Celebrating Romance

Open the champagne! Pop the cork and save it. I want to scream to the world, "I'm Published!" Yes, I finally took the plunge and self-published two of my short stories on Amazon. For this week these two short stories will be free, so please download read and share with others. Since May is the Genre-ista's Blog-O-Versary and we're all about celebrating this month I thought I'd share a little of the giddiness every author feels when they see their covers on a website or in a bookstore.

For each writer their current work in progress is like their baby. It's a product of love and sometimes it grows to be frustration or hate, but that love never goes away. We like to shout to the world when we sign a contract, or do a happy dance when someone posts a good review. In my RWA chapter, Rose City Romance Writers, we even celebrate the rejections and the bad reviews because it means someone saw our work and it made an impact whether good or bad. When I received my first rejection from an agent, I have to put in here that I was expecting a rejection at the time, it was both exciting and nerve racking. My kids and husband bought me a bottle of sparkling cider to celebrate. I was giddy for a week.

The day I published my first short story butterflies attacked my stomach. I couldn't sit for more than a few minutes and I had to email my husband I had done it. When my kids came home I had to tell them. When my kids went to school the next day they had to brag that their mom was published. Catching? Oh yeah. And next month I'll be self-publishing my first novel length book.

Key of Time will be book one of my Phoenix Warriors series set in 1880 ranging from London to Egypt with inventions and mythic beings and abilities and most important of all, Love.




What do you celebrate in your life? Is there a project close to your heart that gives you the giddy stomach butterflies?

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To be a Mother or to be an Author?

To be a mother or to be an author? A question many mothers debate in this world is either to be a full time mother or to be out in the work force. I married and had my family young. That had been my plan all along, yet I never really thought about what that impact would have on my dreams. So many young women (and men) have these ellaborate dreams of what they're going to do as adults.


They plan and plan and plan. And then life gets in the way.
Isn't that what we always say? Life got in the way. My life? Three children. Now, I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world, but being a mother at the age of 20 isn't all it's cracked up to be. I had my youngest a day before my 25th birthday and for the next several years I spent all my time raising them to be intelligent, thoughtful, helpful people. But where did my dreams go? Unfortunately down the tube.

For as long as I can remember I told stories, acted out fantasical worlds and characters, wrote them down on paper or in the dirt, etc. etc. etc. When the kids came I told them stories and enthralled them with my worlds. But as with everything that time was short. They didn't need me as often. My dream began to rear it's head out of the desert sand. And so did the guilt. Sure there were plenty of mothers out there that worked for a living and raised their kids. I knew plenty of them, but I'd always felt once I had kids until they were grown they would need all of my attention.

Even now, after finally having self-published two of my short stories I still feel guilty when I'm working and they need me. My first thought is to drop everything I'm doing and go to them. Then I take a deep breath, wait for a second and if they are still asking I go. If the moment has passed for them I return to my work with a lighter heart.



What makes you feel guilty to do even though you shouldn't?



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