I'm all about balance when it comes to work

First, some good news. I'm writing a new book that will be coming out sometime in 2018. I can't share many details yet, but when I can, I will! I'm almost as excited as this lady from my favorite soft-serve ice cream place.

The not-so-good news? I have a first draft due in a month or so. I'm about halfway done, I think? Maybe? Hopefully? And April is a really busy month for me with some sub jobs I already agreed to, a couple of appearances/events, some scheduled Skype visits, and the usual stuff life stuff.

Author R.J. Anderson shared this post on twitter yesterday, which talks about hours worked and productivity. "Decades of research demonstrate that the correlation between the number of hours worked and productivity is very weak," says Alex Soojun-Kim Pang, a Stanford University visiting scholar and founder of the Restful Company. Pang has now written a book called REST: WHY YOU GET MORE DONE WHEN YOU WORK LESS. I think I'm going to read that book.

R.J. shared that it's taken her a long time to realize that she is much happier and more productive when she takes frequent breaks throughout the day. And by breaks, she means getting up and getting away from the computer. Taking a walk. Napping. Baking cookies. I replied I've found the same to be true. I am a much happier writer when I have a balanced life that includes the things in life I love - gym time, dog walks, meal preparation and the occasional batch of cookies, a relatively clean house (which my family does help with, thankfully), social get-togethers, family time, and yes, power naps when I need them.

I know that if I write 500-1000 words a day over the next month, I'll meet that deadline. If I can focus for two hours a day, I can do those words. Here are the two things I've found to be key for me:

1) Every evening, I jot down what comes next in the story. It's usually just a paragraph, nothing fancy, but it takes the guess work out of what needs to happen when I sit down to write. I've already figured it out.

2) Then I have to decide WHEN those two hours will occur depending on what appointments or errands I have the next day. Like, today, I need to go grocery shopping and I also have a hair appointment early this afternoon. AND it's supposed to be sunny this afternoon. No way I'm spending the last hours of the afternoon in front of my computer. So I'll go grocery shopping, come back and write for two hours, and then I'm done for the day.

Everyone is different, it's true. Some authors would rather write a ton of words every day over a short period of time, doing hardly anything else. And maybe that's the key here - each writer has to experiment and find out what works best for him/her. But I also think burnout is a very real thing we need to be careful of if we want to keep writing for many years to come.

Anyway - if I'm not posting much this month, now you know why. It's a busy month, with a book to write. As Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights likes to say - let's git'er done.

Wishing you a happy spring!

From my mail

It's time for another edition of "From my mail!" This is where I share with you lines from mail that I receive from readers. Thanks to all of you who e-mail me and send me letters - I love hearing from you!

by 3rd grader Eliana

"I love your books because they're fun and once you start reading you can't stop. The truth is I promised only to read the first page but actually read 'till chapter 6. I have two dogs, one a puppy and one an adult. The puppy is obnoxious." ~ Eliana, 3rd grade

"I love your Charmed Life books. You give really good details." ~ Reagan

"Thank you for writing such a fun set of books for girls [the Charmed Life series]. We bought the books when my daughter was 10. She's 12 now and I think we've read the books at least four times. She is dyslexic and does not enjoy reading by herself but loves for me to read to her. I've loved the books as much as she has." ~ Joan

"I just finished Sealed with a Secret and fell in love with it. It helped me with my sister difficulties just like Phoebe." ~ Rushika

"My name is Sarah and I am currently reading My Secret Guide to Paris with my best friend. We are both in sixth grade. My friend that is reading this with me is also named Nora just like the main character. We are obsessed with Paris and love everything about it. That is only one out of a million reasons why we love this book." ~ Sarah

"I believe I read your book It's Raining Cupcakes somewhere between 3rd and 5th grade. I am now a senior filling out college applications. For one of my applications I was asked why I chose my major (entrepreneurship). When thinking back I realized it was your book that made me fall in love with entrepreneurship." ~ Ramsey

"Hello. My friend and I read your book The Day Before. We absolutely loved it. We loved the way it was written and how you used lots of foreshadowing. We would like to know if there is going to be a sequel?" ~ Brenna and Elizabeth

Kirkus Review - KEYS TO THE CITY

The first professional review is in and while I can't share the whole thing yet (it will be online soon), I can share the last line, which is a nice one.

Release date: 5/30/17

"Lindy's journey comforts those in search of themselves. Sweet and familiar Lindy makes this story hard to resist." ~ Kirkus magazine

While I'm here, also want to let you know that THE GIRL IN THE TOWER will be out in paperback on March 28th. Though if you'd like a great deal on the hardcover price, Amazon currently has it for only $6.67. What a deal - not sure how long that will last!