Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I celebrate the last year of my 30s. I get to spend the afternoon cheering my 6th-grade daughter on at her second cross country meet of the year, where she was the honor of representing her school as one of the Top 10 female runners. That's a pretty great gift, in my book!

Next year I plan on celebrating the next big milestone somewhere tropical, with fruity drinks and a few of my closest friends. But for this year, I decided to focus on some of the highlights of my past year. Here are just a few I came up with:

• I took the first ten pages of my YA novel, Between, to the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Carolinas Conference, where I received positive feedback and encouragement from a fellow YA author and a respected literary agent.

• I hunkered down in November and cranked out the rough draft of a second YA, tentatively titled Under My Skin.

• As a blog tour manager, I assisted ten authors with virtual blog tours through WOW! Women on Writing, resulting in new friends and professional relationships.

• I contributed 25 blog posts to WOW! Women on Writing, along with several interviews with writers.

• I wrote nine articles/profiles for Lake Norman CURRENTS magazine.

• I wrote numerous pieces of content for Little Ones Magazine, along with editing duties.

• I completed the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Summer Reading Challenge, putting in more than 30 hours of reading this summer.

• I took some fun trips with my family, to places like Boone, N.C., Carolina Beach, N.C., and Hilton Head Island, S.C., resulting in memories like these:

And a fun night at an Ingrid Michaelson concert!

 So . . . I've been a little busy. It's been great, and I look forward to the new opportunities this next year will bring.

Guest Post: Time Management for Writers

Today I'm pleased to host Jennifer Roland, author of 10 Takes: Pacific Northwest Writers. When one of the blog tour managers for WOW! Women on Writing first approached me about hosting Jennifer, all I had to do was see the topic "Time Management for Writers" before I quickly joined the tour. I know this is something we all struggle with, especially if we write creatively around day jobs, as the author does. Please join me in welcoming Jennifer.

Time Management for Writers 

For the past eight years (wow!), I’ve been writing around a day job.

Most of my off-hours writing is freelance work, as I’ve been building up a freelance business, too. That means I really need to manage my time to have anything left for my own projects.

Here’s how I make that happen.

I Schedule Everything Fanatically — and I Do the Same Things at the Same Time Most Days.

Mornings before work and lunch hours are reserved for interviews and email.

Evenings are for family time.

Nights are for writing.

On the weekends, morning is for writing and email communication. Afternoons and evenings are family time.

That may shift around for special occasions, but that is my routine, and I stick to it as much as possible. My body and brain know what to expect during each phase of the day, and my family knows when they need to step in and help me get things done — and when to leave me alone.

I Take Advantage of My Rhythms.

That schedule I posted above? I’ve developed it over the years based on what my brain is good at during each period of the day. I’m really proficient at writing in the morning, so I focus on that on the weekends. This past year, I shifted my day job schedule so that my work day starts an hour earlier, but before that I had an hour before work to devote to writing.

I know that I’m not great at writing in the afternoons, so that is when I spend time with my kiddo and husband.

And I get a weird burst of energy around 8 p.m. that isn’t always due to a sugar-free Rock Star, so I capitalize on that by working at night, too.

Take a look at when writing is easy and when it’s hard. Keep a diary if you need to to track trends over a week or two. Try to write more during the time of day that it’s easy so that you can be more efficient and have more fun.

I Ditch Useless Tasks.

My house is not clean. It’s not filthy, but it’s definitely not spotless either.

Back when I was writing my first book, I found a blog called Write First, Clean Later. I made that my mantra. Until then, I’d been making sure I did my chores before I would allow myself to write. As a result, I was not as focused or energetic when the dishes were finally done and I was allowed to do the fun stuff. So, I made sure to interview the writer of that blog (mystery novelist L.J. Sellers) for Pacific Northwest Writers! And I told her how influential that blog was simply because of its title.

Think about the tasks you do that drain your energy. Do they need to get done? And, more important, do you need to be the one who does them? I do the things I love, my husband does the things he can, and we both agree to live without the rest.

About the Author:

Jennifer Roland is a freelance and marketing writer with more than 20 years experience in newspaper, magazine, and marketing environments. Jennifer also works as a virtual assistant to writers, helping them build their online presence and connect with readers so they can focus on what they love — writing. She loves fiction and writes that under the name Jennifer C. Rodland. She hopes to put all of the lessons she learned writing this book into getting more of that published.

Jennifer can be found online at: http://10takesonwriting.com
http://twitter.com/jenroland
http://instagram.com/thejenroland

About 10 Takes:

From novelists to poets to playwrights, Jennifer Roland interviews a variety of authors who have one thing in common — they have all chosen to make the Pacific Northwest their home. Covering a diversity of disciplines — from comics, fantasy, and detective novels to long-form poetry and illustrated children's series — 10 distinguished authors provide unique perspectives about their craft, provide helpful writing advice and tips for success, and share their passion for living and writing in the Pacific Northwest.

How you make time for writing? Tell us in the comments below. I will choose one commenter to receive a complimentary e-book of 10 Takes on Monday, Aug. 24. Good luck!

10 Things I Learned While Reading A Dog Dreams of Paris by Barbara Barth

Ruby and Sonic, the Roberson household Keepers of Joy.

Sometimes I wonder who rules our household--my two kids, Mia and Noah, or our two fur babies, Ruby and Sonic. Just last night, I left the rest of my family to attend an event. When I returned, Ruby, our miniature long-haired doxie, trotted into the kitchen to greet me. But instead of a tail wag, I got two sharp barks before she turned up her nose and trotted off. This was her way of telling me my absence during dinnertime and the evening walk was not appreciated.

Today I'm excited to host Barbara Barth in support of her WOW! Blog Tour for A Dog Dreams of Paris: From Rescue Dog to Diva.  Barth adopted five dogs in the nine months following the death of her husband as a way to cope with her grief. Out of all her dogs, April seemed the most reserved when she joined the rest of the pack. One day, during a photo shoot with the dogs, Barth placed a vintage pink hat with a silk rose on April's head. Instead of tossing the hat off, as most dogs would do, April wore the hat with style and grace. From there, the spark of an idea for A Dog Dreams of Paris: From Rescue Dog to Diva was born. I first gave the book to my 12-year-old daughter (also a dog lover) to read. I heard her giggle with enjoyment while turning the pages. Then, it was my turn. As someone who has never traveled to Europe, the amount of information included in the beautifully designed pages of the book impressed me. Below are ten things I learned while reading the delightful A Dog Dreams of Paris:

1. The Park du Champs de Mars is one of the most dog-friendly parks in Paris.
2. During the months of July and August, the banks of the River Seine turn into a beach promenade. 3. The first pet cemetery in the world lies just outside of Paris.
4. Thousands of species of pigeons call Paris home.
5. Paris is the "dog poop" capitol of the world.
6. Visitors to the city can find a bird market every Sunday at the Place Louis Lepine on the Ile de la Cite.
7. Author Gertrude Stein, who moved to Paris in the 1920s, owned three white poodles in succession, all named Basket.
8. A portion of the sales for A Dog Dreams of Paris will be donated towards animal rescue.
9. In Paris, dogs are welcome in many public places as long as they are well behaved.
10. You can never have too many dogs.

About the Author: 
Barbara Barth likes a lot of things: turquoise jewelry, surfing the 'net, and margaritas, to name a few. Then there are the dogs. As many as her house can hold! After her husband died she recorded the year that followed in a series of essays that became her memoir The Unfaithful Widow. She has also written a romance-suspense Danger in Her Words and edited the anthology A Cup of Christmas. When she isn't writing you can find her at the local thrift shops or pounding another nail into the wall to hang the paintings she can't resist. She published a romance novel Danger in her Words before one of her dogs, Miss April in Paris, insisted it was HER turn to write a memoir. Miss April in Paris now refers to Barbara as "my secretary."

Find out more about the author by visiting her online:
http://www.barbarabarthwriter.com http://barbarabarthbookblog.blogspot.com/ http://theunfaithfulwidow.blogspot.com
http://barbarabarthsparkle.blogspot.com
Twitter: @writerwithdogs

Guest Post: A Simple Trick to Spice Up Your Workout Routine

When I first heard about Eric Trant's blog tour for his latest book, Steps, it didn't take me long to zero in on a topic. Finding a workout routine--and sticking to it--in a world filled with work, life, and parental responsibilities can be tough. Throw a few writing deadlines on top of that and before long, there's a little too much butt in that chair. A few months ago I wrote a post on this very topic at WOW! Women on Writing. I'm happy to report I've been mixing up my workouts ever since. While I do have gym membership, I typically shy away from taking too many classes there, as I tend to get intimidated by the people who spend more than half of their day in the gym. I discovered a great Jillian Michaels kickboxing DVD that has three 20-minute workouts focusing on arms, lower body, and abs. I alternate that with running with my daughter (she's starting middle-school cross country in the fall) and a frontside circuit training workout (also Jillian Michaels) and I've found that the scale may not be moving a whole lot, but my clothes fit better and I look more toned than I have in years. Read on for Eric's solution and learn more about Steps.

A Simple Trick to Spice Up Your Workout Routine

Well folks, this post is for the rest of us. By that, I mean those of us who are not hard-bodied cross-fitters, mud-runners, triathletes and marathoners. This is not a post for body-builders, although I do think it could benefit personal trainers and anyone who leads a fitness class. This is not for trophies, ribbons, titles or bragging rights.

Rather, this is a post for those of us who simply want to maintain an active lifestyle. I want to keep up with my two teenagers. I want to be able, in a few years, to coach soccer and baseball with my sixteen month old son. I want to fit in my pants. I want to take the stairs. I want to lift things into the attic without tossing my back. I want to swim, jog, bike, hike, and ~live~.

Now, in order to achieve these modest goals, I need to push myself physically several times a week. I've worked out formally since I was fourteen, a time which began a short thirty years ago, a blink, what seems to be no more than one night's sleep ago, and during that time I have run through just about every workout there is. I spent seven years studying various martial arts. I built muscle using traditional body-building techniques. I lost that muscle to injury, recovered, and maintained an active participation in recreational sports, particularly soccer. I ruined a few mountain bikes on the trails, and still go through a pair of hiking boots about once a year.

But after a while, even with a workout routine you enjoy, the routine becomes boring. I dropped out of martial arts. I stopped playing soccer (that was the injury). My left shoulder betrayed me against lifting heavy weights, and my knees, still in good shape, show those shallow dips that will, if I keep beating them, later turn into irreparable potholes that will bust an axle if I hit them too hard.

So about eighteen months ago, I shifted gear into a slower workout, but wanted to spice it up by doing two things.

First, I decided to employ a cross-fit inspired workout routine. We used to call this circuit-training, and it has always been a great way to maintain overall fitness. It assumes you want lean muscle, not the bulk of a body-builder, and that you want to focus on large muscle groups, rather than isolating biceps, triceps, abs, calves, etc. Using this strategy, I designed four core workouts, each of which hit every major muscle group much in the way you see with cross-fit's workouts. Still, these are not cross-fit, they are simply cross-fit inspired, based on what I like about some of their workouts.

I lined up the workouts Monday through Thursday, with running on Friday. Man, I got bored in two weeks. Same ol', same ol', same thing for the past thirty years. This on Monday. That on Wednesday.

For a while I considered using a cross-fit site to guide me in my daily workouts (they call them WODs, or Workouts of the Day). But even that felt too rote, too routine. I considered a trainer, but circled back to that same conclusion.

Then I thought, why not let fate decide my workout? I had created four core workouts, and what is more fateful than a deck of shuffled cards? So I tied each workout to a suit in the deck. Then, in a fit of inspiration, I created several more special workouts, such as sprints, boxjumps, heavy-pack hikes, and so on, and bound them to the faces and aces in the deck. I left the two jokers in as free days, to do whatever I felt was lacking, even if it meant hitting the pub for a good day of relaxer-izing.

Then I bought a deck of zombie cards and dedicated them to my workout schedule. Each card pictures a zombie, beneath which is a zombie quote: Remember, this is a sprint, not a marathon. The attic is a dead-end. Literally. And so on. Each one is different and fun, and every day brings its own little smidge of goofy entertainment.

I've run through the deck a few times, and it is ~fun~ to see what my next workout will be. 

Sometimes I draw three clubs in a row, or I strike a run of face cards. I can't wait to flip the next card to see what challenge will face me tomorrow. The best part is this: the unknown keeps me interested. I wonder at the next card, and if I take a few days off, I demand I catch up before I move on.

I know, it's a simple and goofy thing, but aren't the little things the spice of life? Do you have fun tricks and tips that we could all use to sprinkle a little spice into our day?

About Eric Trant:

Eric W. Trant is a published author of several short stories and the novels Wink and Steps from WiDo Publishing, out now! See more of Eric's work at

www.EricTrant.com

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6939871.Eric_Trant

http://www.amazon.com/Eric-Trant/e/B00DU1O8T0

Steps:

Steps is a well-written science fiction novel you won’t want to put down. Following the Peacemaker family through their battle of survival will keep you on the edge of your seat as you wait to see what obstacle is next.

Society is falling to a ravaging virus, and the Peacemaker family is stranded in the mountains of Arkansas. Forced to band with a group of deserted soldiers, they battle to survive starvation, apocalyptic cataclysms, and a growing number of dangerously infected wanderers.

As their dwindling number struggles against ever-increasing odds, they realize they are not alone in the wilderness. A large creature is present in the hills, at first seen only as a fleeting shadow. 

Now the family not only faces impending death from the unstoppable virus, they must also deal with the mysterious giant, whose footprints signify that he knows where they are.

Paperback: 218 Pages

Genre: Sci Fi
Publisher: WiDo Publishing (May 21, 2015)

ASIN: B00Y3A9AZE

Twitter hashtag: # StepsTrant


Steps is available as an e-book and paperback at Amazon 
.


Seven Days of Hilderbrand: Beautiful Day

While I liked the basic premise of this novel--Jenna Carmichael's deceased mother leaves behind a notebook detailing all her advice for Jenna's wedding day--it didn't impact as much as I thought it would emotionally. I've read reviews where other readers said they thought the mother, Beth, came across as pretty manipulative in "the Notebook" and I can't say I disagree.

What I enjoyed about this book was the calamity surrounding the characters during the weekend of the wedding. It's refreshing and honest to read a story and know most families have a fair amount of discord in them at all times. Jenna's father, Doug, who remarried after losing his wife to cancer, is trying to decide whether or not he should get divorced. There's Margo, Jenna's disillusioned and recently divorced older sister, who tries to spend the entire weekend dodging acquaintance Griffin Wheatley for reasons unknown until the last part of the book. Jenna's two older brothers are also in attendance, and one of them is engaging in a weekend fling with the Matron of Honor, who also happens to be married. Then there's the family of the groom--the  Grahams--and talk about a doozy. I instantly saw the story of John and Elizabeth Edwards as inspiration for Stuart's parents Jim and Ann Graham, right down to child Jim had with another woman (the despicable Helen, also in attendance on Nantucket), before returning to his wife and their three sons.

The extravagance of this wedding (there was a similar one planned in the novel, The Island) definitely makes this an appropriate light summer read. No one I know could remotely afford a wedding costing close to $200,000. And when the bride declares the wedding is off? You'll have to read Beautiful Day for yourself to check out the resolution.

Seven Days of Hilderbrand: The Blue Bistro

I couldn't write "Seven Days of Hildebrand" book reviews without including The Blue Bistro, so I'm re-running a post I wrote a few years ago. Enjoy and stay cool!

(Originally posted on March 26, 2013)

I love a good beach read, even if it's not summertime. Several years ago I swapped books with a friend while on summer vacation and got my first taste of Elin Hilderbrand. The book was Barefoot, and I got sucked into it immediately. Since then, I've made it my mission to read all her books, and I'm excited that she has a new one coming out this summer, called Beautiful Day. For this post, I want to focus on my favorite Elin Hilderbrand book, The Blue Bistro (a story I never tire of!)

The Blue Bistro is set on the island of Nantucket, as all of Hilderbrand's books are. I've put Nantucket on my bucket list of places to visit in this lifetime just so I can enjoy the world the author describes so well in her books.

In The Blue Bistro, a young woman named Adrienne Dealey arrives on Nantucket after a disastrous stint working at a swanky hotel in Aspen, Colorado. She's broke, desperate, and determined not to get involved in yet another disastrous relationship. She's told The Blue Bistro is the place to go for quick cash and good food, and she's immediately drawn to the owner, Thatcher Smith. He hires her as a manager of the bistro, and soon all her financial problems are solved, but she can't deny the chemistry between them. She also can't figure out what his relationship is with the beautiful yet moody chef, Fiona, who is Thatcher's best friend from childhood and business partner. Nor will anyone tell her why the wildly successful restaurant is closing its doors for good after the summer season.

I related to the tale of The Blue Bistro because I spent much of my early 20s also broke and working in restaurants. The people in those restaurants became my surrogate family, much like The Blue Bistro became to Adrienne in the book. I could relate to all the behind the scenes drama, the complicated interactions between the customers and the servers, and the ways delicious food can bring people together and fill the void in the employees' lives.

I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Thatcher and Fiona, and his determination to be there for her as she battles a life-threatening illness, as well as his conflicting emotions as he falls in love with Adrienne.

If you're looking for a good summer read, The Blue Bistro has it all -- romance, intrigue, food and drink, and unforgettable supporting characters. For more about why Hilderbrand writes solely about Nantucket, and a little about her creative process, check out this article.

Do you have a favorite book by Elin Hilderbrand? What is it and why?

Seven Days of Hilderbrand: The Matchmaker

Even though it came out last summer, I only read The Matchmaker a few months ago. As a self-proclaimed Elin Hilderbrand fan this is painful to admit, especially because I believe this to be one of her best works.  And when I did finally download it to my Kindle, I finished it in two days and suffered from what I like to call a "book hangover" afterward.

As with most of Hilderbrand's main characters, Dabney Kimball Beech definitely has her flaws. After her mother abandoned her at a young age, she finds herself unwilling to leave the island of Nantucket at all (except for four years away at college). She has a special gift for matchmaking. If a couple is "a perfect match" she sees a rosy color around them--and if they aren't a match, an unfortunate murky green. She finds her own true love at an early age with Clendenin Hughes, also nicknamed "The Beast," but when he receives the job opportunity of a lifetime in Southeast Asia, her fear of leaving the island prevents her from going with him. Pregnant, she decides to raise the child alone, and never gets over the loss of Clen. She finds security by marrying an older college professor from Harvard, John Boxmiller "Box" Beech, and he raises Dabney's daughter Agnes as his own.

At the start of the book, 48-year-old Dabney is content in her job as the executive director of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce. Her husband flies home to Nantucket on the weekends and they have a perfunctory relationship.  Agnes is grown and engaged to a man almost Dabney's age, and Dabney can instantly tell there are problems brewing beneath a happy facade. But when Dabney receives an e-mail from Clendenin Hughes announcing that he has suffered a loss and is back on the island, she is shaken to her core. Thus begins a summer filled with stolen moments, conflicting emotions, and a health issue that Dabney can't quite shake.

This novel was filled with distinct and lovable characters, which made me want to keep turning page after page. One my favorites was Riley Alsopp, the dentist-in-training with the "perfect teeth" interning at the Chamber for the summer. I also had a soft spot for Dabney's husband, Box, who had no idea of the consequences of neglecting his marriage for work. Nina Mobley, Dabney's best friend and assistant at the Chamber of Commerce, is also funny and earnest. The only character I truly detested was C.J., Agnes' finance, and that was completely by design.

The Matchmaker is full of all the usual Nantucket staples we've become accustomed to, down to the descriptions of the fall and spring festivals, the makings of a perfect 4th of July picnic, and a dazzling cocktail party overlooking the harbor. It was after reading this novel that I finally convinced my husband that I have to see Nantucket once and for all, and we are heading there for our wedding anniversary in mid--September.

Disclaimer: If you're a sap like me, you are going to want to have a box of tissues handy in the final chapters of this book.