Time, balance, writing and life

I'm delighted to welcome author Kristy James to my blog today. I have her book Enza on my reading list and am very much looking forward to it. But my reading list is long (all the way to November now!) and my time is in urgent need of balance. Kristy's post gives me a nice reminder that it's okay when other things come first, once or twice, or even always, maybe... as her novel might also reveal.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog Kristy, and now I'll pass it over to you.

If anyone bothers to check publishing dates on Amazon.com, it would appear as though I wrote several books last year. That's where looks can be deceiving. Those were all first drafts (AKA dust collectors) that I wrote over the past six or eight years. And then I discovered self-publishing. At that point I spent months editing and polishing, and finally, put them out there for the entire world to see.

I'm in awe of authors who can crank out novels every two or three months though. How they manage it, I'll never know. It often takes me that long to develop my characters and outline. In fact, I won't even begin writing until all of it seems real to me.

There are a couple of other things that prevent me from being that productive, too. The first is just life in general. My house is not self-cleaning. My laundry doesn't jump into the washer - and then fold and hang itself after it's dry. Meals don't magically appear on my table. And, alas, the dishes would sit in the sink for eternity if I didn't roll up my sleeves and wash them myself.

But there is one thing that takes priority over everything else. The little thing some of us call 'motherhood.'

When the kids were tiny, my writing life was non-existent. There is only so much energy to spare, and it was all spent on the kids. As they got older, I was able reclaim some time to be creative. Yet mothers always have to be prepared to mediate arguments, fix broken toys and deliver the poor little darlings from starvation by providing them with regular snacks...and I was no exception. Moms are always on call.

Trust me, no matter how deep into a scene you might be, when you hear your seven year old gasp (from two rooms away), "Oh no! It's on fire!" it will grab your attention. After jumping up from your desk and running to the kitchen at the speed of light, dousing the aforementioned fire, and explaining very clearly that all cooking will be supervised from this moment on....you tend to lose your train of thought. You also wind up needing a nap because, when your heart eventually stops pounding, you just kind of deflate.

Now they're older still, and even more of my time is my own. But not all of it. They continue to find various reasons to interrupt me. Although my subconscious must be able to weed out the important stuff from the topics that only require a nod of the head...or a distracted, "Okay."

Of course there are moments when it suddenly dawns on me that I just had an entire conversation with my son...and I don't remember a word we said. I must be fairly skilled at it since he walks away satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. Usually I will feel a little guilty, though, and have to go in search of him to find out exactly what we talked about. And sometimes, I admit, there isn't a bit of guilt involved. I just like to assure myself that I didn't give him permission to clean out my wallet. Or toilet paper the neighbor's trees...

Basically I still struggle to find a balance between writing and the mom thing. But even if I never do, that's okay. Because the mom thing will always come first.

Thank you Kristy.

Want to know more about Kristy's new book? Then see below, and don't forget to follow the links at the bottom of the page...

Enza by Kristy K. James

It is a time of innocence and prosperity. The Women's Suffrage Movement gains more attention with each passing day. All across the country housewives and young ladies harbor hope that they might finally win the right to vote. Patriotism is at its peak as the war to end all wars rages an ocean away.

On the homefront, in a small town in Michigan, life is being lived out like the pages of a Mark Twain novel. Until an unseen enemy, deadlier than any human adversary, threatens Mankind's very existence.

Elliot Owens - The only thing in the world that matters to Elliot is his wife and their five children, and he will do everything in his power to protect them.

Daniel Pullman - When his plans to join the Army are dashed following an injury, meeting the love of his life makes the disappointment easier to bear.

Colby Thornton - A devoted minister whose congregation loves him nearly as much as he loves them, Colby struggles with bitterness toward the wife who doesn't love him at all.

Marcus McClelland - One of the local funeral directors, Marcus lives his life avoiding close relationships because if he doesn't care about anyone, it won't hurt when he loses them.

Jonathon Owens - At ten years old all Jonathon dreams of is to be a war hero...by proving that his German neighbor is a spy.

Like wildfire death spreads across the plains, will any of them survive?

Authors Links:

blog: http://kristykjames.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristyKJames

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/kristykjames