To my fans, I am now in the throws of my THIRD novel. Yes, I know I have been quiet and not so passionate about this one…YET! I haven’t been writing every day. I am not posting how many words I completed each day. I am not locking myself in my office. But, don’t despair that I have stopped writing. I am not taking a break. It just means that I am not going to push myself to write endlessly, like I did with Chosen Mistress. That book took me by surprise. I thought of it in November, started it in January, and finished it by May. By the end of August I had it completed and ready for beta readers. I know, this may seem slow to James Patterson who has a 13 books out a year. But for a writer, this is a pretty good push for a novel. In between that, I was working on my first novel’s revisions and editing. So, needless to say, I was…..consumed in writing.

There are many articles that warn you to make a schedule and to plan your day as a writer. Writing should not consume living your life….just your life’s work! I haven’t quite learned that yet. But as I completed the second novel, and am now starting to query it, I realized that I needed to step away from the “work”  and start up my life again. I enjoy diving into a novel…but the people in my life do not. And that is important to realize.

I wrote this morning. I am proud of that. My goal for this next book is to manage my time better so that I don’t isolate the people and experiences around me. This is a writing journey and I am learning to be a writer. This is one of those lessons I must learn if I am to be any good at writing, and at life. I am learning so much along the way; about the craft and about myself. Writing the last two novels was very exciting, educational, and draining. I cannot say that I didn’t love every minute. But, I did realize that it took me away from life during the process. My house suffered a cleaning, or two. My gardens went unattended, and my kids were eating whatever was in the house. My husband was wondering if he even had a wife anymore. Is this what being a writer is?

Writing, especially when you are not published, is not appreciated. I am isolating myself from people with no reward to anyone. (Well, maybe to myself…but that is rather selfish.) Quite honestly, even if I were published, there still are few rewards that would make anyone jump for joy. (Except for me and my agent.) But now that I am in two books deep, and have people who are enjoying my novels, I can’t seem to step away from it. I have writing fever, and just want to consume myself in the stories that are rattling in my head! I want to write all the time. If not writing, I want to think about writing. If not thinking about writing, I want to do research about writing. I just want to create and be creative. Eeeek, have I gone mad? I need to find a balance, or I might lose something I cherish. Now, if you were to ask me which one, my family/friends or the writing….the choice is not soooooo easy! (Just kidding…..friends and family…..sort of….kind of….)

So, over the last few weeks I have settled down to digest all these crazy thoughts. I am writing my third novel. I am about eight chapters in. The storyline is set, the characters are being developed, and I am slowly engaging into their lives. But I am not jumping in with both feet just yet. I need to pull back and let myself remember that I have a life. So, my house is now clean (For a few days…who are we kidding???) I will be heading into the gardens as soon as it cools down, and my kids are eating wholesome meals once again. I actually am enjoying the down time to catch up on Downton Abbey, or re-watching yummy episodes of Outlander. I might even finish a few books as well. There is a lot of work ahead for book #2 that will fill my days.  Book #3 is going to need my attention…I can feel it. But for now, I am remembering what got me here in the first place…my life.