TIME MANAGEMENT AND THE HARRIED WRITER

GUEST BLOGGING TODAY IS:  AUTUMN DAWN

AMAZON KINDLE

I love to cook. It’s one of my passions, and I like it even better if I can make something tasty healthy, too. Substituting Greek yogurt for part of the mayonnaise in potato salad and hiding zucchini in chocolate cake makes my day. My kids don’t see it coming and I can eat in peace, knowing there won’t be fussing at the dinner table.


Recently, this passion has been on the back burner. My books sales started taking off and I’ve spent long hours at the computer doing edits of my backlist and revamping covers. Last month my kids left for Alaska for a month to visit with relatives and I spent the whole month furiously working. I got a lot done, but the quiet house was depressing. At one point my husband was gone for ten days as well, so it sucked even worse.


Now that everyone’s home, they’re eating as only teenagers can. We have horseback riding lessons and boxing three days a week. School is starting soon and there’ll be homework to deal with, plus I have one child in WA’s inline school. It’s time to get organized so I can have time to write, too.


Some things that help include: throwing laundry in first thing in the morning and folding it together at night. My kids are old enough to do dishes and load the dishwasher, sweep and vacuum, so Saturdays are for housecleaning. I need to get back in the habit of prepping dinner first thing in the morning or loading up the crockpot. Leftovers take care of night two, so that helps. That leaves snacks and breakfast, but the kids are helpful there, able to cook eggs and pancakes.


I need to start checking my email at night and looking at the Yahoo news in the afternoon when I’m done writing. Even blog posts can be done after the creative writing if I’m disciplined, and when I’m too sick to work on something new it’s always a good time to edit. When I’m in a funk it helps to work on cover art. There’s always something to do!


It’s well worth it, though. My book, The Charmer became a bestseller on Amazon and B&N this spring, a huge accomplishment for a self-pubbed author. Part divine intervention and part hard work, it wouldn’t have happened without a lot of hours at my desk.


The Charmer: Dark Lands Book 1


Jasmine didn’t realize her friend Wiley was special until they were drawn into another world. Here Wiley is betrothed to the ruler of the Haunt, a wererace both dangerous and proud.


Keilor is the master of soldiers, a man few would cross, yet he’d never met a menace like the little brunet his princess calls friend. Will Jasmine find the portal home, or will she find a werewolf of her own?


Autumn Dawn

Learn more about my books at: autumndawnbooks.com
Check out my blog at: authorautumndawn.blogspot.com