My editor said Sadie's story is a 'go'.  This is good news, cuz I was afraid what Sadie might do if I had to tell her that I couldn't write about her.  It will probably be another week before I actually type 'Chapter 1'.  She is still filling me in about her background, her hopes, her dreams, and her fears.  And Kade is all in my head too.  He's a complicated fellow.  Aren't all men?? lol.  These two are going to have a lot of challenges.  But I'm very excited about writing their story!  At first all Sadie offered me were ideas.  Now full scenes are forming and demanding to be written.  

My son, Eric, will be coming back this next weekend for The Schulenburg Festival.  It's an annual event in a neighboring town, and he brings a few college buddies.  Boy do I have a surprise for him.  I'm going to need some serious input from him to incorporate into Sadie and Kade's story.  Hint - Eric is a performance music major getting his master's degree.  Okay, enough of a hint. 

Anyway - trying to finish up all my household stuff that fell behind during book #2.  After next weekend, the following Monday is when Sadie and Kade will finally get to tell their tale - if I can wait that long.  So, it will be back to full time writing.  And what is a typical writing day like for me?

I get up at 6 a.m., drink one cup of coffee, and with my eyes half open I scramble into my tennis attire.  No short skirts or traditional tennis clothes - shorts and a T-shirt, hair in a ponytail.  It is not my best look.  But no one sees me except for my fabulous sister-in-law, who meets me four days per week at 7 a.m. at the tennis courts for an hour.  Melody, you're the best!  I love our tennis, and I've missed it this week.  I hurt my back, and I could only play two days.  No tennis tends to make Beth a cranky girl.  

After an hour of tennis, I come home, cool down, check emails, and have a diet coke.  That usually takes me until around 9:00.  Usually, there's a load of clothes calling to be washed or some other little something that needs handling before I dive in.  Oh, and my sweet and wildly hyper Lab, Chloe (she's in book #2, by the way).  She will yelp until I go outside, feed her, and lavish a sufficient amount of attention on her.  I have three cats too, but they are not quite as demanding. 

Writing begins at 9:30.  Not much of a breakfast eater, I usually write for two hours and then break for lunch.  More email checking, updating Web site, etc. during lunch.  Probably putting a load of clothes in the dryer, etc.  Mail comes between noon and 12:30...check that.  Then back at it about 1:00.  Now from here, it depends where in the process I am.  If I'm not under the gun, I usually write until about 4:00.  But sometimes longer.  When there's no pressure, I write a solid four to five hours per day.  BUT - there are many days that I write much longer.  My best friend, Renee' ( love you!!) reads behind me as I write the first draft.  Without her, I seriously doubt I'd ever get past chapter 6.  For some reason, chapter 6 is where I ALWAYS start to think, "This is the worst thing I've ever written in my life."  Renee pushes, and she can't stand to be left hanging.  If I send her a chapter, she reads it that night and immediately wants to know what's next.  If I don't provide the next chapter very quickly...she is not very happy with me.  Sometimes she calls me that night and begs for me to tell her what will happen in the next chapter.  Sometimes she gets it out of me.  And sometimes I just don't know.  

In the early days of the story, I try to actually cook Patrick a meal and curl up watching TV with him in the evenings.  BUT as the deadline gets tighter, he is SO good about eating leftovers!!  He never says a word when things start to be, uh...not so organized.  

An average writing day for me is 6 to 10 pages.  A really good writing day (when I'm doing the first draft) is a chapter - 15 to 20 pages.  I've written as many as 32 pages in a day.  That's rare though.  Usually I'm brain-dead way before then.  

And, of course, there's life.  Things happen, and adjustments have to be made.  There's personal things, or there might be an email from the editor, publicist, or marketing director that needs handling right away.  Or I might lock myself out of the house after playing with Chloe and be stuck outside for two hours...yep, that happened ONE time.  But, one thing I can say - I have never looked at a blank screen.  The words always come.  As someone who is never at a loss for words, my muse is always on call.  I will never run out of things to say (those who know me well are laughing and saying, "Ain't it the truth!"  My fear...that I won't live long enough to write all the stories in my head!!

Till next time, my friends...blessings to you all.