Friday, February 20, 2015

MY GLAMOROUS WRITER'S LIFE



My guest is romance author, Elizabeth Seckman. Many perceive the life of a writer as glamorous and easy. Elizabeth tends to snicker over that view of authors. She shares her day with us...

Whenever I wake up, I don the feather boa that accents my silk pajamas, then I float on a cloud to the kitchen where mimosas and strawberries await. After breakfast, I head to my computer and like Rumpelstiltskin (a very gorgeous, curvy female version), I begin spinning words into gold.
 
After a few hours, I stop for lunch and go through all the fan mail written on chocolate stationery. Then I return to work to find that draft I started is magically finished and ready to be sent to the publisher.
 
With a sharp whistle, courier doves appear and they take the story, page by page, in their little beaks and carry it to the magic place where books are printed and then placed on top sellers lists. 

It's not all easy though. Once, I broke a nail.

Okay, so that may be how the world sees a writer's life.
 
In reality? I roll out of bed in my Sponge Bob pajamas and I put on some fuzzy slippers and a hoodie (I get cold easily). Then I shove the kiddos off to school and I begin. I check email, Facebook, blog, Twitter...anything to delay opening a manuscript file.
 
When the muse finally gives me a kick in the butt, I start writing. Then the phone rings. Usually a telemarketer letting me know I won a cruise. Back I go. I check my Facebook, email, and Twitter again. Then back to writing.
 
Then the dog needs to go out. I chastise him for not having opposable thumbs. Then back to writing...after one last email/Facebook check.
 
I finally hit the sweet spot- you know, that place where you're completely in the story and the characters are lining up and telling you what's going on? Yeah, that spot. I hit that and nothing else matters. Fire alarms sound and if I don't smell smoke, I don't really care. I'm in the zone. 

Then the kids come home; the husband returns from work and there I am- still in my Sponge Bob pajamas promising them pizza for dinner.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           


Jo Leigh Harper comes from a long line of trouble-making, white trash stock.

Tanner Coulter comes from a longer line of wealth-creating, blue blood stock.

Jo graduated college top of her class, moving toward a future full of possibilities. Tanner dropped out of college, trading a law degree for drinking games and one night stands.

A family crisis throws the rich party boy and the poor genius girl together. The attraction is immediate, though neither one is a heart-in-the-sand-drawing believer in true love. But as the summer sun heats up along the shores of the Outer Banks, so does the connection between them. Maybe, just maybe, they can win at love by defying reason. EXCERPT

BUY: AMAZON

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Elizabeth divides her time between her beach cottage and her scrupulously clean house in the hills of West Virginia.

Ooops. That's fantasy Elizabeth. The real Elizabeth spends her days schlepping after her four boys (five if you count their father) and the assortment of pets they swore they'd take care of.
She does live in West Virginia; the house is clean when the mother-in-law visits; and she does have serious dreams of living at the beach.


Elizabeth is a Marshall University graduate with a degree in counseling. This has proven very beneficial when dealing with the make-believe friends she hangs out with all day (she calls this 'writing').


 

Monday, February 16, 2015

MONDAY'S MUSINGS—SNOW AND MORE SNOW


Today, as snow continues to fall, I’m thinking it’s a great day for snuggling up with a nice cup of tea or coffee and reading a good book. I’m rereading parts of the Carpathian series written by Christine Feehan. Some I haven’t read in ten years, but I’m enjoying the visit with some of my favorite characters.  There are a couple of movies we have lined up to watch as well. I haven’t seen the first two Iron Man movies and so hope to catch up on those.

Unless we lose power. Then it’s books by lantern light and crank up either the woodstove to heat food and water for coffee, or our propane camp stove. Fortunately, we don’t have an electric ignition on our backup wall heater so staying warm won’t be a problem. I always have about 70 gallons of water on hand and extra few gallons for flushing and dish washing. We’re set.

We’re right in the midst of  rapidly falling snow. We’ve been told to expect in excess of two inches an hour within the heavy bands of snow and we’re smack-dab in the middle of one of those heavy bands. Thankfully, it’s a short but intense storm. We were hoping we’d be in the 4-7 inch band. I should have known better, lol! Our band might only drop ten inches on us unless it shifts and if it does, then we’re looking at a foot of snow by the time it stops later this afternoon. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it will shift the other way.

Dan last year shoveling after our late January snow storm.
Fortunately, there’s no school or work for the family as it’s a Federal holiday. Dan and Jake have a date with the snow shovels once the snow stops later after lunch. While they’re shoveling,  Melissa and I will be hauling out grain and hay for the horses and feed for the Danes—they have insulated oak dog houses with a half bale of hay inside to snuggle up in. All we have to do is break a hole in the ice for the animals to reach the water. The rabbits will need new water along with hay and grain. We have a system down and it usually takes us about fifteen-twenty minutes to do all the feeding but the with the deep snow it might be more like thirty-forty minutes. I guarantee, I’ll be putting on my carharts insulated overalls, winter parka, and my snow boots. They guys will haul out several buckets of water. We’ll be more than ready for a hot meal and movies for the afternoon.

I know all this snow is heading straight for Kentucky—enjoy it Keith (Optimistic Existentialist) because you will probably be getting even more snow than we have.
  • More than 55 million people live in areas that are currently under a wind chill warning or advisory.
  • An additional 50 million are under winter storm warnings, stretching from Oklahoma to South Carolina and up to New Jersey. (CNN Weather facts)


Hope all stay safe and warm.