TIME MANAGEMENT - MANAGING WORK AND FAMILY

The countdown has begun. The kids have been shushed and put on notice.  Mom is almost done with her next novel and she has a deadline so nobody better get in her way...except a tummy bug that has now hit everyone. The little boy who only wants me to help him with his homework. The baby girl who won't always go to others to get someone to type Barney or Talking Cat Sylvester into the Kindle. Miss Crazy who needs hugs throughout the day/evening (She's the middle child and suffers from middle child syndrome so how can I say no!). The husband who gets frisky once all the kids are finally in bed and really deserves some attention - after all he has to sit through listening to my love scenes (and others) over and over and over...

This is what I have been
working so hard on!
See note at bottom of page

So, the family has been put on notice to leave mom alone while she finishes writing, typing and pre editing. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. That is why I have given myself a three day window for publication. I have to have the book up and running by November first-third, period end of story.  I think I will be becoming an expert in multi-tasking.

Is it possible to write while being sick?  Yep! I did it the other day. You should have seen me, I would write a paragraph (for those who don't know, I hand write and can do that laying down) doze for about ten minutes, head to the bathroom, write a paragraph, doze for ten minutes, head to the bathroom etc. TASK COMPLETE! I actually got a lot of writing done!

Is it possible to write while helping the boy do his homework?  Yep!  I have successfully written a paragraph here or there while singing the ABC's. I have successfully run spell check while pointing to each repeated letter on his mixed up letter sheet. I somehow was able to type up a whole scene while listening to him read and correcting his mistakes when he made them.  Of course it helps that at five, his books are easy and I have them memorized after the first time he reads them. And I can always manage a ton of hugs and high fives EVERY TIME he gets something right!

Is it possible to write while typing on the kindle?  Well no, not technically. But it only takes a minute or two and I think I can spare that to hear my baby doll singing along with Barney (blech, I hate that dinosaur but love her singing) or laughing her Little Butt off at the antics of Sylvester the talking cat.  It keeps me going, makes me happy and lets her have a little bit of fun so I can get some work done in between typing words into the kindle!

Is it possible to write while hugging Miss Crazy?  Well no, not really. But dang her hugs are so sweet and it gives me a nice little break to remind me that I do have great kids who love me.

Is it possible to write while giving attention to The Hubs. No, not at all, but then again...I guess it could be classified as research. You know, my characters are ONLY famous for hugging and snuggling a lot :p

Until Next Time...It's hard but not impossible to show your kids love and do what needs to be done in your life at the same time.  You can do it!  If I, with the messed up mommy brain, can do it, so can you!

NOTE: Sorry the pic isn't great but for some reason when I upload it to blogger it washes it out. It looks better on my facebook page - stop on over and checkit out http://www.facebook.com/writerjjellis

THE COUGHING CRUD & OTHER HORROR TALES

So, the coughing crud has caught some of us again. Most of the second rounds of this crap are quick and done, but mine is lingering and I feel like i'm dying.  I truly haven't felt this awful in years.  I feel like pumping my house full of lysol every week in hopes of keeping this crap out.

Gwen has another sinus infection and although she has been given a clean bill of health they are still running a few tests.  We do what will hopefully be the last one this afternoon.

Miss Crazy is almost done with antibiotics for a sinus infection. Do you all remember my previous post about the intricate workings of the six year old mind?  Well, she will be seven in a couple of months and I am beginning to think the scary sixes are a permanent thing for her.  She has been hell on wheels lately.  I'm about ready to trade her in for two three year olds or three two year olds!  That's how bad it is.

I am suffering a writer's block of sorts. I know exactly what I want to write for all of the books I am currently working on.  But when I get to the main 'sexy scene' from book 4 I am coming up blank.  I literally need The Hubs to rub my back and butt while I write, to get even ten good sentences on paper. (and no, it's not that kind of rubbing, it is more of a relaxing gently touch.) I think I am just too uptight to work, so I need a massage of sorts to work. But why just with this scene!  I've written many before (granted this book is much more wild and sexy than the other two) so who knows, I just hope it ends.  The benefits of massage other than ending writer's block?  Well that's an easy one, it kinda sorta helps my hips - a tiny bit.

My son is also being hell on wheels but I think that is because the neighbor kids are back and they have been away from the good influence of their mother for too long now so they are being horrible.  I am about one step away from banning all contact.  In the last two weeks my son has become a whiney two year old (and he's five)  Worst thing is, I am trying to get him ready for kindergarten in a couple of months and all he does is whine.

So what's going good you may ask?  Well The hubs and I celebrate 19 years of marriage on Tuesday and I think we are closer than ever. Once I get healthy again with the new product I am taking and selling, our relationship is going to go through the roof and I can't wait. Despite my trouble with the one scene? I am rockin it on my books and hope to have more out soon. The weather hasn't been too bad yet so that is good for me since I hate being hot. And my new product will be here soon and I hope to start the program on my anniversary.  What better day to start.

Until Next Time...Life is good. Period. End of Story. Even with crap going on, life is still good and darn it, I'm going to enjoy it! :)

BUSY BUSY BUSY - EXPLODE!

Do you ever have so much to do that you think you might explode? And there is an order that things should be done in, but you don't want to do them in that order?  Yeah, that's me right now.  There is so much to be done with my book coming out in June, a short story coming out in June, working on a book with my daughter to be released in August (or maybe sooner), doing at home preschool with my son, being sick, a super secret project with The Hubs,

and doing the blog three days a week. I just feel like I am  going to combust, I know it doesn't seem like there is a lot to do, but the job of getting my book ready for publication in June still has about twelve steps and I have about a week to do them in.  

I would much rather play around making a cover for the book that doesn't come out until August, ummm maybe I should just concentrate on finishing it first. Right?  But doing the cover is so much more fun! Doing pre school with my son is like pulling teeth. Not that he doesn't want to learn new things, but my kids just don't like it when I'm the one teaching them. :/

I know I need to set a schedule, in order of importance and stick to it, but I DON'T WANNA!!! I know in the end I will get it done, but sometimes I just get overwhelmed and want to stop what I'm doing and have some fun. Sometimes I tell myself not to sweat it, because it all needs to get done and as long as I keep busy working I will be fine.  Sometimes that works, but when I have projects spread out so far, that doesn't work so much.

On the other hand, I love, love, love being busy.  It is so rewarding when I cross multiple tasks off my list every day. And I guess, deep down inside I wouldn't change a thing. Is it possible that I actually thrive on feeling like I'm about to combust?  Yeah, I think it is. I'm crazy like that. ;)  So I will just take it one step at a time and get it done.  I can't ask for more, my fans can't ask for more and my family can't ask for more.

Until Next Time... Work hard and do your best. That is all anyone should ask from you.  That is what I am going to do and I know, in the end, it will all work out perfectly. :)

CONFIDENCE, FINALLY!!!

Since everything I start to write about my family (my main subject here on the blog) ends with me trashing one of my children in hopes of getting her to realize she is on the wrong path, I have decided to write about my career (writing, not housewife and mom) today.

As most of you have come to find out, my confidence isn't the greatest. It took so much courage and a huge leap of faith just to start this blog and even more to publish my first book. Well lately, things have been happening to really boost my confidence and I think in the end it will be long term.

I found a wonderful group of supportive authors via facebook and even though we are pretty much strangers, we are all ready, willing and able to help each other out in any way possible. No matter how many tutorials I read about marketing on Twitter, I never really seemed to get it or be good at it.  And after just a very short time in this group I finally have the hang of it.  I am seeing responses, results and retweets! I hope in the long run it will increase my sales and let people know that my books are out there, waiting to be read. I don't feel like such a twit when I tweet!  haha.  This group has also helped me to realize that I am not alone in this struggling, crazy, rewarding, heartbreaking world of writing.  I can't wait to see where this group of authors goes in the future.  Right now, I'm feeling like nothing can stop us!!!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/Anythinggoesauthorsgroup/

Another thing that boosted my confidence is that I received two five star reviews for Virgin Voyage in one day (5 total 5 * and 1 total 4*).  More than just one person is saying they are enjoying what I am doing!!!  That, I must say is one of the best feelings in the world.  I am reaching people, they are listening to what I have to say and most of all they are understanding me!  That is a huge accomplishment for a small town girl who never thought she would amount to anything. I know that in the future there will be people who don't like my work and it will definitely sting, but that will take nothing away from the fact that someone IS enjoying my work.  As long as I have reached, affected, or given joy to one person, I'm good. :)

So now I walk forth with confidence into the next novel and other writing projects I am involved in.  I am talented, I am worthy and I am confident. As long as I have those three things, nothing can stop me!  Look out world, my lack of confidence will no longer get in the way!

Until Next Time...I hope you don't have to suffer from severe lack of self confidence like I have because truthfully it sucks. But if you do, be patient and hang in there. The first step is to find yourself. The second is to find your comfort zone and step out of it. Work hard and don't give up. You are worthy and you will feel worthy and then just run with it! You can be confident too. :)

If you want a good read, please pick up one of my books. Virgin Voyage is available in paperback and on kindle (1.99)  Go up to the top of the blog and find the page that says Buy My Books. Click on it and you will have all of the links you need.  If you do pick it up, please leave a review when you are done.

JJ Ellis: ALASKAN AMBUSH - EXCERPT CHAPTER 4

JJ Ellis: ALASKAN AMBUSH - EXCERPT CHAPTER 4:                     Olivia walked around his living room looking at some of his Alaskan trinkets. They were so rustic, so charming. There...

MILESTONE - A HARD PILL TO SWALLOW (PLUS A BONUS POST!)

Today I will give you two posts for the price of one...Okay for the space of one since you aren't paying to read this. Post 1 is a normal mom's adventures with kids post and Post 2 is an article I wrote for my writer's website JJ Ellis, Romance Author that delves into the mind of a writer. I have two other articles on that site too if you want to check them out (Courage was the first and Imperfections was the second)

POST 1
Okay, so I am big about milestones right?  I talk about them a lot (remember when I was all emotional because my little man preferred more grown up kids shows to Mickey Mouse?)  Well, it seems we have hit another one.

Allergy season is upon us - hardcore and since most allergy medications are over the counter we spend a fortune on them every couple of weeks.  The little one is doing well on zyrtec so she has her own bottle of liquid children's zyrtec and the only antihistamine that doesn't turn Mr. Insane into...well, Mr. Insane times 100 is Claritin so he and Miss Crazy have a bottle of liquid children's Claritin to share.  Then The Freshman decided she was tired of refusing her medicine and wanted to feel better so she needed something to take. (Zyrtec turns her into a crazy woman too). My pocket book started to ache along with my heart in watching my kids suffer.


So, The hubs and I came up with a plan.  The Claritin pills (age 6 and up) are tiny so why not see if Miss Crazy can take them. We get those at his work in bulk for cheap!. So Miss Crazy was given a try on her very first pill.  Could she swallow it? Would our experimental work?  YES!!! My baby girl is no longer a baby girl.  She is a big girl.  She can take pill forms of medicine. She is growing up, I am feeling old, this is an exciting day, I am feeling old, what a cool milestone, I am feeling old...yeah, you get the picture.  Once again this is one of those bittersweet milestones.  (I'm not even going to think about the fact that in 22 days I will be the mother of a high school graduate, and in 26 days the mother of a high school sophomore, a second grader and a kindergartner.)

So now I am happy/sad and my pocketbook is thrilled.  We can buy 400 pills really cheap for The Freshman and Miss Crazy to share and a small bottle of medicine will last Mr. Insane a long time as does the medicine we get for Little Butt.  See, there are advantages to your kids growing up!!!  Rejoice in it :)

Until Next Time...ENJOY LIFE :) There are a lot of benefits to our kids growing up and to us getting older. Embrace it or you might just drive yourself crazy. I have had to learn that lesson the hard way but I finally did. Yes, I get a bit teary eyed at milestones, but I no longer dwell on them to distraction.  There is too much fun to be had, too much life to live to dwell on how old my kids and I are getting.

POST 2

A few weeks after I published my first book, Virgin Voyage, I came to a realization that really stung, but in a way made so much sense. The story I had practically lived, and loved like a child, would never bring me reading pleasure like it did others.

In the first few weeks after publication I truly can not tell you how many times I read the book. I had this urge to see if it was a pleasurable, enjoyable read. I wanted to enjoy it (or hate it) the same way a stranger who purchased it would.

There were short periods of time where I could blank my world out and get caught up in Mari and Graham's, but my world always came crashing back in. (And I'm not talking about  my kids bother me or the phone ringing or someone knocking on the door)  You see, I can never not be the author of Virgin Voyage. I will always read it with a critical eye. 'Should I have done this, or written that, or left that out. Or will my readers enjoy this or that better.' Truthfully I just wanted to live in Mari
and Graham's finished world for fourteen chapters. I guess you could say that I was craving the ability to just be a reader to my book.

I couldn't help how I felt. I knew I shouldn't feel that way but I did. It almost felt like a betrayal to the characters. I created them, I loved them, I nurtured them,  I put them to paper and I enjoyed it thoroughly. But I couldn't experience them as they were meant to be enjoyed.

And then my first reviews started to come in. Not only on Amazon, but through people contacting me personally to tell me how much they loved the book. All of a sudden, everything I've mentioned above didn't seem to matter anymore. Friends, family and strangers were reading my book the way I wanted to, and I realized something, the whole reason I wrote the book in the first place was so people could live it, love it and enjoy it.  Low and behold, they actually were!!!!  I never betrayed Mari and Graham, I gave them a happy life, in more ways than one.

I know I will most likely have the same feelings about future books, but now I will know how to handle it - just sit back and wait, someone will enjoy it and tell me they did, and then
the world inside that book will be complete.

WHAT IF I FIX WHAT'S BROKEN?

So, what happens if I am not so broken anymore?  Does my writing career go downhill? Do I become less funny (looking?)? Do I lose my ability to write? Do I lose my ability to come up with blog ideas?  Do I lose my fans?

These are all things that have crossed my mind at some time or another because I always dream of finding out exactly what is wrong with my hips and getting it fixed.  Yes, I am broken in many other ways, but if I only had good hips I could function so so so so...much better!

I do research on hip disorders, bone diseases etc. all the time.  I have even done a bit about the pelvis because mine occasionally pops and after all I did have five children bearing down in it. And then, just by chance I came across some articles about asymmetrical pelvis problems and low and behold I think I finally got it!!!  My pelvis is so far out of whack it isn't even funny and it is causing many of my other problems.  Well Hell's Bell's why didn't I think of this sooner.

Now for the bad news.  It's going to take time and money to fix it.  I have lots of time, but absolutely no extra money yet. (Now if I sold 1,000,000 books... haha yeah.) Anyway, I decided to do some exercises that I saw on a website that is supposed to help.  Problem?  Yeah, I have to be able to get down on the floor to do them.  LMFAO yeah, right. Me? On the floor?  hahahahahahahahah.  Okay, once I stopped laughing I had to do something and then I remembered what an old doctor and an old chiropractor once told me.  They advised me to let gravity do the work.  So now I lay on the edge of the couch or bed on my side and let my top leg drop off and gravity slowly works things into the right place.  I have done it three or four times today and I do not feel anywhere near normal, but I really feel much better. (And since I am writing this the night before I publish it, we will have to see how the morning goes and see if I am sore as heck or not.) I am able to bend to my right while sitting, I was able to get up quickly with no pain twice today and I actually stood for five minutes straight without feeling sore, nerve pain, or tired.

So what is next.  More gravity work of course! And then once I am able to make it on the floor without the possibility of being stuck there forever, I will start the other exercises I found on that website.  I sure hope it works.  I want to be productive again, Yes, I will probably still have my foot problems so I won't be able to work a standing job and I will still have my migraines and sinus problems so there will be days when I am down for the count, but I will love being able to get three little ones in the car without aching for days afterwards or risking throwing my back out and not being able to get back inside. Heck I will be grateful to be able to get up and get my own drinks (My kids never put the right amount of ice in, you know?)

I do not know what the future will hold. I may someday become the formerly broken housewife and mom, or I may find that it will take more than just these stretches and exercises to get better, but one thing I do know is that I will still be me, deep down inside, no matter how broken I am or am not, I am still me - a mom, a housewife, a writer, a blogger.

Until Next Time...A lot of times I have thought that if circumstances change I will change, but that isn't always the case.  Outward things and ideas may change, but deep down inside you will always be you.