I'll admit, I'm a seasonal writer. All of the books I have written under both my "Douglas J. McLeod" and "C. D. Melley" banners have been penned during the month-long write-a-thons known as NaNoWriMo and its' summer sister, Camp NaNoWriMo. (For those wondering, it's short for National Novel Writing Month.) At the time, I could only produce these books if I had a set deadline: 50,000 words in 30 days (or, 31 when I wrote The Prairie Fire Within.) It established a goal for me, and I was able to achieve that. However, there have been numerous times when I've fallen short of such an ambitious goal. Most of the time, it's due to real life rearing it's ugly head.
This is a problem that has happened to me quite a bit recently. I am currently in the midst of writing the first draft to my second Melley novel, The Prairie Fire Rekindled, and my schedule is putting a serious crimp into my writing time. This past September, I was able to obtain my first paying job in eight years. In the months since, I have taken on added responsibilities where some days I could be wearing three hats over the course of 12 hours. Throw in the fact I volunteer one day a week, have responsibilities with a 12-step fellowship, and (sorry, honey, I'm going to let the cat out of the bag here) I'm engaged to a wonderful woman who I talk to daily because she lives over 1,000 miles away, the window where I can write is minuscule.
However, I do try to find time to write. The trick is not only setting aside the time, but being committed to doing so. Some of my fellow local NaNoWriMo brethren congregate at a Starbucks on Friday nights, and once in a while, I do join them. The only problem is, trying to write a romance novel with a bunch of friends who like to socialize while they write. Yes, it's a little counter-productive, but sometimes a writer needs that camaraderie to help make it through the process. Life can be crazy, and since some argue writers are a crazy lot to begin with, trying to find a harmonious balance can be a challenge.
Speaking about writers who dabble in romance, and might be a little off their nut (They have to be if they're friends with me. LOL), here's a few others you can check out...
LINDA BLOODWORTH
Linda Bloodworth loves chips, like really, ketchup to be exact. Ketchup chips are only found in Canada. Lucky for Linda she lives in Toronto with her husband and three fur babies. In between writing, debating for hours about the Oxford comma and the misunderstood semi colon, Linda enjoys camping and getting away from the city on day trips.
You can find Linda at:
CHRISTA SIMPSON
Christa Simpson is a Romance Author who enjoys entertaining her readers with sexy alpha males and sassy heroines. She writes new adult and steamy romances loaded with passion, suspense and sarcasm. In her “free time”, she loves reading, writing, music, movies and dancing. She likes her men muscled, her music loud and her kids happy. She’s a small town girl, living in Southwestern Ontario with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She’s a legal assistant be day, wielding a sexy imagination by night. She’s a dreamer and has always believed that you can do anything you set your mind to.
She is the author of
THE TWISTED TRILOGY
Book 1: Twisted
Book 2: Twist & Turn
Book 3: A Twist of Fate
Book 4: Just Right (COMING SOON!!)
You can find her at: http://christasimpson.com/
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