Back To Work!

How I plan to juggle all the balls:

​I told myself that when I've written ten novels, I can claim to be a successful author. After all, most folks who strive to write a book never make it past chapter 1. By today's standards, ten books doesn't exactly make me a prolific writer, but it's a good start. I can be proud of my work knowing that I put a metric ton of blood, sweat, tears, and raw soul into every story. So, when the industry threw me one too many loops, I decided to take a short break. A dear friend of mine--who noted the deep bags under my eyes--recommended a longer break. No doubt I had a lot going on, so I took her advice...times three. You might say I experienced a creativity shutdown, suddenly unsure of what my future would look like. For so long it had been set in stone that my writing career would carry my husband and I into a cushy retirement. Alas, those dreams were seeming more and more unattainable. What the hell now?
The amount of money I spent trying this-and-that was astronomical, at least by my austere standards. I could open my own shop selling off the jewelry-making kits, art supplies, and craft items I had purchased for my many brilliant ideas that would inevitably be demoted to a ridiculous notion. After all, what could possibly replace what had been embedded in my soul for so many years, and had suddenly left such a gaping void that nothing could seem to fill? Over time, my thoughts settled a bit, allowing me to close my eyes and embrace the quiet. And when I wasn't looking, I suddenly had farm animals. Then a food processing venture that became a lucrative second job. Both of those things command a lot of time from my days, so when I decided to do something with the two completed novels gathering dust on my desktop, I could finally add "glutton for punishment" to my growing resume.

Why the hell not, I said. Pitch them and see what happens, I said. If they get contracted, I'll dive right back into the fray. If not, I still have my two part-time jobs, my chickens and my happiness.
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Wait...what? My first pitch yielded a contract? Why the hell couldn't it have been that easy before? Maybe changing my pen name and going soft-core on the sex scenes was the lucky side of the coin. After hearing the opposite from my agent for so many years, who would have thunk it? I guess listening to my gut was the way to go after all.

Lesson learned. Now for Act II and the delicate balance of juggling four balls at once. If things work out the way I hope, one of the other balls can be dropped. Because let's be honest...nothing will ever fill that void quite like immersing myself in a steamy, action-packed, hard-won romance. Thank you for sharing this continued journey with me.