I haven't posted on my blog for far too long. Sorry about that.

As many of you can likely relate, this past year and a half have really taken their emotional toll. It's not been easy. On that note, I really hope that you all are healthy and happy, at least in this moment. Sending happy vibes your way!

In the last school year, my four kids did online schooling. Needless to say, it was a bit overwhelming, but we did it. They're back in school, now, and we've already had two colds--not without their anxiety and immediate testing (negative, thank goodness).

This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, and while we're not spending any time with family outside our household, it was still a lovely dinner with just Mr. Champagne, the kids, and me. We made a huge turkey and our favourite side dishes, and we have enough for our meal prep for the week. It's fantastic.

On the writing front, things have been slow. Don't get me wrong, I'm working, just not writing. Since April, I've been on a tight deadline of edits, working through the five-book Seductive Spies series, and I'm almost done! I'm on the very last stage of editing with the final book--just waiting for my editor to get her notes to me. I'm also waiting on the final covers, and then the books will be ready for preorder! 

The first in the series, The Thespian Spy is already available, and book two, The Charming Spy is up for preorder. The rest are soon to come!

Cheers, everyone!

I've reached the point in my writing (to which most of you authors can relate), where the end is so close that I can practically taste it. With every word that I write, my anticipation heightens, knowing that the story is almost complete.

I'm wrapping up plot points, concluding the romance in a satisfying revelation of "I love you"s, and making sure that the bad guy gets his just desserts. It's what I've been working towards since I'd started the research, and written the first word, and the suspense is almost too much to bear.

The trick is not to get overly excited and rush through the end, which ruins it for everyone. I also have to make sure that I've hit all of the appropriate emotional notes, and I don't skip any important plot details or make continuity errors. It's difficult to keep the same level of thoughtfulness and precision that goes into the rest of the manuscript, because I'm just ​so eager and thrilled! 

For those of you that aren't writers, or might not quite get what I'm describing, it's not that I want the book to be over. It's more of a fervent desire to have my work in readers' hands, and the quicker I can write it, the quicker my editor can go over it, and the publishing process can begin. I have so many stories in my head that are waiting to be written, that I want to get them all out as quickly as possible so that others might enjoy them.

As you all know, my current work in progress is a novella, and I'm bursting to have you all read it! So, back to writing I go...

I've heard about other authors' comfort zones when it comes to writing, whether it be that they're more comfortable with flash fiction, short stories, novellas, or they're better at writing full-length novels. In my first series, and early in my second, I'd only ever written longer novels (between 80,000 and 100,000 words). I had never really considered how difficult trying something new would be, until I gave it a shot.

My current WIP is a novella that branches off from the third novel in the Mason Siblings series (entitled Love and Deceit), and I have to confess that I'm really struggling to keep it "novella length". I thought for certain when I'd begun writing that the story should only be about 20,000 words at most. This WIP currently sits at 27,468, and it's not even close to being completed. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll be able to keep it from being a novel, and that concerns me.

I'm trying to avoid rushing the scenes, because it definitely comes through to the reader, but I suppose that I won't know if I've done that until my editor takes a look at it. For now, I will keep writing, and hope for the best. The story is done when the story is done!

​Do any of you experience this problem?

Several months ago, I made a promise to keep all of you updated on my writing. I'm pleased to announce that after over 3 months of doing editing, I'm finally back to writing! While I've already written a few paragraphs, I'm still trying to regain my bearings in this manuscript and figure out where I was going with it before I put it on pause. In other words, it's going slow. 

Today was a difficult day for finding the time to write, sadly. I had a few long phone calls, I did some work with Acquisitions, and took care of my kids. Gratefully, tomorrow is another school day, and I have plans to have the twins looked after during those hours. It's going to be amazing! I'm going to turn off my phone, turn off my internet, and get some writing done!

Wish me luck! Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Despite my optimism, and the goals I've set for myself, I...haven't been writing all that much, lately. 

In theory, I should be able to write 500 words per day--a very modest goal--which is what I'd told myself I would do. In practice, however, I'm having a seriously difficult time getting it done. I could blame any number of things: being busy with my other work, household stuff, being the mom of four kids and literally being climbed on all the time, social media, etc. but I think that Iam my biggest speed bump.

I want to write, but I think that I need to focus on making the time to dedicate just to my writing. Two days per week, my 3 year-old twins are at preschool while their older brothers (8 and 6) are in school, so that should be 5 interrupted hours of writing each day. Unfortunately, most of those two days is spent making phone calls (which I can only really make when the kids aren't home, because noise), taking an extra long (and blissfully uninterrupted by screaming) shower, playing with the dog (a tiny Chihuahua who usually hides when the kids are home), sipping tea before it gets cold, and having a snack that I don't have to share. By the time I actually sit down with my laptop on my lap, I usually only have an hour or two before I have to pick up the kids from school.

My goal now--which I'm stating publicly here for accountability--is to actually take those two 5-hour days per week and dedicate them to writing book 8 (Book 4 in the Seductive Spies series--A Spy Worth Saving). I'll post my progress, and I promise I'll be honest. My current word count is: 25,973. 

​Wish me luck!