domestic
Bouchercon
Thrillerfest

.....AND SO I'M OFF

Well, not in the sense you are thinking of.  Although sometimes the voices in my head make complete sense.

This time I'm off to another conference. This is one that I started attending three years ago. Love Is Murder is held in Chicago every year.

It threw me off this year because normally it is held during the +SuperBowl 2014 but this year it is the week AFTER. If I wore pearls, I'd be clutching them right now!

So after getting my head wrapped around not being in Chicago during the Super Bowl; I had to find something to do with my Sunday. Watch the game? you say...gasp! I'm not used to being in MARYLAND during that weekend so I had to entertain myself and that went very well. But I digress.

So, this weekend I will be in Chicago, just as the +PolarVortex is leaving or still there, who knows anymore; in any case. I will be there.

Hopefully I will have the courage to go outside but that is totally dependent on how cold it is when I arrive.

Besides, the Love Is Murder conference is used to seeing me in my cute shoes and this year I am researching a murder scene for #TheStilettoStalker. All I will say is: It involves the ice machine, dragging a body and not making noise...yeah this should be interesting.

So if you are in +Chicago this weekend, anywhere near the airport and pass by a place that sells the best burger, I heard it was +RockitBurger, feel free to bring me one and chat about the murder that will be committed there.

Oh and don't forget to say hello to +Intrigue Camacho because they will take pitches for new novels and one of their authors, +Christine Verstraete is up for a LOVEY award.

Hope to see you there!