When your day is shorter than your to-do-list.

What robs you of your time to write.

My intentions to stay on track are great or that’s what I like to tell myself. Time management is a balance. A precise schedule that holds everything together. But there are days when no matter what I did, nothing worked out and these days would run into weeks. I had to find out what was robbing me of my time, so I made a list.

What took up time in my day.

Work, eating, cleaning, feeding animals, laundry, email, blogs and sleep. By the time I got home, cleaned up, ate and worked on e-mails I was exhausted. In my head, I had hours during the day to write. Why wasn’t it working out in my real life?

I found an article and it talked about writing out a time log. Spend a few days and jot down everything you do.  It worked out great and showed me how I was wasting so much time.  So I decided to share.

Preparing and writing your time log

You don't need to keep writing a time log permanently. It is sufficient to do it for 3-7 days.  When you write a time log, make sure you don't miss even the minor activities. Don't let your time wasters hide there. Take a sheet of paper and divide it into columns listed below.

• Time
• Activities
• Scheduled
• Interrupted
• Urgent
• People (involved)

Then continue with activities you would normally do that day. On the way, update your time log. Do it either every time you switch to a new activity or at some short time intervals, like 10-20 minutes. Add entries to your "Time" and "Activities" column, and try to put marks like "Yes" or "No" in the "Scheduled", "Interrupted", and "Urgent" columns. Where relevant, make short notes on what people you spend time with too.

 When you have your time log written, you can move to the most important part, the analysis. Review your records and try to get answers to the following questions.

• What percentage of your time is spent in each of the different areas of your life? How is it divided between Work, Business, Family, Recreational, writing?
• What percentage of your activities are important?
• Are urgent?
• What people you spend more time with?
• What percentage of your activities go as planned?
• What are main interruptions?

Then think of possible adjustments and action steps. For example:

• Are there any activities you can cut back on?
• Is there anything you can delegate or simplify?
• Can you save time by grouping related tasks, like shopping?

Once you see everything you do on paper, it will amaze you on how you can add a little more time to your writing.

My time is better spent now on getting my book ready for its release.

If I knew then 

YA. To be released late 2014 through Black Opal Books.

Angel dreamed of a life of freedom. One filled with love that didn't come with a price.  She hid the pain until Jax entered her life. Can he give her what she needs to let go of the past or will he leave her with a bigger challenge that will change her future?

Angel fought to keep her family safe from the evil that threatened to destroy her. She made sure she was always the one in front of her sisters when her Mother yielded her wrath. Keeping the danger that surrounded them a secret.To lessen the blow she lived a lie that everyone believed, except for one. He was her only source of happiness until one day he was gone. With nothing left, and no one to turn to she must outrun her past, and overcome the secret that she fights to hide, before her Mother destroys everything she has left to hold on to.

Rescued from the Dark

Published through Black Opal Books

BLURB:

What if you woke up from a nightmare, trapped in a world of darkness, with no memory of how you got there? Rescued from the Dark is a passionate, gripping story about FBI agent, Jason Michaels, confronting his duty to his country, and struggling with his feelings for a woman with no memory of their love.

Undercover Agent,Jason Michaels, infiltrates the terrorist cell and risks everything, even his life, to save the FBI intern who stole his heart, then walked away. Once Mercy wakes from her coma Jason struggles with the fact that she does not remember what happened, but anguishes with the idea that she believes their unborn child belongs to her ex. Jason soon realizes the terrorists vow to get her back to claim their secrets locked in her memory, no matter what the cost. In a race against time, Jason and Mercy struggle to fight their attraction, and put their differences aside, as they launch a manhunt to save their country and each other.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFYANMK 

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rescued-from-the-dark-lynda-kaye-frazier/1114500674?ean=2940016369129

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/285303

KOBO: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Rescued-from-the-Dark/book-mS6P9bqlx0ifOjztxuBrmg/page1.html?s=BNbii4WZ40uUHUgelR46hg&r=1

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-rescuedfromthedark-1061653-152.html

            BOB: http://www.blackopalbooks.com

Lynda Kaye Frazier

http://lyndafrazier.blogspot.com

www.lyndakayefrazier.com

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Writing is my passion, Reading is my Love.

WAIT! I’m writing a book!

As most readers will have worked out from my books, I love summer, the hot weather, the beach, and walking through national parks. For some years I’ve enjoyed swimming at a local, large Aquatic Center.

One day as I was swimming up and down in my lane (the slow lane, sadly, not the fast lane, or even the medium lane), I started thinking that an Aquatic Center would be a mighty fine place to meet Mr. Right. After all, there’s plenty of brawny, naked chests, quite a lot of young, good-looking, ultra-fit life guards, and lots of sweaty, delicious muscles in the gym. The only surprising part of my decision was that I hadn’t thought of doing it long ago.

So I started writing the “Wet and Willing” series right there and then (in my head) as I swam. I expected it to be a paranormal series, as I’ve been writing a lot of paranormal stories lately, but the characters stayed firmly fixed in the here and now, showing no unusual abilities, remaining stolidly contemporary. Not a werewolf in sight. Hey, that’s okay. Half the time I just take dictation from demanding characters anyway.

But then the unthinkable happened. The management of the Aquatic Center announced it was closing so they could undertake a major upgrade, and all the members had to find somewhere else to exercise for the eighteen months construction would take.
WAIT!! Just wait a minute. You can’t close the Aquatic Center! I’m in the middle of writing a series of books!!! Eighteen months! The readers would kill me if I took eighteen months off in the middle of it!

Fortunately for my peace of mind, we were given passes to another Aquatic Center, a little farther away, but just as big and exciting. So the series, “Wet and Willing” was written. Thank god!

Each of these books is a complete story in itself, but previous characters return for cameo appearances in later books.

Book 1: "Woman in Hot Water" blurb:
Unemployed and homeless, Kendra gets a job at the local Aquatic Center. Her new boss, Osborne, is very yummy, but he’s partnered to Jordan. When she’s offered a threesome with two such delicious men, how can she say no? And with so many opportunities to see their semi-naked bodies, being a good girl is not that easy either. Fun on the waterslide, a hot time in the sauna, slick, gleaming muscles in the gym...
When Jordan deduces that Kendra is sleeping in her car, the men ask her to stay in their guest room. She’s hesitant, but allows them to persuade her. Despite the best sex of her life, Kendra is determined to move into an apartment of her own as soon as possible, so she goes house-hunting. The men don’t like either of the places she chooses. She can’t risk losing her job but values her independence too.

STORY EXCERPT

“It’s a damn good thing I’m not too tall,” Kendra McIntyre muttered softly to herself as she untangled her body from the sleeping bag on the backseat of her old car. She peeked out the rear window through one bleary eye, pleased to see no people around but quite a few cars scattered about the cinema parking lot.
She sat up, slipping her shoes on, then brushed her hair and tied it up in a ponytail. Now to find a place where she could shower and change her underwear. The first three days after she’d been thrown out of her apartment because her roommate wanted her boyfriend to move in, Kendra had used a free trial gym membership pass. That was awesome because not only did she get to try out all the equipment, and use their showers, but also if she went early enough in the morning, she got a free breakfast as well.
The next two days she’d visited various malls, but washing there was problematic as there were too many people and no shower stalls. She’d ended up filling her water bottle with hot water, stealing the soap from the sink, and trying to wash in a toilet stall. Today she planned to try out the local swimming pool. For a start, it opened at six a.m., so she figured she could spend plenty of time in the showers and wash her hair as well.
Her car was almost out of gas, and her bank account was almost empty, but she’d have to put ten dollars of fuel in her car if she was to continue job hunting. The problem was everyone wanted fifteen-year-olds to do the type of jobs she was looking for—retail and hospitality. She still had two more funeral homes to apply to for a job as a professional mourner though. She was positive that being in her midtwenties would be better than being a teenager for those positions. Besides, funerals almost always had coffee and something to eat after them, and her food budget was even lower on her priority list than her gas budget.
Her panties and bra were still a little damp. She’d washed them out the night before and laid them on a towel on the dashboard of her car, but they weren’t dry enough to wear. Still, she couldn’t leave them there in daylight. Hopefully, there’d be hot air blowers at the swimming pool and she could finish drying them then.
She set her cell phone to recharge as soon as she turned her car engine on. Every time she saw an electrical outlet, she plugged her cell phone in, but it was never long enough to recharge it fully. However, it still had two bars, so should last long enough to answer a call about a job. If she was offered one. Certainly she wouldn’t be using it to call anyone herself. There was no budget for that.
Dammit, she needed a job right now. Then she could get an apartment. Then, possibly even a life. She grinned at herself. Yeah sure. Men would fall all over themselves to date her. Like hell they would. She was at least ten pounds overweight, her hips needed trimming, and so did her hair. She sighed. No budget for a hairstylist either.

Buy link: http://www.bookstrand.com/woman-in-hot-water

Berengaria Brown
http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/
http://berengariabrown.com/
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The Myth (And Reality) Of A Writer

Howdy, all!

Since the property damage from my last visit was so minimal, Tabitha graciously invited me back for another round! And, since I'm getting to know everyone, I wanted to take a little time and tell you what my "typical" writer's life looks like.

I get up bright and early at 5:30 every morning, to the sounds of birds chirping and the last of the nighttime crickets peeping. I bound out of bed, ready to start my day, jump in the shower, pour a cup of coffee, and sit down at my massive Louis Quinze desk. I spend a few leisurely moments catching up on the news and reading email, and then I start working, to the gentle strains of Mozart and Beethoven, while the sun rises gently in the east, welcoming me to the new day.
After a couple of hours, I'll have a nice breakfast and get back to work, where I'll be until lunchtime. .

*Record scratch sound effect*

Myth #1: I'm not a crack of dawn type of guy. The crack of noon's more my speed! Luckily, I work from home both at my day job and on my writing.
Myth #2: The early bird gets the worm, In my case, the early bird conjures dark fantasies of light-load shotgun shells. (No, I don't act on these. But this may become important in an upcoming WIP, and yes, there will be a quiz.)
Myth #3: I don't leap. At all. Ever. I'm not a freaking ninja and I'm not built for that. To say that I groggily stumble out of bed is much more accurate.

Myth #4: I shower when I have ten minutes to get ready. Otherwise, I rinse off the dirt and then settle into a steamy bath, where I'll be with my latest TBR project until the water starts to get cold.
Myth#5: Now that I'm ready to start my day, I grab a two-liter of Mountain Dew, a full pack of cigarettes, and a clean ashtray. The full items will be empty and the empty items full long before I get done with my day's work.
Myth #6: My desk cost me $20 at Wal-Mart.

Myth #7: "Leisurely" doesn't exist in my world or my vocabulary until the work is done. If I'm working on LESS than four things at any given time, someone's liable to ask me if I'm feeling okay. Multitasking is the only conceivable way I can get everything done that I need to!
Myth #8: I never watch the news. Least of all upon waking. If I want to be depressed or need proof that Darwin was right, then I'll look it over. Otherwise, my TV is very rarely on.
Myth #9: You will NEVER find the "classics" on my playlist. Substitute Metallica for Mozart and Black Sabbath for Beethoven and you're closer to the truth, with a liberal sprinkling of Tupac, LL Cool J, Paula Cole, and Melissa Etheridge.
Myth #10: If I'm seeing sunrise, you can bet I'm coming at it from the other side of midnight unless I'm sick, and I've probably been around the clock at least once already.
Myth #11: I eat once a day, and exercise for me constitutes getting into the car and driving to get more smokes or Mountain Dew. My preferred meal is dinner, at which time I usually eat what amounts to breakfast in most civilized countries. (This is because my body has been trained to consider my one meal of the day the end of the day, and so after I eat I'm not much good for anything.)

Oh, yeah. It's a glamour job. :)
Thanks for coming by and hanging out. I'll see y'all next month! (But, if you haven't had enough snark yet, come on by http://www.nobleromance.com, where I'll be hanging out today too!)

Until next time,

Best,

J.S. Wayne