Happy March!

I am so excited to inch closer to spring. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still winter here but I have a trip to the beach in my near future and I can’t wait for the sunshine.

I was thinking about something again the other day and wanted to share a positive shift I made in my life.

I stopped waiting for permission.

Maybe this is a side-effect of being a ‘good girl,’ along with the constant apologizing (even when it’s not my fault), always smiling, and seeking to never cause a scene. Shortly after bringing my youngest home from the hospital, I realized even though I was the mom and the ultimate authority for my children, I was still waiting for permission from someone else. Instead of scheduling time to write when I had help caring for young children, I stalled until someone told me it was okay to take an hour alone.

Even now with my children in school full-time, I’ll sometimes catch myself hesitating before taking on a new project.

I used to think I was just a procrastinator, but that doesn’t fit. If I have a task, I set deadlines and draft a plan and attack. I don’t believe in either putting off a job OR excuses. If something is important, it’ll be a priority and I’ll make it happen. Since identifying the major hang-up, I combat it much quicker.

I have permission to work hard and reach my goals. I have permission to succeed. I have permission to get back to work and finish editing the piles of first drafts on my desk (wink).

Newsflash: I’m not trendy. I never have been.

As a kid in the 90s, I refused to wear jeans until middle school and lived in dresses. I was teased. I didn’t care. I liked wearing dresses. (I still do, for the record. The number one stressor in winter is being too cold for skirts and wearing all my jeans…ugh I still hate denim.)

My Mom complained that my Grandma was always off on trends and was so embarrassing to her kids as they were growing up.

I think, at least she tried! Because when it comes to fashion: I don’t care. The whole baggy shirt-tight pants look was stupid on me (and makes me look like I’m pregnant again, no thanks!). I wear what I like.

Similarly, I don’t write to trend.

I’ve missed Billionaires, Sports, and Alphas. And I’m perfectly fine.

My books are work. I’m not some lucky author who sits down and pours out the story her muse has inspired. I am a percolator. Ideas appear, I slowly tease out the story in an outline, I furiously write the first draft (but it’s not easy. I look at my outline, follow my notes, and sit my butt in the chair to write a scene–or more–a day until I reach the end), make extensive notes and write the synopsis, take a week break from the story to work on something else, come back and get back into fleshing out the story, take another week break, read and edit again. If I reach a point where I think, this is good. I’m proud of this story, I send it on submission. If it gets picked up by a publisher, I jump back into editing again.

It’s hard work. It’s a process. And I have to love the story.

So much work is involved from random thought to published novel, I have to really believe in my book. If one day, I accidentally luck into the next trend, I’ll be thrilled by the happy accident.

(Anyone interested in writing big city sweet romance with me?)

But it’s not my target. I’m aiming to craft stories that touch the reader’s heart. And I hope I deliver.

If you’re not aware of the #CopyPasteCris Twitter threads…

A romance author seems to have been mixed up in a convoluted plagiarism and ghost writing scheme. A reader discovered the theft and since other authors have found their words stolen and repurposed.

The whole thing is shocking. As a fellow Kindle Scout winner, I thought the writer was publishing her own words. The betrayal runs deep. I have questions all starting with why? I want answers that I don’t think will ever come.

This is beyond awful. Real romance authors write from their hearts. Our stories are emotional because we put everything on the page. We relive pain and fight through fear to try and craft a story that will resonate with someone who needs it.

I write my own books. I aim to make my stories as effective at delivering the core story as possible. My novels aren’t perfect. If I didn’t have deadlines, I would never finish any. I work hard to improve every story and the fact someone thinks they can lie, cheat, and steal in the most encouraging and supportive genre in a tough industry pisses me off.

I write my own books.