Healing Summer author Elizabeth Seckman--Top Ten Reasons Why NOT to Write.

My good friend and encourager, Elizabeth Seckman is here with us today to tell us her top ten writing excuses. Her new release, Healing Summer was recently released by World Castle Publishing. If you read her first book, Past Due, you'll want to make sure you have the second story about the Coulter men. Be sure to check back here on Jan 17th for more on Healing Summer. Now, for Elizabeth's excuses:


 Top 10 Reasons For Not Writing
 
 10. Facebook addiction has no support group. 
 
 9. I am working toward becoming the Solitaire champion of the world. 
 
 8. My kids have bottomless pits for stomachs and expect me to feed them.
 
 7. My cat has decided the keyboard is her favorite napping spot. 
 
 6. Too many episodes of "Jersey Shore" robbed me of my vocabulary. 
 
 5. Too many years spent in solitary indoor confinement left me with rickets. 
 
 4. I'm too busy checking blog stats, sales ranks, and number of followers.
 
 3. My bad hair is weighing on my brain and won't let me think. 
 
 2. My royalty check came and it wasn't enough to pay the electric bill. 
 
 And the number one reason for not writing:
 
 1. After years of unyielding devotion to the written word, the health department has locked me out of my house.


Ditched at the altar…biopsied for cancer…Mollie Hinkle is having a bona fide bitch of a summer.When life sucks so hard it takes your breath away, what's a girl to do? Road trip! Pack a bag, grab a few friends, and leave the past and the worry in the rear view mirror. What wounds can’t be healed by a drive across the Heartland, where quarter flips at cross roads determine the route and the future? All roads lead to Craig, the second son and bad boy of the haughty Coulter line. Craig has spent his life taking care of number one—himself. He’s not interested in a relationship and he’s definitely not looking to fall in love. But if a morsel drops in his lap, who is he to refrain? Mollie’s not looking for love either, but truth be told, she’s not opposed to it. Heck, if fate brought her to the miniscule Montana town to find happily ever after, she won’t fight it.Perhaps it is a summer where love, not time, heals all her wounds.

Check it out on Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Summer-Elizabeth-Seckman/dp/1938961668/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356968094&sr=1-1&keywords=healing+summer

Need to read the first book? You can find Past Due here: http://www.amazon.com/Past-Due-Elizabeth-Seckman/dp/1938243323/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

Cover reveal: Dawn of the Morning Star-- Penelope King

I'm privileged to have my friend Penelope King here with her latest release, Dawn of the Morning Star, part three of the Spellbound Series. If you haven't read any of King's books, be sure to check out her Spellbound trilogy as well as her Demonblood series. 

(Click on the picture to purchase it on Amazon)

The sins of the mother...

Calista McCoy’s idyllic existence has been shattered and her life is in shambles. Her once happy home is gone, her family and friends lost. Now she must pick up the pieces and rebuild her world, and discover the truth about what really happened all those years ago…with shocking new developments that no one saw coming.

Check out King's blog at http://authorpenelopeking.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @_wendybird_
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/authorpenelope

Top Ten Reasons Why NOT to Write--Catherine Bennett Lascow

Welcome back, everyone. Today, Catherine Bennett is here to share her list of excuses. Be sure to check out her book below. 

10 Reasons Why I Don’t Write by Catherine Bennett

 

1.     Fear of failure                                                                                                  

2.     Constant demands by my two Labradors

3.     Facebook

4.     Job

5.     Too busy reading other people’s books

6.     Bored husband who demands attention in the evening

7.     Pinterest

8.     Hours spent at Starbucks with compulsive coffee-drinking son

9.     Difficulty piecing together a compelling story

10.  Too much sleeping

Love. Desire. A psycho bent on revenge. But can Charlie Reynolds recognize the most dangerous of the three?

Since being out on her own at eighteen, Charlotte “Charlie” Reynolds is a street-smart “good” girl who hides her desire for love and security behind her feisty and independent personality. She just never expected a more noxious hero than wealthy, self-consumed Evan Gardner, the CEO and founder of Valley Tech., a successful software company in Los Angeles. From the moment Evan rescues her from an apparent random attack, their attraction for each other bubbles just below the surface of all-out passion.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Trouble-With-Charlie-ebook/dp/B00849AM9I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1355848735&sr=8-2&keywords=the+trouble+with+charlie

Top Ten Reasons Not to Write-- J. F. Jenkins

Please help me welcome back, author, J. F. Jenkins of Astraea Press. Check out Jenkins's books on Amazon, B&N and Astraeapress.com. (see links at the bottom of the page.) Now, tell us all your fabulous excuses that keep you from writing.

Why I DON'T Write (in no particular order):

1)      I have a toddler. I really think that should be self explanatory, but in case it isn't here's why: he needs a lot of attention, he likes to jump on me, he tries to break my computer...A LOT. Just watching him sucks up all of my energy these days.

2)      Sleep. This is probably a big one. My need for sleep usually takes up a lot of my free time that I have to write. (Amen to that! Naps rock.)

3)      Working the day job. I've gotta earn money some how! Writing doesn't always pay the bills, sorry! The day job takes not only more of my time, but also a great deal of my energy.

4)      Video games are my next biggest reason why I don't write. Why? Because sometimes I just need to do something relaxing and not taxing to my brain.”

5)      Bad reviews. We all get them. It's part of the business. But I don't feel like writing when someone tells my book is stupid, that they could have written better “crap” than that, and that they should get their money back. Who wants to write a book after seeing that written about their heart and soul?

6)      My muse sometimes doesn't want to work with me. It's frustrating and annoying.

7)      There are days where I'd rather be reading, doing anything, but writing. Sometimes I just don't feel like it!

8)      My husband likes to suck up my time by running errands together. ( HA! )

9)      Health problems. We all have them on occasion. Some days, they just take over and ruin everything.

10)  Excuses. I come up with a lot of reasons as to why I should be doing something that isn't writing. Most of them aren't good ones.

Thanks for stopping by, Here's one of Jenkins's latest novels: 

Darien and Tai Oceina have not been married for long, but already they have one of the most complicated relationships. He is a dragon and the leader of a nation. She is carrying their first child who is supposed to be “the answer”. As Darien dives further into the politics of his people, a wedge is driven deeper between him and his wife.

Twin brothers Jason and Matthias Inero were always inseparable. For the first time in their lives they are apart from each other. Matt continues to do the will of their father, the corrupted Dragon Lord of the Inero, while Jason has fled with his bride to an island where he can forget about everything. Or try to. Being possessed by a demon makes that hard to achieve, and as the creature fights to control his body, Jason discovers a lot of shocking truths about his lineage and destiny.

The two worlds of fire and water collide as both dragon tribes prepare for war with the other. Matthias is determined to crush Darien's people. Only an ancient spell will give Darien enough power to fight back and have any hope at winning. The spell is complicated however and requires all four dragon tribes to work together in harmony. Something that is a lot easier said than done.

http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Touched-Dragons-Saga-ebook/dp/B0087451OG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1355246638&sr=1-1&keywords=J.+F.+Jenkins

Top Ten Reasons I Don't Write-- Brea Essex

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Today I have the privilege of having Brea Essex with me. Brea publishes with Astraea Press.

 Excuses, excuses, excuses…we all have them. Here are my top ten reasons why I don’t write: 

1. The baby is crying/cranky/hungry/wants to be held. I have an almost-five-week old, so of course he needs a lot of attention. Of course, this is a recent excuse. (I hear you on this one, Brea! I can't get anything done when my 12 mo old is awake.)

2. I’m too tired (see #1). The baby keeps me up at night.

3. Too much to do around the house. If I’m not busy with the baby, I’m usually attempting to clean/do dishes/do laundry/cook before he needs me again. 

4. I don’t know where I’m going with the story. I’m terrible at outlines, so they’re usually not very detailed. This has tripped me up on numerous occasions.

5. I know what I want to write, but the words aren’t coming. This has been the story of my life lately. 

6. I’d rather be reading. I read a lot. Unfortunately, sometimes others’ books take precedence over my own. (I can never find enough time to actually read the books I want to read either! My kindle is filled to the brim with books on my TBR.)

7. My husband will be home soon, so I’ll write then. Sometimes I get so busy during the day, that by the time I can sit down to write, it’s almost time for my husband to get off work. More often than not, I’ll just decide to write after he gets home and can take the baby. It almost never happens, because I want to spend time with him rather than write. 

8. It’s too loud in my house. Sometimes if I do actually try to write when my husband is home, I can’t because he has the TV too loud, or he keeps trying to talk to me. I’m easily distracted, and I don’t want to ignore him, so again, writing does not get done. 

9. There’s a movie/TV show on that I really want to watch. This is especially the case if there is a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings marathon on (or I start watching my DVDs). 

10. I’ll just check Facebook one more time. Yes, I’m guilty of being sucked into the black hole of Facebook. In fact, I’m pretty sure I checked it at least ten times while I was writing this post. Okay, I’m exaggerating. Or maybe not. I lost count. (*raises hand* Guilty as charged here too!)

 So, there you have it: my top ten (and I’m sure there are many more) reasons why I don’t get any writing done. If you write, what are your excuses? 

 Check out Brea's books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Astraeapress.com. Click on the pictures to go to Amazon.

Check them out for your nook as well. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/foreshadow-brea-essex/1108016476?ean=2940013864382

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/overshadow-brea-essex/1111639100?ean=2940014706957

Thanks for being with us today, Brea.