A Week in the Life of a Writing, Working Mom...

Since life is getting busier by the day, and my old school journaling has fallen to wayside, I thought to start keeping record of my writing life in my writing blog... makes sense, right? The days and stolen hours of my 'settling down on the couch with a glass of wine or herbal tea and recapping the week in my journal (yes, pen and paper)' seem to be disappearing. The responsibilities at my day job are ramping up, and the boys are getting bigger and more vocally demanding... so, admittedly, the end of the day usually dissolves into TV land, as we try to clear out all the shows we've PVR'd. I know, Stephen King said that if you want to be a serious writer, the TV should be the first thing to go. I want to emphasize that I do find time to be creative and work on my writing projects -- currently, I am polishing my prequel novella to Turnstiles. My darling husband is going over my manuscript with fresh eyes, as well. I am also still trying to find a home for my second full-length manuscript of poetry titled Spectrums & Apertures, and a chapbook of ghazis. I do feel divided at times... drifting away from the physical connection with my writing community as I devote my time to my boys and count the diminishing hours in the evening until the next 10-hour work day (I leave the house at 7:30am and return at 5:30pm). My oldest son has begun kindergarten, which changes some scheduling and adds some light 'homework' for the three of us to complete each evening. Anyhow, it is life and work and writing, being present and productive and keeping it all going without letting go of hopes and dreams. I want to express a huge gratitude to all of you who have been following my posts, joining me on Twitter, liking my author pages, and purchasing my book and kindly writing reviews. It means the world to me and helps me to stay inspired and encouraged in my writing endeavours. I recently had the dilemma of whether or not to keep my books shelved on local bookshelves on consignment because I find I am providing my books from the publisher out of my own pocket. I did make the hard decision to provide a few more copies, and I hope they sell. You can check out the link at Bolen Books http://www.bolen.bc.ca/. My books are also available at Munro Books http://munrobooks.com/ and Mosaic Books http://www.mosaicbooks.ca/. I am enjoying the connections and conversations I've had with many new authors, as well as some of your works I've had the opportunity to read so far. I do intend to return these favours and honour the work of my writing peers. I am here, writing; either on a keyboard or in my head in the in-between time. Thank you for staying with me and being a part of my journey as a new author. I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and I wish you a productive and enjoyable week ahead! Cheers, Andrea xo