http://writerunboxed.com/2009/11/03/take-five-heart%e2%80%99s-blood-by-juliet-marillier/

Good luck!

All best,
Therese

Good morning to you!

I’m going through LWML publicity withdrawal right now and putting a much bigger emphasis on book #2. In the mornings, I write until I need a break, then I get up and stretch, check Twitter, check the blog, send important emails. In the afternoon, I edit what I wrote, catch up on more business, put out any fires. I spend early evenings being a mom and wife most of the time (last night, I made penne pasta w/ broccolli, garlic and pesto–simple but yummy), and hanging with my favorite breathing people. After my kids are in bed, I’ll sometimes tie up any remaining loose ends–emails, blog duties, etc… and think about what I’ll need to write the next day.

Because I have so many balls in the air (too many sometimes!), I try to make things as efficient for myself as possible. I’d like only to have to think of things two or three times: (1) I receive a task. (2) I do the task. (3) I follow up on the task. Sometimes when something hits my desk, I’ll finish it right away (like a Q&A for the book). Other times I have to set it aside, but I don’t want to end up ruminating over it or worrying I’ll forget, so I rely heavily on the “tasks” function on Outlook. Without those task reminders popping up to tell me things like, “Remind Allison she has a post due this Thursday,” or “Don’t forget to write a blog post for XYZ,” I would be much less efficient. And I would have more gray hair.

All best,
Therese

Sounds like you are a super busy woman! And successful…congrats on your book, I agree, the cover is fabulous!

How do you manage your time, now that you’ve got a new book with a due date, a blog that has to be ‘baby-sat’ and oh you know, things like doing dishes and going out for supper occasionally? Do you try to compartmentalize your writing times?

thanks for the post!

carrie

Thank you! I’m so happy that you liked Last Will. And Magical Musings is a fantastic site; thanks for all you do.

I would say Jodi Picoult is mainstream WF, yes, as is Anita Shreve. We may love to read these books, but they’re different from romantic women’s fiction in that they don’t offer a romantic arc we know will satisfy.

All best,
Therese

I often feel the same way about Magical Musings, that it’s a time suck. But I have met so many amazing people through it that it’s a good time suck.

Interesting about the subgenres in the WF genre. Would you say that Jodi Picoult is mainstream WF?