The Art of Juggling by Susan Anne Mason

I never realized that being an author would mean learning to juggle. Not that I hadn’t been prepared by my ‘pre-publication’ life. After all, I juggled being a wife, a mother, a daughter, and a church secretary. Plus, I wrote in my spare time.

And you’d think that with my twelfth published novel coming out on October 13th, I’d have this writer’s job down pat. But these last few weeks have proven me wrong.

Three Tips on Making a Deadline by Blossom Turner

I am a new author at the ripe old age of 58. I’m finally doing what I was born to do. 

With my first book Anna’s Secret (contemporary romance) I had the privilege of taking my time…years in fact. No one knew my name, nor was my writing in demand. Currently I’m contracted for a five book historical romance series. The first book in the series Katherine’s Arrangement will be launched on August 4^th, 2020 with the following four at what I feel is warp speed—every half year thereafter. My situation has drastically changed. I still have my mother-in-law to care for, my huge property as an avid gardener to keep up, my family and personal life, and full-time hours writing. I understand stress. So, for all you writers out there with deadlines and real life pressing in, here are three tips on making a deadline when feeling dead tired.

Move to a Boot and Have a Hoot by Mikal Dawn

There’s a saying out there. I don’t know where it started, but I know my best friend and I would always repeat it when we were faced with a situation that made us roll our eyes and pull out our hair: “What do you do when you live in a shoe? Move to a boot and have a hoot!” It was our way of encouraging each other to get outside of ourselves and whatever mess we were facing and look at the bright side of things.

Well, this year, I’ve found myself in a situation.

My debut novel published in May 2017. The situation? That was the first book in a series of three, and, well…I haven’t published book two yet. And it’s December 2019. Yikes! In my defense, I’ve written two novellas that go between books one and two. And my husband retired from the military after 21 years and we had to uproot our family again and move to another state. But these? They sound like excuses, don’t they? Because they are. Let me just say it out loud: I’m a procrastinator. And I give in to my anxieties. Often. So now that it’s December, I’ve just royally bombed at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, held every November), and I’m barely into writing book two after almost three years (but don’t forget those two novellas!), what am I going to do?

Move to a boot and have a hoot.

When we’re faced with challenges in writing—or just life in general—it’s important that we pull ourselves together and look for the good. How do we do that? Well, first, it’s impossible to do it on our own. We need the Author and Finisher of our faith.

1. Lift our problems off ourselves and put them on Christ’s shoulder. “Cast(ing) all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). He is our Rock, our Provider. Outside of Him, nothing is possible, so why do we keep trying? Trust Him.

2. Set aside a dedicated time to work through the story (or problem you’re facing). I don’t know about you, but when I’m faced with something, it will often infiltrate everything else I do. It’s always on my mind. But when I set aside time to (a) pray about it, and (b) work through it, I find I’m able to get it out of my head and leave it at Christ’s feet much easier. For writing, this means finding the best time of day, plopping myself on the couch with my laptop, latte, and licorice (red, thank you very much), and really focusing.

3. Celebrate! This is the best part of “moving to the boot and having a hoot!” Looking for the good in things, even if they aren’t directly related to writing or whatever issue you’re facing, really helps with our attitude. Whether it’s going for a jog (yeah, not me thanks!) or throwing yourself a little dance party in the kitchen (definitely my speed—I even had a dance party while cleaning my kitchen this morning), when you find joy in the midst of the hard, that shoe mysteriously turns into a boot, giving you a little more breathing room. 

When we’re faced with challenges in writing—or just life in general—it’s important that we pull ourselves together and look for the good. via @MikalDawn #SeriouslyWrite #amwriting

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Mikal Dawn is an inspirational romance author, wedding enthusiast, and proud military (retired) wife. By day, she works as an administrative assistant for an international ministry organization, runs her kids to all their sports, and drinks lots of coffee. By night, she pulls her hair out, wrestling with characters and muttering under her breath as she attempts to write while dinner is burning. And drinks lots of coffee. When she isn’t writing about faith, fun, and forever, she is obsessively scouring Pinterest (with coffee in hand, of course!) for wedding ideas for her characters.

Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Mikal now lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Mark, two of their three children, and one lazy, ferocious feline who can often be found taking over her Instagram account. Find Mikal on mikaldawn.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.


Embrace the magic of the Christmas season with these contemporary twists on timeless tales.

Upon a Dream — A rare sleeping disorder keeps Talia from performing, but when Philip recognizes her gift, he’ll do whatever it takes to see her onstage. 

Claim My Heart — Li Na and Colin Wen face off in a Mulan-esque courtroom battle where the real win might be losing their hearts.

A Snow White Christmas — Sheltered heiress Amala White flees her conniving stepmother’s plans and finds refuge with a handsome orchard owner and his seven quirky uncles.

Christmas Ella — Reality TV meets Cinderella story when a location director is swept off her feet by a rising star.

A Splash of Love — Las Vegas glitz meets Land of Enchantment culture in A Splash of Love, a modern twist on the Little Mermaid.

Available on Amazon for ebook (and Kindle Unlimited) and paperback.

Writing While Waiting by Kathy Harris

Don’t ever pray for patience, because God just might give it to you. At least that’s how the old saying goes.

Who hasn’t been frustrated occasionally when things don’t happen as quickly as we had planned? I don’t know about you, but there are times when I even start doubting that they will happen.

Let’s take the elusive dream of publication, for example. I think writers are particularly vulnerable to impatience. The road to publication is a long one. Throw in a few stop signs, roundabouts, dangerous curves, and detours, and it’s easy to become discouraged.

Unfortunately, discouragement is the number one enemy of productivity, and if we’re going to be published, we have to write. So, how do we avoid the vicious cycle of discouragement vs. writing?

Deadlines.

Just as discouragement is the enemy of productivity, deadlines are the nemesis of doubt, discouragement, and impatience. Deadlines are an act of faith. When we set a deadline, we’re telling ourselves that we can. We’re committing ourselves to the task. We’re showing ourselves to be faithful that God will deliver. In His timing.

In April of this year, I wrote a blog post on deadlines for the ACFW Blog outlining why I think deadlines are one of the best ways we can move ourselves forward as writers. In fact, I believe that self-imposed deadlines can keep us ahead of the game, putting us in a place where we don’t have to scramble when opportunity knocks. And it will.

All in God’s timing. 

Just as discouragement is the enemy of productivity, deadlines are the nemesis of doubt, discouragement, and impatience. via @DevineDetour #SeriouslyWrite #amwriting

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Kathy is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Authors Network, MCRW, and RWA. She is the former publicity chairman for her local writer’s group and a member of The Book Club Network Volunteer Board of Directors. Follow Kathy on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor), Twitter (https://twitter.com/divinedetour), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kathyharris_author).