Nothing Like a Little Added Deadline Pressure!

I don’t know what I was thinking when I emailed my editor and told her I’d love to do one additional book with her this year. 

I adore this editor and we work really well together, but as is the case with indie editors, you need to plan well in advance to line them up. I’d already done two books with her this year, and had long ago scheduled another terrific editor for three more books. But when she offered to squeeze in one more with me, well, I couldn’t help but give it some thought. Of course this happened just as I was brainstorming some new series ideas, and then I thought, well, if I start another series I’d better get three books ready to launch at once, and well, that would mean it would be just perfect to have that extra edit lined up!

At the time I’d just finished a book and had what I madly viewed as idle time in front of me for a few weeks. Sure, I had a crazy May lined up: my youngest graduating from UVA undergrad, my oldest graduating from UVA with 2 Masters degrees, and my middle coming home from halfway around the world in Australia for a very infrequent visit to coincide with graduations. Throw in some 18 people staying at my house for graduation (I think I was in deep denial about that). 

Oh and did I mention our house is on the market and there’s all sorts of extra work involved with keeping a house clean and organized for any sudden showings? No worries…All under control…

But 5 weeks ago, this was hardly on the horizon! I had time on my hands, baby! I was going to crank out that additional book in no time flat and be in bed by midnight! Not only that, I’m going to confide in you my little secret: I was also planning to resurrect my all-but-dead daily mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation practice and also get my fat ass off the couch (where it’s been parked writing books) and resume my anaerobic interval spin workout so I could try to get back in shape. And maybe get back to regular yoga classes. Let me tell you, people, I was going to be Wonder Woman (minus the metal breast plates)!

Um, er, well…Graduation is this weekend. I’m too stressed without free time to do any stress reduction (I had been doing it! I swear it!). Finding a daily hour for the bike workout? Are you kidding me? I have been running around like a crazy person preparing for the onslaught of houseguests and graduation and graduation breakfasts for 20 people both mornings before the ceremonies and then the combined graduation party mid-day Saturday for some 50 people as well as lunch mid-day Sunday for another 30 and, yeah, very little writing has happened. 

Plus, I am releasing a book in less than a week and kind of need to figure out my marketing strategy for that, eh? 

So just now, instead of writing? I gave my dog a bath. In my defense, with all of these houseguests showing up, we don’t want the poor thing to be shunned because she smelled like, well, dirty dog.

Ah, well…the good news is I was the girl who pulled all-nighters studying for exams in college and self-conditioned to crank out papers one after the other shortly before their due dates. It must be the former journalist in me, but I definitely thrive under time constraints, so…the good news, is I just sort of lit a fire under my butt, which isn’t such a bad thing after all. Now if I could figure out how to burn the fat in that butt with the fire now scorching it, I’d be good to go!

Hope you can check out my upcoming release: It’s Getting Hot in Heir, book 7 in my It’s Reigning Men series! 

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