Allie Pleiter gets CHUNKY!

“How can you write four books a year???”

I get asked that a lot—as do many Love Inspired authors.  It’s one of the joys—and the challenges—of working in category fiction.  I’m happy our readers have such an appetite for our stories, look forward to the next books in our series, and become fans of individual authors.  I like to think I write characters my readers want to be friends with, to invite out for lunch, to have as next door neighbors.  It’s part of the wonder of books, isn’t it?  Discovering worlds you want to linger in long after you close the cover?

My smart-aleck answer to the “How can you?” question is usually “One word at a time.”  The truth is closer to “with effort and discipline.”  For me, that means 1,000 words every morning, 1,000 words every afternoon, five days a week, most weeks a year.  It’s the best job in the world, but parts of it are still like every job everywhere.  You need to sit down and make it happen.  (Or, in my case, get on the treadmill desk and make it happen…)

Today I launched a personal publishing project that lets fellow authors and aspiring writers everywhere in on my Chunky Method of Time Management for Writers.  Those 1,000 words I talk about in the previous paragraph are my “chunk.”  I use my “chunk” to plan, schedule, and even improve my writing productivity.  Now I can let you in on why I take being called “The Chunky Lady” as a compliment :)

This an exciting venture for me, putting into print form a class I’ve been passionate about teaching for years.  I’ve been writing fiction and non-fiction since the early days of my career, but have focused on the Love Inspired line for the past several years.  It feels good to get out into “teaching” mode again.

Don’t worry, there are plenty of Love Inspired novels still to come from me.  In just a few weeks, the story of Ida Lee Landway begun in HOMEFRONT HERO gets its own happy ending in THE DOCTOR’S UNDOING.  And I’ll be tackling the third book in the LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE continuity series later this year.  And who knows—you may be seeing even more independent fiction from me!

Easter Season blessings to all of you from the Pleiter house.

Time to Read Books by Camy Tang

I had a coupon code for Harlequin.com and was buying ebooks today, and my mom asked me, “When do you have time to read books?” I had to think long and hard about that because I’ve been pretty busy for the past several months but I’ve managed to squeeze in some books. Not as many books as some of my friends over on Goodreads.com—some of them are way fast readers and get one or two dozen books read a month!—but I did read some good ones lately.

I realize that I make time out of my day to read books. In many ways, I have to read books in order to “refill my creative well,” as one best-selling author put it in a workshop I attended at a writers conference. Even when I’m busy, I have to deliberately carve out reading time.

It doesn’t have to be long stretches, although I prefer those the most. I read while I’m—ahem—in the bathroom. There really isn’t that much else I can do while I’m sitting there. I also tend to read while I eat breakfast and lunch by myself during the day. And I’ve been trying to be good about riding my exercise bike regularly, and I read while I’m doing that. And I also listen to audiobooks while I’m running, although I’ve noticed I tend to prefer nonfiction audiobooks when I run.

So even though I’m busy, I make an effort to spend some time reading everyday. I drink a lot of water and tea throughout the day, so I do a lot of reading in the bathroom. :)

How about you? When do you read? Do you read everyday?

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She’s working on the next book in her Love Inspired Suspense Sonoma series, which will release in 2015. She is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. Visit her website to sign up for her quarterly newsletter.

The Mommy Balancing Act

My name is Dana Corbit, and my life is out of balance. Wow, that feels so good to get that off my chest. Does anyone else in the room want to share? Oh, you want me to go first? Fine, I discovered this week that I’m struggling with Mommy Balancing Act. Am I addicted to my lack of balance? Er, well, maybe, but for the sake of today’s discussion, we’ll just say I’m struggling with it.

I preface my statement with the reality that I am reaching crunch time on a deadline. Those of you who share my joy and misery of book writing might be able to commiserate directly, but any of you who balance your lives as wives, mothers, daughters and employees might be able to relate as well. I feel as if I’m holding this huge balance scale with only two sides and then trying to throw one hundred-percent effort in each direction without knocking either of the balance plates on the ground. Let’s just say my scale is on the fritz.

My failure was clearest this week while my daughters were home from school on this parent-torture event called the “Mid-Winter Break.” Now did I mention I’m on deadline? So each moment when the scene for my characters was snapping with attraction was also a moment when I wasn’t playing Apples-to-Apples with the girls. And each moment when I was shopping for cool hair accessories or watching delicious chick flicks with the girls, I wasn’t giving my heroine the chance to find the person who will fill the empty place in her heart.

Oh, and did I tell you I’m on deadline? The result was guilt and plenty of it. You know guilt, that special gift God gives all moms.

Well, I probably should begin my Ten-Step Program soon, but I have other priorities right now. I need to get the girls ready to go back to school tomorrow and I have a book to finish.

An award-winning author and an award-winning journalist, Dana Corbit has written ten books for Steeple Hill Love Inspired. The busy wife and mother of three adolescent daughters enjoys doting on her recently adopted cats, Leonardo and Annabelle Lee.