Category Archives: mermaids

Peter Andrews swims with the Mermaids and shares his tips on HowToWriteFast!

May 2, 2013Guy Day, Interview, mermaids, Susan Andrews, Writinghowtowritefast, Peter Andrews, writingSusan Jeffery

Addressing the crowd at a Great Lakes event.

I’m thrilled to introduce Peter Andrews to the lagoon today for a different sort of Guy Day interview. Peter has been writing and earning a living at it (!!!) for many years. He keeps a blog on how to write fast, and teaches online courses on the same subject. A writer, hubby, great dad, and all-around good guy, he even makes dinner!

It’s exhausting work, let me tell you! So, first, let me offer the nice man a drink with an umbrella… and let the questions roll!

1. What if you finally can sit down to write and realize you can’t get started?

Starting is dependent on preparation. Before you finish writing each day, you need to determine what you will work on the next day (or next definite session). This is a promise to yourself. And you keep it. You can still do other things, but you need to commit to work forward.

How not to write fast (duh)!

2. What if you’re suddenly not in love with your book?

Everyone falls out of love with their books. Occasionally, a book is just a bad idea. So be it. Usually, though, we forget why we love the book. The passion fades. I always write out why I MUST write the book before I do more than a few pages. Ten or more reasons. In complete sentences. Designed to persuade me to persevere. It almost always works.

3. Susan profiled your “bagel” practice for unknown words in an earlier post. Is there a story behind this? (pretty please?)

It used to be the Next Best Thing in our quest to write fast.

When I was writing a lot of science articles that were jammed with facts, I kept coming to screeching halts. I lost my momentum, over and over again, as I looked up names, dates, places, and materials. I realized I needed a placeholder that would be unlikely to be in my final copy. Bagel was born.

4. Do you have a “think positive” mantra that gets you going in the morning? Susan says you get up at the same time as her (she has to be up at 5:30 a.m.) and you’re already working when she comes into the kitchen at 6:15. Are you secretly a machine?

Well, it could be the Puritan genes, but I think I just have found work that I am passionate about. Writing is what I was born to do. (it’s true)

5. What’s the most you’ve ever written in a week?

I don’t know. I’d estimate 15,000 words. Not heroic, but exhausting for me.

6. What are you most proud of?

It changes. I am delighted by the script and the novel I just finished. But I have also gotten a real thrill out of writing a speech and hearing laughter (or seeing tears) as it’s delivered.

7. Do you have plans for the blog you run? www.howtowritefast.blogspot.com

The blog will keep going. It already has led to courses (an online version begins on Monday), and, eventually, I’ll edit up the material from these into a book.

Peter’s blog offers every writer ideas for increasing their output. Find it at http://howtowritefast.blogspot.com.

He is also teaching an online course this month at http://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/workshops.

Thanks, Peter! The Mermaids are all clapping their fins and splashing around, now you’ve given them the keys to How To Write Fast!

The Waiting Game

April 25, 2013Agents and Editors, Dana Rodgers, mermaids, WritingDana Rodgers, Writing SubmissionsDana Rodgers

The line outside National Stadium

I’m frustrated. There it is, I’ve said it.

At the beginning of March my thirteen-year-old daughter, Brenna, was one of the lucky few selected to audition to sing the National Anthem before one of the Washington National’s baseball games this season. Let me tell you, auditioning is not a walk in the park. First, we got the e-mail on a Wednesday afternoon that she was one of fifty people who would be auditioning that Saturday morning. After chanting, “Oh crap, oh crap. Yay, this is so exciting! Oh crap, oh crap,” a few hundred times I rearranged everyone’s Saturday schedule so my husband and I could take Brenna to her audition. Brenna was incredibly excited and spent the next couple of days practicing with the Nationals audition guidelines in mind… You must perform a cappella and you only have ninety seconds, which is not a lot of time for that song.

We arrived bright and early at National Stadium on Saturday morning where we stood in line, freezing our butts off, for an hour and a half because auditions are first come, first served. But not to worry, the sky was a brilliant blue and we met a ton of nice people. The performers came from all walks of life. Some performed regularly, others only experience was singing in their church choir, but they were all incredibly talented and beyond brave to be there in the first place. The excitement was palpable by the time the gates opened at nine o’clock. After signing in, everyone was seated in the stadium—talk about an intimidating venue—where the performers are given instructions and told to expect an answer one way or another by close of business Monday.

Brenna waiting to sing

I was practically having heart palpitations by the time Brenna walked out onto the field. She approached the microphone with purpose and—outwardly undaunted by the camera four feet from her face, the three radio stations recording her, the size of the stadium or the audience watching—she opened her mouth and began to sing. An interview with Brenna was featured on WTOP most of that day so I’ll let you be the judge on how she did. When you listen to the one-minute clip that is my baby girl singing in the background! 😉

Brenna WTOP Interview

If I had a nickel for every text I got from Brenna that Monday I would be a very rich woman. Unfortunately, we didn’t hear on Monday. Or Tuesday or Wednesday. In fact, it has now been more than six weeks since Brenna auditioned and we still haven’t heard anything from the Nationals. I have emailed twice but still no answer. I can only assume that no news means she wasn’t selected but I hate not knowing.

Not hearing is frustrating because there is no closure, but it is also a part of life. I can’t help but compare the experience to submitting a manuscript. You plot, you plan, you write, write, write. And then—when you think your baby is ready—you pitch it at a conference or send out query letters to editors or agents you think may be interested in the story you have to offer. Then you wait…

National Stadium

Most agents and editors will tell you to expect a six to eight week turn around, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. I have heard horror stories of manuscripts being submitted, and then not receiving a response for six or eight months. At the Washington Romance Writers Retreat this past weekend I asked agents and editors their thoughts on following up on your submissions, because who hasn’t agonized over the do-I-follow-up-or-leave-things-alone-and-continue-to-wait dilemma.

Every editor or agent I talked to gave the same advice: If the guidelines say a six to eight week turnaround, wait at least three months and then if you haven’t heard anything… follow up. Just send a polite e-mail reminding them of your submission titled “A Great Story You Know You Want To Buy” (or whatever your title may be) sent in on such and such date, and ask what the status of your submission is.

Generally speaking agents and editors are not monsters hell bent on driving you to the crazy house. They are real people with real lives and a job to do, but life happens and sometimes they fall behind schedule or your manuscript gets lost in the shuffle. So if you find yourself in this predicament don’t agonize, wait at least three months and then follow up. 🙂

A BAGEL, ANY KIND, TOASTED AND BUTTERED – JUST AS LONG AS IT GETS THE JOB DONE

April 23, 2013Draft, mermaids, Revision, Susan Andrews, WritingSusan Jeffery

from mermaid Susan Andrews:

There’s a problem I’ve experienced as a writer sometimes that just knocks me on my back. Mind you, I can plot, draft, write and create. I carve out time to write. I’ve created a little space for my books and my papers. I’ve learned to draft manuscripts on the train, to use my phone for making notes and jotting down ideas. I have a nifty new keyboard for my iPad. I’ve even discovered the charm of the Yonkers Will Public Library for its blissfully silent study tables.

But, every once in a while, right in the middle of things, I get stuck. That one word, the one fact I was so sure I knew, escapes me. It’s right there, ready to be typed and, at the same time, out of sight.

I’m frozen. Stuck. My dream of being A Productive Writer is smashed at my feet, at least for the moment. And, frankly, I’m a little pissed.

However, I’m blessed to know (and be married to) a very clever writer, who makes his living writing. And has met deadlines for nearly thirty years. Who also has his moments of grasping for a word, a phrase, or an idea.

He tells me, “Susan, you need a bagel.” Damn, that man has good ideas.

Here’s the idea: You type along, thinking good thoughts, getting into the groove of your writing, and suddenly you’re not sure what the next word is supposed to be. Peter (aka Word God for this post) types “bagel” and continues writing. Since his non-fiction work is science writing, and bagels have never figured in any of his published science articles, “bagel” is his preferred word for “silly me, not able to think of that just now.” When he’s ready to revise, he also cleans up the “bagels” and gives himself the time to think of the proper word or phrase.

I’ve started using it myself in my work, and it’s marvelously freeing. “Bagel” allows me to keep working. It’s a funny, cute, small way to acknowledge that a draft isn’t intended to be perfect right out of the box. I’m able to forgive myself for not knowing the word and move on.

Just this past week, I used it when I saw a hole in my plot. “Bagel”, I typed. “Insert sex scene here.”

Dang, that’s a lot of bagels.

Peter Andrews writes the How to Write Fast blog at www.howtowritefast.blogspot.com. He has a hundred tips like this one for the WannaBeProductive writer and will be featured on April 29 in a Waterworld Mermaid Guy Day interview.

One Writer’s Addiction

April 22, 2013mermaidsDana Rodgers

Dana’s Birthday!

Hi. My name is Dana and I’m an addict. No worries, nothing as nefarious as drugs or booze, but something just as addictive… Writing conferences! 😉

I just returned from the Washington Romance Writers 2013 Retreat, and just WOW! What a fun, supportive group! For me this year’s retreat was extra special because it was my birthday. My fantabulous mermaid sisters went over the top making me feel special. First, I arrived to find that my roommate, Kerri Carpenter, had decorated our room and brought me a birthday balloon and wine. Then later, my other mermaid sisters surprised me with an impromptu surprise party complete with chocolate cake and champagne! What more could a girl ask for? I know, right?

Avery Flynn, Kerri Carpenter, Susan Andrews, Denny S. Bryce, Dana Rodgers and Robin Covington

Mermaids – Avery, Kerri, Susan, Denny, Dana and Robin

Writing is such a solitary endeavor, just you and your computer, and in my case yoga pants, diet coke and a fifteen-pound cat who thinks taking a nap on my keyboard is the perfect way to get my attention. When you’re in the zone it’s easy to get caught up in a world that feels as real as this one and forget there’s an actual outside, or real people who want to be fed. I thought I was the only freak who did things like this until I attended my first writing conference a few years ago and discovered there are other, mostly sane, people who find holding conversations with fictional characters normal. Thank God, I was no longer alone!

Kerri Carpenter and Dana Rodgers

Since that first conference I have been addicted. Writers are some of the kindest, most considerate, supportive people you’ll ever meet. They understand how important a kind word of encouragement can be for a new writer, or how someone who has been writing for years may be going through a rough patch with a current work in progress. Writers, by and large, are happy to offer support and advice to all those around them. To sympathize over that rejection letter or celebrate your latest release, to share what promotional tools have worked best for them or lament over painful rewrites and edits.

I love going to conferences because they are a great way to meet people who understand the challenges of balancing writing, family, and that stupid day job many of us depend on to pay the bills. They offer a wide range of workshops on craft, promotion and trends in the industry during the day, followed by an opportunity to cut loose with friends, old and new, at socials, mixers and parties in the evenings.

Pintip Dunn, Dana Rodgers, Alethea Kontis, Robin Covington, Kimberly Kincaid, Avery Flynn and Kimberly MacCarron

Conferences allow you to network, promote your latest release and can be a great way to get in front of agents and editors. It’s refreshing to discover that the editor of a major New York publishing house may have a wicked sense of humor, that the agent of your dreams is really approachable and more than willing to answer your questions, or that the multi-published author you adore is a real person who has the same motivational struggles you do.

Whether it’s discovering you’re not the only one who spent her youth making up entire plot lines and acting them out with Barbie and GI Joe (sorry, I thought Ken was a wimp) or getting a request for your current WIP, conferences are fun and rewarding. Every time I come home exhausted, but I feel refreshed and revitalized, ready to put my butt in the chair and inspired to put words on the page.

How about you? What do you love about writing conferences?

Twenty Minutes

April 18, 2013mermaids, WritingPintip

I participated in the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood’s Winter Writing Festival this year, and it was great fun. I loved the support, the encouragement, and the motivation. But the best part? The chat room sprints.

Here’s how it worked: you showed up at the chat room at a designated time, where a Ruby sister was moderating. After a few minutes of chatting, the moderator announced the beginning of a sprint (usually twenty or twenty-five minutes). Everyone worked furiously. At the end of the sprint, the moderator called time. More chatting. Rinse and repeat.

It was amazing how much work I could accomplish when I knew other people were doing the same thing. Moreover, writing can feel like a lonely, solitary endeavor… but the Ruby chat room sprints made me feel like the other writers and I were part of the same team. Like we were doing something together.

Sadly, the WWF is over now, but it’s taught me a very important writing tool that I can use the rest of the year: the twenty-minute sprint.

This tool is especially useful when I’m battling writer’s block. I set my timer and give myself a pep talk. It’s just twenty minutes. Twenty minutes is nothing. You can do almost anything for twenty minutes. Just write for twenty minutes, and then you can take a break/check your email/make some tea. Go!

It works every time. (Well, almost every time.) Although that first session may not be particularly productive, I usually feel more amenable to another session when the alarm beeps. And then another. And another.

Before I know it, I’ve made considerable progress on the scene, which makes me even more motivated to continue.

For me, writing can be a vicious or a rewarding cycle. The more I write, the more I want to write. The more time that has passed since I’ve written, the harder it is to get started. The key, then, is simply starting. The twenty-minute sprint helps me get past that hump. It forces me to write that first word or first sentence or first paragraph.

So thank you, Rubies, for teaching me this valuable trick!

What about you? What tools or tricks do you have for busting writer’s block? I’d love to hear your techniques. Let’s face it: I need all the help I can get. 😉

Robin Covington Gets Lucky in the Waterworld Mermaid Lagoon

April 15, 2013Avery Flynn, Interview, mermaids, Robin CovingtonAvery Flynn, His Southern Temptation, robin covingtonAvery Flynn

Friends, mermaids, romance readers, I have cornered the always fun Robin Covington in the lagoon to get the goods on all the really gossipy stuff about her latest release, His Southern Temptation, including how often she checks her sales numbers, how she manages to write so much and if she’s ever dated her own Lucky.

Avery Flynn

You ready to rock the lagoon?

Robin Covington

You bet!

OK, we just left a Savvy Author chat about getting it done. So give us the secret to making writing work in your life.

Hmmm. I have a husband who likes to have attention now and then and two small kids (10&8) and a full-time job as attorney for the Navy. So, my writing fits in around soccer, school, work etc. My only secret is learning to write anywhere with any snippet of time I can steal.

I love the e-mails I get from you about how you write in the car outside of the kids’ activities. Have you ever gotten any strange looks from the other parents?

Oh yeah. They all think I’m a little weird (and they are right) but I live in a small town and most know that I am writing one of “those” books and they just laugh.

LOL. Speaking of “those” books congrats on His Southern Temptation booking it up the charts. Tell the truth, how often do you check the numbers?

I have no shame – hourly. My iPhone makes my mania easy to maintain.

God, you make me laugh. OK, I’m biased when it comes to Lucky, your hero in His Southern Temptation. Did he start out as a spark of an idea or burst to life in living color?

I loooove Lucky. He burst to life in full, annoying, pesky color. He badgered me to write him first – I mean, why wouldn’t I? Right? But, Jackson (of the four men) spoke to me as the one to set the tone for the series and to give the perfect backdrop to bring all these guys back together. So, Lucky had to wait . . . and even when I wrote him, he surprised me with some of the twists.

I think just about every woman dated a Lucky at one point. Did you?

Oh yes – and I married him.

And no . . . Lucky is NOT my hubby. But I would kill to have Taylor’s bod.

He’s looking over your shoulder right now isn’t he? *waves* Hi Mr. Covington.

Ha! No – he’s watching MMA fights.

Speaking of Taylor (who I would also consider going Buffalo Bill for that body), she is a woman who is really dealing head on with the craziness of her life. She’s ballsy as hell. I saw a poll recently of readers and most said they wanted to see more strong heroines in contemporary romance. Do you think that’s true?

Yes, I do. When we take workshops or read about the craft of writing romance – we are told that we need to write women characters that our reader can relate to. The hero should be someone you could fall in love with and you should want to be the heroine. I think that women today are strong and brave and so talented in every way. They are also juggling so much stuff – so a heroine like that is what resonates. It might take the entire story for her to get there – but that is a ride they want to take.

So what makes Taylor relatable?

Oh – she is like so many of the women I grew up with in the rural South. We were good girls – not too good- but we did what was acceptable. I know that I and so many of them really found our own voice when we left home. Taylor did that and followed her own dreams – maybe to the extreme – but she found her way to be her true self.

That’s awesome. OK, I’m wrapping it up with the most important question I’ve ever asked you. You ready?

Ummmm . . .

Matt Bomer or Joe M?

Ha! Ummm . . . I don’t get the Bomer thing at all . . . and Joe is my boyfriend so . . . totally Joe!

Don’t get Bomer? That gives me a sad. OK, let’s toast to your poor decision making. There has to be a bartender hiding somewhere in this lagoon.

Pabst Blue Ribbon please! ; )

Now that really is sad.

His Southern Temptation by Robin Covington

Some women are bad. Some women are a bad idea. The best ones are both…

As a Black Ops assassin, “Lucky” Landon has had more than his fair share of close calls. Now he’s turned in his sniper rifle for the simple life of his small hometown. So the last thing he ever expected was to end up at gunpoint. Or that the woman holding the gun would be his best friend’s little sister and Lucky’s on-again/off-again lover.

Taylor Elliott is Trouble, and she likes it that way. And seeing Lucky again? Well, he’s been her dirty little secret for the past few years and everyone knows that secrets in a small town are almost impossible to keep. But Taylor has bigger problems on her plate. Like the local mob boss who wants her dead.

And right now the only thing standing between Trouble and disaster is a hottie named Lucky…

ROMANCE? What if the Hero is Married and in Love with Another Woman (the Heroine)…

April 8, 2013Denny S. Bryce, mermaids, Motivation, WritingContemporary Romance, Kerry Washington, Morality, SCANDAL, Tony GoldwynDenny S. Bryce

by Denny S. Bryce

I got up this morning to the sound of chirping birds, geese doing shout outs to other geese, and sunshine bouncing over my lake (okay, it’s the community’s lake, but since I live here now, it’s mine!), but my thoughts kept drifting to SCANDAL.

No, nothing about my personal life here (sadly) – I’m talking about a TV show. Yes, some of you may know my obsession with the ABC series (SCANDAL) from the mind of Sondra Rhimes starring Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn (yes, the actor who killed Patrick Swayze in Ghost).

Well, I’ve come to the conclusion that Sondra Rhimes reads romance novels. Hot, spicy, romance novels, but she reads them and then she twists them into decadent juicy unbelievable (but totally believable) melodrama. And yes, it’s over the top and if you enjoy situations that just don’t fit in the realm of reason but then kind of do, then the show is for you!

In a TV show about many relationships, SCANDAL’s primary one (Olivia and Fritz) is the most problematic – morality wise. The heroine’s lover and soul mate is MARRIED, and his wife although a dark and twisty child herself, is NOT the villain of the story.

So as a writer (or reader of romance) – what are your thoughts about a contemporary romance that pushes this particular envelope? I’m sure there have been fabulous romances written with infidelity as a storyline that work as a romance – tell me about them? Would you read it? Would you write it?

I know. How’d I get from SCANDAL to contemporary romance? Blame the chirping birds and the geese. Anyway, here goes my SCANDAL photo blitz (the real reason I wrote this post:). Because good romance and true love can be SCANDALOUS, and dark and twisty and pull at the strings of your heart, right?

Mermaid Out of Water

February 26, 2013mermaids, PintipPintip

It may seem like all we mermaids ever do is sit around the lagoon, sipping fruity drinks with paper umbrellas and writing books, but that’s simply not the case. And I have the pictures to prove it.

First of all, we don’t always imbibe tropical drinks. Sometimes, we drink champagne, too.

Once in a while, we’ll even venture onto land.

We might take our mer-babies to the playground.

Or visit the cupcake store and pick up a dozen red velvets.

And of course, we love going to the bookstore!

What about you, my watery friends? Where have you wandered today?

A Librarian from Philly Swims with the Mermaids (And A Giveaway!)

February 22, 2013Denny S. Bryce, Giveaway, Interview, mermaidsbooklists, librarian, PhillyDenny S. Bryce

by Denny S. Bryce

I met Dena at one of my pop culture/fandom obsessions, a small but fabulous convention called Phauxcon, an annual gathering in October of fans of science fiction, romance, popular culture, Doctor Who and much more. Of course, after a few lively conversations, I invited Dena to hang at the Waterworld Mermaids pond and she said yes! She is a fan of Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, romance, reading and more reading (more than 250 books a year). She knows a lot (in fact this is part 1, and you’ll see part 2 at the Denny S. Bryce blog next week!). And yes, she likes to share, so be prepared to be wow’d!

Denny asked Dena: Hey, how did you end up a librarian?

I became a librarian because both my parents are librarians, although I spent the first 21 years of my life running in the opposite direction. I have a drama degree but discovered quickly that while it was easy to get jobs in theatre, it was pretty hard to get paying jobs. Then one day at dinner with my parents, I was actually enjoying our conversation about libraries, and the next day I applied for grad school.

A few years later, I’m the Department Head of Philbrick Hall at the Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. My department houses the fiction, movie, graphic novel, and Teen collections. My specific collection responsibility is maintaining the Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror sections. A lot of what I do is keeping up to date on new releases and new trends in my collection area. I read about 250 books a year and spend a lot of time ordering books (both print and ebooks) for the collection. I also do a lot of reader’s advisory – recommending books to patrons. The internet is a huge help because I can use it to track down next books in series, find out when a favorite author is coming out with a new book, figure out the name of “that movie” starring “that guy”, and discover almost anything else I need in just a few seconds while my patron is standing at the desk. It’s amazing how often they think I’m magic… It’s also amazing how often I DON’T need to check online. My brain is stuffed full of book trivia that I don’t realize I have until I need to access it.I still wake up some mornings and giggle over the fact that I’m getting paid to do what I love.

Denny asked Dena: What is the most surprising trend you see at libraries or in the library industry?

This isn’t a surprising trend, but the rise of ebooks and other digital media affects the library hugely. Our ebook offerings have exploded over the past year or so, and not only local patrons are noticing. I’ve heard of a bookstore in Alabama telling their customers to get a Free Library of Philadelphia library card so they can borrow our ebooks. This then poses challenges to how we view and serve our community. We are a local organization, but we are all of a sudden becoming a national and even global presence. So how do we balance serving the people of Philadelphia with the demands of a wider community? I don’t think that this question has been truly answered yet.

There are other issues that are library specific in the ebook world. Lots of publishers don’t sell ebooks to libraries. There’s a huge issue in the library world right now surrounding publishers not wanting to allow libraries to lend their ebooks at all or limiting the number of times an ebook can be lent. For example HarperCollins only allows an ebook to be checked out 26 times before the library has to repurchase it. Some publishers quadruple the price of an ebook for libraries. And this is just the Big 6 publishers (if they sell to libraries at all). It’s also much harder to get self-published ebooks into the the library system. For example, my absolute favourite romance of 2013 was Courtney Milan’s A Kiss for Midwinter. It’s not available for me to purchase for the library at all, even though her previous books are available and circulate very well (I push her a lot). It’s a completely different delivery method – instead of just placing an order and having a book shipped to me, the author has to actively get their book in with one of the ebook library distributors (in our case Overdrive). I also fell in love with Gene Doucette’s Immortal series, which is published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop (who also first published 50 Shades of Grey) but their ebooks are not available via Overdrive. It’s so frustrating to have our hands tied and not be able to provide so much to our community. This article from Forbes outlines some of the basic arguments that are going on in the library and publishing world surrounding ebook distribution.

Denny asked Dena: What are fiction writers getting right, what are they getting wrong?

I think that fiction writers are getting far more creative with connecting with the community of readers and reaching their audience. There doesn’t seem to be the same reliance on publishers to do all the promotion for them. Authors are interacting with readers on a far more personal level via blogs, web pages, Twitter, and Facebook. When I couldn’t buy a self-published Courtney Milan ebook for my library (The Duchess War) I left a comment on Milan’s web page, she replied right away, and the next week the book was available in Overdrive (I’m still waiting for her latest to show up).

If they don’t have a traditional publisher, authors are getting far more savvy about self-publishing. It used to be that my knee-jerk reaction to anything self-published was that it was vanity press project and not worth my time to read or buy for the library. That’s definitely changing. Hugh Howey is an example of a very successful self-published author (and he’s now been picked up by Simon and Schuster). Courtney Milan and Sylvia Day moved into self-publishing. And there are different distribution models that are appearing and being successful as well.

Dena’s Top Pics for 2012:

Top romance books read in 2012: A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan, No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper, A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant.

Pick one of Dena’s top picks in your comment below and if your name is drawn you will receive an e-copy of the book!

One last gift from Dena for today!

She creates booklists for the Free Library webpage. Go here, here and here, to visit Dena’s lists! Enjoy!

Thank you Dena for joining us in the Mermaid’s Pond!

Help! My Tush is Getting Bigger–But I Have Deadlines!

February 20, 2013Health, Loni Lynne, mermaids, MotivationLoni Lynne

Yes–goofy title but I shoot from the hip–which is part of my problem lately *sigh*. My hips have always been in trouble of causing conflicts–I could never do the ‘Bump’ without sending my dance partner into the next county.

And it hasn’t been getting any better sitting at my laptop on a daily basis trying to ‘bump’ out my next novel.

I’ve read all the ideas from other authors in similar situations–let me see if you’ve heard of them, too:

Get up and move around every 15-20 minutes or so (great idea if I wasn’t in a 1k1h frame of mind–so I try for after every session).
Keep healthy nibbles on hand to curb appetite (this one from Weight Watchers meetings) –does baked tortilla chips and fresh salsa constitute healthy nibbles, as I sit at my laptop?
Go for a walk to clear mind and work out the kinks. (This I do love to do but dealing with 20 mile an hour wind and cold days makes it difficult to force myself to get out there. Yeah, I’m chicken! But then it would probably be a great thing for my hot flashes–that have nothing to do with my sex scenes I’m writing.)
Plan healthy meals–(I laugh at this one, only because my hubby has been watching and drooling over Food Network shows that have nothing to do with healthy meals–and he’s the one who takes on the cooking–it’s his hobby.)

Okay, you get my drift–I’m looking for any excuse NOT to do the right thing. I want satisfaction without having to sacrifice my writing time. I’ve tried things but never found the right combination to maintain.

I’ve made a pact with hubby that we really do need to focus on our health. We are not getting any younger. I want to do things and go places with him as we go into our solitary years (if that really happens) as middle-aged adults. I want changes but I don’t have the time to work out like a Hollywood Actress after giving birth. I’m an author who wants to work on my career and yet keep healthy doing so–behind a desk.

So I would love to hear from you on great suggestions–whether you are a writer yourself, or someone who has a desk job and trying to find the time in your schedule to work out. Please, any help and ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Raising my cup of vanilla bean latte to you all (which could be part of my problem?). 😀