SARA HUMPHREYS: Pros & Cons of Working From Home

Working from home is actual work and has its own set of challenges. Up until four months ago, I held down a full-time job outside the home. I’d been juggling the day job, a growing writing career, four sons, a marriage and the house stuff for the past several years. After many soul-searching (and bank account scrutinizing) conversations, my husband and I came to the conclusion that I would become fully self-employed and work from home.

Whooo hoooo! No more being at the mercy of someone else’s timetable. No more late night events or weekend command performances.

No more steady paycheck. Wait. That one isn't as fun.

There are sacrifices being made in order to pursue this self-employed career path but it’s worth it.  The only problem is that when people hear that you work from home, you can tell that some of them don’t think it’s actually work.

Not true.

I work every day and while I’m not at the mercy of someone else’s day to day schedule, I am still on deadlines. I still have responsibilities to meet. One benefit of working from home is that I don’t have a “boss” looking over my shoulder. That’s nice. The challenge is that I have to kick my own ass and be more disciplined than I’ve ever had to be before.

The temptation to fiddle around on the net, or read a great book or watch a great movie on television is always lurking around the corner. Don’t get me wrong there are days when I will do one of those things but that only means more work the next day.

One of the other challenges working from home is that when my kids get a day off, then I have to take the day off of work. I have discovered that I get a whole lot of nothing done when they’re home from school but that’s way it should be. One of the major reasons we pulled the trigger on this life change was so that I could be fully available for my boys. So if they have the day off then that day turns into a non-work day for me and that means double the work the next day.

You’ll get no complaints from me about this gig.  The advantages far outweigh the challenges.  Here are my favorites.

·         I make my own schedule.

·         I don’t have to get gussied up for work and can stay in my gym clothes all day if I want to.

·         I do something I’m passionate about and work hard at it every day.

·         I’m more accessible for my children and what they need.

·         I’m happy.

·         I’m a lucky woman.

• How about you? What are the pros and cons of your job?

BUY: AMAZON, B&E, INDIEBOUND

UNTAMED 
BY SARA HUMPHREYS – IN STORES NOVEMBER 2012

An ancient race of shapeshifters has lived secretly among humans for thousands of years...they are...the Amoveo

HER WORST NIGHTMARE IS COMING TRUE...

Layla Nickelsen has spent years hiding from her Amoveo mate and guarding a devastating secret. But Layla's worst fear is realized when the man who haunts her dreams shows up in person ...

HE HAS FINALLY FOUND HER...

William Fleury is as stoic as they come, until he finds Layla and his feelings overwhelm him. She won't let him get close, but then an unknown enemy erupts in violence and threatens everything Layla holds dear... EXCERPT

UNTAMED TRAILER

Sara Humphreys has been attracted to the fantasies of science fiction, paranormal, and romance since her adolescence when she had a mad crush on Captain Kirk. An actress and public speaker, Sara lives in Bronxville, NY, with her husband, who is very considerate of her double life, and four amazing boys. 

For more information about her books and to join her street team, please visit www.sarahumphreys.com or follow her on Twitter, @AuthorSara. 

DEFINING CHARACTERS

It's my pleasure to have contemporary fiction author and fellow blogger, Helen Ginger, as my guest today. Helen leads a busy life as an author, teaching public speaking and workshops, works as an editor, and book consultant. She is also an incredible resource for writers and bloggers alike. 

Today she talks a bit about defining characters through actions.

How do you define characters without saying, this person is strong or this person is mean or this person is reliable? If you're the author of the book, you don't say these things. You show their personalities through their actions. If you're reading a book, you come to know what kind of people they are through those actions.  Like in life, actions speak louder than words.

Angel, the main character in my book, Angel Sometimes, shows who she is over the course of the book. If you read the back cover blurb then you know that when she was 12 she was taken 800 miles from home and left on the streets. She was just a child, alone. But the book is not about her at 12; it's about her at 22. She's grown. She's an advocate for the homeless. She has friends. And she still has the plan to go home and confront her parents.

The streets made her strong. When she was 16, she hitchhiked to Austin, and found a help wanted sign at a bar/restaurant. Every day she waited outside for the owner to show up. Every day she asked for a job. Every day he said no, she was too young. On her 18^th birthday, he hired her. He had no idea how close she was to dying.

Because of the life she had growing up, she's what I would call an "old soul." She doesn't remember a time when she didn't work - and scrounging for food is work, an even harder job than she has swimming as a mermaid in the bar/restaurant. She's built a life for herself and for others that she's helped. But she hasn't forgotten the past. Nor has she forgotten her plan to go home.  All she needs is a car, her G.E.D, and a gun.

As a reader of Angel Sometimes, you live her life as an adult. You find out what happened to her as a child. When she goes home, you go along with her.

I define Angel as a strong person. Someone told me they saw her as an old soul. I've had readers ask when the next Angel book will be out. I hadn't planned on a sequel, but the more I think about it, the more I'm wondering if she has another tale to tell. After all, she is a survivor.

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, POWELLS

ANGEL SOMETIMES

Just before her thirteenth birthday, Angel Sometimes' aunt took her 800 miles from her home in Oklahoma, gave her $50 and left Angel on South Padre Island, Texas. 

Four years later, Angel hitchhiked to Austin and got a job swimming as a mermaid in a bar in the music district. At twenty-two, she has friends and a place to live. When a homeless girl is beaten and a waitress killed, Angel realizes she will never be whole until she confronts her parents. 

She needs three things: her high school diploma, a car and a gun. She has a car. She's finished her final test for her GED. The only thing she needs is the gun and she knows where to get one. 

Preview (on Amazon)

Helen Ginger is the author of Angel Sometimes, three non-fiction books with TSTC Publishing, and a contributor to the short story anthology, The Corner Café. She's also the Coordinator of Story Circle Network's Editorial Services.  Her free ezine, Doing It Write, which goes out to subscribers around the globe, is now in its thirteenth year of publication.  She’s also an Owner/Partner and Webmistress for Legends In Our Own Minds®. 'Course, what she gets asked about most often are her three years as a mermaid at Aquarena Springs. Swimming with a shimmery tail, picnicking underwater, performing synchronized ballet, blowing air bubbles ... all year round, even in the winter.  

You can follow Helen on Twitter  or connect with her on Facebook, LinkedIn, and her blog, Straight FromHel .