Nine Tips for Finding Balance by Kimberly Rose Johnson

Kimberly Rose Johnson

Nine Tips for Finding Balance

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

This self-proclaimed workaholic learned a valuable lesson—writing should only be a part of a well-balanced life, not all consuming.

I love to write. It’s my passion, and it makes me happy. However, when my boys went away to college, writing became what drove me day in and day out. I had contracts to fulfill, plus other books I wanted to write, as well as a part-time job. I was stressed, overworked, tired, ate too much, consumed too much caffeine, didn’t exercise nearly enough, and consequently my quality of life suffered.

I have always touted balance, but I allowed my passion to take over, and I became out of balance. It had never been my intent to stress myself out. I simply wanted to meet my deadlines and make my readers happy with a new book every three or four months. I’m not doing this any longer.

In 2017 I published nine books! Five of them were books I’d received my rights back on, and one had been in a collection. That sounds easy enough, except that I couldn’t afford the price the publisher wanted to buy the digital files, so I had to get the books scanned. The scanning process causes mistakes! It took me a long time to get through those pages. Suffice it to say it was daunting. On top of that, I had one book release from my current publisher, and I wrote two more novels to finish off an indie series. It was a lot.

That year took a toll on me in every aspect of my life, and I learned a lesson—I couldn’t simply talk about balance, I needed to incorporate it into my life every day.

Here are some tips I’m putting into action:

·                     Spend time in the Bible

·                     Eat wholesome and healthy foods

·                     Make exercise a priority and incorporate weights as well as cardio

·                     Allow wiggle room in my schedule

·                     Give permission to take a day off

·                     Don’t stress marketing—but still do it

·                     Do what is necessary then let the rest go during busy times

·                     Cut back production schedule—I will only publish two books in 2018.

·                     Remember it’s okay to slow down

There you have it, my plan to finding true balance. I leave you with one final thought that Allen Arnold talks about: Co-create with God.

Your turn: Have you ever gotten out of balance in your writing life? How did you get back on track? What are some items on your “finding a balance” list?

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The Sleuth's Miscalculation

The Sleuth’s Miscalculation

Two strong-willed sleuths team up to solve a mystery. Can they work together, or will their differences pull them apart?

Librarian Nancy Daley loves a good mystery and enjoys moonlighting as a consultant for the sheriff’s department. When license plates go missing in Tipton County, she’s on the case. This time things are different—she’s been partnered with the new deputy, and he’s not interested in her help. To make matters worse, she’s angered the wrong person and is now being threatened.

Sheriff Deputy Carter Malone expects Tipton, Oregon to be a sleepy small-town, but he miscalculated. He’d come to town for a fresh start with his nephew—one without the issues big cities deal with. Had he made a mistake? To complicate matters, he’s told he must consult with the sheriff’s daughter, who is not in law enforcement. When the minor case they are working morphs into something more, things quickly go from harmless to scary.

Can they solve the mystery before it’s too late, and more importantly, what will they do about their growing attraction?

~~~~~

Faith Hope and Love Reader's Choice Finalist, Kimberly Rose Johnson, married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. 

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Website: http://kimberlyrjohnson.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Rose-Johnson/e/B00K10CR6E/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7082210.Kimberly_Rose_Johnson

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Can Life Get Any Crazier? by Lacy Williams

Lacy Williams

My family welcomed a new addition this year: our youngest daughter was born in March. My husband and I also have an almost-four-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy.

My mom thinks I am a little nuts to try to balance a writing career with the little ones at home, but I don't see it much differently than having a part-time job outside the home. And there are some days that my characters and writing is the only thing keeping me sane.

I'd love to share some tips on how I get things done. These may not work for everyone, but they do work for me.

1) When I do get writing time, either after bedtime or when I have a babysitter, my focus is all on writing. No email. No social media. No goofing off.

2) I try to keep realistic deadlines. This has been a learning process for me working with my publisher. For some reason, my kids always seem to get sick the week before my deadline is up. So I've learned to plan for a few extra weeks for each deadline within the contract. I've also learned to work ahead, and not procrastinate until the last minute--unless I want to be up all night finishing the book (which I've had to do a couple of times).

3) Count on others. This has been a big one for me. I'm an independent person who doesn't like to lean on others much, but I've had to ask for help from family to watch the kids or let my husband know when it was his time to put the kids in bed.

4) Enjoy the small moments. It's a constant balancing act to remember that my needs and goals aren't the only ones that matter. I want to spend time with my kiddos now while they're small, and not miss those little moments like when my son blew his first bubbles or the littlest one learning to roll over for the first time. The first laugh. First ballet class. I think a lot of parents share this same struggle, because on one hand we have to put food on the table, but we all need to learn to slow down and enjoy the small moments.

For our family this year, that meant taking a family vacation (we invited my parents and sister since we were outnumbered by kids!). What a fun time to slow down, spend time together and do things we haven't done in awhile. We visited a theme park and hubby and I got to sneak away to ride a big roller coaster--something I haven't done since before the kids came, but it was like having a few moments of my own childhood back to go on the exhilerating ride.

I'm certainly not perfect at balancing my priorities, but it is something I've been working on!

Dora here. What about you? 

Do you struggle with balancing writing and family life?

Maybe a full-time job, too?

How do you balance everything?

Roping the Wrangler
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Teacher Seeks a Husband
Schoolmarm Sarah Hansen longs for a family of her own. But horse trainer Oscar White is the last man she'd consider. Still, she can't help noticing the care he shows three motherless girls and the gentle way he helps Sarah overcome her fear of horses.

Too bossy by half—that's the Sarah that Oscar remembers from their teenage years. Yet as a former orphan, he finds the little Caldwell sisters—and their pretty teacher—getting under his skin. Could the tender heart Sarah's always hidden tame a once-reckless wrangler?

Meet Lacy: By day, Lacy Williams is a stay-at-home mom battling dirty diapers and dog-hair dust-bunnies. By night, she is an award-winning novelist. She loves dogs, chocolate ice cream, romantic movies and her number-crunching husband. Her most recent book, ROPING THE WRANGLER, comes out in August from Love Inspired Historical. http://www.lacywilliams.net