My New World of Writing

I’ve been banging my head on my keyboard trying to come up with a blog post that was, if not profound, at least pithy and witty…I got nothing. Today the well is empty. And all the chocolate and wine in the cupboard doesn’t seem to be prompting my muse into action. (Actually, last I saw, she was taking off with an umbrella drink in one hand, her other arm linked through the pool guy’s, running through the sprinkler.)

Which of course, got me thinking about how difficult this whole writing gig really is.

I’ve had no less than fifty jobs in my life. Everything from nature educator to waitress, 4-H camp counselor to jeans salesperson, real estate secretary to girls’ dormitory janitor and nothing, I mean nothing (not even a classroom of twenty-5 year olds) was as HARD as writing books (nope, not even the college shower drains).

Even when I was teaching at a local science center, there were days I could show up without really “showing up” for the job. I’m a great teacher (without a self-confidence issue *g*), it’s a natural for me. I knew my lessons inside-out, backwards and upside down. Which meant, even when my mouth was going and my hands holding up specimens, sometimes my brain was writing the grocery list or thinking about last night’s…okay, well, let’s not go there. *g* The point is, I didn’t have to be engaged to be good at my job.

But writing? Ah, there’s an intellectual challenge that requires all cylinders be firing at full capacity. You can’t show up to your keyboard with half your brain thinking about what you’re going to cook for dinner. Well, you can, but the results will be less than stellar. Reviewers don’t like less than stellar. Editors tear apart less than stellar. And the readers? Yeeeeah, you just don’t want to go there.

But for all the head banging, sweat inducing and hair pulling moments, there isn’t any other profession that’s given me such a kick-in-the-pants thrill as seeing my name on a book or getting a letter from a reader telling me how much they loved my newest book. *sigh* And trust me when I tell you…it never gets old! My favorite quote by Michael Kanin, “I don’t like writing, but I love to have written”, sums up my love/hate relationship with my career.

So what about you? Have you ever had a job that you LOVED, but was really challenging? Have you ever tried your hand at writing? Curious writers are dying to know.

My latest book news is the release of my sexy romantic suspense novel, BLIND HER WITH BLISS, in audiobook!

BLURB:
She's trying to find herself. He's attempting to hide. Together they'll discover a truth that threatens them both...

Investigating the death of her best friend, uptight accountant, JULIE TILLING, discovers a world of adult nightclubs and Internet intrigue. When shock jock DAMON COREY rocks her world in a wild night of lust, she wonders if she's found love...or the key to solving a murd

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