Bestselling Author of 2009
Do you take one off, put another on, switch here and there...hmmmm...
I'm a busy person. How about you?
When is too much...too much? When do you learn when to say know?
I know...too many rhetorical questions for one paragraph, right? But seriously, in our busy world, we work ourselves into the ground and into a frenzy, and we have a hard time slowing down or coming to a stop. I very seldom say no. I took on two foreign exchange students who've enriched my life tremendously this year, but geez, what a work load on top of my own teenage daughter who thinks her boyfriend should live with us 24/7. And then there's my full time teaching job and my coaching efforts of German Club, Mock Trial, Model United Nations and National History Day...I should've said no at least once this year.
What about you? Are you that busy? And if so, when do you write? Or read?
I tend to write in the summer, but I'm leaving for the beach in two days...geez, can't wait. When I get back, I have to move into a new house and divorce my husband... oops... shouldn't have said that. I'm a romance author...but not a negative one. I still believe in true love even if the characters start out jaded and unhappy. I know there can be romance and HEA's somewhere out there over the rainbow...LOL
Don't you?
Hope springs eternal. :)
I also teach night classes two nights a week for a college, and I see lots of returning students who are trying to better themselves through the president's economic stimulus package.
No, I'm not gonna turn this into a political debate. I'm glad they'll get their educations. Even if there are no jobs out there when they earn their degrees, people become more well rounded and fulfilled when they go to college. That doesn't mean if you don't go to college, you're not happy. I know lots of happy people who never step foot into higher education, and you know what, they might even be better off, but everyone should have that opportunity, and if I can help....yeah! :)
Anyway, when do you find time to write or read?
My hope would be that the whole world would find the joy of reading, but such a small portion of the population actually reads avidly. It's hard work if you don't practice at reading. It's a skill. Some people find it easier than others, but it's like riding a bike or bowling. You have to be good at it to like it...which is why I don't ride bikes or bowl. LOL
Anyway, enjoy the journey, because you may never actually reach your destination, depending on what you think your destination is. If you keep searching, you might not figure out the end or get there. Just enjoy the ride. If it's going to college to be a teacher...don't just struggle and hate college and wait to be a teacher. Enjoy the college experience.
That's just one example.
Don't just write and write and write...then freak out if you don't get published. Enjoy the writing experience. You might never get published...ugh...did I say that? LOL. Of course, you'll get published. :)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my work, and if you want a sample, enter the contest. Leave a comment here and one on my contact page email form on my webpage and be entered to win a free copy of any one of my books on pdf. Thanks for playing along!
Never let anything hold you down! Rise above it! ♥
Rebecca Savage just won the "Bestselling Author of 2009" award from Champagne Books. She is an avid reader and a prolific writer. She reads all kinds of romances, but only writes contemporary suspense/intrigue. Rebecca had a top secret clearance in the Air Force, when she served as a Morse Code operator/supervisor. That and her Masters in History are why she seldom does research. Rebecca sold her first trilogy to The Wild Rose Press; her second to Champagne Books. Her latest novel, GUARD MY BODY, was released by Double Dragon/Carnal Desires. Visit her at http://www.rebeccasavage.com./
By Rebecca Savage
Double Dragon/Carnal Desires
BOOK BLURB
A hard core CIA covert ops expert like Nash Kincaid takes everything seriously. A librarian with a wild side could throw a ringer into his plans, but Ayden Devlin takes most things seriously, too, even when she decides to live out the lives of the characters in the books she reads by helping her sister Leigh, a spy for the CIA.
Nash and Ayden meet in a biker bar, and a hit man tries to kill Ayden. When she comes to, she and Nash have to establish trust. They don’t know each other, and the mission has gone awry. It takes time to convince each other of their respective honesty and identity. It takes no time at all for them to realize they’re hot for each other. Love blooms, stoked by building passion, the flames rising higher with each new dangerous encounter. Will they survive to share their love and lives?
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BOOK EXCERPT
Who the hell sends a librarian to do the job of an undercover CIA agent?
Covert Operation Expert Nash Kincaid - at least that's what his latest passport said - sat in a seedy biker bar, sipping on his tap beer, waiting impatiently for a librarian - of all people - to show up and make a Top Secret information drop.
He scowled and scoffed silently into his foamy brew at the very balls of his friend and fellow comrade in arms, the man who'd set up this preposterous rendezvous. How the hell had Ace ever gotten it in his head that some stuffy old bookworm would be suitable for a transfer of classified information? So what if this Ayden person happened to be Ace's partner Leigh's sister? That didn't mean she could pull off something like this.
And who the hell is the amazing-looking chick that just walked in the door?
Nash's eyes widened and his blood simmered beneath the surface. He let his eyes wander down, and then roam back up, the woman's sexy form. Her slim but amply curved silhouette stood out against the shadows of the barroom. Bright neon lights poured over her sexy outline, illuminating her body in vibrant red and yellow hues, cascading over and around her like waterfalls of color for her to bask in. She wore a skin-tight muscle shirt and a short leather skirt. The shiny, sequined material clung to curvy hips, stopped inches above shapely knees, and topped off endless, toned legs. Her fiery hair hung loose, reaching her narrow waistline, flowing like a billowing sea of red. Nash wanted to grip her waist with one hand, run his other through all that mass of organized tangles, hold on tight, and plow into her beckoning body like a madman.
Okay, so maybe her body didn't beckon him, but he sure as hell wanted it to.
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So true, Rebecca! The more hats you wear -- or have worn -- the richer your writing, in my opinion. I was a management consultant in London with a finance MBA before having babies and turning to writing; now I juggle a husband and four young kids with various school and community responsibilities, and do my writing at night when everyone else watches TV. I may have missed every single episode of LOST, but at least I have a novel coming out next year!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck, Rebecca -- the new one looks hot!
That's a very tough question, Rebecca. Balancing a more-than-full-time job in the finance industry with putting together a marketing plan for my debut novel (In the Arms of the Enemy, due Oct 1, 2010 from The Wild Rose Press), volunteer work and trying to have a social life is difficult indeed. When do I find time to write (or read, for that matter)? I squeeze it in on evenings and weekends when I have a little energy left over! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your latest book. It sounds intriguing (and as Beatriz said, hot)!
Turn off the TV, turn off the TV. I have found this frees up much time in the evening, at least two hours before I have to go to bed. I don't think its good for a writer to isolate herself from the larger culture (though helpful at times, if it can be managed!) so when I choose to participate, I make it part of a plan and I actually watch something or listen to something with my full concentration, and never as just "background noise." I do think all those experiences, including the "working for a salary and benefits thing" make us better writers. How many MFA Creative Writing graduates are there who have never had a real job and their writing shows it? Work, church, family, and life is not a "time suck" -I think participating in those things actually helps us grow into bettter, more mature writers.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I've always been careful to block off time for writing--for reading and for learning about writing too. This week, my new book is due to my editor (actually, I'm turning it in today!) and it's been crazy. I've had to turn down so many lovely invitations. But once it's turned in, things will go back to normal.
ReplyDeleteThat's one thing about the writing life: you've got to thrive on pressure!
These are issues I struggle with constantly. I have a full-time day job, huge caregiver responsibilities for an elderly, ailing husband, and an ongoing battle to balance getting enough exercise with getting enough sleep. (I can't seem to fit both into my life.) I've taken the schedule that got me through my online MPA from Marist and am writing in the same loosely flexible time frame--a couple hours every evening after supper, and as many weekend hours as I can fit in--usually six or so, spread out over the two days. I can't really watch TV or do fun things like going shopping as a diversion. For me, this is a career choice and is meant to be a future career change--I take it seriously and am flat out pushing forward to get published and build up over the years to being commercially viable to some extent. I can't think of anything better than writing exciting, entertaining books that I love to write and others love to read--and getting paid for it. So that's the plan. I hope this post isn't too long, but Rebecca struck a nerve. Elizabeth Palladino
ReplyDeleteThanks for the cool comments!
ReplyDeleteLove them! Always love to see how much thought I provoke in a reader of a blog and how much thoought a reader puts into my brain after they read and post a comment;
It's cool to be linked in such a way to fai8r strangers;
I'm so glad I saw the email about the blogs where you were commenting. I've always been a reader and raised four children who are all readers. Now that I have adult children, I read for relaxation in the evenings. I don't watch a lot of TV.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca, sorry i'm just now getting to this, talk about wearing too many hats and being to dang busy. This week has been one big mess, lol. So....the beach?? uh jealous here !!! As for the hats, i don't think as women we intentionally do that,( and i don't want to leave out the men becuase there are a good number of them out there that have to do the same if they're single working parents etc.) it just happens. Once you graduate high school and/or college and your life starts taking course, it's hard to stop the flow.....jobs, dating...marriage....kids and before you know it you're working full time, have 3 kids at different stages of their own lives and busy, busy, busy with school activities, work, house chores, did i say work? and then the reading and writing, which i love both. Sometimes i sit and wonder where the heck i find the time to do everything in the course of a day or a week that i actually do, even amazes me sometimes. The reading i LOVE and i try to find time anywhere to do that, on my lunch hour at work, maybe for a half hour before bed or while my significant other is watching tv, even in the car as a passenger of course....and the writing, well i LOVE that too, mainly why i didn't get discouraged while getting the publishing rejections but with a contract signed, it is a little bit lighter on my shoulder load, still not completely gone tho becuase i know that's just one book and each additional book or story i write will be a new adventure in writing and publishing. ok...sorry for that lengthy post.....sometimes it just hits me...which is how i write too...i can be at my desk at work and have thoughts come to me, open a word document or grab a paper and before i know it i have 1K or 2K words.....the miracle of a busy mind....hope every one had a great week and a wonderful weekend to come and can't wait to hear how your beach week went Rebecca !!
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